Government
Medicare expands bariatric surgery coverage
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 2, 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Feb. 12 that Medicare will cover bariatric surgery for beneficiaries who are morbidly obese and who have type 2 diabetes.
Medicare has covered the surgery since 2006 for eligible beneficiaries with morbid obesity. The new coverage determination for the first time specifies type 2 diabetes as one of the co-morbidities that will trigger coverage for beneficiaries with a body mass index of 35 or higher. But the agency also said the surgery will not be covered for beneficiaries with a BMI below 35 due to a lack of convincing medical evidence for the coverage.
All beneficiaries receiving covered bariatric surgery will be required to have the procedure performed at a facility certified by the American College of Surgeons or the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/03/02/gvbf0302.htm.
