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[Sign of Times] Obese Taking out Loans to Get Weight Loss Surgery

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by pgabriel, Jun 24, 2008.

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  1. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    I put this in the D&D because I think some people are going to have some moral objections to this. I don't know what to say personally.

    link


    Online loans are a new way to pay for gastric bypass
    Those seeking gastric bypass, often not covered by insurance, turn to Web


    By LESLIE CASIMIR
    Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

    A few weeks ago at work, as Cassandra Nichols tried to climb a flight of stairs, she had trouble breathing. Obese for years, she now weighs almost 300 pounds and fears for her future.

    "I don't want to die," said Nichols, a 24-year-old showing signs of Type 2 diabetes. "I need to lose this weight."

    A candidate for gastric bypass surgery, Nichols, a caseworker for the state's Child Protective Services, can't get Texas' health insurance plan to cover the surgery. Her insurance considers the procedure an elective, she said.

    Now desperate, Nichols has turned to an unlikely place to help pay for the surgery: an Internet loan.

    And she's not alone. It's a new option growing in popularity for many morbidly obese adults — some of whom are getting into debt by self-financing their bariatric surgeries, which cost roughly $25,000.

    Nichols has applied on numerous Web sites — carecredit.com and SurgeryLoans.com — for high-interest surgery loans. But with an annual salary of about $30,000, she's having a hard time getting approved for the total amount.

    "It's a sacrifice that I have to make," said Nichols, who lives in northwest Houston. "No one else can help me."

    As obesity continues to compromise the lives of many adults — an estimated 26 percent in the U.S. and 29 percent in Texas are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — gastric bypass surgeries are on the rise. It is a last-ditch effort to fighting obesity, a slow and silent killer.

    Gastric bypass is a drastic surgical procedure that reduces stomach size, forcing a person to eat less. Experts say the procedure also eliminates other weight-related illnesses such as diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension and heart disease. Citing myriad reasons — from the initial costs to the uncertainties of the long-term effects — some company-sponsored insurance plans refuse to cover the procedure.

    And there are risks — complications from blood clots or infections, even death. But overall, the surgery has become more popular and widely accepted as TV celebrities such as the Today show's Al Roker and Star Jones, former co-host of The View, have the surgery.

    "I look at obesity as a disease," said Dr. Hadar Spivak, a popular Houston bariatric surgeon who performs about 500 surgeries annually and has stopped dealing with insurance companies. He said nearly half of his patients now pay him with surgery loans.

    "And it is frustrating when I have to tell patients that I can't help them," he said. "That we only accept cash."

    William Encinosa is a senior economist at the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which monitors the cost and quality of the U.S. health care system. He said there has been a steady increase of patients who finance their own surgeries. In 2006, for example, 9,400 patients nationwide paid for their surgery costs, up from 3,200 in 2000. But Encinosa said it is unclear how many of these patients paid the hospital bills with loans.

    Rebecca Johnson suspects many people were forced to do what she did: Get a loan. Last year, the married Devers resident took one out for $18,300 from Capital One to pay Spivak to perform her successful gastric bypass. She has a five-year payment plan of $484 a month that totals $29,000. She and her husband earn a combined annual income of $65,000.

    "We really wanted to buy a house, but until we pay this off, we can't," said Johnson, 43, a bank teller. "We felt like my health is more important than a house."

    Johnson has gone from 232 pounds to 154.

    "I totally feel so much better about myself — mentally and physically," she said. "It was the best thing I could have done for myself."

    Texas has become a big market for bariatric surgery loans. The state is home to some of the "fattest cities" in America, according to Men's Fitness magazine's annual survey. This year was no exception. Five Texas cities made the top 10, including Houston.

    The rate of obesity has tripled in the past 20 years, said Neil Hutcher, a Richmond, Va., surgeon and former president of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.

    "In Houston, you can't pick up a magazine or drive down the street without seeing a billboard for bariatric surgery," he said.

    Marc Morgan, national manager at California-based SurgeryLoans.com, is well-aware of this. His Web site gets heavy Internet traffic from Texas, he said.

    The loans are considered high risk because there is no collateral involved, he said. Loans can last for up to seven years, he said.

    "If you elect never to make a payment on your loan, we've already paid the doctor and we can't come out and repossess your gastric bypass — that would be messy," Morgan said. "But we see the need for this, and we see the applicants coming to us when insurance denies them."

    Nichols is hoping to be one of their customers.

    "I see this as having a car payment," she said. "And my health is much more important than getting a new car."
     
    #1 pgabriel, Jun 24, 2008
  2. Rocket River

    Rocket River Member

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    What is the Objection?

    It maybe a sound investment

    5K could save them 50K in medical bills etc

    Rocket River
     
    #2 Rocket River, Jun 24, 2008
  3. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Member

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    Billy Blanks made me lose 50 pounds for twenty times less.
     
    #3 Invisible Fan, Jun 24, 2008
  4. thumbs

    thumbs Member

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    No money for fatties! Let them eat cake! :D
     
    #4 thumbs, Jun 24, 2008
  5. Apollo Creed

    Apollo Creed Contributing Member

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    Good, I'm tired of looking at them
     
    #5 Apollo Creed, Jun 24, 2008
  6. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    well, people can do what they want with their borrowed money, but I will say one thing, it will be alot more rewarding to just buckle down and try to lose it with diet and excercise.
     
    #6 pgabriel, Jun 24, 2008
  7. leroy

    leroy Member
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    True, but there are some people who just can't make it happen no matter how much they try. I have an uncle that weighed over 500 lbs. He was freaking Jabba the Hut huge. He tried and tried exercise and dieting for years and it did nothing. He had the surgery and he's down around 250 now. He continues to eat well and exercise to keep it off and continue to lose more weight at a good pace.

    That said, 300 lbs isn't that big. There is no reason this lady can't do something about it with some hard work. The cost of a trainer and gym membership will be less per month than the monthly payment of a high interest loan.
     
    #7 leroy, Jun 24, 2008
  8. Classic

    Classic Member

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    Yah right, you think there aren't side affects from gastric bypass surgery? There are no long term studies to even know side affects. The only way to lose weight and maintain long term health is through a reduced calorie diet and exercise. I'm sure gastric will induce medical bills down the road not to mention the fact that people have to start taking pharm grade vitamins which isn't cheap. Gastric is such joke.
     
    #8 Classic, Jun 24, 2008
  9. Lil Pun

    Lil Pun Member

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    What about people that are genetically obese?
     
    #9 Lil Pun, Jun 24, 2008
  10. cwebbster

    cwebbster Member

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    **** THIS! I weighed 350 lbs.....and I lost 130 lbs on my own!! Diet and exercise!!! These cheating fatties piss me off so badly.....GOD I SWEAR!!!
     
    #10 cwebbster, Jun 24, 2008
  11. Rocket River

    Rocket River Member

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    Honestly P
    that is your opinion and you welcome to it
    but
    In American . . no one gives a d*mn about the journey
    only the results
    Take what ever woman that folx think is sexy
    If they found out she had 3 ribs removed and bathed in Fetus blood
    they'd still try to 'hit it'

    It really doesn't matter how they got to looking that good .. . JUST LOOK GOOD
    Doesn't matter what ya did to get rich . . . JUST BE RICH
    etc

    We are a seriously ENDS Justifies the means Society

    I understand what you say . . . as far as personal accomplishments
    but the reality is. . . Being good looking or NOT A FATTY is a reward in itself
    it makes life so much more pleasent
    If you have a quick fix to that . . . people will take it . .and probably be happier for it :(

    That is our society

    Rocket River
     
    #11 Rocket River, Jun 24, 2008
  12. Classic

    Classic Member

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    See, you're falling into the misconception that obesity is a genetic problem. I bet out of 100 cases of gastric, 1 has a disorder of some kind that actually requires the surgery. The other 99 are enviornmentally induced cases of obesity. You know the saying "We're products of our enviornment"? Well, in the case of obesity, enviornmental factors bring out genetic susceptabilities. Genetics isn't a cruch though. What do I mean?

    Person A and Person B genetically have the same slow metabolism. However, person A is not overweight and person B is extremely obese. Let's examine A's enviornment which include physical activity during the day and diet. A eats breakfast and every three hours after that. She eats whole grain carbs, veggies, protein, fruit and also works out at night and burns 700 calories doing strength training 3 x per week. She brings her lunch and watches her salt intake and drinks 6 bottles of water per day.

    Person B doesn't eat until 11 am. She then goes to McDonald's and has a coke, fries and big mac and supersized it. She goes back to work and sits at her desk. She grabs a monster energy drink at about 1pm since she's about to fall asleep and then hits up the candy machine at 400 to grab some candy to give her some sugar. She doesn't eat until about 730 when she gets home but she picks up taco bell on the way home. She gets a 4 tacos and a large mountain dew. Then she sits on her couch till about 11 but decides to eat some ice cream at about 1030 just before she goes to bed.

    Genetics are the same, enviornment is different. The medical industry will have you believe that genetics are the cause of everything but that certainly isn't the case even when it comes to things like cancer and adhd. It's an easy cop out that takes the responsibility off the person and the enviornment. Again gastric, and a lot of medical practices in general, is a joke.
     
    #12 Classic, Jun 24, 2008
  13. Lil Pun

    Lil Pun Member

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    I'm not saying all obesity cases are genetics but some are and even you acknowledged that.
     
    #13 Lil Pun, Jun 24, 2008
  14. Space Ghost

    Space Ghost Member

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    Personally Im sick of fatties looking for the easy way out. Dieting is a fallacy. If one is going to lose weight, they must make a lifestyle change; IE. Permanent change. All the commercials that say, "eat whatever you want and still lose weight" and taking a pill is all BS.

    We take a piece of potatoe, deep fry it, destroying all the nutrition and call its a french fry. Then we dip it into a sugar based sauce called ketchup. When we go out and dine at a restaurant, we order a salad thinking we are being healthy, but yet we douse it with high calorie dressings. We are better off not even eating the salad. The list goes on and on. Its not the handful of cookies that is causing obesity, its all the extra small stuff that we use to make food "taste better". The reality is that we have grown accustom to the fatty taste that we have to add something fatty to every item to make it taste "good".

    end of rant.
     
    #14 Space Ghost, Jun 24, 2008
  15. Hmm

    Hmm Member

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    <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9uJ7Ya91IGM&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9uJ7Ya91IGM&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
     
    #15 Hmm, Jun 24, 2008
  16. Major Malcontent

    Major Malcontent Member

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    Look...I am not gonna whine to Clutch and report post all over the place like a titty baby. But the amount of fat-hate on this board is really starting to tarnish my enjoyment of this place. If someone is rude enough to call me a name on the street, I can just kind of shake my head about their ignorance.

    In this case at least there was the word "Obese" in the title of the thread so I sort of knew by opening it I was gonna get lots of stupid generalizations about the hated "fatties". But its impossible to escape around here.

    Do you know the percentage of people that try to lose significant weight that actually succeed, on a permanent basis. I am happy for cwebbster, but he is definitely the exception rather than the rule.

    Even if you do think that anyone can lose weight and "fatties" deserve their fate for their gluttonous lifestyles...can you at least treat us the way you do other groups you disdain and not speak your contempt out loud.

    Yes I know...blah, blah....X, Y, and Z can't help what they are...you fatty-fatty two-by fours need our shaming you to get healthy.

    It's just amazing that a place that can articulate ideas about sport and politic and support each other through death and relationship woes, can't handle differences in waistlines without 3rd grade name calling.
     
    #16 Major Malcontent, Jun 24, 2008
  17. finalsbound

    finalsbound Member

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    I'm not obese, but I am overweight. Weight Watchers is a phenomenal program, in my opinion. They really do preach lifestyle change instead of diet. It's tough sometimes and requires a lot of willpower, but it's so worth it to go to bed each night knowing you had your 5 fruits/vegetables, 2 milks, 8 glasses of water, healthy oils and 45-60 minutes of exercise for that day. Losing weight the old fashioned way is absolutely the most gratifying thing possible. I've never had the experience of many of these people, and I assume I would feel differently toward surgery. Reduced caloric intake and exercise is the way to go for me.
     
    #17 finalsbound, Jun 24, 2008
  18. Mr. Brightside

    Mr. Brightside Member

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    I don't really see the problem with people taking loans for this surgery. I mean, its better than taking out a loan (i.e credit card debt) to buy a 46 inch plasma television.

    I read that one of these celebrities who had this gastric bypass gained most of the weight back. I don't know how this is possible if your stomach is physically smaller.

    I live a very healthy lifestyle and diet, but I can see how people are forced to eat unhealthy foods everyday. Basically if you work requires travel, it is very hard to find healthy food on the road. In addition if you have to meet clients, most often you meet them over dinner at a fancy restaurant. I'm lucky that I am allowed to go home for lunch on alot of days, but if I was on strict work schedule I really don't think I would be eating as healthy as I do.
     
    #18 Mr. Brightside, Jun 25, 2008
  19. gifford1967

    gifford1967 Member
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    You're right. People are very cruel in their attitudes towards the overweight. The sense of moral superiority on this issue is way out of control. There is a huge difference between recognizing that our society as a whole has adopted unhealthy eating habits and the hateful bs I've seen here.
     
    #19 gifford1967, Jun 25, 2008
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2008
  20. DBrunk01

    DBrunk01 Member

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    That's pretty much the best post ever.

    I love seeing the people who think they have a free license to insult and degrade people - and then their subsequent reactions when they're called out for it. "Oh, I'm being a douchebage aren't I?"

    Walk away. Walk away.
     
    #20 DBrunk01, Jun 25, 2008
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