Weight loss surgery might be an option for adults who are morbidly obese. What about for teenagers? Most private health insurance companies will not cover this type of procedure. Teenagers who are covered by Medicaid or CHIP have a better chance of having their weight loss surgery covered.
Every surgery, no matter how big or small, comes with risk. While certain kinds of weight loss surgeries may be a recommended option for some adults who are morbidly obese, this doesn’t mean that it is completely and entirely safe in all cases.
Not every private health insurance plan will cover this type of surgery for adults. However, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, forty-seven state Medicaid programs will cover the cost of bariatric surgery for adults.
Private health insurance plans are mostly employer driven. This means that the employer is allowed to choose what types of health care will be covered for the workers who purchase the company health plan. Not every employer is going to choose to pay for all, or even part, of the weight loss surgery of an employee. According to Mercer, 56% of employers who have between 1,000 and 5,000 workers will cover weight loss surgery for adults.
It seems that there is a growing interest in weight loss surgery for morbidly obese teenagers. Doctors might recommend this type of surgery for teens that are morbidly obese. It is a controversial decision, in part, because of the risks this type of surgery involves.
In general, this would only be an option for teens who have tried to lose weight through diet and exercise, and who have not had those methods be successful for them. The teenager must have reached his or her full height in order to be eligible for the surgery. He or she must also be mature enough to make the necessary dietary changes that are required post-surgery, and to stick to them.
Weight loss surgery is expensive. Parents of kids who are covered by a private health insurance plan, or an employer plan, may find that their insurance won’t cover their teenager’s weight loss surgery. Private insurers are still wary of covering it for teens or for children.
Teens who are covered by Medicaid or CHIP have a better chance of having their weight loss surgery covered by those public insurers. Of course, this is assuming that the teenager lives in a state that will cover bariatric surgery for teens. Ohio’s Medicaid program covers it. Texas might cover it. It is unclear where other states stand on this controversial topic.
Image by Tony Alter on Flickr