Has anyone spoken to their Kaiser Dr. about excess skin removal. I dont think I would be interested reconstruction, however; the excess skin removal procedure would be acceptable for me....

Can anyone provide information regarding this particular procedure....

Nursebarbie, I am sure that you are right about the different plans; however, no one has ever checked what plan I am on when giving me quotes about the prices for the cosmetic surgery. I have a feeling that, if these surgeries are not covered by insurance, which they won't be most of the time since they are cosmetic in nature, then the plastic surgeon sets the price by inserting his fee into the equation. But whether or not a procedure would be covered by insurance definitely depends upon the plan that an individual is on as you say.

The other thing I wanted to make sure to emphasize is that, when dealing with private non-insurance surgeons, the fees are all negotiable. Getting estimates from three or four or even five different qualified board-certified surgeons is not unreasonable. There are a lot of qualified surgeons out there, and so you can shop around and get the best price that you can and a surgeon that you feel comfortable with.

Can you call and ask for the bariatric case management dept? Maybe they can help you with getting this approved with Kaiser. Worth a shot.

Hi Nursebarbie, I did check with the bariatric case manager. She was the one who gave me the information on how to get started with Kaiser, but both she and others at Kaiser told me that the excess skin would have to hang below the pubus in order to be covered by my insurance. Even if it were covered, the upgrade price to a tummy tuck or 360, which includes the covered panni, is still higher than other surgeons in the area. This surprised me because I was under the impression that cosmetic surgery was offered to Kaiser members at cost, but it is actually offered to patients at currently accepted prices if not slightly higher.

Hmmm. I wasn't aware they offered cash pay. If you can find a better deal I would go for it.

Yeah, they do have cash pay because I had some skin tags removed through them and it was not covered under insurance. I paid full fee.

Lynda