recommended by the doctor as being medically necessary to treat the condition. "Non-urgent" is not the same thing as unnecessary. It's just as medically necessary for the obese and smokers as it is for other people. And based on the links, I question whether the use of anesthesia has ANYTHING to do with this vs. it just being a cost cutting measure.

From your link:

The decision has prompted the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) to warn that the new policies go “against clinical guidance”.

It said that it could actually end up costing the NHS more, as patients are forced to wait longer for treatment.

It said that this was just the tip of the iceberg, and that an increasing number of CCGs are using similarly discriminatory policies. Other recent policies had required patients to be in varying degrees of pain, while some CCGs had imposed bans on surgery for several months to save money.

“Singling out patients in this way goes against the principles of the NHS,” said Mr Ian Eardley, senior vice-president at the Royal College of Surgeons. “While it is right that patients are supported to lose weight or stop smoking, this should not be a condition of them receiving surgery.

“This goes against clinical guidance and leaves patients waiting long periods of time in pain and discomfort. It can even lead to worse outcomes following surgery in some cases.”

He added: “We are concerned that the policies in Hertfordshire are just the tip of the iceberg. In a report last year, we found that over a third of areas in England had similar policies, and we know that these policies have become much more commonplace since then. What is especially concerning is that not only are more clinical commissioning groups implementing such policies, they are also implementing increasingly harsher policies, restricting patients access to surgery even further.”

“Often we find that these policies are brought in to help alleviate financial pressure,” he said. “The irony is that such policies can actually cost more as patients are simply treated at a later date and may need other healthcare in the interim. Many patients waiting long periods will require pain relief medication and physiotherapy while waiting and their condition may be more complex to treat when they are eventually referred.”

From the Telegraph:

The restrictions - thought to be the most extreme yet to be introduced by health services - immediately came under attack from the Royal College of Surgeons.

Its vice president called for an “urgent rethink” of policies which he said were “discriminatory” and went against the fundamental principles of the NHS....

East and North Hertfordshire CCG and Herts Valleys said the plans aimed to encourage people “to take more responsibility for their own health and wellbeing, wherever possible, freeing up limited NHS resources for priority treatment”.

Both are in financial difficulty, and between them seeking to save £68m during this financial year.

Ian Eardley, senior vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said it was wrong to bar NHS treatment to any group of patients.

“Singling out patients in this way goes against the principles of the NHS,” he said.

"This goes against clinical guidance and leaves patients waiting long periods of time in pain and discomfort. It can even lead to worse outcomes following surgery in some cases,” he said....

West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust medical director Michael van der Watt, wrote to the CCGs warning of “significant opposition” to the proposals at the trust. He said: “There is a wealth of evidence that does not support the theory that worst outcomes occur in patients with a BMI greater than 30”....

In a forward to the consultation outcomes paper, the CCGs’ chief executives said the region faced a £550m health and social care funding gap by 2021 unless they took action.