Common Procedures Your Health Insurance Probably Doesn’t Cover
Regardless of if you have purchased individual health plans, or something in between, there are likely a few procedures your health insurance won’t cover. With the high costs of purchasing insurance today, knowing what may not be covered before you buy can be beneficial.
One of the main reasons that some popular medical procedures aren’t covered is because health insurance providers consider them “non-essential.” If you want to avoid being blindsided by an unexpected medical bill, then it’s a good idea to become familiar with some of the procedures that aren’t covered.
Acupuncture
Over three million people in the U.S. have received some type of acupuncture treatment. Even though more people are trying this procedure, most health insurance policies don’t cover the treatment.
Today, acupuncture is used for treating everything from carpal tunnel syndrome to lower back pain. While there are some health insurance plans that cover some users of acupuncture, coverage is often left to an insurer’s discretion.
Cosmetic Dentistry
Just as the name implies, cosmetic dentistry procedures are designed to help improve the aesthetics of your gums and teeth. Because the majority of cosmetic dentistry services are not considered medically necessary, most health insurance providers won’t cover the cost of the treatment.
A Nose Job
The majority of health insurance companies will cover nose jobs, but only if they are considered “functional” rhinoplasties. This means they are being done to correct some type of breathing problem or anatomical issue.
Nose reshaping procedures are considered one of the top five cosmetic surgeries and is a minimally invasive procedure. While this is true, if you are only having this procedure done because you aren’t satisfied with the look of your nose, then chances are, your insurance won’t cover the procedure.
Lasik Eye Surgery
In 2015, there were approximately 720 thousand Lasik procedures performed. While the popularity of the procedure has fallen some from its peak in 2007 when it exceeded 1.5 million procedures per year, it’s still very common.
While this is the case, the majority of insurance plans won’t cover the procedure. As a result, if this is something you are interested in, you should plan to pay the $1,500 to $2,500 per eye it costs.
Hearing Aids
Even though hearing is one of the five senses, and it is crucial to day to day function, there are many health insurance providers that will not pay for hearing aids. In fact, many carriers view these devices as being elective, not necessary.
Almost 10 percent of people in the U.S. suffer from hearing issues, but only 19 states currently require health insurance providers to cover the purchase of hearing aids.
Liposuction
Even though obesity is a public health issue in the U.S., there are few insurance companies that will cover the cost of the procedure. Even though lipo doesn’t treat obesity, it can remove extra fat and help to reshape the body.
It’s a popular procedure with over 200,000 people undergoing it in 2015; however, these individuals all paid for the procedure out of their own pockets.
If you are considering a medical procedure, that isn’t deemed medically necessary, then there is a good chance that your health insurance policy won’t cover it. It’s a good idea to review the details of your policy carefully to find out what is and is not covered.
