Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey has recently changed it's position on mandatory participation in a medically supervised weight loss program for six consecutive months prior to Bariatric Surgery.

The revised policy, which becomes effective on June 19, 2010, states the following:

Patients with Type 2 Diabetes have demonstrated little or no need for continuing medication after surgery.

With Type 2 diabetes, the body produces insulin but resists it. Insulin is a necessity for the body to be able to use sugar. Patients who had Gastric Bypass Surgery and Lap Band Surgery had lower insulin resistance.

Obesity and High Blood Pressure puts you at increased risk for heart attack, stroke, or even death.

According to a recent study, hypertension was resolved or improved in 78.5 percent of patients Lap Band Surgery and Gastric Bypass Surgery.

Living with Sleep Apnea isn't only an inconvenience. It's downright dangerous. Bariatric Surgery can help.

While sleep apnea and other respiratory problems may occur regardless of a person’s age, gender, or body mass, complications tend to be more severe in the obese. Gastric Bypass Surgery and Lap Band Surgery helps reduce excess body weight and fat deposits in the tongue and neck that cause sleep apnea.

For women struggling with Morbid Obesity, reproductive health can be a concern.

A recent study of women following Bariatric Surgery showed improvement of multiple clinical problems related to infertility. Lap Band Surgery and Gastric Bypass Surgery has been found to improve or resolve conditions that may interfere with pregnancy as reduced weight on reproductive organs influences other physiological changes affecting fertility.

High Cholesterol was improved in more than 93 percent of patients after Bariatric Surgery.

High cholesterol is a common form of dyslipidemia and occurs when a person has too much of certain lipids in the blood. Harmful scar tissue and other debris cause thickening and hardening of the artery walls as these lipids build up on the wall’s lining.

A recent study of 500 patients showed a 90 percent resolution of arthritis among surgical patients.

Osteoarthritis is a condition where there is a breakdown of the joint’s cartilage and is one of the most common forms of arthritis. Excess body weight placed on joints, especially in the knees and hips, results in rapid wear and tear, and causes pain due to inflammation. Gastric Bypass Surgery and Lap Band Surgery can reduce the strain placed on joints as there is less weight and pressure.