Long term cost outcomes among commercially insured patients undergoing bariatric surgical procedures

Bariatric procedures have become safer in recent years, warranting new data on long-term costs. This study examined the impact of bariatric procedures on a person's long-term healthcare costs up to 10 years and if it differed by socio-economic status (SES).

This retrospective observational study compared the downstream health care cost of patients with obesity who had undergone bariatric surgery (BS) between 2009 and 2018 to a 1:1 matched group of members with obesity but no surgery.

167,764 individuals from administrative claims data with an obesity diagnosis were included; 83,882 in the BS group and 83,882 in the non-surgical group. In follow-up years 2-10, the BS group was associated with lower total medical healthcare cost compared to the non-surgical group (cost ratios ranged 0.85-0.93, p values < 0.05). When stratifying the BS group by SES quartiles, there were no significant cost differences by SES (cost ratios ranged from 0.96 to 1.05, most p values > 0.05).

BS was associated with lower long-term follow-up medical cost and cost savings appeared similar among the SES quartiles in the BS group. The study results may help policy makers and employers in designing benefits and extending coverage for bariatric surgical procedures.