Uneven Breasts - Insurance?

Thank you for your question. Breast asymmetry is very common, particularly size asymmetry. If you are looking to decrease the asymmetry from one breast to another, then you have several options:
1) You can reduce the larger breast with liposuction or a traditional breast reduction technique
2) You can enlarge the smaller one with fat grafting or an implant
3) You can enlarge both but use different size implants
4) A lift procedure may also be needed to help address differences in shape, nipple position and areolar size.
Insurance coverage for asymmetry coverage may be challenging as insurance companies don't usually cover implants unless it is for cancer reconstruction. They may cover breast reduction of the larger size if there are specific medical concerns like back pain, neck pain, etc... They will require extensive documentation and it may still not be covered.
I would visit with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your options in more detail.

You will have to consult your insurance provider to find out if your breast augmentation is covered. However, in general, the answer would be no unless it would resolve a physical impairment directly caused by your asymmetrical breasts, and breast augmentation is proven to be the most suitable treatment for you.

No, Sorry! This is considered cosmetic by the insurance industry standards.  Breast reduction is only covered when there are symptoms sucha as back pain, shoulder grooving or severe rashes under the breasts.  Even then, the insurance companies will require a minimum gram weight removed before they would cover it. 

Unfortunately medical insurance does not cover breast asymmetry.  In rare cases, they will cover congenital abscence of the breast, but this is also very difficult to get covered.  The bottom line is that insurance companies are only interested in paying for procedures that are "medically necessary."  Even though you and your plastic surgeon may believe that the surgery is medicall necessary, especially from an emotional point of view--your insurance company will not have the same view.  I suggest you see a few board-certified plastic surgeons to get various opinions and estimates on the cost.  Good luck!

 

Dr. Singer

In the United States, insurance companies do not cover breast asymmtery. I do not know how it is in Europe.  Most likely an implant can be placed in the smaller one or a reduction can be performed on the larger one to get them closer.

When a patient presents in my office with your concern, generally, they feel that an augmentation on the smaller side and a reduction on the larger side is all they need to be happy and symmetric. In my experience however, I have found that in the long term, you really need to do the same thing to both breasts for a multitiude of reasons. Of course, you would reduce the larger breast, but in order for it to age the way the smaller breast would with an implant, I would encourage a very small implant in the larger breast as well. In addition to that, a lot of women, despite the volume being the same, can't deal with different incisions on each breast, so incisions on the smaller breast would be made to mirror the ones on the larger breast. In over 20 years, I have certainly tried to do the least amount of surgery (i.e. the reduction on one side, implant on the other) and the patients who have been the most happy, are the ones whose breasts look exactly alike.

Best of  luck with your surgery.

In most cases, Insurance companies will deem breast asymmetry correction a cosmetic procedure. You should consider a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your options. I have had great success is assisting patients with asymmetry. Best of luck!