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3 Ways Obesity Is More Expensive Than Bariatric Surgery
As much as we’d like to think that our health is priceless, the amount of money you have greatly affects your overall health. Not being able to pay for preventative medicine or medical bills can really take a toll on your life. So, we understand that choosing the more frugal health option is not always necessarily a choice. However, in the case of obesity, you could end up spending four times the amount of money over your lifetime than you would on bariatric surgery.
The Cost of Obesity
Today, obesity rates are soaring and people are experiencing the health complications that come with obesity at the same rates. So, (maybe) it comes as no surprise that today, the average person with obesity will spend $92,235 on various health services over their lifetime. This number comes from the added cost of direct medical costs, lost wages from being absent from work, short-term disability payments and foregone tax revenue.
The average bariatric surgery costs on average anywhere from $14,500 to $23,000, depending on the procedure. It is easy to cringe at the cost of a life-changing procedure like bariatric surgery until you see what a person could spend over their lifetime on obesity. We think that bariatric surgery not only pays for itself financially, but in the vastly improved quality of life it provides. Here are some ways that bariatric surgery can save you money over your lifetime!
- Diet Programs and Pills
Diet programs work for some people, but end up being an enormous waste of money for others. If a diet program works, it can end up saving you a lot of money in the future. However, if it does not, you could spend anywhere from $377 to $2,500 annually. Diet pills have shown even less success, but can still run you over a thousand dollars per year. After bariatric surgery, you can say goodbye to costly diet programs and pills.
- Gym Memberships
Don’t get us wrong, it is never bad to have a gym membership. In fact, we encourage going to the gym as a part of your post-bariatric lifestyle. However, the vast majority of people with gym memberships are no successful in losing or keeping weight off, especially without direction. So this money is essentially going down the drain, in addition to the money you’re spending on other obesity-related costs.
- Medical Costs
This is the big one. Here in America, healthcare costs are skyrocketing with no apparent end in sight. Obesity comes with a lot of expensive problems like Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, stroke, coronary heart disease, and even cancer. These secondary conditions can be extremely costly to treat. People at a normal weight are less likely to experience these expensive secondary conditions.
Bariatric Surgery: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
Bariatric surgery is a one-time cost. After you get the procedure, you reap the benefits for the rest of your life. Bariatric patients have a lower risk of expensive conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke, not to mention a significant boost in quality of life!
If you are interested in bariatric surgery, contact a skilled and experienced bariatric surgeon here at Advanced Surgical & Bariatrics in New Jersey!
Dr. Ragui Sadek is a premier surgeon who established a state-of-the-art and one of the safest bariatric surgery programs in the state. Dr. Sadek has fellowship training in both laparoscopic/bariatric surgery and surgical trauma/critical care, allowing him to safely perform complex surgeries on patients who have been turned down by other practices. As a Clinical Assistant Professor of surgery at RWJ Medical School & the Director of bariatric surgery program at RWJ University Hospital, Dr. Sadek offers a cutting-edge range of laparoscopic, robotic, & bariatric surgical procedures with a complication rate substantially below the national average.
Dr. Sadek is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Having performed more than three thousand advanced surgical procedures, Dr. Sadek has established a strong patient satisfaction rate and a solid reputation among the surgical community and is renowned as a top physician in his field by International Association of Healthcare Professionals. As a board-certified surgeon, he holds affiliations with the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Society of American Gastro Endoscopic Surgeons. More about Dr. Sadek
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