I see a lot of patients who have lost weight and want their insurance to pay for their Louisville Tummy Tuck or Louisville Panniculectomy.

What I am seeing is that all of these requests for insurance coverage are denied. A Tummy Tuck is and always has been considered a cosmetic procedure. Cosmetic translates into self pay. We have been asking insurance companies to pay for panniculectomies but what we get 100% of the time is a refusal. We have not had a panniculectomy be approved since sometime back in 2007. In ’08 and ’09 we had a zero % approval rate.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

I often meet patients who schedule to be seen for a Louisville Panniculectomy when they really want a Louisville Tummy Tuck.

The difference between these two is substantial but there is a lot of confusion. First, insurance pays for a panniculectomy.  A tummy tuck is self pay, e.g. Cosmetic.

A panniculectomy only treats from the belly button down. A tummy tuck treats the whole abdomen.

So, while the thought of insurance paying is obviously attractive, make sure you choose the procedure that best suits your needs.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.corbettcosmeticsurgery.com