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Dr. John Morton of Stanford University School of Medicine in California said that "Gastric bypass surgery is very successful so we should work to ensure that everyone has the same chance at success,", who presented his findings at the Digestive Disease Week meeting in Chicago. Gastric bypass surgery is becoming an increasingly popular treatment for obesity. It works by altering the digestive tract to decrease the volume of food that can be eaten and digested. Large insurance providers and Medicare, the federal health program for 44 million elderly and handicapped people, help pay for the weight loss surgery which runs from $15,000 to $35,000 -- in extremely obese inividuals. The researched gathered data on 750 gastric bypass patients who had private insurance, medicare or medicaid, a state-federal insurance program for people who were unable to afford health insurance. One year following surgery, the study conducte dby Morris and colleagues found that all individuals experienced substantial weight loss, while the private insurance patients lost more. The study found that "The Medicare group lost 57 percent of its excess weight, but in comparison with the private insurance group, this was much less, with the private insurance group losing about 82 percent of their extra weight," he said. However, the Medicare group had slightly higher rates of side effects, but there were no deaths from any of the operations. Morton claimed individuals in the Medicare group had the largest decreases in levels of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, what people term as bad cholesterol which is a cause of heart disease. They also had more positive signs in fasting insulin, a measure of diabetes risk levels. Morton said patients in the Medicare group began at substantially heavier weight levels than other patients, with average body mass index scores of close to 50, putting them in the category of super-obese. Body mass index, or BMI, is a formula that takes into account a person's height and weight. A BMI of 30 is considered obese. People with a BMI of 40 to 49 are considered morbidly obese, while those with a BMI of 50 or higher are considered super-obese. In summary, the study demonstrates that some Medicare patients are starting with a larger disadvantages, and may require more health support.
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