Three Australian health funds, namely NIB, AHM, and Manchester Unity, have announced that they will restrict access to Gastric Banding surgery to members with top cover. Previously these three health funds allowed all members to undergo obesity surgery without imposing any additional premium. This new policy, to take effect from 1 June, actually equates to discrimination against obesity sufferers, as it amounts to an 'obesity premium' if members wish to have obesity surgery covered. Its important to note that the majority of Australian health funds remain committed to weightloss surgery, and have not announced any changes to their coverage. Medibank Private, MBF, and HCF, as well as many of the Alliance health funds (such as Defence health, Teachers heath, etc) are to be congratulated on their continued support. Obesity surgery is one of the most widely studied types of medical intervention performed- all the available research has consistently shown major health benefits, lifespan improvement, and a better quality of life for people with obesity. It has also been shown to be highly cost effective for the community, as the costs of managing diabetes, heart disease, etc are substantially reduced, and obesity sufferers can re-enter or take better advantage of employment opportunities.
We urge members of any health fund that does not cover gastric banding to consider changing to other health funds that do. A useful reSource is www.iselect.com.au Members of NIB, AHM, and Manchester Unity funds can still have gastric banding covered under their existing policy if their surgery booking is made before 1 June. (The surgery date itself can be performed any time up to 1 Dec). If this applies to you, please let our reception staff know when you call so that we can help you meet this deadline.
Click here to read the Sydney Morning Herald article. Incidentally the patient depicted in the story, Cassandra Farhart, was operated upon by Dr Taylor in 2008.