Question juridique clé
Whether the third gastric band insertion on 1 February 2008 was a covered compulsory health-insurance benefit under the criteria of effectiveness, appropriateness, and economy.
Solution extraite
The procedure remained a covered compulsory benefit; in the concrete case it was not shown to be non-appropriate or uneconomic.
Motifs extraits
The court held that gastric banding remained in the mandatory benefit catalogue and that, ex ante, both gastric banding and gastric bypass could be regarded as appropriate options. The mere existence of another possibly better treatment did not defeat coverage. On the facts, the insurer had not established that the chosen intervention failed the statutory criteria.