While bariatric surgery delivers substantial and durable benefits in weight reduction and metabolic health, its long-term economic implications remain debated. This multi-year comparative analysis evaluated healthcare costs up to four years after surgery in patients who underwent bariatric procedures (2018–2019) compared with matched non-operative controls managed medically. Across the follow-up period, bariatric surgery patients incurred significantly higher mean total healthcare costs than controls, with the greatest cost differential observed in the first post-operative year and predominantly driven by outpatient care.
Outpatient costs and the proportion of patients requiring annual outpatient visits were consistently higher in the surgical group, underscoring the resource intensity of post-surgical follow-up and management. These findings suggest that although bariatric surgery…
