Reasons for Underutilization of Bariatric Surgery: The Role of Insurance Benefit Design

Despite the effectiveness of bariatric surgery, both with respect to weight loss and improvements in obesity-related comorbidities, it remains underutilized. Only 1% of the currently eligible population undergoes surgical treatment for obesity, with roughly 228,000 individuals receiving bariatric surgery in the United States each year. Several barriers to bariatric surgery have been identified including limited patient and referring physician knowledge as well attitudes regarding the effectiveness and safety of bariatric surgery.
Source: Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases - Category: Surgery Authors: Source Type: research