Which insurance companies cover lap band operations?

As of 2013, insurance companies such as Aetna and Cigna cover lap band operations, according to ObesityCoverage. Aetna coverage includes lap or open gastric bypass, lap gastric bands and lap gastric sleeve procedures. Cigna coverage includes lap bands or realize bands, vertical banded gastroplasty and necessary lap band fills.

Aetna and Cigna do not require surgeons to perform the lap band procedures at Centers of Excellence, explains ObesityCoverage. Aetna requires patients 18 years and older to be obese for at least 24 months before the surgery. Both insurers require that adult patients have a body mass index greater than 40, or greater than 35 with another morbidity factor such as Type 2 diabetes or obstructive sleep apnea.