Cosmetic procedures like liposuction and CoolSculpting are generally not covered by insurance. As with most rules, however, there are exceptions.
Some surgical procedures designed to improve one’s appearance can also qualify as medically necessary, meaning the treatment can possibly be covered by your insurance plan. In these cases, the patient will have to make a compelling enough argument to their provider that the procedure would improve their quality of life. For example, liposuction to reduce back pain could fall under the category of medically necessary.
Continue reading this article to learn how much liposuction will cost you, how fees are determined, and cases where insurance may partially or fully cover the cost of your treatment.
How Much Does Liposuction Cost?
The cost of liposuction usually depends on how many areas you want to treat. Quite simply, the more desired treatment areas you have, the more it will cost you.
Liposuction fees vary from around $2,000 to $10,000 for one-day sessions. That value essentially doubles when you have a liposuction plan that needs separate sessions over many months. On average, a single liposuction procedure should cost $3,500 on average.
The prices for liposuction treatment also vary depending on the targeted body area. We, therefore, suggest consulting your surgeon to assess your trouble zones accurately and to become more familiar with the scope of your surgery. That way, you’ll be a lot more sure of what to expect and what you’re paying for the procedure.
Regardless of the quoted price, we recommend that you base the cost of liposuction not on the procedure itself, but instead value it on what it’s going to do for the image you look forward to in the future!
How Are Liposuction Fees Determined?
Most surgeons charge a single fee by bundling all the expenses for liposuction treatments, usually done in an office-based surgical facility, into one lump-sum payment.
Other surgeons could require the separation of fees for the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and surgical facility.
Fees for liposuction on the abdomen, outer thighs, or breasts usually range from around $2,000 to $7,000 or more. The price for a single body part receiving liposuction depends on the amount of time, effort, and resources needed to complete the surgical process.
Note that frequently, only one large area can be treated in a single day, while smaller regions like the buccal area or knees can both receive liposuction in one day.
Consider all these factors when you decide to undergo liposuction, that way you’ll know what’s in your budget and what to expect.
Should I Base My Decision on the Cost of Liposuction?
Deciding to undergo this fat-loss procedure should not be based on how much it costs. If you’re searching for a treatment based off of cost alone, you might run into a poor quality procedure performed by an untrained practitioner. The health problems that can stem from that will be more costly in the long run than a surgery performed by a board-certified doctor.
Therefore, you should not base your decision on the cost of liposuction, but instead, base it on the skill of your surgeon. You won’t worry about how much you paid for your liposuction after five years, what you will care about are the results the procedure produced.
Never put your self-confidence and the image you want to create for yourself on a bargain. Always evaluate the quality of your treatment.
Does Health Insurance Cover Liposuction?
Liposuction is usually not covered by health insurance because it’s an elective cosmetic surgery. If your liposuction procedure has some therapeutic benefit, then your insurance company can evaluate it to see if it could be covered.
There are some common cases that insurance will cover. Female breast reduction surgery through liposuction is often covered because it offers relief from chronic back and shoulder pain.
If the breast reduction procedure involves tumescent liposuction, insurance may reimburse a portion of the surgical fees. This reimbursement may also apply to liposuction treatment of subcutaneous lipomas, which are small fatty tumors just under the skin.