If you are looking for the best insurance companies for breast reduction, you need to consider a few important factors. First, you should ask yourself how much money you want to spend on your procedure. Many of the top insurance companies offer plans that meet your needs and your budget. Next, you should think about how much coverage you will need after the procedure. Some insurance plans only cover the surgery itself, while others also include post-surgery care such as physical therapy and prescriptions for pain medication.
It’s also important to consider whether or not the plan covers all types of procedures or just some specific ones, such as breast reduction surgery or liposuction. You’ll want to find a plan that covers whatever type of procedure will work best for your needs. Finally, it’s important to choose an insurance company that has been around long enough to prove themselves reliable over time so that they don’t go out of business during your treatment process!
Read on to learn more about Best Insurance Companies For Breast Reduction, New Breast Reconstruction Techniques and Traditional Breast Reconstruction
Best Insurance Companies For Breast Reduction
I recently saw a female college student as a new patient consultation in my office concerning possible breast reduction surgery. This procedure, also known as reduction mammaplasty, is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic macromastia (large breasts). The commonly reported symptoms related to macromastia are neck, shoulder and back pain caused by the weight of overly large breasts upon the musculoskeletal system. Other secondary symptoms can include breast pain and dermatitis or rashes beneath the breasts.
The college student was referred to me by her gynecologist and arrived with a prescription recommending a consultation with a plastic surgeon due to her condition. The patient was under the common impression that because she was referred to me by another physician, that the suggested surgery would automatically be covered by her health insurance plan. She came in hoping that the breast reduction surgery could be scheduled in four weeks, during her winter break from college.
After completing a patient history and regional breast examination, my staff discussed with her what would be needed to obtain insurance authorization for her surgery.
As it turned out, this patient had no other medical treatment or previous consultations concerning her macromastia. She also had no history of being referred for physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, an orthopedic consultation or a dermatology exam. For many procedures, this lack of treatment history might not be an issue. But for breast reduction, which can be considered cosmetic or reconstructive, depending on the patient – and the insurance company reviewer – the lack of history for this patient would prove problematic.
Unfortunately, the patient had not completed all of the regimens that her insurance required for the reduction procedure to be covered in her case. She will be able to reapply for reduction mammoplasty coverage after the requirements have been completed, but, unfortunately, there is still no guarantee that her insurance will cover the procedure. Naturally, as a college student, she was not in the position to consider paying out-of-pocket for the procedure and was not happy to discover the insurance hurdles she would need to go through for potential coverage.
This story is just an example of why it’s so important for patients to do their homework regarding their insurance coverage for any surgical procedure before seeing a surgeon. The answer to “is breast reduction surgery covered by health insurance?” can be very complicated and involve many variables.
Breast reduction and health insurance
It is universally believed by patients that if a surgery is considered reconstructive, it is medically indicated and covered by health insurance. Conversely, many patients believe if a procedure is considered cosmetic, it is not a medically indicated and covered procedure.
In the case of breast reduction, however, for insurance purposes, it will typically be considered a cosmetic procedure until the patient can prove an adequate number of health issues and attempted remediations of those issues prior to undergoing corrective surgery. Once the threshold has been reached, the insurance company may then consider breast reduction a reconstructive procedure for that patient and cover it. The problem is that the threshold can be different for every insurance company or insurance company reviewer. It is my opinion that breast reduction surgery has long been thought of as a “hybrid” procedure. It is considered reconstructive in attempts to obtain insurance coverage for the surgery, but it is also considered cosmetic in that patients expect meticulous aesthetic expertise in their surgery and results.
In our practice, it has become increasingly difficult to obtain insurance coverage for breast reduction surgery. Insurance companies frequently require 2-3 documented reports from other referred specialists before they’ll consider covering it. Also, the insurance companies commonly request 6-12 months of documentation and treatment by either a physical therapist, chiropractor, dermatologist or orthopedist.
What does this mean for a patient who needs the procedure due to chronic health problems caused by macromastia? Keep yourself updated on policies during this process, as the insurance company’s criteria are this year might not be the same next year.
If you feel that you are a candidate for breast reduction surgery and are requesting coverage under your health insurance, it is important that you contact your health insurance carrier and have them forward to you in writing their criteria for coverage. Every insurance company has different, independent criteria and indications. While your neighbor down the street may qualify for the procedure via one insurance carrier with a seemingly less severe situation, you may not be given the same answer by yours. On average, it takes between 3-6 months of preparation, including secondary consultations with other healthcare providers and possible therapy (physical therapy or chiropractics) to qualify for insurance coverage for breast reduction.
How do you handle this? Notify your primary care physician as soon as possible concerning any symptoms which may be related to your macromastia. It is never too early to start the process. Please contact your plastic surgeon’s office with any questions you might have that relate to breast reduction surgery and coverage through your health insurance and they can try to help guide you through the process, so that you can obtain the care you need.
New Breast Reconstruction Techniques
You might be having a mastectomy because you have breast cancer or to prevent the disease if it runs in your family. If so, you may also be considering breast reconstruction to rebuild your breasts, which isn’t a one-size-fits-all procedure. Some techniques use artificial implants, some use your own tissue. Others use a combination of both.
It can be difficult sifting through the choices to figure out what will work best for you. But the most important thing to know is that there are options, says Michele Manahan, M.D., an associate professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “Breast reconstruction is not one-size-fits-all. Now more than ever we have so many ways to restore your form and make you look and feel like yourself again.”
A New, Less Painful Breast Implant Procedure
Manahan and her colleagues perform a state-of-the art procedure called pre-pectoral breast reconstruction. It reduces pain and provides a speedier recovery compared with traditional reconstruction by placing implants or tissue expanders on top of the pectoral muscles. Since the muscles aren’t cut or stretched, you can return to your normal daily activities sooner. “Our patients are doing yoga and have full range of motion within the first month after the procedure,” Manahan says.
The pre-pectoral procedure is the most minimally invasive breast reconstruction option. Your doctor can perform a mastectomy by removing breast tissue through a small incision underneath the breast. Through this incision, a tissue expander can be placed on top of the muscle to create a breast mound. Later, your doctor can remove the expander through the same incision and insert an implant.
A Natural Alternative to Breast Implants
Although using implants lets you recover faster, not everyone likes the way they look or the prospect of needing future surgeries to replace them if they rupture. A natural alternative involves using fat and tissue from another area of your body to fill in your breasts.
In the past, doctors removed muscle, fat and skin from the abdominal wall, the back, the inner thighs or the buttocks and moved it to the chest to form breasts. This procedure was painful and had a long recovery. But now an updated technique lets you use your own tissue with less pain and faster healing. During this surgery, called a perforator flap procedure, your surgeon moves only skin, fat and tissue — not muscle — to your chest area. Not everyone is a candidate for this procedure, depending on anatomy and previous surgical history, but it’s a good option for some women.
Using your own tissue creates a more natural look. And you can also have a tummy tuck, thigh lift or buttock lift at the same time if you have tissue removed from those areas.
Traditional Breast Reconstruction
The majority of breast reconstruction procedures involve breast implants. In this traditional reconstruction procedure, saline or silicone implants are placed below the pectoral muscles, forcing them to stretch to accommodate the implants. “This method works for a good deal of people, but many women experience pain as well as decreased range of motion in the shoulder,” reports Manahan. “Over time, chest wall deformities from the implants can form as well.”
What to Consider Before Breast Reconstruction
There are several things you need to consider when reviewing reconstructive breast cancer options, says Manahan. What procedure is best for you depends on many factors, such as:
- Overall health
- Activity level
- What you do for a living
- Whether you want to have children after surgery
- If you have the extra tissue needed for a natural reconstruction
- How much post-surgery downtime you’re comfortable with
If you’re going to have a lumpectomy or mastectomy, consult with a plastic surgeon in addition to your breast surgeon. A plastic surgeon can provide guidance on the various breast reconstruction procedures and work in partnership with your breast surgeon to give you the look you want.
It’s okay to take your time to come to a decision, says Manahan. “You might not know if you want implants, or whether you want to use belly or thigh tissue, or if you’re going to need radiation. But you can still move forward with the mastectomy. We can insert a tissue expander to hold a breast-like form under your skin. Then, when you’re ready, we can remove the expander and reconstruct your breasts with either implants or your own tissue. What’s important is knowing there are many options for breast reconstruction, and consulting with your surgeon to find the best choice for you.”
Everyone and every body is different, reminds Manahan, and every patient has different preferences and goals. “We hope that the many choices we have to offer for breast reconstruction will allow us to tailor each reconstruction to each individual patient.”