Will plastic surgery show up on my parent's bills and insurance?

Question

I want to get cosmetic surgery, but I am on my parent's insurance and I don't want them to know about it. If I can cover the entire cost on my own, including medications, do I have to submit any health insurance information? If so will my parent know that I got plastic surgery by looking over bills or anything insurance related? (I did make my medical records accessible to ONLY me)

Scott J. Engel, MD, FACS · Answer

Elective cosmetic procedures that are not paid for by insurance will not be disclosed to the insurance company and will not show up on any bills, etc. As long as you are not a minor your medical information is protected by HIPPA and only released to the people you put on the forms. However, you obviously need to have someone help you in the recovery process. Also, understand that in the unlikely event you have a complication that may require going to hospital (which is always possible) you will want insurance to pay the high costs associated with that, which will show up on bills. Just giving you all the possible scenarios. Good luck.

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question regarding whether plastic surgery will show up on your parent's bills and insurance. If you are using your parent's health insurance, any claims submitted will likely be visible to the primary policyholder, which in this case would be your parents. This means that even if you cover the full cost of the procedure yourself, any medical documentation or billing processed through their insurance could be detailed in the explanation of benefits (EOB) or any correspondence the insurance company sends out. This includes both procedures and associated costs like prescriptions or follow-up appointments.

If you wish to maintain complete privacy, you can opt not to use insurance at all and pay out-of-pocket for your surgery and any related expenses. Doing so will prevent any claims or medical information from being shared with your parent's insurance company. It's also important to notify the clinic or hospital that you do not want them to bill insurance for any aspect of your care.

Additionally, even if you've set your medical records to be accessible only to you, insurance claims and EOBs are separate from personal medical records and are sent to the primary policyholder as part of standard insurance communication.

For complete confidentiality, your best approach would be to pay for all associated costs independently and confirm with your chosen clinic that no insurance claims will be filed.

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

Joseph Michaels, MD · Answer

A lower body lift is considered a cosmetic procedure. For this reason, it should not show up on your parent's insurance information.

Michael Baumholtz, MD, FACS · Answer

Medical insurance will general pay for procedures that it deems medically necessary. RARELY would post massive weight loss (body contouring) be considered medically necessary in the eyes of the insurance carriers

Typically these are cash procedures paid in advance of the surgery. There are financing options available such as CareCredit and Alpheon.

As for your parents involvement - at 18 you can sign your own consents but these are big surgeries and you will need LOTS of support post operatively. I would strongly encourage you to involve them (or someone else who can provide care for you) in your decision process.

Good luck

Seek out a board certified member of ASPS / ASAPS for a consultation to learn more

Jason M. Petrungaro, MD, FACS · Answer

The short answer is no, if you have elective Plastic Surgery (such as a body lift or breast augmentation), there should not be any bills that show up addressed to your parents and there should not be any evidence of the surgery on their insurance (as long as you book everything in YOUR NAME).  In fact, elective surgeries are not submitted to insurance because they will not pay for it.As long as you are 18 years of age or older, you are legally free to make your own medical decisions.  If you are able to finance all aspects of your surgery on your own, your medical records are protected under federal law and no one in your family can access your information unless you approve of it.

Will plastic surgery show up on my parent's bills and insurance?

Answers (6)

Answer: Aesthetic (Cosmetic) surgery is not insurance surgery

Answer: Aesthetic (Cosmetic) surgery is not insurance surgery

Answer: Will elective Plastic Surgery show up in my parent's bills or insurance?

Answer: Will elective Plastic Surgery show up in my parent's bills or insurance?

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Will plastic surgery show up on my parent's bills and insurance?

Answers (6)

Answer: Aesthetic (Cosmetic) surgery is not insurance surgery

Answer: Aesthetic (Cosmetic) surgery is not insurance surgery

Answer: Will elective Plastic Surgery show up in my parent's bills or insurance?

Answer: Will elective Plastic Surgery show up in my parent's bills or insurance?

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Body Lift

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.