Question any weight loss surgeon about whether or not gastric bypass surgery reduces a patient's risk of early death and he will tell you without hesitation that it does. Indeed, he will undoubtedly be surprised that you have posed the question in the first place since surgeons have known for years that weight loss surgery extends patients' lives.

but, put that same question to a number of insurance companies and you might well get a different answer because, until very recently, in spite of the fact that there has been a lot of anecdotal evidence for what everyone knows to be the case, there has been no hard, concrete numerical proof.

Today however the results of 2 studies have clearly shown in numerical terms that gastric bypass surgery has a significant effect on the death rates of those concerned.

In the first study, a multi-center United States study involving 16,000 patients who were followed over a 7 year period, long-term death rates dropped by as much as 40 percent. In addition a second Swedish study involving some 4,000 patients showed a 29 percent fall in death rates.

Insurance companies have sought for a long time now to put obstacles in front of patients to prevent them from submitting claims for weight loss surgery and this has been gaining momentum in recent years as the number of obesity operations being performed has risen dramatically and weight loss surgery has become increasingly acceptable with a number of celebrities such as Al Rocker, Carnie Wilson, Star Jones and others undergoing obesity surgery.

Insurance companies have however stuck strictly to the line that gastric bypass surgery ought only to be used as the option of last resort and that all possible efforts to lose weight using exercise and diet, including if necessary the use of medication, should be exhausted before weight loss surgery is considered. additionally, they have also stuck to the line that gastric bypass surgery may only finally be carried out if weight poses a risk to life.

For many people this stance by the insurance companies is seen as being quite stupid and a position which has clearly been adopted simply to save money. Nevertheless, despite this view, the insurance companies have gotten away with this for years now because it has not been possible to demonstrate in terms of facts and figures that gastric bypass surgery is not simply a convenient and relatively easy way to lose weight but is the only option for many sufferers and an option which will not only improve their quality of life but literally extend their lives, often quite significantly.

For years now overweight individuals have battled with their weight and, while some have experienced very limited success, most people (and certainly those who need to lose in excess of about 80 pounds) have found that exercise and diet simply does not work. However, they have had no choice and doctors have also been forced to lead them down this road because of the intransigence of the insurance companies.

It is to be hoped that now at long last the insurance companies will be forced to face up to their responsibility in this area and at last put the needs of their policyholders before those of their shareholders.