Three Situations Where Facial Reconstructive Surgery Is Covered By Health Insurance
Facial reconstructive surgery, sadly, is often considered by many health insurance companies as "cosmetic." This means that these insurance companies will not pay for someone's face to be set right, regardless of how frightful a person looks. However, there are exceptions to every hard rule, and the exceptions to this particular rule are as follows.
Your Child Can Neither Breathe Nor Eat
A child born with facial deformities may not receive reconstructive surgery under health insurance unless the child can neither eat nor breathe properly with their face as-is. Birth defects in general are not typically something insurance will cover unless the birth defects are life-threatening or the birth defects prevent a child from breathing, eating, and maintaining their internal organs inside the body (and not outside of it). If you have a child that was born with facial anomalies, and those anomalies prevent your child from eating and breathing, then the facial reconstruction surgeries are covered until doctors deem that the surgeries have successfully restored your child's independent ability to eat, swallow, and breathe.
You Were a Victim of a Violent Assault
You did not choose to be beaten beyond recognition, have your jaw smashed, or have your cheeks and eye sockets broken. You did not elect to have these things done to you, nor did you pay someone to brutalize you. An assault that results in this much facial trauma also results in facial reconstruction covered by most health insurance plans. Any remaining bills related to the assault and the surgeries needed to restore your face may be covered by victim assistance programs and lawsuits against your attacker(s).
You Were a Soldier Fighting in a War
Ever since the Civil War, soldiers have lost some parts of their faces in horrific battles, and ever since then, the government has made provisions to restore the faces of the soldiers. There are programs in place to help these soldiers regain what they lost, and the cost is covered by military health insurance. If your face was traumatized in a battle, and you have lost bones, teeth, or suffered other injuries to a bomb, a bullet, or other military weapon, consult with your commanding officer and the nearest military/veteran's hospital to see if you qualify for this assistance. If you do qualify, you can begin the reconstructive surgeries with a qualified plastic surgeon that is working with the military to provide these services to you.
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