Bariatric Treatment

• Is It Right for You?
• Bariatric Treatment Overview
• Types of Bariatric Surgery
• How to Choose the Right Bariatric Doctors
• Find a Bariatric Surgeon in My Area

Obesity Cause & Effect

• Causes of Obesity
• Obesity and Genetics
• Does Fast Food Cause Obesity?
• Obesity Virus
• Cause and Effect of Obesity
• Obesity Health Problems

Gastric Bypass

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• Cost of Gastric Bypass Surgery
• Complications of Gastric Bypass Surgery

Adjustable Gastric Banding

• Analysis & Cost of Lap Band Surgery
• Gastric Lap Band Procedure
• Lap Band Problems & Lap Band Complications

Diet Before & After Surgery

• Bariatric Diet
• Bariatric Eating Techniques
• Bariatric Vitamins

Financing & Insurance

• Financing Bariatric Surgery
• Bariatric Surgery Insurance
• Weight Loss Surgery Mexico & Abroad
• Cost of Bariatric Surgery

Other Effective Procedures

• Duodenal Switch
• Gastric Sleeve Surgery
• Vertical Banded Gastroplasty
• Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery

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• Online Weight Loss Support
• Pregnancy After Weight Loss Surgery

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Financing Bariatric Surgery -
8 Options You Should Consider

Financing bariatric surgery makes the treatment possible for the more than one-third of bariatric-eligible patients who are either uninsured or underinsured. But the wrong decisions could cause you to spend thousands more than necessary.

This page will help you make sure that doesn't happen.

• Overview of who pays for bariatric surgery in the U.S.
• Tax considerations
• Private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and disability insurance
• 8 bariatric surgery financing options without insurance (or if insurance won't cover some or all of the costs)
1. BLIS
2. Payment Plan Through Your Bariatric Surgeon
3. Friends & Family
4. Secured Loan
5. Retirement Plan Loans
6. Permanent Life Insurance Loans
7. Brokers, Direct Lenders and Credit Cards (Unsecured Loans)
8. One final worthy consideration

This page assumes that you’re ready to move forward with surgery and are trying to figure out the best way to pay for it. If you’re still up in the air about whether surgery is right for you, see our bariatric treatment page first.

It’s going to take you some time to get through all of the financing bariatric surgery options below and to figure out which options are the most viable. But we promise that the money you’ll save and the peace of mind you’ll have after taking the time to apply all of our recommendations will be well worth it.

You can bookmark this page now by clicking the “Bookmark” button below – you may want to come back for a refresher from time to time as you leave and explore the various options…

Financing bariatric surgery - Who Usually pays?

To date, those patients who have undergone bariatric surgery have been able to get insurance coverage about 88% of the time.  Not bad, right?  Not so fast.

Before we explain, the following chart reviews who has historically paid for ambulatory (outpatient) and inpatient bariatric surgery services.1

As you can see, the majority of patients get coverage through private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.

While 88% of patients getting insurance coverage seems high, it still means that 12% had to pay for it out of their savings or find bariatric surgery financing.

Equally as important, these percentages do not include all individuals who are eligible for surgery, but merely those who actually go through with it;  35% of patients who are eligible for bariatric surgery are either uninsured or underinsured.2  Unfortunately, this means that there are many people out there who need help and just aren't getting it.

This is where financing bariatric surgery comes in.

Further down the page, we’ll discuss all of your insurance and financing options and help you figure out which options could work for you, but first you should understand how bariatric surgery tax treatment can help.

Medical Tax Deductions & Other Considerations when financing bariatric surgery

It's important to keep the tax angles in the back of your mind while financing bariatric surgery. 

Bariatric surgery IS tax deductible which can have a big impact on the total cost of surgery. Throughout the United States, tax subsidies reduce medical costs for the non-elderly by over $208 Billion annually.3 

The official IRS rules state that you’re allowed to deduct medical expenses as long as the costs are higher than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.

In order to receive the deductions, you’ll need to complete Schedule A of the IRS Form 1040. You’ll also need to save your medical bills and payment statements as proof. Note that any reimbursed amounts (such as the amount that insurance paid) cannot be included.

Finding a good accountant or using an effective software program will make this process much easier. These guides can also help ensure that that you deduct as much as possible without violating any IRS laws.

Depending on your employment status, money accrued in special medical savings accounts or even your IRA (Individual Retirement Account) could also be a bariatric surgery financing option .

Financing bariatric surgery may be possible through the following tax-favored accounts…

1. Health Savings Account (HSA) – Individual, Small Business or Large Employer (50+ employees) - HSAs can only be opened alongside a “qualified high deductible” health plan. Money contributed to an HSA, accumulated interest from the accounts where the money is invested AND money taken out of the HSA to pay for qualified medical expenses are all TAX FREE. No other account receives more favorable tax treatment. You may even be able to transfer money already in your IRA to an HSA. See the IRS web site for more info.

   Unused HSA savings can also be taken out without penalty as retirement income after a certain age.  See our retirement plan section below for more about using retirement money for financing bariatric surgery.

2. Archer Medical Savings Account (Archer MSA) – Small Business – Archer MSAs are very similar to HSAs, except they are for self-employed individuals or small businesses. Click here for the details.
3. Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) – Large Employer Only (50+ employees) - HRAs can only be offered by your employer, and only your employer can contribute money to them. If your company offers one, make sure your plan allows the use of HRA funds to pay for "all qualified medical expenses" as financing bariatric surgery is not allowed with some plans. More info can be found by clicking here.
4. Flexible Spending Account (FSA) – Large Employer Only (50+ employees) – Both employers and employees can contribute to an FSA, also known by its IRS code, “Section 125”. FSA’s can be offered alongside any health plan, and withdrawals from this account can be made tax-free as long as they are used to pay for qualified medical expenses. Click here to get the summary from the IRS.

Private Insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and Disability Insurance

While you’re still likely to have some out-of-pocket costs by financing bariatric surgery with insurance, getting Medicare, Medicaid or your private insurance (employer-paid, small business or an individual policy) to pay will probably be your least expensive option.

Financing bariatric surgery can also be an option if you need help paying out of pocket costs such as deductibles or co-pays (see our brokers, direct lenders and credit cards section below).

In addition, you may be able to collect disability insurance payments while you’re having and recovering from surgery.

If you have medical or disability insurance, click one of the following depending on your coverage...

• Private bariatric surgery insurance (includes gastric sleeve, duodenal switch, gastric bypass and lap band insurance) through your employer or individual coverage
• Medicare bariatric surgery coverage

There we will help you figure out…

1. Whether your plan covers the surgery
2. The process for getting the surgery approved
3. If your plan doesn’t cover surgery, how you may be able to get it added
4. How to write an effective health insurance appeal letter if your insurance company denies coverage

Each page will guide you back to this Financing Bariatric Surgery page if it turns out that insurance won't pay. 

Financing Bariatric Surgery Without Insurance
(or if insurance won’t cover it)

Don’t have insurance, have insurance that doesn’t cover weight loss surgery or need help with deductibles or co-pays? 

This section will cover all options that could help to ease the financial burden.

Keep in mind that even in the worst case scenario (you are left financing bariatric surgery on your own), surgery can still be well worth it for a few big reasons…

• Improving or eliminating obesity health problems – as our Life After Weight Loss Surgery page shows, bariatric patients live longer, have an improved quality of life after surgery, and eliminate or improve numerous major health problems. 
• Eliminating obesity discrimination – Unfortunately, being extremely overweight often makes people to treat you differently. It has even been shown to cause you to earn less money at work. Successful bariatric surgery improves this 100% of the time.
• Long-term financial savings – If you have no insurance or if you have insurance with high out of pocket costs, you will save a lot of money over the long run due to lower medical costs following surgery.
  
  On average, the costs incurred from 1 month before surgery through 2 months afterwards were about $24,500. Beginning at 3 months after surgery, bariatric patients start saving compared to those who didn’t have surgery.
  
  As early as 13 months after surgery patients spend as much as $900 per month less. The analysis showed that for those receiving laparoscopic bariatric surgery, costs of surgery broke even within 2 years. Those receiving open surgery broke even within 4 years.4

IMPORTANT:  Before you take action on any of the following options, read the rest of this page to learn all of your options for financing bariatric surgery. We’ve included links at the bottom of the page that can jump you back up to your section of choice.

Keep in mind that these options aren’t “all or nothing.” If you determine that one option is right but won’t cover all of your costs, consider mixing and matching more than one.

Here are your bariatric surgery financing options, starting with the most ideal (in general). You may find that your particular situation rearranges the order a bit…

1. BLIS
2. Payment Plan Through Your Bariatric Surgeon
3. Friends & Family
4. Secured Loans
5. Retirement Plan Loans
6. Permanent Life Insurance Loans
7. Brokers, Direct Lenders and Credit Cards (Unsecured Loans)
8. One final worthy consideration 

1.  BLIS 

We view this as more of a necessity than an option.

BLIS is a privately held company that works directly with surgeons. If a patient of a covered surgeon experiences bariatric surgery complications, the surgeon can authorize treatment that will be fully paid for by BLIS.

Why is this important?

Patients who have complications but are not readmitted to the hospital pay over $10,000 more on average than patients who don’t experience complications. And patients who are readmitted because of complications pay over $42,000 more on average.

In addition, other options for financing bariatric surgery may only consider funding that pays for the surgery itself. They may not finance expenses that are incurred from complications.

BLIS is a way to make sure that you don’t have to pay anything extra. You may even be able to get BLIS coverage provided to you through your surgeon for no additional charge. 

If you have insurance that doesn’t cover weight loss surgery, in all likelihood it won’t cover bariatric surgery complications.

A representative of BLIS drew a good analogy…

“When you buy a new car, it is under factory warranty. That means that when certain well-defined problems develop with the car, not resulting from negligence, the consumer can take the car back to an authorized dealership, which will assess the problem and perform the repairs that you authorize at no cost. 

Similarly, when a surgeon participates in BLISCare, the insurance company will pay for diagnosis and treatment of defined conditions, as long as the patient goes back to the BLIS surgeon for diagnosis, treatment and referrals within a specified timeframe.”

We expect to see other companies begin to offer this kind of coverage very soon, but in the mean time BLIS is your only option.

So how do you get covered?

First, your bariatric surgeon may already be covered. Search BLIS’s database of surgeons to find out.

Talk with your surgeon about it if you don’t find them on the list. They have a lot of reasons to want to pay for the coverage, which costs between $250 and $3,500 in total depending on the complications covered and the length of time the coverage applies.

Following are the reasons why your doctor should be open to it…

• It will differentiate their practice by giving their patients peace of mind. Bariatric surgery is stressful enough without having to worry about the possibility of additional costs.
• As treatment costs and complications rates continue to go down, so will the premiums.
• If a patient cannot afford to pay the fees associated with complications, the surgeon may not receive any compensation for their extra work.
• BLIS has a stringent review process and only accepts surgeons who meet very specific quality and safety criteria. Being covered by BLIS is another way that patients know their surgeon is top-notch.

If your surgeon is not already covered by BLIS, they may or may not agree to include the coverage without increasing their fees.

We can understand both sides of the argument…

• On one hand, the coverage could be viewed as a differentiator for them versus competing weight loss surgery practices.
• On the other hand, they have a business to run, and it’s not necessarily fair for them to charge the same price as the surgeon on the other side of town but to receive $600 to $2,500 less for their work because they are paying for BLIS coverage.

If your surgeon agrees to provide the coverage but only if you pay a higher fee to cover the costs, we still believe that it’s worth it. Even though only 0.1% to 2.4% of people will experience more serious complications, to us it’s just not worth the risk of having to come up with up to $42,000 on top of the cost of surgery.

For more information, go to BLIS's website.

2.  Financing bariatric surgery through your surgeon

You should try to work out a payment plan with your doctor if you are financing bariatric surgery with any option other than a secured or unsecured loan (since the lender will pay the doctor in full with those options as discussed below).

Some surgeons’ offices will allow you to pay them interest-free over time, while others will agree to charge you a very low interest rate. Some even offer reduced-cost or free weight loss surgery for those who can't afford it. While you are negotiating, do not be confused by doctors offering a payment plan through unsecured credit card companies – this is not the same thing (more on this below).  

If you have money saved up to pay for all or a big chunk of the surgery up front, why not try to delay the payments so you can earn interest on what you’ve saved?  The interest you earn in a low-risk investment can help pay for the surgery (if this doesn't apply to you, click here to jump past the example).

For example, let’s assume that your total surgery costs (assuming no complications) are $25,000. For simplicity’s sake and to illustrate the potential, let’s also assume that:

A)  Your surgeon agrees to spread your payments out over 5 years with no money down up front (so you would have to pay $5,000 at the beginning of each year starting in the 2nd year) and no interest

B)  You have the full $25,000 saved up and ready to invest

C)  You paid the $5,000 at the end of each year

D)  You invest the full $25,000 in a Certificate of Deposit (CD) that earns 2% interest per year

Year	Payment	Savings Invested	Annual Interest You Earn (2% of Savings Invested)
In this example, Annual Interest You Earn = Savings Invested X 2% (0.02)
Year 1	$0	$25,000	$500
Year 2	$5,000	$20,000	$400
Year 3	$5,000	$15,000	$300
Year 4	$5,000	$10,000	$200
Year 5	$5,000	$5,000	$100
Year 6	$5,000	$0	$0
Totals	$25,000	$75,000	$1,500

With the above example, you just reduced the cost of your surgery by $1,500 (6%).

If your surgeon agrees to financing bariatric surgery with no interest rate, then it's a no-brainer. If they do charge an interest rate, it still may be worth it if you can find a safe investment that pays you a higher rate.

If your surgeon is willing to work with you, your financing bariatric surgery plan will almost always be set up on a one-off basis. Always negotiate a packaged up-front price for all services so there are no surprises down the road. A packaged price will typically include:

• Hospital fee – be sure to confirm how many nights in the hospital are included. Up to 2 nights is common.
• Surgeon fee
• Anesthesia fees
• Routine follow-up visits (including fills for the lap band) – the timeframes will vary, but including follow-up visits for the 12 months following surgery is standard.

Services often not included in the packaged price (that you will have to pay for on top of the packaged price) include:

• Pre-operative testing – note that some surgeons DO include this in the packaged price.
• Pre-operative visits, including consultations with the surgeon, dietician or nutritionist, fitness consultant, psychologist and other professionals.
• Surgical assistant fees
• Radiologist fees

Even though these may not be included, your surgeon can still provide you with an estimate of what they will cost. The information they provide may not be all-inclusive, so talk with them about what other charges may arise. These estimates can also be taken into consideration when seeking other options for financing bariatric surgery.

3.  Friends & Family

This option is obviously going to vary widely from person to person, but it should be considered.

Financing bariatric surgery by borrowing money from friends and family can save you the interest that banks will charge which can amount to thousands of dollars. And you may be surprised how willing your loved ones are to help, especially after you educate them about bariatric surgery’s impact to your obesity health issues.

Take a look at this ABC News story about a weight loss surgery patient who got help financing bariatric surgery from her family and friends.

4.  Secured Loan

A secured loan is a loan from a bank or credit union that you back with some sort of collateral. If you default on the loan (don’t pay it back), the financial institution has a right to take ownership of whatever collateral you used.

Secured lines of credit typically let you borrow at a lower rate than unsecured lines (unsecured loans are discussed further down this page) because the lender has less risk (they offset their loss with your collateral if you don’t pay).

Common collateral includes a Certificate of Deposit (CD), a savings account or your home.

If you own your home and have equity built up, a home equity line of credit (HELOC) can sometimes be taken out for up to 90% of your home’s value. It is usually only possible if you have at least 10 to 20% equity built up.

For example, if your home is worth $200,000 and you have outstanding mortgages of $100,000, then you have $100,000 of equity. You may be able to take out a loan for up to the $100,000 of equity and you would only be obligated to pay the interest until the loan comes due.

Talk directly with your mortgage lender or with a good mortgage broker to find out if this option for financing bariatric surgery is right for you.

5.  Retirement Plan (401(k), 403(b), IRA, etc.) Loans

Generally speaking, you should never touch your retirement savings if at all possible. There’s no telling how long Social Security will be around, and either way, you will most likely need more than what they will pay you to maintain your current lifestyle.

In addition, whatever you take out will no longer have the potential to make money for you in the form of investment returns, and when compounding interest is factored in, it really makes taking money out feel painful.

But what is the point of having money in the bank if you’re not around to spend it due to obesity health problems?

After you crunch the numbers and compare interest rates and long-term costs (and potential lost retirement plan returns depending on how aggressively you’re invested), you may discover that this is the best option for financing bariatric surgery.

Not all retirement plans allow loans and those that do usually have restrictions (such as only allowing you to take out half of your balance or $50,000, whichever is less), so check with your HR department, financial planner or call your retirement plan’s customer service to find out.

6.  Permanent Life Insurance Policy Loans

The main purpose of life insurance is obviously the death benefit. But a form of life insurance called “permanent” life insurance also offers benefits while you’re alive. One of those benefits is the accumulation of a “cash value” that can be borrowed against.

If you already have permanent life insurance, this may be an option for financing bariatric surgery. If you don’t, it will probably take years to accumulate enough cash value to pay for the surgery so this may not be an option for you (click here to jump to the next financing bariatric surgery option if you don’t already have permanent life or are not willing to wait to have surgery).

Here’s how it works…

• You choose the level of monthly premiums that you are going to pay for the permanent life insurance. At the lowest payment option, there is no cash value accumulation – you’re only paying for “term life,” which only has a death benefit.
• The higher your premium, the more quickly the cash value will build up. The intricacies of permanent life are beyond the scope of this article, but it is worth noting that it takes some time for the cash value to accumulate. In addition, the cash value does not build at a “1 to 1” rate.
  
  In other words, if the “term life” premium is $75 per month and the “permanent life” premium is $125, you will not have $50 ($125 - $75) in cash value after the first payment – you’ll have much less. But over time the cash value catches up and surpasses your additional premiums and eventually becomes large enough that it can cover your term life payments for the rest of your life (that is, if you didn’t take the cash value out to pay for surgery or anything else).
• Once you have accumulated cash value, you can take a loan out up to the amount of the cash value.
• The loan has to be paid back to your account with interest.

It is important to know that if you pass away while the loan is outstanding, the amount due will be deducted from the death benefit. This could leave your loved ones in a tight spot.

There are also several other issues that arise should you default on the loan, so discuss this option with a good financial planner, insurance broker or life insurance representative before proceeding.

7.  Brokers, Direct Lenders & Credit Cards (Unsecured Loans)

We recommend reading through this entire section before choosing a lender, but if you've already read it or want to go straight to your options, click here to jump down to the list of brokers and lenders.

These types of loans are called "unsecured" not because they are unsafe for you but because you do not put up collateral to "secure" (i.e. back up) your loan in case of default.

If used correctly, unsecured loans can be a great option for financing bariatric surgery with potentially little or no extra charges.  In addition to paying for the entire surgery, unsecured loans can be used to help pay co-pays and deductibles for those with insurance.

If used incorrectly, you could end up paying as much as 30% more per year than the original cost of the surgery.

Because of the risks we’ll discuss in a moment, you only want to explore this option if your doctor’s practice will not agree to finance you directly or if you cannot secure less expensive financing elsewhere. Getting a payment plan set up directly through your doctor is better for a few reasons:

• Doctors typically charge little or no interest rates and usually do not charge any additional fees
• They are likely to be much more flexible than credit card companies
• Being late on a payment may not effect your credit score

Your doctor’s office may have an application ready to go, but remember that this might not mean that the doctor’s office is the one financing you. Before signing anything, find out who the lender is.

Here’s how unsecured loans should work…

1. After negotiating the packaged deal with your surgeon (see section above), they tell you that they cannot finance you directly but they either already work with or are willing to work with companies who do (if they don’t bring it up, ask). When you receive financing through these companies, the doctor gets paid in full before surgery.
2. Shop around for the best deal (we’ll help you figure this out below). If your doc already partners with a company, don’t automatically assume it’s the best. You may get a better deal elsewhere, and your surgeon’s office only has to fill out a form or two to become affiliated with a different lender.
   
   If your doctor is absolutely not willing to work with any other companies you should be suspicious – they may have a financial incentive to work with the other lender or at a minimum don’t have your best interest in mind. Do you really want someone operating on you who has this mindset? After all, they get paid up front regardless of which lender you use.
3. After you pick a lender and a plan there are a few ways to apply for the loan, including completing the form at your doctor’s office or applying online. See the lenders’ web sites for details. You’ll typically receive a response from the lender within 30 minutes.
4. Rates will be based on the term (length) of the loan and your credit score - the shorter the loan term and the better your credit, the lower your interest rate will be.

Before we review the lending companies, we need to warn you of the potential hazards.

These are extremely important when using unsecured loans for financing bariatric surgery, so make sure you understand them before moving forward! If you have any questions, discuss them directly with the lender or your doctor’s office…

• Weight Loss Center Conflict of Interest – Some clinics receive an incentive to promote certain lenders, which is another reason not to dive in with a lender that is already affiliated with your surgeon’s office. There’s no reason to sour your relationship with your surgeon’s office by bringing this up – just keep it in mind.
  
  If they offer you a financing deal through another company, thank them, ask for all of the details and then shop around. If your surgeon’s deal is better than anything else you find, great! If not, they’ll understand your decision when you tell them what you were able to find.
• Introductory & Interest-Free Offers and the Fine Print – You may be able to get a 0% interest rate to start out, but understand that it won’t last forever. Find out when the low interest rate expires (“introductory term”) and what the new interest rate will be when it does. Also ask if there is any way that the rate could go up before the end of the introductory term.
  
  For example, some companies will increase your rate to as high as 30% if you are late on a payment. The interest rates will also increase after the introductory term is over. Some introductory offers will exclude certain services from your doctor, leaving you with a higher rate for those services. Could it be better for you to pass on the “No Interest Plan” and jump right into a fixed rate?
  
  Run through this quick budgeting exercise to figure out what would be best for you:
• How much credit will you need (in other words, what is the packaged deal and estimated additional costs that you worked out with your surgeon)?
• How much can you afford to pay per month? The more you can afford per month, the less you’ll pay over the long term. But whatever you do, don’t extend yourself so far that you won’t be able to make the monthly payment.
• Ask your lender to map out in writing what your monthly payments will be under each option and what your total costs will be over the term of your loan. Assuming the interest rates are the same, the higher the monthly payment, the lower your total costs should be.
• As long as you’re sure you can afford the monthly payment, the option that costs the least over the long run (NOT the option with the lowest monthly payment) should be the one you choose.

The fine print bottom line? Before financing bariatric surgery through a lender, get all of the details up front, understand them and choose the option with the lowest long-term costs that fits your budget.

• Credit Cards Impact Your Credit – as mentioned above, just because your doctor’s office has the form doesn’t mean they’re the ones providing the financing. If you receive financing through a lender, it can impact your credit. Late payments could affect the interest rates you pay on future credit, insurance premiums or even your ability to get a job or rent an apartment. See the FTC’s web site for more info about credit. 

Ready to review your options for financing bariatric surgery through an unsecured loan?

We’re almost there. First, understand that there are two ways to go about this…

1. Directly through the lenders
2. Through a broker who shops multiple lenders for you and presents you with the best deal they can find

Here are the pros and cons of each…

As you can see, there are equally compelling reasons for each. You’re only going to know that you’re getting the best deal if you work with a broker AND take the time to work through individual lenders. If you don’t want to spend the time or learn all of the financial ins and outs, use a broker. 

7a.  Brokers

The following 4 brokers work with a network of lenders and can help you find competitive financing.  They may or may not require that your doctor be registered with their company…

• American Benefit Credit
• APF USA
  
• Medical Loan Finance
• SurgeryLoans.com

7b.  Direct Lenders*

Here are the reliable direct lenders along with contract details of each. Click the links to go directly to their web sites.

7c.  Regular Credit Cards

Don’t forget to look in your wallet!

After all is said and done and your analysis is complete, pull out your wallet and call your current credit card companies. What is the interest rate they are currently offering?  Are they willing to reduce it?

Explain to them what you are trying to do and how much you need to borrow. If you have good credit, they may bring the rate down as low as 12%. If your credit cards have a better rate than your broker or individual lenders have provided, financing bariatric surgery through them is the way to go.

8.  One final worthy consideration for financing bariatric surgery

Before we go there, we have a few questions for you.

If it meant saving a lot of money and receiving top-notch medical care…

• Would you be open to getting on a plane to have surgery out of your area?
• Do you have someone close to you that would be willing to go with you?
• Does having surgery and healing from surgery somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of your everyday life sound appealing?
• If your own research proved to you that it is completely safe and effective, would you still be comfortable doing something if your local primary care or bariatric doctors advised against it?

We're not suggesting that your doctor's advice isn't good.  Getting treatment out of the area certainly adds a level of complexity to their jobs by forcing them to interact with doctors they don't know.  And they may genuinely be uncomfortable recommending care in a place they are unfamiliar with.

But many U.S. doctors, especially bariatric surgeons, are not excited about this "new angle" of competition regardless of how safe, effective or inexpensive it is. Remember, in addition to being doctors, they're also trying to run a profitable business.  Would you be excited about referring your customers to competition that provides the same service for 1/4 the cost?

If you haven’t guessed by now, we are referring to medical travel (incorrectly referred to as “medical tourism”). And if you answered yes to all of the above, the cost savings alone – which could be up to $20,000 or more - should warrant your review of this increasingly viable option for financing bariatric surgery.

Take some time to educate yourself about surgery abroad (page includes weight loss surgery Mexico). 

Jump Back Up the Page to Apply the Research to Your Situation

Now that you have a solid overview of all of your options, use the following links to jump back up the page to get started with the options that best fit your situation.  Remember, it can be possible to combine multiple approaches.

• Tax Considerations Bariatric
• Bariatric Surgery Insurance ( including VBG, DS, gastric bypass or lap band insurance )
• Medicare Bariatric Surgery (on a separate page)
• Options for financing bariatric surgery without insurance:

1. BLIS – financial protection against complications
2. Set up a payment plan with you surgeon or pay in a lump sum
3. Friends & Family
4. Secured Loan
5. Retirement Plan
6. Permanent Life Insurance
7. Brokers, Direct Lenders and Credit Cards (Unsecured Loans)
8. Medical Travel (also called Medical Tourism - on a separate page) 

Helpful Links

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