Kaiser, Has Anyone Has Plastic Surgery Through

[tovanta 49]

Has anyone spoken to their Kaiser Dr. about Excess skin removal. I dont think I would be interested reconstruction, however; the excess skin removal procedure would be acceptable for me....

Can anyone provide information regarding this particular procedure....

[Liamlover2011 66]

I know some one who had looked into it and was told the only cover a breast lift. No coverage for skin removal....

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[shrinkydinkme 221]

my primary care doctor brought it up and said we will talk about the Excess skin removal when I reach goal and at the 12 weeks of Options classes (we were required to do) we were told that we would be offered a discount on cosmetic surgery.

[tovanta 49]

I just wonder if there is a difference in cost between the procedures...

[FatGirlSlim 115]

I have Kaiser and started the process through them (although I was denied twice)... during one of the many classes it came up and we were told that they do not cover cosmetic surgery after bariatric surgery. NOT AT ALL.... she stressed that in two of the three classes that I attended.

I wish they did, although mine would not be covered anyway since I went to an outside doctor

[BlaqBeary 23]

Hello Ladies

There are so many conflicting responses to this particular subject. I am 2 days post-op from having a panniculectomy (you can google). After bariatric surgery Kaiser will perform a Panniculectomy and Breast reduction for free. All your PCP has to do is send a referral to the Plastic surgery dept. I'm in So Cal/Downey and because I previously had a BR some years ago the same surgeon did my Panniculectomy. I am very happy with the result and am flatter than I thought I would be.

[tovanta 49]

Thank you so much....I thought that was the case.....I will just have to work it out.....and I will google it...however I believe it is one step under a tummy tuck....Thank you for the info.

[CamarilloCA 41]

BlaqBeary, how are you doing? I was hoping to ask you a question about whether or not they made you lose all your weight before having surgery.

I have Kaiser too, and I have had a terrible rash around my breasts for six months because of the excess skin, and my PCP just referred me to Plastics for a breast lift, but it would be nice to have a Pann at the same time, but I still have another 20 to lose, and after that 20, I'm sure that I will have a lot of sagging skin around my stomach area.

[CamarilloCA 41]

I was just sent a letter that I have a Breast Reduction Class at the Kaiser Permanente facility in Woodland Hills in December. I am so excited!

[wishfulaimee 16]

I'm from norther Cal kaiser. My surgery was in Sept. total list pre surgery and after is 76 pounds. I have an apron. After 3 kids and 1 c section and being fat a long time. I know it I had the skin removed I would be 20 pounds lighter I think. I will proubly look into it after next summer once I reach goal. Because I already get bother by it and my skin. I just wanted to see your thought. Because they said they cover it if there is issues...I exercise to I am just hoping this helps out too.

[Kikiphiasmom 44]

Hello Ladies

There are so many conflicting responses to this particular subject. I am 2 days post-op from having a panniculectomy (you can google). After bariatric surgery Kaiser will perform a Panniculectomy and Breast reduction for free. All your PCP has to do is send a referral to the Plastic surgery dept. I'm in So Cal/Downey and because I previously had a BR some years ago the same surgeon did my Panniculectomy. I am very happy with the result and am flatter than I thought I wouldh be.

Hi blaqbeary,

I am also in socal .. was wondering if you were already at goal before they did the panni? I've heard that the surgeon will only do it if you are under 30 BMI and at goal..

[kimkai75 59]

Hello Ladies

There are so many conflicting responses to this particular subject. I am 2 days post-op from having a panniculectomy (you can google). After bariatric surgery Kaiser will perform a Panniculectomy and Breast reduction for free. All your PCP has to do is send a referral to the Plastic surgery dept. I'm in So Cal/Downey and because I previously had a BR some years ago the same surgeon did my Panniculectomy. I am very happy with the result and am flatter than I thought I would be.

Awesome ... my pcp is also downey Orchard clinic...and they Do make it very clear that cosmetic surgery is elective and they DONOT cover it. However they do cover a panni and require a papertrail of problems related to excess stomach skin. Thank you for sharing give hope for my future....also how long was your recovery time?

[CamarilloCA 41]

I got a referral to Plastics at Kaiser for a breast reduction, but the surgeons have requirements about the minimum amount of breast tissue that needs to be removed. If you don't have at least one pound of excess skin/fat/tissue, they will not do the reduction -- even if you have another medical condition like a reoccurring rash. They said that I need a breast lift, which is a cosmetic procedure which isn't covered by insurance.

Kaiser will, however, do cosmetic procedures including breast lift, Tummy Tuck, beltectomy, etc. for their patients at a reduced cost through the Kaiser Hollywood facility. I have an appointment with a Dr. Lee in September that I am waiting for as my first consultation. The consultation fee is $100. If you do more than one procedure, I believe that you get 20% off the second procedure. I haven't actually compared their prices to other surgeons' prices, but I probably will get a second estimate/opinion, but I have a feeling that Kaiser will probably offer the best price.

[Nursebarbie 392]

I am a case manager for Kaiser and I will tell you your covered benefits vary according to the kind of policy you have. Call the number on the back of your card and ask for benefits dept.

[CamarilloCA 41]

I am going to put down what I learned in the past few weeks with the hope of helping someone that is looking for reconstructive surgery here in Southern California. I came here a few weeks ago looking for this information but couldn't find it, and so hopefully, someone else will benefit from what I have learned.

First, let me say that I love Kaiser Permanente insurance, Kaiser Permanente doctors, and Kaiser Permanente coverage. I have had them for over ten years, and they have rarely let me down. I used to be under an employer's health insurance, but now that my husband is retired, we pay out of pocket for our coverage.

I did get a referral for my excess skin from my Primary Care Doctor to Plastic Surgery in West L.A. when I asked for one. In that case, you have to attend a class, and then you can see a surgeon immediately following the class to see if you qualify for the pannectomy. I did not go this route because I was certain that I would not qualify. It is my understanding from several people that the excess skin has to hang below the pubis in order to have the insurance cover the pannectomy. If you have a history of documented rashes between the folds of excess skin, especially if they have turned to infections at times, this can also help you qualify for an insurance-paid pannectomy.

Instead, I contacted Jene Miles, (310)857-2116, and she gave me the information that follows. You have to call the appointment scheduler at (310)857-2763 and schedule a cosmetic (paid) consultation. I had an appointment in West L.A. on Cadillac Ave to see a Dr. Lee, who came highly recommended. It is difficult to get an appointment with him right away because he only sees one patient in the morning and one patient in the afternoon on the days that he does cosmetic procedure examinations. You have to specify when you call that you are a cash pay consultation, and the fee is $100. The soonest that I could get an appointment in early July was for September 5th, but you can call and keep calling every day or every week to see if he has had any cancellations, and sometimes people do cancel their appointments with him.

The pannectomy is the removal of skin only. Kaiser's rates are as follows (as of this writing): If you qualify for a pannectomy, you can "upgrade" to a Tummy Tuck or to a 360 lower body lift. The tummy tuck is $9750 if you don't qualify for the pannectomy and $4500 if you do qualify and are upgrading. A 360 circumferential body lift (or belt lipectomy) is $17,000 if you don't qualify for the pannectomy and $14,000 if you do qualify and are upgrading. The 360 numbers include a one-night stay in the hospital, which is mandatory. All other procedures are outpatient. All cosmetic procedures are done in the Kaiser hospital on Saturdays only. Some other numbers: if you add a breast lift, the cost is $6500, but you will get 20% off a second procedure on the lowest price, and so if you added a breast lift to one of the other procedures, the cost for the breast lift would be $5200. You can get a breast lift with implants, but they don't recommend it, and that price is $15,000 through Kaiser. An arm lift is $5900 less 20% if it is the second surgery, which would make it $4720.

While I was waiting and getting increasingly anxious about my excess skin -- I have lost 100 pounds now since VSG surgery in April, 2012 -- I did some research on some other private practice doctors and was amazed and pleased to see that many of their rates were actually less than Kaiser's best rates. I was sure that I would not qualify for a pannectomy through Kaiser and would therefore not get their best rates, but even if I did qualify, their best rates were actually more than some other plastic surgeon's rates.

I started by having consultations with some plastic surgeons in my area that were experienced with these procedures on bariatric patients. I also asked my VSG surgeon for a referral, and he gave me one. I only wanted to see plastic surgeons that didn't charge a consultation fee. I wasn't going to spend $350 here and $100 there while I am trying to save for these procedures. I had a couple of virtual consultations, which was a pleasant way to go. I took pictures of myself and emailed them with some completed questionnaires and medical history information.

The surgeons that came recommended to me who do a lot of these procedures are Dr. J. Timothy Katzen in Beverly Hills, 310-859-7770, http://www.360bodylift.com/; Dr. Agha in Orange County, http://plasticsurger...contouring.com/, 949-644-2442; Dr. Michael Pickart in Ventura, http://www.pickartplasticsurgery.com/, 805-654-8800; and, Dr. Douglas J. Mackenzie in Santa Barbara, http://www.pacificplasticsurgery.com/ 805-898-0700.

I thought Dr. Agha was a bit too far of a drive for me, and his prices were higher than the others, and his staff really gave me a hard sell on the phone, which I didn't care for.

Dr. Katzen seems like a very nice guy and has a great video on his web site following two bariatric patients that had the 360 done by him. His prices were competitive, and he offered discounts for booking by a certain date. He did a tummy tuck and breast lift with implants on AmySDMom on You Tube if any of you have followed her video blogs. He does do multiple procedures at once, which is appealing to a lot of people to get it all over with at once, but doing some procedures separately can be better for healing and not as expensive if done on an outpatient basis without an overnight hospital stay, which can run $1000 a night.

I ended up choosing Dr. Michael Pickart, who seems extremely competent and approachable. His prices are competitve and affordable for me, and he is the closest to me. He is very experienced in dealing with bariatric patients with excess skin and answered all my questions, and I feel very comfortable with my decision. Needless to say, I canceled my appointment with the Kaiser doctor in September. I am scheduled to have my 360 body lift on September 17th and, following that procedure, will have a breast lift, an arm lift, and an inner thigh lift in subsequent procedures with Dr. Pickart.

I hope this has helped someone. I would love to keep this thread going and hear what your experiences are.