Weight loss surgery is a medical procedure that helps you lose weight and lowers the risk of medical problems associated with obesity. It's available with all gold tier health insurance policies which cost around $150 to $200 a month. In some cases, you may be able to find it included in silver plus policies for a little less.
A hospital insurance policy can cover several types of weight loss surgery including gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy. In most cases, you'll need to serve a 12-month waiting period before you can claim. Read our guide to getting weight loss surgery to learn more about the process.
The cost of weight loss surgery can run into thousands of dollars depending on the clinic you use and the type of surgery you opt for. Here's a breakdown of costs if you didn't have private health insurance:
Making sure you have the best health insurance that suits your needs is the best way to minimise the cost of any weight loss surgery that you may need.
There are a few factors that impact the cost of weight loss surgery. You need to take them all into account when working out how much it will cost you and what your out of pocket expenses might be.
Yes, you can get health insurance for weight loss surgery. Gold tier private health insurance covers weight loss surgery which includes gastric bypass, gastric sleeve and lap band surgery. You'll need to serve a 12-month waiting period before you're covered.
Health insurance won't eliminate out of pocket expenses, but in most cases, you're likely to pay closer to around $2,000 to $6,000. Health insurance can cover the costs of:
With private health insurance, your main out of pocket expenses will most likely be a portion of the surgeon and assistant's fee as well as the anaesthetist's fee. Speak directly with your surgeon to find out about exact costs. You can then relay that to your health insurer and they'll let you know how much they will cover. It's a good idea to compare health insurance from multiple providers to make sure you get the best deal.
If your surgery is deemed medically necessary, then Medicare may contribute a small amount towards your medical costs as well, usually around $1,200 to $1,500 depending on the Medicare Benefit Schedule (MBS) codes that apply to your surgery.
The main codes for weight loss surgery are: 30166, 30169, 30177, 30179, 31569, 31572, 31575, 31578, 31581, 31584, 31585, 31587, 31590.
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