Q. Why isn’t it covered by insurance when nasal bone fracture surgery raises the nose bridge?

Hello. I’m Kim Hyeong-taek, CEO and chief surgeon of Kowon Plastic Surgery, specializing in the nose.

Today, I received a question from someone who had to undergo nose surgery due to a nasal bone fracture and felt it was unfair that insurance would not cover raising the nose bridge for reconstruction rather than for cosmetic purposes.

Q. Nasal bone fracture surgery: why isn’t it covered by insurance when the nose bridge is raised?

Two days ago, I severely injured my nose and sustained a nasal bone fracture.

I had a CT scan at a university hospital, and they said there were nasal bone fractures in two places, one at the upper part of the nose and one at the lower part.

So I had to schedule admission right away...

The doctor said the nose can never return 100% to its original shape.

I already knew that... If any part of the body is injured, it’s hard to return to the original appearance...

I decided to have surgery to prevent my nose from becoming crooked or lower, but this raises a question.

Since surgery lowers the original height of the nose, why isn’t it possible to raise the nose back to its original height?

I was told that raising it itself is considered for cosmetic purposes, so insurance (out-of-pocket reimbursement, injury insurance) does not apply...

I’m raising the nose not for cosmetic reasons, but to return it to my original nose, so I don’t really understand why that is considered cosmetic... I’m asking because I don’t quite understand.

When I asked people around me, the opinions were almost evenly split between those who said it is covered and those who said it isn’t...

I’m so frustrated... please let me know ㅠ

#nasalbonefracture #nosesurgery #insurance #rhinoplasty #nasalreconstruction #KowonPlasticSurgery

Precisely aligning a fractured nasal bone is not easy.

That is why we say it cannot be restored 100% exactly.

For a simple nasal bone fracture, it is not possible to raise the nose above its original height through closed reduction.

In this case, the bone is simply put back into its original position.

To raise the height of the nose, a prosthesis such as silicone must be inserted to increase the height.

However, raising the height like this or changing the shape of the nose falls under the cosmetic category, so insurance coverage is not possible.

I understand that this part may be hard to accept.

However, insurance applies only to setting the nasal bone, and this is not determined by the hospital performing the surgery.

Also, after reduction for a nasal bone fracture, the nose does not necessarily become lower.

I hope for a good outcome.

Thank you.

Source: https://kin.naver.com/qna/detail.naver?d1id=7&dirId=70110&docId=209287160&page=1#answer3

https://blog.naver.com/kowon_note/223330250577