Reduction in Comorbid Conditions Over 5 Years Following Bariatric Surgery in Medicaid and Commercially Insured Patients

Objective This study sought to determine changes in the prevalence of comorbid disease following bariatric surgery in Medicaid patients compared with commercially insured patients. Methods Data were obtained from the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery, an observational cohort study of adults undergoing bariatric surgery at one of six geographically diverse centers in the United States. A total of 1,201 patients who underwent Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass with 5 years of follow‐up were identified. Poisson mixed models were used to estimate relative risks (RRs) and compare changes in common comorbidities between insurance groups within 0‐1 and 1‐5 years post surgery. Propensity scores were used to achieve balance in the baseline comorbidity burden between Medicaid and commercial patients. Results In the first year, risk of all six comorbidities decreased substantially over time in both groups, ranging from a 32% to a 69% decrease from baseline. After 1 year post surgery, the risk of disease was stable in both groups (RRs ranged from 1.0 to 1.1). After propensity score weighting, the RRs in the first year were more similar in magnitude, while the RRs in the 1‐ to 5‐year period were unchanged. Conclusions These results suggest that Medicaid patients experience a medium‐term reduction in comorbid disease after bariatric surgery.