Given today’s fast-moving lifestyle and food options, many of us are struggling to find ways to keep our weight down and managing symptoms of overweight and obesity. This is especially true in Los Angeles, a city known for its health-focused lifestyle. Recently, more people starting using the popular weight loss drugs known as GLPs – like Ozempic and others – to lose weight. While in general GLPs do help patients to lose weight, studies have found that patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes can be better off with weight loss surgery.
As many new patients who try GLPs find to their surprise, the medications can cost upward of $1,000 per month and are rarely covered by insurance for purposes of weight loss. The massive cost advantages of gastric sleeve surgery compared to Ozempic are confirmed by a scientific study published in Annals of Surgery. The study highlights the financial advantages of surgical intervention, specifically sleeve gastrectomy (also known as VSG), over the long-term use of GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic. Researchers looked at patients who were undergoing gastric sleeve surgery and compared their out-of-pocket costs to these those taking Ozempic. The study revealed that after just one year the cost of a gastric sleeve surgery was already roughly equal to the costs of taking Ozempic —and by two years, the gastric sleeve operation emerges as the more economical choice. The results are compelling:
- Year 1 Costs: Patients spent an average of $2,267 on SG versus $2,131 for Ozempic – already almost the same amount.
- Year 2 Costs: SG patients saw their costs drop to $1,155, while Ozempic patients continued to spend $2,084 annually.
The findings underscore a striking contrast: after just 2 years, Gastric sleeve patients save money compared to those on Ozempic! While Ozempic and other semaglitudes require ongoing and costly refills, a gastric sleeve procedure offers a one-time investment with significantly reduced costs after the initial year.
A Gastric Balloon operation is less expensive than Ozempic
Why Choose Sleeve Gastrectomy?
Beyond just long-term financial costs, the gastric sleeve offers significant advantages over weight loss drugs:
- Lasting Results: The gastric sleeve is highly effective at promoting weight loss and improving glycemic control. Most patients experience substantial weight loss within the first year, which contributes to better diabetes management and reduces the need for medications.
- Better Insurance Coverage: While health insurances frequently cover the costs weight-loss surgery when they consider it “medically necessary,” GLP medications are often not covered for weight loss.
- One-Time Intervention: Unlike medications requiring lifelong adherence, the gastric sleeve provides a permanent solution. This reduces the burden of ongoing prescriptions, medical appointments, and potential medication side effects.
Weight loss patients should therefore carefully consider the costs and benefits of their weight loss options, including the results they want to achieve and their finances.
Ultimately, many patients find the gastric sleeve offers them lasting solution that leads to improved health, fewer medications, and a lighter financial load—year after year.
