Cosmetic Surgery at a Discount

Recently, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina began offering preferred-provider rates to its members for cosmetic surgery procedures and treatment with botulinum toxin type A (Botox). The cosmetic surgery procedures include face lifts, blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, breast lifts and enlargements, tummy tucks and liposuction. The plan offers an across-the-board discount of 20% to its members when they undergo these procedures with a preferred provider. BlueCross BlueShield presently has two plastic surgery practices on board and ultimately intends to have three — an adequate amount for this rural state, explains Rick Gallion, Director, Complementary Health Care for BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. “Prior to the cosmetic program,” adds Mr. Gallion, “we offered nutritional supplements, chiropractic services, acupuncture, massage therapy, laser eye surgery and more.” A Growing Trend An estimated 1% to 2% of health plans nationally offer some type of discount on cosmetic procedures, explains Pat Burgess, founder/CEO Cosmetic Surgery Consultants in Atlanta, an information and referral company to help individuals make safe and informed cosmetic decisions. “It’s definitely a growing trend for managed care companies to offer many kinds of value-added benefits that come in the form of discounted programs,” she adds, citing other examples of value-added benefits that some insurance companies have added such as massage therapy and acupuncture. The first health plan in the nation to offer a discounted rate on cosmetic procedures was United Health Care in Atlanta, explains Ms. Burgess. That was back in 1999. Since then, BlueCross BlueShield of North and South Carolina offer a variety of cosmetic surgery value-added services, as well as a small number of other providers nationwide. Slippery slope? Many doctors are afraid that discounts on cosmetic surgery fees are the first step toward managed care companies some day dictating to doctors what they can and can’t charge for cosmetic surgery procedures. I think it’s going to be a long time before insurance companies actually pay any part of these procedures, explains Ms. Burgess. “Maybe a very few progressive companies might offer a rider within the next 5 to 7 years,” she adds. “I don’t see that happening ever that insurance companies will cover aesthetic procedures. I don’t think cosmetic procedures will ever be a part of the core benefits.” Opportunities To Grow “There are many opportunities for doctors who are willing to discount their fees,” says Ms. Burgess. “Doctors often have the opportunity to capture a patient population to which they wouldn’t normally have access,” she continues. “Most of the doctors who tend to embrace these discounts say that it probably would’ve cost the amount of the discount in advertising or personal time getting their name known within the community to get that patient through the door,” she explains. Emil Bisaccia, M.D., co-author of the textbook The Columbia Manual of Dermatologic Cosmetic Surgery, says that personally, participating in discounts of this sort isn’t the kind of thing he’d be interested in doing. “I want the kind of patient who wants an excellent job and an experienced surgeon,” he says. “I don’t want someone who needs the discount and isn’t sure that he or she can afford the cosmetic procedure. My reputation and the results that come from my years of experience are not something I’d like to discount.” However, he added that he could see that this type of approach “could be beneficial to a young dermatologic cosmetic surgeon who’s trying to establish a cosmetic practice.” Yet, he warned that this should be approached with caution. “I have uniform fees that I think are fair, therefore to discount for only one group of patients isn’t equitable. Someone’s reputation could quickly fall based on differential pricing, that has no basis, for the same procedure.”