If you’re reading this, you are already aware of the stance that health insurance providers have when it comes to lipoma removal. They do not offer coverage for it since it is categorized as cosmetic surgery.
However, many insurance carriers provide coverage for lipoma removal as an added benefit in their plans. If this is the case with your plan, your procedure will be covered. If it isn’t, the only other way to have your procedure is to convince your insurer the procedure is medically necessary.
This makes sense since the surgery is overlooked because they don’t believe it is necessary. If you are able to convince your insurer that lipoma constitutes a threat to your overall health, then your insurer will have it covered.
Another way to have your lipoma covered is to choose your removal method carefully. Unfortunately, since it falls under a daycare procedure, insurance companies may not honor a claim for this procedure.
However, daycare procedures that involve incisions to the skin or subcutaneous tissues or excision of diseased skin or subcutaneous tissues are covered. So rather than opting for liposuction, you could have it surgically removed, so your insurer covers it.
Lipoma is a layer of fatty tissue that grows underneath the skin. They have a soft, rubbery texture, and they move around when touched. Most of the time, a lipoma does not cause the patient any discomfort, and they pose no threat, so they rarely need treatment.
Lipomas appear in virtual locations on the body, but the most common locations are the arms, neck, torso, and back.
Lipomas are more common than you know; 1 in every 1000 people have a lipoma. They usually appear around the age of 40 – 60. Note that they can come up at any age, and sometimes they are present at birth. While they are present in both genders, they are a little more prominent in women.
The major reason why insurance providers do not offer coverage for lipoma removal is that they categorize it as cosmetic surgery. Generally, these tumors are benign and do not need any treatment.
Also, the procedure for lipoma removal is categorized as a daycare treatment. Daycare treatment is medical or surgical procedures that are completed in less than 24 hours. It is performed under local anesthesia and doesn’t require the patient to be admitted to have the operation carried out.
And typically, the minimum period for which claims can be filed is 24 hours. However, many insurance policies have made it possible to bypass this rule and file a claim for daycare procedures.
Removing lipoma is not always necessary as they are mostly harmless and pose no real threat to your overall health. So, when should you consider having your lipoma removed?
You should have your lipoma removed in the following instances:
1. It is cancerous
2. It is growing quickly or impinges on movement
3. Interferes with your normal bodily functions
4. It negatively affects your self-esteem
5. The doctor cannot confirm that it is a lipoma and not a more dangerous tumor
1. Confidence booster – depending on the location of the lipoma, it can diminish one’s self-image. Therefore, having it removed could be a serious confidence booster.
2. Increase comfort – some lipomas tend to grow and become uncomfortable. However, you don’t have to endure as lipoma removal is a safe option.
3. Better health – for lipomas that are cancerous or indicate something more serious, removing them could save your life and improve your quality of living.
1. Scarring – there’s a risk that a scar will appear at the removal site. However, thanks to advancements in medicine, the scarring has become minimal, and there may be no scarring at all.
2. Reoccurrence – though this is not likely, some people have their lipomas come back at the same spot. Unfortunately, most insurers don’t cover subsequent removals.
3. Infection – like all surgical operations, there is a risk of getting infected at the removal site. However, with proper aftercare, this can be avoided.
No treatment for lipoma is considered necessary unless it constitutes a threat to your health. This is why it is categorized as cosmetic surgery.
However, there are instances where the removal becomes necessary usually; this is when the lipoma constitutes a threat to your wellbeing.
Lipoma removal will cost you anything from $400 – $1000. The cost depends on factors such as the size of the tumour and where it is located. The larger the size, the more the cost.
Since lipoma removal involves surgery, you will be given anesthesia before the procedure. Depending on the nature of your surgery, your anesthesia may leave you conscious throughout the procedure or knock you out. Whatever the case, you will not feel any pain during the procedure.
Many consider lipoma removal a cosmetic procedure since treatment for one is unnecessary. It only becomes an issue if it causes you discomfort or is cancerous.
Lipoma is a layer of fatty tissue under your skin. They are benign tumors, so they pose no threat to your overall health. However, most insurers will not cover lipoma removal for this reason because they are categorized as a daycare procedure, and their removal is often for cosmetic purposes.
You could get your insurer to cover your surgery if you can convince them that it poses a threat to your health and its removal is necessary.
Some suggest that the removal method could also influence your insurer’s decision; they will be more likely to reimburse you for a surgically removed lipoma than for one removed through liposuction.
Sources
List of Day Care Procedures Covered under Health Insurance