Bariatric surgery does not reduce healthcare costs long term, according to a recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Researchers conducted a six-year follow-up study on the impact of bariatric surgery on healthcare costs in obese persons and looked at data from 2002 to 2008. They found total costs were greater in the bariatric surgery group at first but then leveled out after three years. However, while bariatric patients paid less for prescriptions and office visits, they had higher inpatient costs.
The concluded no one type of surgery is more likely to reduce long term healthcare costs.
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