Anybody considering lap band surgery will probably have a long list of questions and quite high up on that list is going to be the question of price. Sadly, while this might appear to be an easy question, it is not all that easy to answer.

The price of having lap band weight loss surgery depends upon a lot of things but the first thing you must do is establish whether or not you qualify for surgery. Deciding that you need surgery is one thing but when it comes to paying for surgery whether or not you meet the requirements of the National Institutes of Health is a crucial factor.

Ordinarily, if you have a BMI of 40 or more you will automatically meet the NIH requirements. You could also qualify if your BMI falls between 35 and 39 providing you are also suffering from a serious medical problem which is directly associated with your weight. The list of related conditions is lengthy but will include things like high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes.

If you fail to meet the NHI requirements then you will need to pay the full cost of surgery yourself.

The next thing you must consider is whether or not your health insurance plan will meet some or all of the cost of surgery. It is commonly said that insurers will not meet the cost of weight loss surgery but this is not the case and health insurers are increasingly funding either some or all of the bill for lap band surgery. Your health insurance company will however only fund the cost if you meet the requirements of the NIH and your doctor states that surgery is a medical necessity.

Okay, so what does surgery cost?

The price of surgery is complicated because you need to take into account not simply the price of surgery itself but all of the associated costs which will vary widely according to where surgery is carried out and by whom. Costs will include things like pre-op tests, fees for your surgeon and hospital fees. Additionally, there will be several post-operative fees for services like medical visits, nutritional counseling and psychological support.

Where surgery is carried out in the United States then you can reasonably expect it to run anywhere between $17,000 and $30,000 for surgery and post-operative treatment providing you do not encounter any complications. While major complications are uncommon they do crop up occasionally and costs may then increase considerably.

Where surgery is carried out outside of the United States then the price will be lower and you can expect it to run between $11,000 and $16,000. Lap band surgery has been done for many years in both Europe and Australia where results have been excellent and is now being increasingly done in countries like Brazil, India, Canada, Mexico and the Far East.

Should you be contemplating going abroad for weight loss surgery then you will need to include the cost of travel and post-operative recovery care which can add considerably to the overall cost but still be less expensive than undergoing surgery at home. You will also have to check with your health insurance company if applicable because it is unlikely that your insurer will meet the cost of any surgery that is carried out abroad. Lastly, you must note the fact that you could have very much less legal protection if anything goes wrong with surgery outside of your home country.

In general having surgery at home will probably be your best and safest choice but if the difference in price is big enough in your own case then you could well feel that it is worth the risk.

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