My mother was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and it was really a shock to our whole family. It seemed that they had detected it early enough, and that a lot of damage had not yet been done. As of now, she is avoiding insulin, and has been able to get by using a healthy diet and a steady exercise routine. She is also considering gastric bypass surgery to help her lose weight. She pointed out several celebrities that had recently undergone the surgery and had seen success with it. The celebrity argument did not win my dad over, but he agreed to look into it further. When my mom found a recent study that showed a significant percentage of those with diabetes that had the surgery were no longer considered diabetic, my dad was more intrigued. He contacted the insurance company, and found out that they would help pay for a large portion of the surgery and other medical expenses related to it. That really helped him look at gastric bypass surgery in a better light. Not that it would be cheaper, but the fact that even the insurance company saw the obvious positive effects it could have on my mom’s health and the fact that they would likely avoid other medical costs down the line if they covered the surgery now.