Insurance Coverage For medically Necessary Cosmetic Procedures
Melanie had a full facial cleft,and her brain could begin to push out through it. Pushing it back and closing the gap is a complicated , risky and expensive procedure to do . This is surgery where you peel the face off the skull, you have to make all these cuts and move it around, the brain is softly pulsating away behind the incision. Her doctor and parents, after discussing her case decided that the procedure would be worth the risks, however; the families insurance carrier called the procedure unnecessary or cosmetic and refused to pay for the nearly $10,000 surgery, Melanie's condition was not life threatening and there was no body function being adversely effected by the anomaly. Her parents held fund raisers, and her doctors donated their time so the young girls face could be repaired. Melanie's story is not unique nearly 1 in 700 children are born with a correctable birth defect, and almost none of those children have health insurance coverage that pays for these procedures.
It is estimated that more that one million reconstructive procedures are performed by plastic surgeons every year. Reconstructive surgery helps patients of all ages and types - whether it's a child with a birth defect, a young adult injured in an accident, or an older adult with a problem caused by aging.
The goals of reconstructive surgery differ from those of cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery is performed on abnormal structures of the body, caused by birth defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma or injury, infection, tumors, or disease. It is generally performed to improve function, but may also be done to approximate a normal appearance.
Cosmetic surgery is performed to reshape normal structures of the body to improve the patient's appearance and self-esteem.
Although no amount of surgery can achieve "perfection," modern treatment options allow plastic surgeons to achieve...