In general, insurance companies almost never cover the cost of tummy tuck. Tummy tuck is a contouring operation, in which loose abdominal wall muscles are tightened, extra skin and fat are removed and reshaped, and the belly button is relocated and reshaped to give it a more youthful appearance. In some cases, when a patient has a large amount of overhanging skin causing superficial wounds, hygiene problems, or difficulty with ambulation, insurance companies will cover a procedure called a panniculectomy. Usually a significant amount of preoperative documentation is required to get approval for this procedure, including letters from your primary care physician documenting failure to improve with conservative measures and photographs. Panniculectomy is a functional procedure - not a cosmetic one. The extra skin is removed and the incision is closed - that's it. There's no tightening of the abdominal wall, there's no sculpting of the remaining skin and fat, and the belly button retains its appearance. The results are not comparable to a tummy tuck.