Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

Considering the dangers of gastric bypass surgery, I would think that covering it would be a recipe for surging costs for the Medicare program. I don’t think I like the idea of my tax dollars paying to make people even more sick.

• CNN.com – Companies ask Medicare to cover more obesity surgery – Reuters

If you read this article carefully, you’ll notice that it’s the companies that make the stomach bands and other devices used in the surgeries that are fighting for the coverage. It just goes to show me that the weight loss industry is all about money. If they actually cared about the health of the people receiving these surgeries, don’t you think they would make it safer? One out of every 200 people who have the surgery die within 30 days. I want better odds than that.