The Cost of Lap Band Surgery

If you are considering lap band surgery, it will not be long before you start thinking about the cost of lap band surgery. Even if you have insurance, you may end up paying for part of the cost of your procedure. If you are fortunate enough to have a plan that covers the cost of the surgery, you may not end up paying much at all.

I had a RNY(the stomach stapling type of gastric bypass surgery) and did not even bother to find out how much of the cost of the surgery was covered by my insurance company. Having this surgery was something that I felt I needed and I figured I was going to have it no matter what it cost. There was a woman in one of my pre-op classes who had the same insurance provider that I had and her policy covered 50% of the cost of the surgery.

I had the surgery. The bill came a month later and it was $31,000. All I could think of was how long I was going to be paying for this surgery. Thirty days later the bill came again and you can imagine my surprise when the bill had $250 in the amount due field. That was the quickest check I ever wrote in my life. So, in order to know what is going to be covered by your insurance company, you will have to talk to them.

Lap band surgery is a lot less expensive than the RNY, because there is no reconstruction involved. My insurance company did not cover the lap band when I had my surgery. That has changed for many insurance companies in recent years and most of them now cover the cost of lap band surgery.

However, the cost of lap band surgery is relatively inexpensive as far as surgeries go. And it is definitely less than the cost of obesity related medical issues. The cost of this type of weight loss surgery is generally between $10,000 and $20,000. There are numerous bariatric surgery facilities that offer financing and both the Lap Band and Realize Band manufacturers offer financing for their products. If bariatric surgery is in our best interest, the lap band cost less than the price of most new cars.