The Change Mariner

The Epidemic of Stomach Stapling

Reuters.com

Just when the U.S. government has declared obesity a public health crisis, insurers are growing more skeptical of drastic -- and expensive -- remedies like "stomach stapling" surgery.

Demand is skyrocketing for these bariatric surgeries, which shrink the stomach to help the obese lose weight. The number of procedures performed in the United States jumped to 103,000 last year from about 16,000 in the early 1990s, according to Dr. Robert Steinbrook, a national correspondent for The New England Journal of Medicine.

"The epidemic of obesity in the United States has spawned a second epidemic -- of bariatric surgery," he wrote in the March 11 edition.

Analysts say many factors are driving the frenzy, including a rise in obesity, the advent of less-invasive surgical techniques and publicity from celebrities like NBC television personality Al Roker and singer Carnie Wilson, whose surgery was broadcast over the Internet.

But as health insurers grapple with mounting medical costs, the $30,000 procedure is coming under close scrutiny. HMOs say the complication rate is high, and some are refusing to cover it at all.

Posted by Timothy Fredel at March 22, 2004 10:19 PM | TrackBack
Related Categories: Industry - Healthcare | Industry - Insurance | Quadrant - Technological | Theme - 'Obesity Epidemic'

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