Will my insurance pay for my breast reduction?

Will my insurance pay for my breast reduction?

Steve Fallek (Plastic Surgeon & Medical Director, Face Focus Medical Spa, New York City) gives expert video advice on: How is a breast reduction procedure performed?; Who can get a breast reduction?; Is a breast reduction painful? and more...

Breast reduction is really a gray area between both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Because it is considered a medical procedure by some, medical insurance may cover breast reduction. Now that is going to depend on your symptoms prior to breast reduction. Are you having back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain prior to breast reduction? Are you having some rashes underneath your breast prior to breast reduction? Have you been to a chiropractor or an orthopaedic surgeon to determine whether or not you are having back pain from a large breast or from something else? With this documentation, you may want to bring this up to your plastic surgeon and to your health insurance company to see whether or not they will cover breast reduction. For many insurance companies there is also a minimum requirement which is about 5 grams of breast tissue that needs to be removed from both breasts during the breast reduction surgery. This is usually the equivalent of a big C or D cup.