Liposuction: Q&A
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Is Medically Necessary Liposuction.. Ever Covered by Insurance?
I am 175, 5'6" I need lipo for my abdomen. I am not "slightly" apple shaped; I have size 6 legs and a size 16 belly. I feel it is medically necessary:
1) I have severe GERD & the weight around my midsection presses on my stomach. The GERD is always worse when I am sitting up & is often unbearable at work when I have to sit for long periods.
2) Two years ago I had vaginal reconstruction & the pressure is destroying the fix.
3) Losing weight will not correct the fat distribution. Ever covered?
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24 Doctor Answers |
Asked by
Humpty Bumpty
in Los Molinos, CA
+3
Liposuction is NEVER covered by insurances!
Liposuction has never been or ever will be covered by health insurances. Some docs did it yrs ago under the disquise of a tummy tuck or laparoscopy surgery but it was illegal.
+2
Liposuction not Covered by Insurance
Liposuction is not a means of weight loss and is not covered by insurance companies as it is deemed a cosmetic procedure. From El Paso.
+2
Liposuction is not medically necessary
Liposuction is always done for the reasons you describe: Localized fat ccumulation that for whatever reason you can't get rid of. In your case you may have more than the usual difficulties trying to lose the fat, but your health insurance will categorically deny it regardless. From your description it sounds more likely that you would need a tummy tuck, but the same restriction applies re insurance.
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+2
Medically Necessary Liposuction?
Liposuction is never considered medically necessary. If you decide to have liposuction, your insurance will not cover it. If you are looking for weight loss surgery, then you may want to ask your primary care provider for a referral to a bariatric surgery clinic. The bariatric surgeries are sometimes covered by insurance. However, these are not cosmetic surgeries.
Good luck.
+2
? Medically Necessary Liposuction
Liposuction is a type of body-contouring surgery. It is best done in patients close to their ideal body weight who cannot achieve a reasonable shape despite appropriate diet and exercise. It is not a procedure done for weight loss. Even if an insurance company covered the surgery, it is very questionable if you would have any significant relief from your symptoms.
+2
Liposuction through insurance is rare
Medical necessity for liposuction is very rare unless you have a very specialized policy. You can contact your claims administrator for help if you need an explanation of your insurance benefits. It does sound like weight loss is medically necessary and it is probably time to head to the gym.
Best of luck,
peterejohnsonmd
+2
No- Liposuction is cosmetic surgery for what you describe.
An insurance company pays for medically necessary procedures that improve the health of patients that are clinically proven. Reducing the weight of the abdominal wall has not been shown clinically to improve the health of a patient by reducing the symptoms of Gerd nor pressure on the pelvic area to my knowledge.
Weight loss may improve these symptoms.
+2
Liposuction and Health Insurance
Health Insurance companies today are a lot different and are very stringent on what they will and won't cover. I would suggest having a consultation and then submitting to your insurance company to see if they will approve you. Another thing to consider is what type of abdominal fat do you have, is it subcutaneous (under the skin) or intra-abdominal? Liposuction only works for subcutaneous fat. Intra-abdominal fat can only be addressed with diet and exercise
+1
Non-cosmetic liposuction
There is no such thing as non-cosmetic liposuction. insurance companies consider any and all liposuction cosmetic and not medically necessary. You should see a gastroenterologist and pursue medical management of the GERD.
+1
Medically necessary liposuction?
I have never had an insurance company cover liposuction, no matter what the reasons are. I suspect they would want you to try to explore other methods of weight loss first.
I'd also recommend seeing your GI specialist to see if anything else can be done for your troublesome GERD.
Best wishes,
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