Save $2,500 a Year With Bariatric Surgery
According to a study conducted by Duke University School of Medicine, patients who undergo bariatric surgery have lower healthcare spending than non-surgical patients for 5.5 years after surgery. The study analyzed data from more than 25,000 adults and found that surgical patients saved an average of $2,500 USD per year.
Biggest Gain: 56% Reduction in Medication Costs
The most striking finding of the study was a 56% reduction in medication use after surgery. This provided a particularly significant cost advantage for patients with diabetes.
Study leader Dr. Matthew Maciejewski emphasized that economic and clinical benefits go hand in hand, saying, “In patients with diabetes, the health benefits of surgery translate directly into lower costs.”
Lasting Impact in Patients With Diabetes
The study included more than 25,000 patients diagnosed with diabetes, 6,700 of whom underwent bariatric surgery. While spending was similar in both groups before surgery, costs in the surgical group began to decline just one year after the operation.
By helping resolve obesity-related conditions such as high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes, bariatric surgery reduced the need for medications.
Similar Benefits Across Different Patient Groups
The research examined patients within the Kaiser Permanente health system who underwent different bariatric procedures between 2012 and 2019, including sleeve gastrectomy. Unlike previous studies, this group was younger and mostly female. The results showed that the benefits remained consistent across different ages and demographics.
GLP-1 Medications vs. Bariatric Surgery
The study also raises questions about the role of bariatric surgery at a time when GLP-1 agonist medications have become increasingly popular. The cost of these medications ranges from $500 to $1,800 USD per month. Maciejewski notes that they continue to investigate which patient groups gain the greatest economic benefit from surgery, and that patients with higher baseline costs tend to see the largest savings.
Source: Bariatric News - “Bariatric patients have lower healthcare costs vs non-surgical counterparts out to five years”
