Can My Insurance Pay for Bump Removal on My Nose During Surgery for My Deviated Septum?

Depending on your insurance company, they will typically cover some or all of the functional portion of your procedure.  Occasionally, if a structural abnormality contributes to impaired breathing, insurance may cover the part of surgery which fixes this issue.  This is usually the case when a patient has nostrils that are pinched, or a crooked nose. A hump does not impair breathing, so it is not likely that rasping of a nasal hump will be covered by insurance. This is a cosmetic procedure that would be billed separately. Thanks, and I hope this helps answer your question.

This is a very frequent question and I understand the motivation. However, insurance companies are well aware of patients trying to have cosmetic portions of a procedure covered by their insurance policy. If insurance companies discover this has occurred they can refuse to cover any part of the procedure which can result in a significantly larger bill for you. It is also dishonest on the part of the plastic surgeon to try to "sneak" some changes in your nose into the legitimate insurance procedure. It is not worth the risk to you or your surgeon to try to do this.Stephen Weber MD, FACS

In Ontario,  Canada our government insurance provider called OHIP will pay for functional nasal surgery.. Examples include septoplasty and in some cases septorhinoplasty for breathing.   Removal of a bump is considered cosmetic surgery and not an insured service.  In some situations if a patient requires septoplasty and bump removal a portion of the procedure would be covered and the cost for the cosmetic procedure may be slightly less than if done for purely cosmetic purposes. 

Insurance companies are getting sneakier all the time. Only the portion of the operation involving functional medical necessity wil be covered. Correcting that little bump can take much longer in the OR than repairing the deviated septum. For generations, insurers paid enough for the deviated septums to cover the cosmetic work and now the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. The allowance for the septum is so low as to be laughable ($750 for example). So, you would be better advised to find a board certified plastic surgeon with whom you are comfortable and to contemplate a fee for service procedure which will, when you crunch the numbers, be less expensive and more productive in terms of your goals.

 

Dear Maribell:

 

Every health insurance plan is different, but most will provide coverage for rhinoplasty and/or septoplasty surgery performed to relieve nasal obstruction caused by a deviated septum.

 

Unfortunately, changing the appearance of your nose (eg. removing a bump) is considered cosmetic in nature and therefore not covered by insurance.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Warmest wishes,

Larry Fan, MD