Tufts plan will restrict surgery for obesity
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Tufts Health Plan next month will start denying gastric-bypass and stomach-banding procedures to some obese patients and require others to enter a yearlong diet and counseling program before undergoing the potentially lifesaving surgery.
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In the current decade, there  has been a dramatic increase in the number of obese adolescents  having surgery to help them lose weight, although weight loss  surgery remains an uncommonly performed procedure in young  people.
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Amid a growing obesity epidemic in the United States, an insurance company has started giving customers another reason to slim down by being one of the first in the nation to offer discounts to customers who keep a low body-mass index.
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NEW YORK  - Men and women who are obese in  middle age will be up to twice as expensive to cover under  Medicare, the government health plan that kicks in after  Americans reach age 65, according to new study findings  reported Tuesday.
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HOUSTON Oct. 14, 2004 - Two doctors and a hospital offered a free gastric bypass to a 420-pound teenager after another medical center canceled the procedure because his insurance would not pay for it.
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INDIANAPOLIS -- A doctor is leading a campaign aimed at requiring insurance companies to fund programs that would help people lose weight with exercise programs and diet counseling.
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Patients who undergo obesity surgery get far more than cosmetic benefits - many also shed fat-related ailments including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, researchers say.
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NEW YORK  - Patients can develop potentially disabling neurological complications after gastric bypass surgery performed to treat morbid obesity, most likely due to deficiencies in certain nutrients, a new study shows.
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An old ulcer operation is getting new attention as a possible alternative obesity surgery: a quick snip of a nerve that helps control hunger.
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NEW YORK  - Commercially available portion control plates and bowls can help obese individuals with type 2 diabetes lose weight and reduce their need for blood sugar-controlling medications, according to a Canadian study published today.
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Weight loss surgery can be especially  helpful to patients with diabetes and can even help them  reverse the disease, Australian researchers reported on  Tuesday.
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WASHINGTON--Bariatric surgery for morbid obesity is associated with neurological complications according to a systematic study of peripheral neuropathy after bariatric surgery.
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Obese people who undergo weight loss surgery such as gastric bypass not only shed pounds, they can be cured of diabetes, high blood pressure, and a number of other illnesses commonly caused by obesity.
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Despite the potential risks, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis decided to have gastric bypass surgery because he was afraid he would one day "drop dead" if he didn't lose weight.
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NEW YORK  - People 65 years of age or older may think twice about having weight loss surgery, according to a surgeon who performs this operation and has studied the outcome.
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More than a quarter of growth in health care spending over the past 15 years is due to obesity, and experts say prevention is key to control soaring costs.
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A new study gives the strongest evidence yet that obesity surgery can cure diabetes. Patients who had surgery to reduce the size of their stomachs were five times more likely to see their diabetes disappear over the next two years than were patients who had standard diabetes care, according to Australian researchers.