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BMI Calculator

Weight: Height:

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Interpreting Your BMI

BMI	Weight Category
Under 18.5	Underweight
18.5- 24.9	Normal
25 - 29.9	Overweight
30 - 34.9	Obese
35 - 39.9	Clinically Obese
40 or greater	Morbidly Obese

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a general indicator of whether or not you are maintaining a healthy weight based on the ratio of your weight to your height. It’s an imperfect scale as it doesn't account for differences in body types. For example, a 5 foot 9 inch bodybuilder who weighs 215 pounds and has a 6% body fat would be labeled obese. And there is already a new scale just for people from Southeast Asia where the ranges are lowered.

While it can be a good indicator of the healthiness of your weight if you fall within certain statistical norms that were used to develop it, it should be taken with a significant grain of salt and should not be used as a substitute for a professional evaluation of your health by a doctor.

Contact Us

Center for Weight Management
20 Research Place
North Chelmsford, MA 01863

Phone: 877-LGH-WELL
Phone: 978-788-7200
TTY: 978-937-6889

Insurance & Financing Information

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Center for Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery
Surgical Approach
Insurance & Financing Information

For many people, gastric bypass surgery is affordable because it is included in their health insurance coverage. For other people, bariatric surgery is a medical treatment they pay for themselves, called self-pay or cash pay. Many people who have had surgery feel that even without insurance, the surgery is worth it. They look at it as an investment in their health.

Whether your insurance company will cover the cost of bariatric surgery or you are paying for it yourself, you will need to prepare detailed written documentation to support the medical necessity of your surgery. Thorough documentation of previous unsuccessful dieting attempts, including medically supervised attempts, co-morbid conditions, and other factors, such as the medications you're currently taking, can help document that bariatric surgery is necessary for the treatment of your morbid obesity.

Talk to Your Bariatric Program Coordinator

If you are interested in alternative financing options, please request to speak with your bariatric program coordinator. Your bariatric program coordinator should have experience in working with health insurance companies and helping patients finding insurance plans or other options for coverage for their gastric bypass surgery.

Few people are able to pay cash up front for surgery. If you do not have health insurance coverage for bariatric surgery, but would like to have it, there is a wide array of alternative financing options available to you.

Important Information for Self-Pay Patients

When it comes to self-pay patients, you should consider the expense of complications. It's a good idea to hope for the best and plan for the worst. If you do have health insurance (even if it does not cover bariatric surgery), be sure to read your policy. You may find that your insurance company will cover medical costs from complications due to the surgery.