The Reality Check team asked the 213 local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), responsible for planning and buying healthcare services, in England whether they limited funding for surgery on the basis of body mass index (BMI).
Of the 170 CCGs’ policies we analysed, 133 – 62% of all CCGs – said they were using patients’ BMI to limit which surgeries they would fund.
Treatments being restricted include:
- hip and knee replacements
- breast reduction
- varicose vein surgery
- other plastic surgery including removal of excess skin
