Bariatric Surgery in the Public System – Victoria
If you are living in Victoria, the reality is that you are very unlikely to be able to have bariatric surgery within the public hospital system. VIC does offer a public waiting list for weight loss surgery, but this list is extensive and there are actually only a small handful of hospitals even offering bariatric surgery for public patients.
Bariatric Surgery for Private Patients
The majority of bariatric surgery procedures in Victoria (and indeed Australia and the rest of the world) are therefore within the private hospital system. This means that you will have your surgery in a private hospital, and will be responsible for covering the costs of bariatric surgery. Like the cost of your hospital bed during your stay before/after surgery, the costs of the operating theatre and other specialists critical to undergoing the surgery, pathology tests and so on.
Bariatric surgery costs are difficult to define, as each patient is unique and so is their obesity treatment plan. But the monetary cost, although it may appear significant in the short term, dwindles in comparison to the benefits and opportunities weight loss offers those who choose to invest in their health. In the long run, medical costs related to diabetes and other consequecnes of obesity also reduce as patients improve their health and wellbeing and start to enjoy their new healthy lifestyle.
There are different ways that people pay for their bariatric surgery privately.
Private Health Insurance
For those patients with sufficient private health insurance (generally Gold tier policies, but all providers differ so it’s important to check with your provider for the specific procedure), your policy will cover the hospital costs, and you will only have to pay any discrepancy between the surgical cost and what the health insurance company agrees to pay (the so called ‘Gap’ brought about by insurance companies limiting what they will pay for procedures) as well as any clinic fees and blood pathology tests for example.
Hospital admission costs account for a large proportion of the total cost of bariatric surgery, and private health insurance does cover the majority of these costs (minus any excess you have agreed to pay them).
Self-funded Surgery
If you haven’t got private health insurance, and you are a candidate, you can self-fund your surgery directly with your surgeon/clinic/hospital. We provide our patients with a full quote from our UGiRS bariatric program and the hospital, which is paid ahead of the surgery date, and as much as is possible tries to be all-inclusive (a fact which differentiates our weight loss program here at UGiRS from some others where there can be costs associated with seeing the other necessary staff involved in your care or other hidden costs).
Accessing Superannuation for Bariatric Surgery
If you don’t have private health coverage and are unable to self-fund the total cost of surgery, you can apply for early access to your superannuation. This has to be arranged through the ATO, on the grounds that obesity really is a life-threatening condition, that bariatric surgery has demonstrated success in managing.
Weight loss after bariatric surgery can significantly increase morbidly obese patient’s life expectancy, and is therefore appropriately considered an intervention for a life-threatening condition.
Bariatric Surgery Costs – Is it worth it?
While Australia and the rest of the world navigate rising costs of living as a result of inflation and interest rate rises, it’s natural to be more cautious about where you invest your money. Whether you have health insurance, accessing your super or are completely self-funded, there are costs for your surgery. But what would the real cost of not having surgery be?
Unfortunately, there is still a lot of stigma surrounding obesity and weight loss surgery. Bariatric surgery is not a cosmetic procedure, but metabolic surgery to extend a person’s life and address a long-term, life-threatening condition. Similarly, bariatric surgery has the capacity to completely cure type 2 diabetes in many cases, something that no medication can achieve, (all the diabetes medications in the world only ever control a patient’s sugars, none can cure the disease).
Investing in yourself, and committing to surgery as a final attempt at being able to lose weight can help to manage or eliminate other conditions, improve your overall wellbeing and increase life expectancy. Whichever way you choose to pay for your surgery, you will be the one to reap the rewards in the long term. How much is a healthy life worth?