"With the surgery clinic, the change is dramatic," Hitchcock said. "It happens almost overnight. With the band, it's a much gentler transition." The entire operation takes only about thirty minutes and the patient is hospitalized for less than twenty-four hours. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, the area's largest health insurer, does not usually cover obesity surgery insurance procedures but is thinking of expanding its coverage. Before choosing a surgeon for your obesity weight, you check to see if they hold qualifications in the field of bariatric surgery from an accredited medical school. The cost of cosmetic surgery can vary widely, depending on the type of surgery performed and whether or not your insurance will help pay for it. Obesity is seen as a problem of weight, and diet surgery is viewed as a form of radical dieting. If you listen to the talk in overweight communities you will almost always hear that weight loss surgery is the “easy way out”, the solution for being overweight. Losing weight is not easy, even with obesity treatment. What is easy is being fat, staying unhealthy, and ignoring the problem. With obesity at epidemic proportions according to the World Health Organization and with the number of surgery doctors are rising daily If you have met some or most of the qualifications above, please consult your physician or a surgeon about what after obesity surgery could do for you.