Dear Source:
From the article about the health insurance plan passed by the legislature, it is impossible to assess the cost savings in cutting coverage for obesity and bariatric surgery or to know what was covered instead. However, with obesity being such a huge problem in the territory and bariatric surgery being an opportunity to prevent numerous conditions from becoming diseases, I wish this could have been more deliberately considered.
Bariatric surgery is now available through laproscopic surgery, at least in the states. My husband had that surgery in Utica, NY, was home in two days, was in no pain, has lost 90 pounds, is off most of his medicine, and feels like a new person. He was at the dangerous "condition" stage, pre-diabetic with high blood pressure. Now his labs are all normal and he doesn't even have to take medicine for high blood pressure. With diabetes so prevalent in our population, this type of surgery could prevent or even cure that condition when it is caused by obesity.
I would, therefore, urge the parties who negotiate with CIGNA to revisit this issue the next time health insurance is up for renewal.
Dena Langdon
St. Thomas
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