Bandlandia Applauds Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota and Tennessee Decision to Cover the...

IRVING, Texas -- BANDLANDIA, INC., premiere Lap-Band(R) aftercare and advocacy company, cheers the decision of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee for the policy revisions which will allow many of their patients to be offered coverage for the Lap-Band System

"This is great news," said Cynthia Jones, President and CEO of Bandlandia, Inc. "We have seen obesity become one of the leading causes of major illness in this country, and we have watched more extreme surgeries like the Gastric Bypass come under intense scrutiny in recent months. As the Lap-Band System for treating morbid obesity is demonstrating itself to be as effective, if not more effective than other surgical treatments, and by far a safer surgery for the patient, we have been waiting to see this nation's insurance companies begin to offer coverage for the Lap-Band System. Many patients have been denied coverage for the Lap-Band, but offered coverage for the riskier and more invasive Gastric Bypass."

While insurance coverage for the Lap-Band System is lagging behind that of other surgical options, such as the well-known, but lately maligned Gastric Bypass and the Vertical Band Gastroplasty, insurers are beginning to see the overall benefit of covering weight loss surgery. "It only makes sense," continued Miss Jones, "to offer coverage for a procedure that demonstrates comparable results, less trauma to the patient, faster recovery, lower complication rates, and is less expensive to both the patient and the insurance company. In our minds, it's a 'win-win' situation. We hope to see other Blue Cross/Blue Shield providers, as well as other insurers follow the example shown here and begin to offer Lap-Band System insurance coverage for all of their patients considering weight loss surgery."