AXIOS December 19, 2023
The new highly effective class of anti-obesity drugs has often been talked about as an alternative to bariatric surgery — but medications like Wegovy are increasingly being paired with the procedure.
Why it matters: While surgeons say the drugs can especially help people with severe obesity maintain weight loss after surgery, the combination presents a pricey scenario for insurers already grappling with the cost of the drugs alone.
By the numbers: The number of bariatric surgeries performed in the U.S. increased slightly between 2021 and 2022 after the drugs known as GLP-1 agonists exploded on the market, according to medical claims data from FAIR Health.
- The number of bariatric surgery patients who were subsequently prescribed a GLP-1 more than...
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