BOSTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests bariatric surgery is the most cost-effective way to treat obesity.
The study, led by the consulting firm Analysis Group Inc., said insurers recover their costs for bariatric surgery in two to four years, depending on the type of surgery performed. Researches compared actual insurance claims filed by 3,651 bariatric surgery patients to actual claims filed by an equal number of morbidly obese patients who did not have surgery.
The findings of the study, funded by a company that makes surgical instruments used in bariatric surgery, are published in The American Journal of Managed Care.
The study said reductions in costs associated with obesity-related illnesses offset the $17,000 average cost of laparoscopic surgery and the $26,000 average cost of traditional, open bariatric surgery.
