I think as well, that the idea that weight loss surgery, is somehow an 'magic cure-all' from years of eating badly is a bit misleading. As if you say, eat drink and do whatever you like, then if you get fat, we'll slap a lapband on you is simply not true. You have to have shown a history of trying other weight loss methods. You have to show that you have or will potentially have co-morbidities from your obesity. You have to show a commitment to changing your life. The band will always only be a tool to help you change your lifestyle. It is not a magic bullet.

It makes sense already for health funds to cover the cost of much of lapbanding surgery simply because they recognise that as a generally sound and permanent solution to obesity - it can save the fund much more money in the long term from having to pay out on obesity-related health problems. It's a financial trade off they've weighed up and have since concluded that it's worth the initial cost to prevent long term payouts. If the NSW govt have come to the same conclusion, I'm not surprised. Yes I believe education is incredibly important, and more money should be spent on it, and on making good food available and affordable, but today's obese memebrs of society need help now, and as a simple financial trade off, I can see why the state govt would think it's that initial preventative cost is a sound investment.

I do believe it should not be at the expense of money spent on education though. None of my children are obese, and in part, despite my own weight, I feel I tried to make good choices for them when they were growing up. Education starts with parents, and parents should see an investment in their own education as to how best to feed their families. But I don't see why we can't have both.

Currently, if you cannot afford private health insurance, you're in the most 'no-win' section of society, because the waiting list for wls is something like 10 years in some states (yes it can be done publicly even now). So yes, help is out there, but yes, again, because you're on a lower socio-economic rung, you don't get the kind of health care someone more affluent s getting. I don't necessarily agree with that. I think there should remain strict screening measures. I think wls should not be used willy-nilly. But I do think there is a case for it to be publicly funded.

I'd rather we funded the prevention of obesity-related problems, than fund the costs of treating those same issues later in the patients' lives.