Is liposuction covered by insurance as a medical procedure? (photos)

Liposuction is not covered by insurance and you are not a candidate for liposuction.  You may need bariatric surgery to help improve your weight and diabetes.  I suggest discussing this with your internist and considering a consultation with a medical nutritionist as well as a bariatric physician.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Medical insurance typically will not cover anything that is considered cosmetic.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

In general, it is best to consider liposuction as a means of contouring areas that are resistant to diet and exercise not as a means for weight loss.  In addition, liposuction removes fat, but will not address the excess skin. Insurance companies consider procedures that will address medical conditions like chronic irritation within a skin fold secondary to excess/hanging skin.  In your case, I would recommend meeting with a nutritionist, medical weight loss clinic, or your local hospital clinic in order to treat your concern of excess weight.  Once treated, you would likely be better served by having excess skin and fat removed.

Generally speaking, most insurance companies do not cover liposuction or any other cosmetic procedures.  

Liposuction is not a substitute for other, more effective methods of addressing your "medical" concerns that are the result of excessive weight.  As a result, you are unlikely to find that your insurer will cover liposuction, and you should instead seek out the assistance of weight loss experts such as nutritionists, bariatric surgeons, etc.A plastic surgeon will likely be needed to address the residual effects of your weight loss (once that has occurred), but you will certainly be back in the self-pay category again at that time.Good luck.

Getting insurance coverage for certain procedures can be very difficult. Liposuction is definitely one of them.The way insurance authorization works is that every procedure has a catalogue number called a CPT code. Every diagnosis is also listed in the catalog, referred to as the ICD-9.In order for a procedure to be preauthorized, the CPT code has to match authorized diagnosis codes. For example, if someone has breast cancer, then a mastectomy will automatically be authorized. The decisions are rarely subjective. They are usually spelled out in black and white and a legal contract.There are times when certain cases are brought up for what's referred to as manual review. These are cases that can sometimes be considered cosmetic and sometimes be used to treat medical conditions. In general, insurance companies are quite harsh in what they consider medical conditions to be covered by insurance. The problem with liposuction is that there are no diagnoses codes that are associated with the procedure.It is extremely unlikely that you will get authorization for liposuction of any kind.There is no good literature stating that there are health benefits in surgically removing body fat.Based on the pictures, you appear to be an excellent candidate for liposuction.Cosmetic surgery is expensive for most people. If done correctly, it can give incredible benefits that are a lifelong investment.Best of luck,Mats Hagstrom, M.D.

You would not be a candidate for liposuction. And, medical insurance will not cover liposuction. However, your insurance may cover the cost of weight reduction surgery, such as gastric bypass surgery. This will greatly help in weight reduction as well as potentially resolving your Type 2 Diabetes. Thank you for sharing your question. Best wishes.