Will Medicare Cover Lifts And Tucks?

Q: Dr. Eppley, How could I get any lifts or tucks via my insurance which is Medicare. I know alot of it would be seen as cosmetic. However,  I can assure you  that all I want is to look normal and able to wear real clothes and not tents. I’m 45 and need my life back.

 A: While all plastic surgeons are emphatic to your plight, the reality is that Medicare will simply not provide coverage for any type of so-called ‘lift or tuck’ procedures such as tummy tucks, pubic lifts and thigh lifts. Medicare is unique amongst insurances in that it will provide no predetermination before surgery to validate whether it will or will not pay for such procedures. Having provided a lot of these services in the past only to learn later that Medicare will not pay, many plastic surgeons will no longer  perform such procedures for Medicare patients. They are viewed as cosmetic procedures to be done as a fee-for-service basis.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana