Monday, June 14, 2010

Borrow for bariatric bypass

Why isn't a loan an acceptable option for people who want a gastric bypass?

If the state can only afford to fund 5 to 7 in 500, it would be fairer to offer interest free loans.

The operations cost between $17,000 and $35,000. Students take out loans that size. People buy similarly priced cars on time payment; take out mortgages 10 times that amount. Assuming a morbidly obese person will have a much greater chance of earning an income if they can get back to a normal weight, why don't they make the investment in themselves?

Aided and abetted by MPs, why does the argument always revert to a demand that the state pay? It doesn't help or advance their cause.

2 comments:

Linda Reid said...

I would not assume that surgery is the answer to obesity.
Check this link out:
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/01/junkfood-science-weekend-special.html

"A landmark report evaluating the evidence (more than 70 studies) on the efficacy of bariatric surgeries was released by ECRI in September, 2004. ECRI (formerly the Emergency Care Research Institute) is a nonprofit health services research agency and a Collaborating Center of the World Health Organization. It is designated as an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI’s mission is to improve the safety, quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare. It is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading independent organizations committed to advancing the quality of healthcare.

The ECRI report, “Bariatric Surgery for Obesity,” noted that the surgeries can produce significant initial weight loss but “three years after surgery, the typical patient is still obese.” Most importantly, they concluded that based on the quality and strength of the available evidence, claims of improved “quality of life and long-term health impacts are less conclusive.” They found available evidence weak for demonstrating that comorbidities can resolve and “it was also not evident whether bariatric surgery extends survival.”

Anonymous said...

Just goes to remind us all that state "healthcare" is just another benefit

The only way to stop benefit dependency is to stop the benefits.