Obesity Treatment

TRICARE only covers morbid obesity surgery such as gastric bypass, gastric stapling, sleeve gastrectomy, stand-alone laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, and gastroplasty when you meet one of the following conditions:

• You’re 100 pounds over ideal weight for your height and bone structure and you have one of these associated conditions: diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cholecystitis, narcolepsy, Pickwickian syndrome, hypothalamic disorders, or severe arthritis of the weight-bearing joints.
• You’re 200% or more over ideal weight for your height and bone structure.
• You’ve had intestinal bypass or other surgery for obesity, and because of complications, you need another surgery.

TRICARE doesn’t cover:

• Nonsurgical treatment of obesity, morbid obesity, dietary control, or weight reduction
• Biliopancreatic bypass, gastric bubble or balloon, or gastric wrapping for the treatment of morbid obesity

Note for Active Duty Service Members: Bariatric surgery represents a major and permanent change in your digestive system that requires strict adherence to a specific dietary regimen that may interfere with operational deployment. A history of bariatric surgery is already a bar to military service, and getting bariatric surgery while on active duty may be grounds for separation. For more information, view the Health Affairs Policy 07-006.