Surgery for obesity now covered by Medicare

The U.S. government says obese elderly or disabled patients are now eligible for a range of surgical weight-loss procedures under the U.S. Medicare health insurance plan.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, patients must have tried and failed other weight loss options, have at least one weight-related medical problem and have a high body mass index before they are eligible.

The procedures that Medicare will cover include Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, gastric banding and biliopancreatic diversion, a procedure that produces weight loss by limiting the body's ability to extract nutrients from the injested food.

In the past Medicare patients could only receive gastric bypass surgery, in which the lower part of the stomach is either closed off or removed and its contents detoured around the large intestine directly to the small intestine.

Under the new rules laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, which squeezes the stomach smaller with a small band will also be available.

A number of companies that make stomach bands and other devices for weight-loss procedures, have asked Medicare to consider coverage.

Initially Medicare proposed coverage for disabled patients only, because of possible risks for the elderly.

But under the final decision, older patients can undergo the procedure at medical centers that treat large numbers of patients and have low death rates.