Health insurance companies currently have the power to accept or reject covering certain medical procedures. Even though many people's lives have changed for the better after receiving weight-loss surgery, not all health insurance companies cover the procedure.

New research reveals that having bariatric surgery may ultimately help health insurance companies save money.

A study published in the Archives of Surgery found that out of 2,235 patients who received bariatric surgery, almost 75 percent of them also eliminated the need for diabetes medication just 6 months after having the procedure.

Reducing one's weight and diabetes risk can ultimately lead to less reliance on medications and fewer doctor or hospital visits.

"Our results suggest that insurance companies would do well to more readily cover bariatric surgery," said Johns Hopkins surgery professor and study leader Marty Makary. "The cost to care for the average obese diabetic person in America is $10,000 a year, which could be cut to $1,800 with a very safe operation that eliminates more than 80 percent of the medications these individuals have depended on."