Ventral & Umbilical Hernia - How Can I Get my Insurance to Also Cover a TT? (photo)

I recently had a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. I have a large ventral hernia and a small umbilical hernia. He straight up said that insurance will NOT pay for the TT portion after I was told that my insurance carrier would by the office manager prior to the 2-hr drive. The PS did say that I will have no bb unless one is created during TT. How can I find a PS out there that will attempt to work with my ins. provider? Is there no way to bill it as necessary reconstruction?

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umbilical hernia insurance

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13 Doctor Answers | Asked by Christy Columbia in Columbia, Kentucky

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Combining hernia with tummy tuck

Insurance companies will never cover a tummy tuck since it is cosmetic. However, you will save money if you pay for a tummy tuck at the time of the hernia repair. Since most of the surgery is done to correct the hernia, the tummy tuck will add only 1 hour to your surgical time. This cost should be about $1,000 to $2,000 for facility and anesthesia and the surgeon's fee would be about another $1,000 to $2,000. It is possible that you could get the tummy tuck done at... more

Insurance may cover a hernia or panniculectomy

Hello, Thank you for the question and photos. Health insurance does not cover cosmetic surgery and a tummy tuck is a cosmetic procedure. Your insurance company may cover a hernia or a panniculectomy if that is the case. At that time you may choose to pay the difference and have the tummy tuck also performed. All the best, Dr Remus Repta

Tummy tuck covered by insurance

We get this question asked quite frequently. For the most part, insurance companies do not pay for this procedure and are quite wise to the fact that many patients try. You can go through the motions of pre authorization if you wish, but in 99 percent of the time they do not cover the procedure. In those cases where a true hernia is present, it may pay a small portion of the entire procedure. For he most part, however, it is considered a purely cosmetic operation. more

Insurance coverage for a tummy tuck

A tummy tuck is a cosmetic procedure so unless you have insurance that covers cosmetic procedures (which I believe exists but is very expensive) trying to get your insurance to pay for a cosmetic procedure is fraud and no reputable plastic surgeon should be willing to do it.

Insurance Coverage For Abdominoplasty

Thank you for the question and the pictures.To address the first part of this inquiry, I am not aware of any insurance carrier that will consider coverage of an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) procedure. Your hernia repair is considered a medically necessary procedure while the abdominoplasty is cosmetic in nature. As for the second part of the question. You are asking if there is a plastic surgeon that will lie and in essence commit fraud to try and get the abdominoplasty covered. I would... more

How Can I Get my Insurance to Also Cover a TT

Almost all insurers will pay for medically necessary surgery. A hernia would typically be considered necessary. A tummy tuck would be considered cosmetic. Your insurance company should have a list of plastic surgery providers with whom you can consult. However, there is no way that I can see that any surgeon would call the tummy tuck something other than what it is, a cosmetic procedure that doesn't reach the threshold of being called medically necessary. Thanks for your... more

Insurance coverage for tummy tuck is very unlikely

True, insurance will cover hernia repair if required during a tummy tuck, however insurance coeverage for a tummy tuck is not something that is likely to happen. Is there a surgeon who can 'get it through'? Well, look at it this way. If a surgeon is willing to be untruthful to an insurance company, then he might be willing to be untruthful to you as well. Honesty is best. Your insurance plan will have a list of surgeons within your network of coverage and may be a place to start. more

Ventral & Umbilical Hernia - How Can I Get my Insurance to Also Cover a TT?

Your insurance carrier will cover repair of a true hernia based on your carrier's limits and your deductable. If you have a TT at the same time they will still cover only the hernia.

You can't get it all covered... and be wary if you do!

The answer is quite simple. Insurance doesn't pay for tummy tucks because they are cosmetic procedures. They will pay for your umbilical hernia but probably not the vertical hernia (really called a diastsis recti or separation of the six-pack muscle) because this is not truly a hernia. It is too bad you did drive that far for the consultation but at least you know where you stand. I do think you would benefit grealtly from a tummy tuck in terms of your results. I know... more

Tummy tuck and insurance

I am sorry for any mis-information you may have been told before your long drive, but your plastic surgeon was right a tummy tuck is not usually covered by your insurance company, but some of your anesthesia and facility costs may decrease by doing the medically necessary hernia repair at the same time. I would consult with other board certified plastic surgeons who may be able to offer you more competitive pricing on the cosmetic parts of your procedure to fit a budget. Good luck more

Unlikely insurance will cover a tummy tuck

Insurance providers tend to be very specific what they consider medically necessary vs. cosmetic. They will likely cover both of your hernias since those are considered medical issues, and that should help with the overall cost of the surgery. Even if a doctor feels that a tummy tuck is also medically necessary, which it rarely is, it is still up to the insurance company to determine if it is a covered benefit. Good luck.

Mennen T. Gallas, MD

8 reviews

Houston Plastic Surgeon

Insurance for a tummy tuck

Thank you for your question and for the photos. While it is impossible to give a definitive answer for your insurance company, I can give you my experience in similar situations. Most insurance companies will consider a tummy tuck performed at the same time as a hernia repair to be cosmetic in nature. While a hernia has a functional component, and its repair medically necessary, the tummy tuck has no such consideration. The insurance company will distinguish between the 2 procedures if... more

Ventral and Umbilical Hernia

Yes , it appears that you have a hernia although a physical examination and even a CAT scan may be necessary to verify this for insurance purposes. To my knowledge there are no insurance carriers that would cover a tummy tuck.