Insurance Coverage to Remove Excess Fat Below Armpits?

You will have to consult your insurance provider to find out if your liposuction is covered. However, in general, the answer would be no unless it would resolve a physical impairment directly caused by excess subcutaneous fat in the area you want to target. However, you may be able to still cover your surgery with financing. Payments can be as little as a couple hundred dollars a month.

The fullness in the armpit area may well be fat, but may represent accessory breast tissue.  In some women, "extra" breast tissue can be located outside the breast itself and appear in the axilla.  The insurance question is always a tough one.  I have had some patients that the "mass' effect of the area rubs against their inner arms, and their health insurance covered their surgery.  However, it is impossible to guarantee that.  It would be wise to consult with a plastic surgeon who participates with your health insurance plan, and your surgeon can help address the issue of insurance coverage.  It is definitely worth pursuing a determination on whether your insurance will cover the surgery.  Best wishes.

Michael Vincent, MD, FACS

Excess fat below the armpits is an aesthetic deformity and not a reconstructive/functional one. As a result, this is considered to be cosmetic and will not be covered by any insurance.

Dear 55507,

Each insurance company is different and, therefore, it is not possible to say with absolute certainty whether or not your insurance company will cover this - or any other - procedure.  The general routine is that you have to go to a plastic surgeon, see what he or she says about the likelihood of it being covered, and then have him or her contact your insurance company on your behalf, to see what the specifics are. 

Even if it is "covered" you then have to see exactly what that means in terms of the amount that will be paid, any deductibles or copays that you'll have, etc.  Finding a surgeon who will accept what the insurance company says is the "covered" amount is not necessarily a give.

That's the general routine...in my experience, though, just so you know, I have not generally been able to obtain insurance coverage for a procedure such as this.

I hope that this helps, and good luck,

Dr. E