Does Health Insurance Cover Hair Loss Treatment?

Does Health Insurance Cover Hair Loss Treatment?

Melvin
By Melvin Lopez
Created Tuesday, February 8, 2022 - 09:15

Co-Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network

Hair Loss and Insurance Coverage

Hair loss is an everlasting pandemic that affects men and women worldwide. But can health insurance help you cover your expenses related to hair loss and hair restoration?  In this article, we will discuss hair loss treatments and whether or not health insurance will cover any of your treatment.

Health insurance often covers one’s medical and surgical expenses. So, if you are seriously ill or injured than, you can claim the expenses for treatment and your health insurance will likely pay all or a portion of the procedure. However, medical treatment or surgical hair restoration is considered elective and not based on any illness or injury. Hair loss is not considered a disease or a condition that prevents men and women from living there every day lives. As a result, many health insurance companies won’t pay for medicinal treatment for thinning hair nor hair transplant surgery.

There are however, some exceptions. In rare circumstances, hair transplant surgery may be required to restore hair of a burn victim or as a result of some other illness or medical condition. Under these unusual circumstances not just because someone is looking to treat hair loss alone, hair transplant surgery and other non-surgical solutions may be covered by your health insurance company.

Does Health Insurance Cover Hair Transplants Surgery?

It is important that you understand your health insurance policy in detail. Every policy is different however, many policies make you pay a limited amount periodically and will only cover a portion of whatever treatment you require. The insurance company covers expenses of any kind related to unforeseen illness or health-related issues. However, these normal health insurance policies do not cover health-related aspects which are not that life-threatening. This includes elective and cosmetic procedures such as hair transplant surgery. Hair loss May affect men and women psychologically however, there are no real health problems associated with normal thinning hair and balding due to androgenetic alopecia.

However, as previously mentioned, if hair loss is a result of a burn or another life threatening illness or injury, how is insurance companies may cover treatments in these unusual, rare cases. This includes surgical hair restoration. You are advised to speak with a representative from your health insurance company and consult a recommended hair restoration doctor for more information.

That said, we recognize that hair loss causes extreme anxiety and depression in many men and women and as a result, it’s our hope that health insurance companies will One day recognize this and begin to cover medical and surgical treatment for hair loss. Thankfully, there are some hair transplant clinics that will allow you to pay for treatment in installments or provide interest free financing.

Why Doesn't Insurance Cover Hair Loss?

More than 40 percent of the population acknowledge that they are suffering from hair loss. Male and Female hair loss are common in young and older individuals alike.

Anyone can experience hair fall and other such hair loss problems. Fortunately, there are treatments available today that really work. Regrettably however, health insurance does not cover hair loss related treatments whether they are non-surgical or surgical. Simply put, elective procedures and conditions that are not associated with any health related problems are not covered by insurance companies. Because treating hair loss is not a medical necessity, health insurance providers simply won’t provide any help with this condition. Ultimately, health insurance companies were created to help offset costs for treatments related to keeping individuals at their optimal health so they can continue working and being a constructive part of society. Since balding does nothing to prevent individuals from living a healthy lifestyle and working, treatments for hair loss and surgical hair transplantation simply does not fit in line with what health insurance companies cover.