Please note that the figures here are a general guide only. At your consultation, Stephen will assess your personal requirements for surgery like abdominoplasty and he will provide you with an accurate quote.
Costs of surgery explained
The cost of surgery like abdominoplasty is quite complex. We follow the processes of informed financial consent. The surgical fees comprise of:
- A surgeon fee
- An anaesthetic fee
- A hospital bed fee (if uninsured or is a cosmetic procedure)
- A theatre fee (if uninsured or is a cosmetic procedure)
- Assistant fee
- Excess if you have private insurance and if your procedure is included in your cover (depending on your level of cover)
What does Medicare cover?
Medicare does not cover medical and hospital services which are not clinically necessary or surgery solely for cosmetic reasons.
Medicare will only cover a portion of the surgeon and anaesthetic fees for plastic surgery when it is necessary for health and not only cosmetic reasons. In these cases, Medicare will only cover a portion of the surgeon and anaesthetic fees.
What does private health insurance cover?
Private health insurance will often cover all the hospital costs which include the bed fees and theatre fees for these procedures:
- abdominoplasty (tummy tuck)
- breast reduction
- arm and thigh lift
- some upper eyelid reduction surgery
Note: private health insurance typically only covers a portion of the surgeon and anaesthetists fees. You should check with your own provider and level of cover to see if your procedure is included in your policy.
Any gap between the total cost of the surgery and your insurance/Medicare will be your out-of-pocket costs.
Which procedures are NOT covered by Medicare or private health insurance?
Many cosmetic procedures are not covered by private health insurance so you will be required to pay all fees and you will not be entitled to any rebates from your insurance or medicare. This is for cosmetic procedures, including:
- breast augmentation
- breast lift
- liposuction
- face lifts
- neck lifts
- upper and lower eyelid surgery.
Cosmetic procedures also have 10% GST added to the cost due to government regulation.
Some typical out of pocket fees for more common procedures. This is the total out of pocket fees after all Medicare and private health fund rebates. They can vary by a considerable amount depending on the extent of the surgery.
Out of pocket fees are generally required to be paid to the surgeon and anaesthetist prior to the surgery date. Hospital fees will need to be paid on the day of admission.
