In the past few months, more insurance companies have begun adding the Sleeve Gastrectomy as a primary surgical weight loss procedure in addition to the gastric band and gastric bypass. Sleeve Gastrectomy, also known as the Gastric Sleeve, was specifically designed for weight loss and is a purely restrictive procedure. The restriction is created by surgically decreasing the size of the stomach by about 80-85%. United Healthcare, Aetna, and Health Plan of Nevada now allow their covered members to choose Sleeve Gastrectomy, making the procedure more available to patients. I expect that other insurance companies will soon follow suit.
In our practice, we see patients who previously would have chosen gastric bypass now opting for the sleeve because of the lower metabolic and surgical complications. Patients with needle phobia, for whom band adjustments would be very stressful, have also successfully undergone Sleeve Gastrectomy and a few band patients who had chronic problems with their bands have been successfully converted to the sleeve procedure. The gastric band will likely remain the most popular surgical weight loss procedure because it remains the least invasive and most easily reversible, but now that insurance companies are approving the Sleeve Gastrectomy as well, our patients have even more options and flexibility with their decisions.
To learn more, sign up to attend one of our free informational seminars. You can also learn more about the Gastric Sleeve by reading a previous blog I posted on the procedure.
– Dr. Darren Soong
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