It is possible to get weight-loss surgery if it is not a covered benefit under your health insurance plan? And what if you don’t have health insurance at all? While it will no doubt be a challenge, free weight-loss surgery is within the realm of possibility. Read: Medical Loans for Weight-Loss Surgery
Allow me to emphasize that you can count on getting free weight-loss surgery to be difficult. Consider that even those people with health insurance coverage for weight-loss surgery are denied three-times on average before the procedure is approved. Getting charity care for weight-loss surgery will prove even more difficult. Read: Bariatric Surgery Insurance Appeal
There are three options for reduced cost or free weight-loss surgery.
Free Weight-Loss Surgery Grant
Weight-loss surgery grants help people who are unable to afford bariatric surgery gain funding to cover all or part of the costs of surgery. There is a Free Weight-Loss Surgery Grant Now Available through the Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America (WLFSA). You must meet three requirements to apply for this weight-loss surgery grant:
- You must be approved for weight-loss surgery.
- You must be without health insurance or have been denied either full or partial coverage for weight-loss surgery by your plan.
- You must be willing to raise 10% of the funds requested for weight-loss surgery by donating time and resources to the WLFSA.
Free Weight-Loss Surgery Clinical Trials
There are bariatric surgery clinical trials for surgical weight-loss candidates. Use our Match to Clinical Trials in 60-seconds widget on the bottom right column of MyBariatricLife.org to locate a trial near you. Just hit the start button and follow the prompts.
Bariatric surgery clinical trials usually focus on specific aspects of treatment such as whether or not bariatric surgerymight reverse certain diseases. Different trials might also explore and compare the outcomes of different types of bariatric surgery. Read: Bariatric Surgery Clinical Trials
Charity Care for Free Weight-Loss Surgery
Another option for free weight-loss surgery is to apply for charity care. If you fall within the bounds of the federal poverty level you may qualify for charity care for weight-loss surgery at one of your local hospitals. Currently, the options for charity care are limited, but there are a few. The hospital will expect the purpose of your weight-loss surgery to be health-related and not for cosmetic reasons.
You will need to complete a financial application and may be required to produce proof of income as well as other personal information. If your application for weight-loss surgery is denied, the hospital might still work with you and try to reduce payments.
Paying for Weight-Loss Surgery
Hopefully, the future will be brighter. Given the increase in attention toward weight-loss surgery and the improved health of patients who have had it, reduced cost or free weight-loss surgery might become more available in the future. Read: Weight-Loss Surgery Medical Tourism.
Living larger than ever,
My Bariatric Life
Photo: The New York Times
