What Is Rhinoplasty Insurance?
With rhinoplasty (nose job) becoming increasingly popular, many people wonder whether their insurance can cover the expenses. The answer, though, depends on the primary reason for the procedure:
- If the nose job is done for cosmetic purposes, then it’s considered elective and cannot be covered by any of the classic insurance packages.
- If, however, a patient has a documented need for rhinoplasty – breathing issues, for example – then it can be covered by insurance.
What Does Rhinoplasty Insurance Cover?
There are dozens of possible reasons for rhinoplasty – straightening the bridge, making the nose smaller, reshaping the tip, removing a bump on the bridge, narrowing the nostrils, etc. – among which only two can be covered by insurance: turbinectomy (correcting the turbinates to improve breathing) and septoplasty (correcting a deviated septum). Both procedures are usually recommended only after conservative treatment is proved to be inefficient.
Candidates for turbinectomy and septoplasty are patients with an excessively narrow nose, deviated septum, allergies blocking the airway or enlarging the turbinates, complications from a previous rhinoplasty procedure, as well as those suffering from nasal trauma.
How Much Is Rhinoplasty Insurance?
The average cost of rhinoplasty is about $5,000, but the real cost depends on the actual medical procedures you have to undergo. Whether your medical insurance can cover a portion of the total cost of rhinoplasty (usually a portion of turbinectomy and septoplasty) depends on whether you perform it for purely cosmetic reasons or do suffer from impaired breathing.
