Lizzy's post got me thinking......what if??

I was thinking about Lizzy's post  (so hope you had a better night)..what if god forbid something happened to us after having plastic surgery...does our regular health insurance cover it?  Does anyone know the answer to this?  I don't!  My doc makes us buy this insurance for 250.00 that covers somethings but what about the big things?  Either way..I am going for it..but it would be peace of mind knowing there was coverage just in case...

anyone?

Patty

I had a consult with a Kaiser Plastic Surgeon.  I told him that the prices were so high at Kaiser that I would probably go to Mexico for my surgery.  I specifically asked him what Kaiser would do for me post-op.  He said that Kaiser would remove sutures, wound care, hospitalization if necessary.  The only thing they won't do is fix plastic work.  I'd have to go back to Dr. Sauceda to fix any problems that are cosmetic.  

My insurance is changing on November 1st.  I didn't know if I'd have Kaiser coverage again so waited until I was sure before I booked my plastics in Mexico.  Coverage was a big thing for me as I know that there can be any assortment of complications.

Thanks Lee for the info...I hate to think in those terms but you just never know...and it is good to know that things would be covered just in case!

Patty

Lee could U please consider doing me a HUGE favor while Ure in Mexico ? I need a mouthful ( like twelve ) of high end actor/model quality porcelain or better yet ceramic veneers . I hear that geat Mexican dental work can be 1/3 the price of American.

I have dental coverage but its so minimal its essentially meaningless in the case of this amount of work.

I figure if U have a few days during Ur preop testing U might be able to ask the question for both of us ...

its always great to have the name of a very competent and reasonably priced dentist ..

A few of Dr. Sauceda's patients have gotten dental work while in Mexico, so you can look around the group's message board for their experiences. I'm sure the name and contact info is around there somewhere, but you'll have to look for it.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/Dr_Sauceda_Patients/discussion/

Ava Darling, I don't have a few days pre-op.  I arrive on Thursday late afternoon, shower and go get marked up for an early Friday morning surgery.  All of my pre-op testing will be done at home before leaving for Mexico.  My suggestion would be to start researching medical tourism in Mexico, Costa Rica, places like that.  There is so much information on the internet these days.  I'm sure that they have forums where people talk about these exact things.  I remember while researching for myself I read about a man that went to Mexico for all of us dental work. 

If you find dentists in Monterrey Mexico, I'm sure that I could ask Dr. Sauceda if he has any knowlege about that person.

There has been a decision by the state and Kaiser had BETTER provide your PS.  Or reimburse you for having had it done elsewhere.

www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4466619/California-post-op-r econstructive-so-called-plastics/

I thought about this as well. Did not ask though. Not a typical move on my part but scared to know. I think the same thing with my lapband. My insurance only covered a certain amount for bariatric and I the rest was self pay.

I'Â'd been planning to post about this to the self pay people. Like most insurances, mine will not pay for any single thing related to plastics. I really want them but am fearful of the financial exposure. Surgeons of some states who belong to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons have access to CosmedAssure. For a few hundred dollars it covers complications for 30 days after the surgery. While complications may be rare, one uninsured hospitalization or surgery could cause financial ruin for many. I would love to hear how others evaluated and assumed the risk.

 
My insurance doesn't cover plastics, so I went outside the US. 

I DID have some healing issues when I came home, and was hospitalized for a week, and all was covered.

I had an infection that started a month post op, that was rampant, and ignoring the antibiotics my doctor gave me (and the visit with her was also covered by my insurance). My Dr took a second look at it, then sent me to ER, where they admitted me and kept me for a week. Even though the infection was almost certainly started due to the surgery, it was all covered. In fact, checking back in with my pcp here at home who was looking to see how the infection and surgery was healing up afterward, was also covered.

I don't know how much difference there is between companies, but it it makes any difference, I have Regence Blue Shield.