Is Plastic Surgery Covered by Health Insurance?

Full body lift plastic surgery is often needed after a man or woman has lost over 60 pounds and has excess skin left. However, health insurance companies often consider a body lift as a cosmetic surgery so it is not automatically covered in policies.

In some cases body lifts are deemed necessary due to complications that have occurred from the excess skin and there are methods a patient can take to get a health insurance company to cover the surgery. Sometimes the terminology can make a difference on whether or not a health insurance company covers a Houston body lift surgery.

Use Health Insurance for Plastic Surgery With a Panniculectomy

To solve this problem, plastic surgeons can perform a panniculectomy to remove an apron of excess skin that hangs below the waist, which can cause skin infections, rashes, and other problems. Many times a Houston cosmetic surgeon can perform a panniculectomy with a body lift and patients are only expected to pay additional fees associated with the surgeon’s time, operating room, and anesthesia.

Patients who want to figure out how to get plastic surgery covered by insurance companies will need to keep documentation on their skin infections and rashes in areas where they have excess skin. This often occurs on the abdomen and inner thighs. The plastic surgeon you speak with can talk about what health insurance companies often require for their fees to be covered. Skin infections, rashes, and other conditions will need to be present for at least six months with careful documentation from a primary care physician.

In the past, it was easier for patients to use plastic surgery health insurance. Unfortunately, as popularity for bariatric surgery has increased, body lift surgeries are more in demand making health insurance companies much more stringent about what they pay for. In the end, if you are able to prove that the excess skin is causing skin problems for an extended period of time, your chances at having health insurance cover the surgery become higher.

The Houston plastic surgeons at MD Aesthetic Plastic Surgery perform full body lift plastic surgery for those who want to gain the confidence they deserve through a better looking body after weight loss. Their elective surgery procedures include facelifts Houston, laser hair removal, and their high-in-demand Houston breast augmentations.