October 23, 2022
30 years after the National Institutes of Health issued the guides lines that insurance companies and doctors rely on to determine candidacy for Bariatric surgery, the ASMBS and IFSO have issued revised guidelines. The ASMBS is the largest organization of Bariatric surgeons and integrated health professionals in the United States, and the IFSO represents 72 similar global organizations. Citing decades of new research and technological advances, the new guidelines create surgical opportunities for more individuals who struggle with obesity.
Under the NIH’s 1991 guideline, people with a BMI of 40 or higher qualified. Individuals with a BMI between 35 and 40 with at least one other obesity-related condition, such as heart disease or diabetes, also qualified. People with a BMI lower than 35 do not qualify for Bariatric surgery.
In the updated guidelines, the ASMBS now recommends surgery for those with a BMI of 35 or higher, regardless of other conditions. Those with a BMI of 30 or higher also qualify for surgery if they have another condition, such as high blood pressure, sleep apnea, or diabetes.
Unfortunately, it will take time for most insurance companies to adopt the new guidelines. But those with a BMI of 30 or higher are now eligible for surgery with one of our affordable cash-pay options.
