Will Health Insurance Pay For Plastic Surgery After A Gastric Bypass
Anytime you lose a lot of weight, especially if you lose it rapidly, you’re going to have some loose skin. The amount of loose skin depends on a number of factors, including how much weight you’ve lost, how quickly you lost it and how elastic your skin was to inaugurate with. For instance, younger people generally have more elastic skin and it can “bounce abet” better after weight loss. If you have a gastric bypass, you’re going to lose a lot of weight and you’re going to lose it quickly. Most likely, you’ll demolish up with some loose skin.
People experience loose skin in a variety of places following a gastric bypass. Most common is a large hanging pannus, or low-hanging skin on the belly; sagging breasts; and loose skin hanging under the arms (sometimes called “batwings”). In many cases, loose skin may be unattractive, but it doesn’t really cause any problems. And in these cases, insurance usually will not pay to have it removed.
However, in some instances, the loose skin actually is severe enough to cause problems. A very tremendous pannus can catch in the way of daily activities, for example. If the pannus reaches below the top of the pubic bone, health insurance will often (though not always) pay for a panniculectomy. This is a procedure that removes the excess chubby and skin. It’s not uncommon to have ten pounds or more of excess skin removed during a panniculectomy.
A panniculectomy is not the same as an abdominoplasty, which is a procedure that tightens the muscles in the stomach situation. People often want an abdominoplasty as well as a panniculectomy after a gastric bypass, but insurance will usually not cover the abdominoplasty.
Sometimes having a lot of excess skin can cause skin irritation, rashes, and/or infections. This typically occurs underneath the belly area, but may also occur beneath the breasts. If these rashes or infections don’t respond to treatment with oral or topical medications, insurance will often cover the removal of the excess skin that is causing the problem. You’ll need to have your skin problems well-documented in order to get your insurance to conceal the cost of treating them with plastic surgery, so acquire to your doctor and get it documented in your chart. You might want to take photographs of the rashes, as well.
Insurance usually will not cover the removal of excess skin under the arms (brachioplasty) or a thigh lift, because these procedures are rarely considered medically necessary. The loose skin in those areas may look unattractive, but it usually doesn’t interfere with the activities of daily living or cause rotten rashes or skin infections.
If you are having a gastric bypass, there is a good chance you’ll be wanting plastic surgery of some sort afterward. So start thinking in approach of how you’ll finance it. Find out what your insurance will and will not cover, and investigate your options for paying for surgery that won’t be covered by your insurance. For instance, there are special medical credits that might be an option, and some plastic surgeons offer payment plans for self-pay patients. Or, if you begin saving early, you may be able to pay cash for your surgery. (A panniculectomy can cost you as much as $8000, so originate saving now!)
Related Posts
Filed under Tummy Tuck by on Nov 7th, 2011. 