Will Insurance Cover Excess Skin Removal if It's Causing Me Discomfort After Exercising?

It's not unusual for massive weight loss patients to develop significant amounts of redundant truncal skin. A variety of surgical options are currently available to address these problems. These include both panniculectomy and body lift procedures. The choice of procedure is dependent upon the patient's anatomic findings and aesthetic goals.It would be extremely unusual for an insurance carrier to cover the cost of a body lift procedure. Most insurance carriers would view this procedure as cosmetic in nature.In contrast, abdominal panniculectomy may occasionally be covered by insurance companies if hanging skin is associated with functional problems. Under these circumstances, back pain, rashes and severe infections related to hanging skin may lead to insurance coverage.It's important that each patient be considered individually when undergoing this type of procedure. It's, therefore, important to consult a board certified plastic surgeon. This surgeon should be able to determine what type of procedure will meet your aesthetic goals and whether or not it will be covered by insurance.

Congratulations!  Unfortunately unless your excess skin is causing a real medical problem that cannot be satisfactorily managed conservatively, surgery to remove it is not going to be covered by most third party payors.  Such situations are actually fairly rare, mostly limited to severe cases of sagging abdominal apron skin, typically with the pannus hanging as low as mid thigh and complicated by recurrent bouts of infection or ulcers.