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Paying · Insurance

Health insurance and bariatric surgery

How Irish hospital plans treat weight loss surgery, the waiting periods, and the questions to ask before you count on a claim.

The short answer

Many Irish hospital plans cover a list of bariatric operations, usually the sleeve and bypass, once you meet the plan's medical criteria and the insurer approves it in advance. Other weight-reduction treatment, such as programmes and often balloons, is usually excluded. If you had obesity when you joined, the insurer can apply a pre-existing condition waiting period of up to five years.

  • Up to 5 yearspre-existing condition wait
  • 26 weeksfor new conditions
  • Pre-approvalbefore you book
  • 13 weeksmax gap when switching

Free check · about a minute

Am I eligible?

See where your BMI sits against the usual criteria, what it costs in Ireland and what the HSE, insurance and tax relief can do. A surgeon always makes the final call.

Your height and weight never leave your device. If you ask a clinic to contact you, we send only a BMI band and your answers, with your consent.

Step 1 of 7

Your height and weight

We work out your BMI here on the page. Nothing is sent.

cm
kg
Your BMI–

Enter your height and weight.

Do you have any of these?

Tick all that apply. These are the conditions surgeons look for at a BMI of 35 to 40.

What have you tried before?

Tick all that apply. A clinic asks this at the first consultation.

Which option are you looking at?

Pick the closest. You can change your mind at the consultation.

How would you like to go about it?

Your result explains the cost and the wait for each route.

When, and where are you?

The clinic uses your county to plan consultations and check-ups near you.

Your result
Where should the clinic contact you?

One Irish clinic gets your enquiry, nobody else. They contact you to arrange a consultation with a surgeon. Nothing is booked unless you say yes.

Thank you

Your enquiry is on its way to one Irish clinic. Here's what happens next:

  1. Today. We pass your answers to one clinic whose bariatric surgeons are on the Medical Council's Specialist Register. No one else gets them.
  2. Usually within two working days. The clinic rings or texts you to arrange a first consultation.
  3. At the consultation. A surgeon and the team assess you, explain your options and give you a written quote. Nothing is booked unless you say yes.

Changed your mind? Email hello@gastricsleeve.ie and we'll delete your enquiry and tell the clinic.

How plans cover it

Irish hospital plans typically exclude treatment for weight reduction, then make an exception for the bariatric operations listed in their schedule of benefits. Which operations are listed, and the criteria for each, vary by insurer and by plan. An insurer's criteria can be stricter than the clinical ones, for example a higher BMI.

Expect your surgeon to apply for pre-approval with details of your BMI, your health and what you've tried. Get the answer in writing before you book.

Hands on a laptop beside a stethoscope

Waiting periods

The Health Insurance Authority sets the maximum waiting periods for new customers:

Type of claimMaximum waiting period
Illness that starts after you join26 weeks
Pre-existing conditions5 years
Upgrading to a higher planUp to 2 years on the higher benefits
Accidents and injuriesNone for emergency care

Obesity is often a pre-existing condition, so a new policy may not cover surgery for up to five years. If you switch insurer with no more than 13 weeks' gap in cover, waiting periods you've already served carry over.

What's usually not covered

  • Weight-reduction programmes, and often gastric balloons.
  • Removal of excess skin after weight loss, usually treated as cosmetic.
  • Surgery abroad without the insurer's prior approval.
  • Extras outside the hospital, like vitamins, depending on your plan's day-to-day benefits.

Questions to ask your insurer

  • Is sleeve gastrectomy (or gastric bypass) listed on my plan, and what are the criteria?
  • Am I still in a waiting period, and is obesity treated as pre-existing for me?
  • Which hospitals and surgeons are covered in full, and what's the shortfall elsewhere?
  • What does pre-approval need, and how long does it take?

Whatever the insurer pays, you can claim tax relief at 20% on what you pay yourself. Tax relief.

Questions people ask

Does health insurance cover a gastric sleeve in Ireland?

Many hospital plans cover listed bariatric operations, including the sleeve, when you meet the plan's criteria and get pre-approval. Check your own plan's rules.

How long do I need health insurance before I can claim for bariatric surgery?

If obesity counts as a pre-existing condition, up to five years on a new policy. Ask your insurer how it applies to you.

If I switch insurer, do I start the waiting period again?

No, if the gap in cover is 13 weeks or less: waiting periods you've served carry over. Higher benefits on a new plan can carry their own wait of up to two years.

Read next

Gastric sleeve cost in IrelandWhat a sleeve costs privately, what the quote should include, the costs…Tax reliefHow the 20% health expenses relief works for a gastric sleeve, with worked…The HSE route and waiting timesHow the public route works, how many operations the HSE does, how long people…

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Your BMI against the usual criteria, the cost in Ireland, and what the HSE, insurance and tax relief can do.

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