Need obesity and weight loss surgery but worried about costs? Now insurance cover is easy

For a long time Kolkata-based Dr Ratul Pal, 41, had been battling weight issues because of his severe arthritic knees and was barely able to move around. His obesity posed a serious health threat and doctors advised bariatric surgery because of the combined risk of diabetes, hypertension and high levels of lipids in his blood.

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“I planned a surgery in 2021 but although insurance cover for bariatric surgery was introduced in 2019, | had a waiting period given my pre-existing conditions. Finally, my surgery was done on October 15, 2024, at Manipal Hospital, Dwarka, and my insurance covered my bill of Rs 4.5 lakh. From 116 kg, my current weight is around 98 kg,” says Dr Pal, who has not faced any side effects or complications. “The osteoarthritic knee problem has gone down by 80 per cent. | am not taking any medicine for cholesterol or hypertension, | am not taking any blood sugar-lowering drugs either and managing to build in some activity,” adds Dr Pal.

Many others with morbid obesity, where the body mass index (BMI) — calculated by dividing body weight in kilograms by height in metres squared (m2) — is 40 or higher, have got relief. Doctors say that with bariatric surgeries (between Rs 4 and 6 lakh) now being covered by different health insurance schemes, there has been an uptick in their numbers over the last few years, even in private hospitals. Dr Arun Prasad, surgical gastroenterologist, Bariatric Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi, says the number of patients seeking surgeries has gone up by one-and-a-half times on an average, from 55-60 a year in 2020 to 90 now.Gaurav Shrivastav, Delhi-based financial and insurance adviser, predicts that with the inclusion of bariatric surgery in family health insurance plans, individual health plans and even a critical illness insurance policy, up to 38 per cent people are expected to benefit in rural areas and up to 30 per cent in urban areas.

What are the conditions for coverage?