Weight loss surgery is typically associated with people who are obese, not the ones who may just be carrying a few extra pounds. But some doctors are saying bariatric surgery may also become a common treatment for people of smaller sizes – and that the trend could offer significant benefits to patients.
Dr. John Baker of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery recently recently told the Los Angeles Times that bariatric surgeons have the most effective tool in modern medicine today, because if doctors can prevent overweight people from becoming obese, they may be able to lessen a future epidemic of health problems. In the same story, Dr. Santiago Horgan of UC San Diego said patients who are 50 pounds overweight should be considered for weight loss surgery, before their situation gets any worse.
On the other hand, weight loss surgery remains an expensive option for pretty much anyone who needs it. Costs vary, but in California, the average weight loss surgery is more than $52,000. And health insurance coverage may be possible, but it’s almost always tough to negotiate. Then there are the risks: a small percentage of patients who undergo weight loss operations don’t survive them. All the same, bariatric surgery rates in America have doubled since 2002, and with doctors now looking to treat patients before they become morbidly obese, more people than ever may choose bariatric surgery in their own battle of the bulge.
