Since February 2009, Medicare will pay for some people's gastric bypass surgery if they qualify under certain conditions. To qualify, you must be an obese person on Medicare, and have a body mass index of 35 or more. The diagnosis of Diabetes must be from a licensed medical doctor; just claiming you have the disease will not qualify you. This comes as welcomed news to thousands of Americans who suffer from obesity and diabetes, but who do not have insurance coverage to help with the surgery they need to get them on the road to recovery.