Ask any bariatric surgeon whether or not gastric bypass surgery lessens a patient's risk of premature death and he will tell you without hesitation that it does. Indeed, he will undoubtedly be surprised that you have asked the question at all since surgeons have known for years that weight loss surgery extends a patient's life.

However, put that same question to a number of insurance companies and you might well get a very different answer because, until now, in spite of the fact that there has been plenty of anecdotal evidence for what we all know to be the case, there has not been any concrete, hard scientific proof.

Today however the results of 2 studies have clearly demonstrated in numerical terms that gastric bypass surgery has a marked effect on the mortality of those concerned.

In the first study, a multi-center American study involving 16,000 patients followed over a 7 year period, long-term mortality dropped by as much as 40 percent. additionally a second Swedish study involving some 4,000 patients showed a 29 percent fall in mortality.

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

The insurance companies however have stuck rigidly to the line that gastric bypass surgery should only be used as a last resort and that all possible efforts to lose weight through exercise and diet, including if necessary the use of medication, should be exhausted before weight loss surgery is considered. In addition, they have also insisted that gastric bypass surgery should only finally be undertaken if the patient's weight poses a risk to life.

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

For years now overweight people have battled with their weight and, while some people have had very limited success, most people (and undoubtedly those who need to lose in excess of about 80 pounds) have discovered that diet and exercise simply does not work. Despite this fact, they have not had a choice and doctors have also been forced to lead them down this path because of the stance of the insurance companies.

Perhaps now at long last the insurance companies are going to be forced to meet their responsibility in this area and finally put the needs of their policyholders ahead of those of their shareholders.