Cost of Gastric Balloon: Devices, Insurance, and Financing

The cost of a gastric balloon in the United States runs about $6,000 to $9,000 for the two endoscopic systems, Orbera and Spatz3, and $3,000 to $4,000 for the newer swallowable Allurion balloon approved by the FDA in February 2026.¹² Medicare does not cover the procedure, and none of the 25 largest private insurers do either, so nearly every patient pays out of pocket or through healthcare financing.³

For context, that is roughly half the cost of surgical options. Gastric sleeve surgery generally runs $15,000 to $25,000 or more, and gastric bypass ranges from $15,000 to $35,000.⁴

Price by Device

The specific balloon system is the single biggest factor in what you’ll pay.

Orbera

Orbera is a saline-filled balloon placed and removed via endoscopy, approved by the FDA in August 2015 for adults with a BMI of 30 to 40.⁵ It stays in the stomach up to six months. Typical cost is $6,000 to $9,000, with one comparison site placing the average slightly higher at $8,500.⁶ Real-world self-pay prices sit inside that band: a St. Louis clinic lists Orbera at $7,225,⁷ and a Brooklyn clinic advertises an all-inclusive price of $6,995.⁸ CareCredit cites a national average of $7,388 to $8,308 for the procedure overall.⁹

Spatz3

Spatz3 was FDA-approved on October 15, 2021. It is the only adjustable gastric balloon, meaning the clinician can modify the volume during treatment. It remains in place up to eight months and is indicated for adults with a BMI of 30 to 40, with a comorbid condition required for BMIs between 30 and 35.¹⁰ Pricing falls in the same $6,000 to $9,000 range as Orbera.⁶

Allurion

Allurion, approved on February 23, 2026, is the first gastric balloon that does not require endoscopy, surgery, or anesthesia for placement or removal.¹¹ Patients swallow the device in capsule form during a roughly 15-minute office visit. The balloon is then filled with saline, stays in the stomach for about four months, and eventually deflates and passes on its own.²

The program typically costs $3,000 to $4,000.² The lower price reflects what the procedure eliminates: no endoscopy suite, no anesthesia team, and no removal appointment, all of which add thousands to Orbera and Spatz3.¹² Allurion is approved for adults aged 22 to 65 with a BMI of 30 to 40, and the FDA’s approval allows for up to two balloons placed over a 10-month period.¹¹ Availability may still be limited by location while Allurion Technologies trains clinicians nationally.

Two older systems, the ReShape Dual Balloon and the Obalon, received FDA approval in 2015 and 2016 but are no longer in production.¹³

What the Price Should Include

Most clinics bundle the full treatment cycle into one fee. A comprehensive package covers the initial consultation, pre-procedure testing, the balloon itself, insertion, follow-up visits, nutritional counseling, and removal.⁴ Some clinics add up to 12 months of ongoing support from a weight loss team.¹⁴

Not every quoted price covers all of that. Some providers advertise a lower base fee and bill separately for anesthesia, pre-procedure testing, follow-up appointments, or even the removal procedure itself.¹⁵ Before committing, ask for a written, itemized estimate that spells out whether anesthesia, removal, labs, anti-nausea medications, and nutritional counseling are included or billed separately.

Why Clinic Prices Vary

Several factors shift the quote by thousands of dollars from one clinic to the next:

Location. Clinics in high-cost-of-living areas and states like California tend to charge more because of facility rent, staffing, and regulatory overhead.⁴
Provider credentials. Board-certified physicians and accredited surgical centers often command higher fees.⁴
Scope of included services. The more that is bundled, the higher the sticker price and the lower the risk of surprise bills later.¹
Medical complexity. Patients who need extra blood work, imaging, or medications to manage side effects may pay more than the standard quote.¹

Going Abroad to Cut Costs

Some patients travel to Mexico to save money. Clinics in Tijuana, the most common destination for bariatric medical tourism, list gastric balloon packages starting around $3,295,¹⁶ with another local clinic starting at $3,999.¹⁷ These all-inclusive packages typically cover transportation, hotel, hospital stay, surgeon and anesthesia fees, lab work, medications, and nutritionist support.

There is a practical catch. If the balloon has to be removed at a US clinic rather than the one that placed it, that removal is treated as a standalone, unbundled procedure, and it still requires endoscopy and sedation.¹⁸ Factor in the cost of a possible domestic removal before deciding the overseas price is the final price.

Insurance, Medicare, and HSA/FSA

Gastric balloons are almost universally an out-of-pocket expense. Research presented at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 2024 annual meeting found that none of the 25 largest private health insurers in the United States provide explicit coverage for intragastric balloons, and the insurers that address the devices generally classify them as “investigational” or “unproven.”³

Medicare has maintained a non-coverage determination for gastric balloons since the 1980s, reasoning that “the long term safety and efficacy of the device in the treatment of obesity has not been established.” The policy was not reconsidered even during the 2006 expansion of coverage for bariatric surgery.¹⁹ A 2026 coding and payment reference from Boston Scientific confirms that intragastric balloons remain non-covered by Medicare.²⁰

The procedure may qualify for payment through a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) if a healthcare provider deems it medically necessary to treat a diagnosed condition like obesity, type 2 diabetes, or hypertension. A Letter of Medical Necessity from a physician is generally required, and the specific HSA or FSA plan administrator has the final say.²¹ Under IRS rules, weight-loss programs qualify as deductible medical expenses only when they treat a specific disease diagnosed by a physician.²² Patients who don’t use an HSA or FSA may be able to deduct the cost on their tax return, but only if they itemize and their total medical expenses exceed 7.5% of adjusted gross income.

Financing

Because insurance rarely helps, most clinics offer or accept third-party healthcare financing. CareCredit is the most widely cited option, accepted at more than 285,000 healthcare locations with promotional financing terms.⁹ One clinic illustrates what CareCredit payments look like on an $8,000 balloon under a deferred-interest arrangement: about $1,334 per month over 6 months, $667 over 12 months, $445 over 18 months, or $334 over 24 months.¹⁴ Other providers accepted by various clinics include United Medical Credit, eFinancing Solutions, Prosper Healthcare Lending,⁴ and Cherry, which advertises no hard credit checks and plans with APRs starting at 0%.²³

Is It Worth the Price

Patients lose roughly 10% to 15% of their total body weight during the time a balloon is in place, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic.²⁴²⁵ Spatz3, with its longer placement and adjustable volume, has been associated with about 20% total body weight loss in studies.²⁶ Allurion reports an average of 14% weight loss per balloon cycle, with further loss possible if a second cycle is completed.²

Durability is the harder question. A study of 500 patients found that 50% maintained at least 20% excess weight loss one year after the balloon was removed, but that figure dropped to 25% at five years, and at 10 years there was no significant difference in weight between patients who had used a balloon and those who relied on lifestyle changes alone.²⁶ A separate 2024 study tracking patients after removal found that 76% experienced weight regain within three months, gaining back an average of 58% of the weight they had lost.²⁷ A cost-effectiveness analysis using microsimulation modeling found that a balloon followed by gastric sleeve surgery was the most cost-effective of six treatment strategies evaluated, because pre-surgical weight loss led to better surgical outcomes and lower downstream healthcare costs.²⁸ In other words, the price buys the best results when the balloon is part of a longer plan rather than a one-shot fix.

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