Cost of weight-loss surgery below average in Virginia

Weight-loss surgery in the land of ham and peanuts turns out to be a reasonable deal compared with other states.

The average charge in Virginia for stomach-stapling and gastric bypass was $32,603 - below the mean for 19 states recently studied by HealthGrades, a national health care ratings organization.

Not surprisingly, the surgery was most expensive in California, where health care providers charged an average of $65,251. In Maryland, the state with the lowest prices, $16,390 could buy a bariatric procedure.

HealthGrades researchers weren't sure about reasons for the wide range.

Though the surgical option for morbid obesity is growing in popularity in the United States - particularly in California - fewer Virginians are making that choice. Between 2003 and 2009, the number of such procedures in the commonwealth dropped 30 percent to 2,957.

For Hampton Roads residents opting for weight-loss surgery, two local hospitals were among 107 nationwide to receive five stars - HealthGrades' top rating - this year: Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth and Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton.