New Study Reveals that Gastric Banding Pays for Itself

For those of you who are considering bariatric surgery in Bradenton Florida, there’s more good news on the horizon. A recent study reports that gastric banding weight loss surgery, like the Lap-Band surgery can pay for itself within four years for people without diabetes and two years for people who have diabetes. Not only is gastric banding considered an effective bariatric procedure, but now a cost-effective one as well.

The study, announced by Allergen, Inc — a 60 year old multi-specialty health care company — was published in the Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases peer-reviewed journal, and revealed that the cost of gastric banding was offset by obesity-related medical cost deductions.

As part of the study, 7,310 gastric banding patients were matched with a group of 7,306 people who didn’t have bariatric surgery. The results showed that while the medical costs of non-surgery control group continued to rise, the medical costs of the banding surgery group dropped. Most notably were the cost savings in those who had diabetes, who saw a two-year recouping of medical costs.

The findings are significant, especially considering that one in three people in America are obese. Obesity not only leads to increased medical costs, but employee absenteeism and lost productivity as well. Given that obesity is also related to life-threatening conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, stroke, and diabetes, the study has even more meaningful indications.

Further, considering the fact that vast research indicates that gastric banding is a safe and effective weight loss surgery method that can result in sustained weight loss and reduced co-morbidities, the study’s financial findings are just the icing on the cake.