Will Medicaid Pay for Surgery to Correct Tubular Breasts if the Deformity is Affecting my Ability to Breastfeed?

Question

The size and position of my areolas made it so I couldn't breastfeed. My son couldn't latch on properly because of it causing the skin to crack and bleed very painfully. Would COLORADO medicaid pay for a procedure to fix that? All I wanted was to breastfeed my son and that was taken away from me. I would like to be able to breastfeed my next child when the time comes.

Peter A. Aldea, MD · Answer

There are VERY FEW medical insurance policies who knowingly pay for Cosmetic Surgery. Medicaid, government paid critical medical services, NEVER pay for Cosmetic Surgery and usually underpay for medical services.  There is no evidence that the correction of the shape of tuberous breasts can improve a woman's ability to breast feed, as a matter of fact the surgical techniques used to correct this constricted breast deformity involve the cutting of breast ducts and may well worsen your ability to breast feed.

	Sorry.

	Peter A Aldea, MD

Michel C. Samson, MD · Answer

Many private insurance companies will not cover correction of tubular breast deformities, because it is not considered a "functional problem".  Correction of tubular breasts will not reconstruct the ability to breastfeed.  It is true that tubular breasts are a significant congenital deformity, and much cosmetic improvement can be obtained by reconstruction.  However in my experience most private insurances won't cover it, and government programs are even less likely to do so.

Will Medicaid Pay for Surgery to Correct Tubular Breasts if the Deformity is Affecting my Ability to Breastfeed?

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Will Medicaid Pay for Surgery to Correct Tubular Breasts if the Deformity is Affecting my Ability to Breastfeed?

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