Announcements

Great news from CareSource: coverage for diabetics with BMI 30-35

We received some great news from the Ohio chapter of the American Society of Bariatric Surgery regarding weight loss surgery and CareSource. Up until now, no insurance company has covered bariatric surgery when the patient's BMI is below 35. Now, however, CareSource has updated its policy to cover gastric sleeve and gastric bypass for patients…

Written byTrace Curry, MD, FASMBS

Published August 29, 2019 Updated February 19, 2025 1 min read

We received some great news from the Ohio chapter of the American Society of Bariatric Surgery regarding weight loss surgery and CareSource. Up until now, no insurance company has covered bariatric surgery when the patient’s BMI is below 35. Now, however, CareSource has updated its policy to cover gastric sleeve and gastric bypass for patients in the 30-35 zone if they have uncontrolled diabetes. Their definition of “uncontrolled” is a hemoglobin A1C of 8 or greater.

In addition, they have added the following medical conditions as “weight-related medical issues” that can be used to potentially qualify for surgical weight loss:

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
Pseudotumor cerebri
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Asthma
Venous stasis disease
Severe urinary incontinence
Debilitating arthritis

This is great news as it will significantly open access to care for many CareSource patients. We can only hope that other carriers will follow suit!

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Topics caresource diabetes

About the contributor

Trace Curry, MD, FASMBS

Trace Curry, MD, FASMBS, is a board-certified general surgeon, founder of JourneyLite Physicians, and Medical Director of JourneyLite Surgery Center. He has more than two decades of experience in bariatric and metabolic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, gastric balloon therapy, revisional procedures, and comprehensive medical weight management.