Ask any bariatric surgeon whether or not gastric bypass surgery lowers a patient's risk of early death and he will tell you without any hesitation that it does. Indeed, he will probably be surprised that you are posing the question at all since surgeons have known for years that weight loss surgery extends a patient's life.

but, put that same question to a range of insurance companies and you may well receive a different answer because, until very recently, in spite of the fact that there has been plenty of anecdotal evidence for what everybody knows to be the position, there has not been any hard, concrete numerical proof.

Now however the results of 2 studies have clearly demonstrated in numerical terms that gastric bypass surgery has a significant effect on the mortality of those concerned.

In the first, a multi-center United States study involving 16,000 patients who were followed for 7 years, long-term mortality fell by as much as 40 percent. additionally a second Swedish study involving 4,000 patients demonstrated a 29 percent fall in mortality.

Insurance companies have sought for a long time now to put obstacles in the path of patients to stop them from claiming for weight loss surgery and this movement has been gaining momentum in recent years as the number of weight loss surgeries being undertaken has risen dramatically and weight loss surgery has gained greater acceptance with a number of celebrities such as Al Rocker, Carnie Wilson, Star Jones and others undergoing bariatric surgery.

Insurance companies have however stuck rigidly to the line that gastric bypass surgery should only be used as a last resort and that every possible attempt to lose weight using exercise and diet, including if necessary the use of drugs, should be exhausted before weight loss surgery is considered. additionally, they have also stuck to the line that gastric bypass surgery may only finally be done if weight poses a life-threatening risk.

For most people this stance by the insurance companies is seen as being totally ridiculous and a position which has clearly been adopted merely to save the insurance company money. Like it or not, despite this view, the insurance companies have been able to get away with this for years now because it has been impossible to demonstrate in terms of facts and figures that gastric bypass surgery is not just a convenient and relatively easy way to lose weight but is the only option for many sufferers and an option that will not only improve their quality of life but literally extend their lives, frequently quite significantly.

For years overweight individuals have battled with their weight and, while some people have experienced very limited success, the vast majority of people (and unquestionably those who need to lose in excess of about 80 pounds) have discovered that diet and exercise simply does not work. Despite this fact, they have not had a choice and doctors have been forced to lead them down this path because of the intransigence of the insurance companies.

Perhaps at long last the insurance companies will be forced to face up to their responsibility in this area and at last put the needs of their policyholders above those of their shareholders.