A Florida-based insurer has said it will stop covering gastric bypass surgery by the end of the year due to safety concerns.
Gastric bypass surgery, also known as stomach stapling, is considered a last resort for morbidly obese people trying to lose weight, said a report.
Dr Robert Forster, the chief medical officer and vice president for healthcare services for insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield, said roughly three in every 1,000 patients die following the surgery, with up to 20% of patients returning to hospital for a second procedure.
Forster said there had been a spike in demand for the surgery, which would have cost the insurer approximately $200m over the next few years and could have led to higher premiums.
Dr Anthony Terracina, who specialises in the surgery, said: “It just doesn’t make any sense that the insurance companies would do this. Obesity is the number one health problem in the IS. Why wouldn’t you help those patients and keep them out of hospital?
