The Origins of BLIS
BLIS concept began with a desire to improve access to surgery
Bariatric surgery, or weight loss surgery, is the only proven method allowing the morbidly obese to enjoy significant sustained weight loss and an early improvement, reduction, or elimination of more than 30 obesity-related conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and certain types of cancer.
As with all surgical procedures, weight loss surgery has known and sometimes very expensive complications. For patients who are fortunate enough to have health insurance covering weight loss surgery, the insurer usually covers the extra cost of surgical complications. Patients without weight loss surgery insurance, or whose policies exclude this coverage, are responsible for the cost of the original surgery, but also responsible for the extra costs of known surgical complications.
Realizing the tremendous financial burden surgical complications can place on patients, the leadership of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) asked Art Richards, their Insurance Agent of Record, to find a solution. Art partnered with Regi Schindler and together they developed the BLIS 'Cash-Pay with Financial Risk Protection Embedded', model which formed the basis for their BLISCare insurance product.