Varying outcomes following open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (ORYGB) were seen in a retrospective analysis involving more than 4,200 individuals. The variations appeared to depend upon type of insurance coverage.

Participants—all of whom underwent ORYGB—were insured by Medicaid (n=272), Medicare (n=632), or private payers (n=3,253), or were self-pay (n=68). Among the results:

• BMI at 6 months was 40 for Medicare, Medicaid and self-pay patients; it was 37 for individuals with private insurance.
• Weight at 6 months was 113 kg for Medicaid, 111 kg for Medicare, 104 kg for privately insured, and 115 kg for self-pay patients.
• Weight and BMI did not vary among the groups after 6 months.