By Lee Kyung-min
Highly obese patients who opt for surgery will be covered by the National Health Insurance, the government said Sunday.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Service, starting next year, the surgery costs for lap-band, gastric resection and Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass will be covered for those who fall under the category of “obese” under the Body Mass Index (BMI). About 9 billion won ($7.9 million) will be spent yearly.
The measurement of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women categorizes people into four groups: underweight if the number is smaller than 18.5, normal if the number is between 18.5 and 24.9, overweight (25–29.9) and obese if it is 30 or greater.
The ministry said the measure comes as obesity is a disease that entails high risks of complications such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.
According to a 2011 study by the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency, despite the high cost, surgical treatment was more effective in obese patients than non-surgical treatments.