Expert: Sara Scherer - 12/6/2006

Question
Does medicaid cover a gastric bypass surgery? I live in Las Vegas. I am 28 , 5'9 and 330lbs. I would love to have the surgery but dont know of my medicaid would cover it.

Answer
Chances are they don't.  This is an extremely high risk surgery.  1 out of every 200 people die from this surgery like the mother in law of one of my employees.  She went into the hospital in June and never was released.  There were "leaks" in her surgery which caused massive infections that finally caused all of her organs to shut down.  She was buried in October.

Then 10% of that 200 end up with major complications such as not being able to eat after the surgery and living on a full time liquid diet.  Or having massive pain as a result.  

Then another 10% have minor complications like not being able to eat certain foods or diarrhea and vomitting when your body rejects the food you have eaten.

Once you have the surgery and if it is successful, you will need a tummy tuck, arms tucked and the skin around your face, as well as your legs.  Medicaid might cover the tummy tuck.  But if it's too tight there are complications.  Having your arms, face and legs done is about $5000 per area on your body and Medicare does not cover that.

So you end up in the gym working out in order to tone up and minimize the flapping lose skin.  I have an aquaintance who had the surgery done but she can't afford the cosmetic surgery.  She looks like a skeleton with flesh hanging off her body.

So you can call your local Medicaid office and ask if they cover it but you should also consider the fact that you might end up dead because of it.  

Sara