Thanks for your question. It is true that many surgeons have stopped doing covered breast reductions in Alberta. In my practice, I never do partially covered reductions, as the government may consider this "double dipping" by getting paid in both the public and private system for the same procedure. If the goal of the procedure is to reduce the size of the breasts for functional reasons (pain in the neck and back, shoulder grooving from heavy breasts, intertrigo (rashes) etc.), then it should be considered a covered procedure. There is not a weight cutoff to be considered for breast reduction as there is in other provinces, and as such it falls to the discretion of the surgeon whether is will be a reduction (covered), or a lift (private pay). As all reductions do come with a component of a lift the area becomes even more grey, and some surgeons opt to consider all breast surgeries as lifts. This is great for the people that can afford it as they can get treatment much quicker, but it increases the load on the remaining surgeons who still do covered procedures (as you have seen with the increased wait times). The other thing that can be considered is if you have a really good insurance provider, then you may be able to be reimbursed for a portion or all of the procedural costs. This is not possible with most insurance providers, but you can check with them to see if your specific plan has that option. And as a final note, make sure you see a board certified plastic surgeon who has experience with this type of procedure to give yourself the best chance of having a positive experience and good results.
