Insurance in Bariatrics

Dr Ramen Goel, Director, Center of Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery, Wockhardt Hospitals bats for the inclusion of bariatric surgery under insurance coverage. He explains that contrary to popular belief it is more than just a cosmetic procedure and often is a life-saving surgery

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INSURANCE FOR bariatric surgeries has been a controversial subject in our country for almost 20 years. Routinely almost all insurance companies (private or public) had been declining claims and pleas for payments (cashless or reimbursement) citing various reasons.

These refusals arise from a perception that obesity is a self inflicted problem and these self indulging individuals have no right to insurance largesse. Mostly reasons cited for rejection includes exclusion of obesity and related treatment in policy document and/or bariatric surgery is a cosmetic procedure. None of these arbitrary pronouncements can withstand evidence-based scientific and legal scrutiny.

Is obesity the outcome of self-indulgence?

This populist perception exists even amongst few medico-professionals, even though enough scientific data exists to contrary. Let’s examine this basic issue in detail:

World Health Organization (WHO) has declared obesity as a disease many years back.

If indulgence is the only factor for weight gain how to justify large number of slim people eating larger portions while most of obese keep restricting their food intake and still not lose weight.