Five unexpected ways a LAP BAND can save you money
Posted by Adam Yarbrough on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 @ 04:22 PM
When considering a LAP-BAND weight loss surgery, the first question many people ask is: how much does a lap band cost?
Even if your insurance plan does not cover bariatric surgery, and you have to pay cash for or finance your band, you may find that weight loss surgery can help you save money in the long run.
Here are five of the hidden costs of obesity:
- Grocery and dining costs - Consider that someone with a lap band can get full on only 1/2 to 1 cup of food and think about what impact that could have on the grocery or restaurant bill.
- Missed days of work - A 2007 study showed that overweight women were 61 percent more likely to miss work time than women with healthy weight. For morbidly obese women, the figure was 118 percent.
- Other weight loss programs - Can you calculate how much you've personally spent on diets? As a country we spend $42 billion each year. How many of those worked?
- Gasoline - Did you know an extra 100 pounds in your car can reduce its fuel efficiency by 2 percent? That can really add up over the years, especially as fuel prices increase.
- Other medical expenses - If you're struggling with diabetes, hypertension, depression, joint pains, gastric reflux or any other obesity related ailment, you will likely be able to substantially cut your medical and prescription expenses by losing weight.
If you're struggling with obesity, go ahead and put together your own budget to figure out how much your finances are being weighed down.
And while that cost might not be equal to the surgery cost in the first year, consider that the surgery cost is a one-time expense, but the obesity costs above are cumulitive over time and can often get worse.
If you're interested in learning more about weight loss surgery and how it works to improve your health - and potentially your finances - download our free weight loss surgery information kit today!