Senate Bill 106 was a bill requiring that commercial insurance cover bariatric surgery. It was sponsored by Louisiana State Senator Regina Barrow and signed into law by Governor Jeff Landry on June 24th, 2024.
January 1, 2025.
No. Medicaid and Medicare are public health insurance carriers. Both currently cover bariatric surgery with some limitations.
The new law will make coverage for bariatric surgery available to more than a million Louisiana residents who did not have coverage before. Individuals must have certain health criteria to qualify.
No. Patients must have a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 40 or a BMI of 35 -39.9 with an obesity-related illness to qualify. There may be other eligibility requirements which will be detailed in your individual policy.
No, but they may opt to include it.
Investigate your insurance coverage prior to the open enrollment period to obtain answers for the following questions from your benefits office:
For many employees the annual benefit enrollment period occurs in the Fall. As your benefit enrollment period approaches you should receive information about your health insurance policy options. Carefully read the coverage, paying attention to the surgery coverage and the exclusions to coverage. If your employer offers more than one policy option, carefully compare the options. Employers who are self-insured are not required to provide bariatric surgery coverage, but they may opt to include it. Contact your employee benefits office for assistance.
