Obesity is a condition that is seriously affecting the Australian population, with the number of people with obesity more than doubling in the last thirty years. It is estimated that by 2025 that 70% (or higher) of Australia’s population will be overweight or obese. This is an issue that we as a nation need to address, and quickly.
Weight loss surgery has been conclusively shown to increase life expectancy and quality of life for patients suffering morbid obesity. While surgery may seem an expensive option for people suffering from obesity, it can actually be viewed as a positive investment in the future.
There is quite a crossover between the personal benefits to a patient following weight loss surgery as well as the financial benefits. For example statistics show that if you are obese you are twice as likely to suffer from depression, which not only negatively affects your quality of life but can also have serious financial implications with time absent from work, medications or counselling.
Let’s explore some other examples of how weight loss surgery can be a positive choice, both financially and for quality of life :
Improves Employment Options – weight loss following weight loss surgery goes a long way towards improving a person’s employment options, for example they may not have been physically able to perform certain jobs before. Evidence also suggests that potential employers do discriminate based on a person’s weight, and that you are more likely to be offered employment if you are an average/’normal’ weight. Improving employment options is not only good for a person’s self esteem by engaging in work but also the financial gains of being employed.
Decreases Medical Costs – although surgery may seem a substantial medical cost, obesity is often a cause or contributor to many other health issues a person may suffer from such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and osteoarthritis to name a few. Long-term these costs can amount to tens of thousands of dollars as a result of ongoing medical care and treatment required (obese adults spend 42% more on direct healthcare costs than healthy weight adults) . Weight loss surgery patients that have successfully lost weight often find that their other related illnesses are reduced as a result of weight loss, so the long-term, continuous costs are also reduced. Per capita healthcare costs for morbidly obese or obese patients are 81 percent higher than for healthy weight adults.
Improved Cash Flow Through Reduced Living Costs – as well as saving money on medical bills, successful weight loss surgery patients can also see a positive reflection in the amount of expenditure on other items such as food shopping, as their food intake is dramatically decreased so is the amount of food they are buying as a result. This extra cash flow can go towards many of life’s little luxuries that may not have previously been possible such as a family holiday or new clothing, again improving the quality of a patient’s life.
At Upper GI Surgery we believe that safe and effective weight loss surgery, performed on appropriately selected individuals, is one of the only truly cost neutral or positively geared interventions available in medicine today. If you would like to talk to us about weight loss surgery then please contact our team who will be happy to assist you.
0 Comments