STARTING THE YEAR RIGHT: CONSUMER REPORTS® EXAMINES GASTRIC WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY, LIPOSUCTION, AND MEDICARE PART D PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN

February 2006 Issue

YONKERS, NY — Weight-loss surgery can take weight off immediately, can cure type 2 diabetes practically overnight, and can lower blood pressure and cholesterol. At least 10 million Americans are heavy enough to be eligible for the surgery, meaning they’re usually at least 100 pounds overweight. Consumer Reports (CR) February 2006 report, “Surgically Slim,” examines the two types of weight-loss surgery available—gastric bypass and adjustable gastric banding—and illustrates the pros, cons, and risks of each type. This report also discusses liposuction for targeted slimming.

Gastric weight-loss surgery usually works, eventually taking off at least half of most patients’ extra pounds, and improving overall health. But it also requires drastic, lifelong changes in eating habits. Most patients regain some weight, and although the surgery has been done for decades, doctors are just starting to track long-term outcomes systematically. For weight-loss surgery patients on the whole, the risk of dying during or shortly after the operation is low and getting lower. However, the mortality risk for patients over 65 who have gastric bypass surgery may be at least twice as high as the rate for younger patients.

Consumer Reports offers some advice to help people considering weight-loss surgery choose:

• Make sure you qualify: To be eligible for the surgery, a patient typically must have a body mass index of at least 40. Patients must undergo extensive health and psychological evaluations.
• Check your coverage: Some insurance policies don’t cover the surgery.
• Be willing to follow the rules: Health plans that do cover the surgery typically require patients to undergo at least six months of a medically supervised weight-loss program beforehand.
• Find an experienced surgeon: Programs that handle 125 or more weight-loss surgeries a year have much better outcomes than those that handle far fewer.

CR also discusses liposuction, a surgery for changing body contours, not weight loss. The nation’s most often performed cosmetic surgery, liposuction is costly and not without risks. It is being performed on more Americans, and on increasingly smaller areas of the body. CR tells consumers what they should know about it.

Medicare Part D: Bother and Bewilderment

Some 260 companies have been wooing 43 million Medicare participants to sign up for the program’s new prescription drug benefit, known as Part D. But for consumers, finding a good Medicare prescription drug benefit is a giant pain in the neck because of the large number of offerings and the complexity of the coverage. Making matters worse, misinformation abounds as some independent sales agents have told seniors that they work for Medicare, while others have offered illegal cash payments as an inducement to sign up. Adding to the confusion, sometimes consumers can’t get the information they need to make an informed decision.

When Congress authorized the drug benefit two years ago, it let private companies offer the coverage instead of mandating that the government provide it. The law granted great latitude in shaping the benefits to private insurers, HMOs, pharmacy benefit companies, and associations. The result is a market free-for-all that makes it difficult for consumers to make truly useful comparisons of the many plans that may be offered in their areas. The confounding hodgepodge of offerings fall roughly into three categories: Standard plans, equivalent or alternative plans, and enhanced plans. Consumer Reports explains the benefits and costs associated with each type. In an easy-to-follow presentation, CR lays out the factors that should determine whether or not a senior should buy a prescription drug plan. What’s more, CR went shopping to see what it takes to find the right drug plan.

For seniors who would like to cut insurance costs, this may be the moment to join a Medicare HMO or PPO, which are called Medicare advantage plans. Medicare advantage members often have lower out-of-pocket costs and sometimes receive services not covered by Medicare, such as eyeglasses and dental care. CR tells consumers how to make the switch.

There are many hurdles and wrinkles in what’s likely to be a rather arduous shopping effort for most seniors. Many are likely to throw up their hands in exasperation and avoid enrolling altogether. That would be a shame, since the new prescription drug benefit offers many consumers true savings. At this point, however, they come with too much confusion.

This report is available free at www.ConsumerReports.org. For more information on lower-priced medicines that may be equally effective alternatives to brand name drugs for any conditions, visit www.CRBestBuyDrugs.org.

The February 2006 issue of Consumer Reports is on sale now wherever magazines are sold. To subscribe, call 1-800-765-1845.

FEBRUARY 2006
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