If I Get Septoplasty Covered by Insurance and Want Rhinoplasty, Will the Price for Rhinoplasty Reduce?

Rhinoplasty is a procedure to reshape the nose (can be either functional/ aesthetic / or both), while septoplasty is a procedure to reshape the septum.  If the patient has functional issues (trauma, breathing difficulties, etc), a septoplasty may be "covered" by insurance.  Coverage by insurance means that patients will still be responsible for deductibles, copays, etc.  The combination of septoplasty and rhinoplasty can lead to reduction in facility fee/anesthesia costs and possibly in surgeon's fee if insurance is playing a role.  

Typically, if you are having breathing issues, most insurance companies consider a septoplasty a medically necessary procedure to improve your breathing. It is very common for my patients to undergo a cosmetic rhinoplasty at the same time so that they only have one recovery time period. The other added benefit is that their is a significant cost reduction in the anesthesia and facility fee for the patient. We also tend to discount the rhinoplasty as well for patients undergoing both procedures. Different providers may not offer this option, so I would check around. I would recommend a board certified facial plastic surgeon since their background is in septoplasty surgery and this may make it easier for you.

Each practice has his or her own financial policies. Depending on the practice, insurance may offset some of the anesthesia and facility fees so there is a cost savings. However, the intent of insurance coverage is to cover only the actual costs related to the Septoplasty.

Prices for rhinoplasty with or without septoplasty will definitely vary with geographic location and with the level of training of your surgeon.  There are serious advantages both in terms of cost and post-operative healing to combining procedures into a singe surgery.  If you are having trouble breathing or recurrent sinusitis related to a deviated septum, I would STRONGLY recommend that you see a board certified ENT prior to undergoing surgery.  You are correct that insurance will cover the cost of septoplasty (you may require turbinate reduction as well- this will have to be determined on examination) and the anesthesia time associated with the septoplasty and turbinate reduction. The cost of the rhinoplasty and cosmetic operating room and anesthesia fees are the fees that you will need to pay out-of-pocket, and these fees can vary greatly depending upon the subspecialty training of the surgeon you choose and the facility in which they operate.
In terms of healing, it is easier to have a single surgery to recover from than multiple surgeries.

Technically, if you are thinking about having a rhinoplasty, you should definitely wait to do your septum until you do both procedures at the same time.  Properly performed rhinoplasty often requires multiple cartilage grafts to reinforce the new structure for your nose.  The easiest place to obtain these cartilage grafts is from your own septal cartilage.  If you were to go ahead with a septoplasty, and then decide to do your nose in a few years, your surgeon would lose the ability to use your own septal cartilage for these grafts and would have to seek out other sources for cartilage, such as your ear cartilage.  It is definitely best to do both septoplasty and rhinoplasty at the same time.
While cost can vary, in my practice (upper east side of Manhattan), the cost is approximately $4000 surgeon's fee (which is a reduced fee for rhinoplasty, since your insurance will pay a portion of the bill for the septoplasy), and $2,000 to the operating room and anesthesia, for a total of around $6000 out of pocket.  Please bear in mind that this is just an estimate based on the information you provided.

I will end by saying that while cost is a consideration for almost everyone, I counsel my patients that the most important thing in choosing a surgeon, assuming that you are choosing among equally qualified and capable surgeons, is choosing a surgeon who's aesthetic and opinion you trust.  Aesthetic surgery is a little bit science and a little bit art.  Inevitably, your surgeon will need to make decisions for you while you are asleep that will impact your final result, and you need be comfortable that you and your surgeon are on the same page in terms of the goals of surgery and what you consider to be a beautiful result.  I find that pre-operative imaging really helps make sure that me and my patient are indeed on the same page.

The septoplasty and the rhinoplasty operations are two completely different procedures. The rhinoplasty procedure will take much longer than the septoplasty and is much more difficult in nature. It is possible to undergo the rhinoplasty and septoplasty at the same time; however, there are additional fees for the time required to perform the rhinoplasty, which includes operating room, surgeon’s fee, and the anesthesia time. All of the operating room and anesthesia cannot be billed to insurance when there is a cosmetic component involved.  

Make sure you and your surgeon are on the same page with these issues.  I find that this subject gets very confusing for patients, and can be the source of animosity between patient and surgeon afterwards.  I'll just say some general things, as your sugeon's policies will need to be discused with you.

Payments for a covered procedure (like septoplasty) are different than for a cosmetic procedure (like rhinoplasty).  The insurance company payments for anesthesia and the facility are for the septoplasty, not the rhinoplasty.  They are not paying for any part of your cosmetic procedure, nor should they be expected to (that would be fraud).  Your surgeon may or may not choose to discount his or her fee for the rhinoplasty, but likely has little or no control over the other fees for anesthesia and facility.  What the surgeon gets from insurance (and the facility and anesthesia for that matter) for the septoplasty may be a little or a lot.  Even if it's a lot, don't assume this will be credited towards your cost for the rhinoplasty.  Again, make sure this is all crystal clear with your surgeon's office before the surgery.

If a Septoplasty is medically indicated and approved by the health insurance then the facility and sometimes the anesthesia fee for the septo-rhinoplasty may be reduced. The fee for the rhinoplasty itself is the same, that is the surgeons fee, and the Septoplasty fee is additional.

If the patient has a significant deductible and co-pay amount these fee's  can be quite substantial.