Plastic surgery pricing and insurance

[onmyway11 43]

Has anyone has any luck getting insurance to pay for (even partially) plastic surgery. I need a Tummy Tuck and a breast lift. I’ve lost 137lbs so it’s quite a bit of skin removal. I’ve gotten 2 quotes in the Boston area both for around 26k. Yikes! Does this seem high?

[kristieshannon 1,626]

I didn’t bother. My insurance required a year of documentation of failed treatment for infections under my hanging belly skin. Then they pay only for a panniculectomy (no muscle repair). I had a Tummy Tuck, arm lift, and breast lift/augmentation in Miami in January and paid $16,000. Prices vary wildly around the country. I would have paid $30,000-$40,000 for the same surgery in Seattle.

[catwoman7 11,210]

no - that's pretty typical for what you'd pay in a large city. It's around what I paid in Chicago. It may be less if you were willing to go to a smaller place like Knoxville, Tennessee. Or there may be a cheaper place in western Massachusetts (far from Boston) - but I'm not sure. I've heard on this site that it's often cheaper in Miami than in other large US cities, though - maybe because it's done so often there, and there are more surgeons? Not sure why, but for whatever reason, people are getting better prices there.

[kristieshannon 1,626]

If you do look in to Miami, make sure you do your research. There are super cheap, high volume places that have high complication rates. I chose a surgeon that was on the higher end cost wise for that area but has a private practice and an excellent safety record.

[catwoman7 11,210]

P.S. not sure if you're just getting a standard Tummy Tuck or a lower body lift (which is more expensive because they do both front and back). I got the latter in one surgery, and a breast lift and arm lift in a second surgery. I don't know what just a breast lift on its own would cost, but I can probably figure a good ballpark estimate. So for the lower body lift plus just a breast lift (no arm lift), my price would have been about $30,000, I think.

I probably could have had it done locally for less, but I wanted someone who specialized in plastic surgery for massive weight loss patients, so I had to go to Chicago for that.

Edited May 2, 2021 by catwoman7

[TheRealMeIsHere! 863]

Because of back and other physical issues, I got a referral from pain management. I also wrote a letter stating my weight loss, the crucial role exercise plays in maintenance & the way the excess skin impedes and adds to my physical limitations.

They not only covered panniculectomy but the abdominoplasty as well!

Best of luck

[HeBrokeTheChains 9]

This is so helpful! Thank you

Sent from my moto z4 using BariatricPal mobile app

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,596]

On 5/3/2021 at 9:21 AM, TheRealMeIsHere! said:

Because of back and other physical issues, I got a referral from pain management. I also wrote a letter stating my weight loss, the crucial role exercise plays in maintenance & the way the excess skin impedes and adds to my physical limitations.

They not only covered panniculectomy but the Abdominoplasty as well!

Best of luck

What insurance do you have? I have BCBS of Illinois, and I also have MS. I know once I've reached my goal weight I'm going to have to get the skin removed or else it'll make my back and mobility have issues. It never occurred to me that I could get insurance to cover any of it.

[TheRealMeIsHere! 863]

It was a long time ago, I'm not completely sure. Though, I had been forced to retire on disability, so most likely was NY Medicaid or managed Medicaid.

That's why I was in total shock at the approval........for BOTH!!

Good luck!

[ColtenFernandez 1]

Hello there! Thanks a lot for your help, guys! I’m currently thinking of making a mini facelift procedure. I’d be grateful for any information on insurance for this procedure, guys. That would greatly help me. Actually, it took me a long time to make up my mind. Have any of you guys gone through this procedure? I’d be extremely grateful if you shared your experience about it because I’m still hesitating. Actually, my friend advised me about this procedure. She says she's delighted by the result. Anyway, I'll be waiting for your replies, guys.

Edited October 26, 2022 by ColtenFernandez

[BAA624 24]

I was able to receive partial insurance coverage for the panniculectomy portion of my Tummy Tuck. Essentially, my plastic surgeon's office submitted everything to my insurance company (documents, photos, notes from the surgeon, etc.) and it WAS denied the first time. He's awesome though and he actually did a peer-to-peer review for me; after that, Medical Mutual did cover the panniculectomy, and I paid the additional portion out of pocket for the conversion to a full tummy tuck. My experience (though it may be quite different from others' experience) was this: my plastic surgeon told me in our first consult that he rarely does just a panniculectomy for a bariatric patient. He explained that if there were just minimal apron skin to be removed, it might be sufficient. For my case though, he was very honest and said to me 'If I just do a panniculectomy for you, you are not going to be happy with the results.' He was right and I went with the full abdominoplasty.