Medicare approves obesity surgery
Rehab Regs, March 10, 2006
Last month Medicare endorsed three types of bariatric surgeries, stating the surgeries were effective ways to treat obesity, reported the Washington Post.
Medicare will now cover the stomach-shrinking surgery for obese patients suffering from health problems, as long as the surgery is certified by the American College of Surgeons or the American Society of Bariatric Surgery.
Close to 170,000 Americans underwent the surgery in 2005, which costs between $25,000-$40,000, according to the Post. The news of Medicare's coverage is good for rehab providers because bariatric patients typically have to undergo extensive rehab after the surgery.
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