Anyone contemplating lap band surgery will almost certainly have a list of questions and fairly high up on that list will be the question of price. Regrettably, though this might seem like an easy question, it is not all that easy to answer. The price of having lap band surgery will depend upon many different things but the first thing you have to do is determine whether or not you qualify as a candidate for surgery. Coming to the decision that you need lap band surgery is all well and good but when it comes to meeting the cost of surgery whether or not you meet the requirements of the National Institutes of Health (NHI) is a crucial factor. Generally speaking, if you have a BMI of 40 or over then you will automatically meet the requirements of the NHI. You might also qualify if your BMI falls between 35 and 39 as long as you are also suffering from a serious medical problem which is related to your weight. The list of related conditions is long but includes things like high cholesterol, diabetes or hypertension. If you do not meet the requirements of the NHI then you will have to meet the full cost of lap band surgery yourself. The next thing that you must look at is whether or not your health insurance will meet part or all of the cost of your surgery. It is frequently believed that insurers will not pay for weight loss surgery but this is not so and health insurers are increasingly funding either part or all of the cost of lap band surgery. Having said this, your health insurer will only meet the cost if you meet the requirements of the NIH and if your doctor certifies that your surgery is medically necessary. Okay, so what does lap band surgery cost? The price of lap band surgery is complex as you have to include not merely the price of surgery itself but all of the associated costs and these will vary considerably depending upon where your surgery is performed and by whom. Costs must include things like pre-op tests, surgeon's fees and hospital charges. In addition, there will be a variety of post-operative charges for services such as follow-up medical visits, psychological support and nutritional counseling. When surgery is carried out in the United States then you might reasonably expect it to run anywhere between $17,000 and $30,000 for your surgery and follow-up care as long as you do not run into any complications. Although major complications are uncommon they do occur from time to time and costs can then rise dramatically. When surgery is carried out outside of the United States then the price will be lower and you might expect it to run between $11,000 and $16,000. Lap band procedures have been performed for many years in Australia and Europe where results have been excellent and is also now being increasingly done in countries such as Brazil, Canada, Mexico, India and the Far East. Should you be thinking about going overseas for surgery then you will need to add in the cost of travel and post-operative care which can considerably increase the total cost but still be cheaper than undergoing surgery at home. You also need to check with your health insurer if applicable as it is very unlikely that your insurer will meet the cost of surgery which is done overseas. Lastly, you will have to note the fact that you might have very much less legal protection should anything go wrong with surgery outside of your home country. In most cases having your surgery at home is likely to be your best and safest choice but if the difference in price is large enough in your particular case then you might well feel that it is worth the risk.
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