medical complication insurance if travelling from outside USA

[itwillallbeok]

Hi.  This is a question for those doctors based in the USA who have had patients travel to them from outside the country.  I believe Dr. Bermant, Dr. Jacobs, and Dr. Silverman all fall into this category.  

Do you know if those patients were insured in the unlikely event that something went wrong and they needed to be treated in the US for complications arising from the procedure?  And if so, how were they insured?

I'm considering travelling to the USA for my procedure.  However, knowing how quickly medical costs can add up, I would like to find insurance to cover any treatment I would require in the US should complications arise.  However I've had no luck so far.  Such treatment is not covered by regular travel insurance.  Insurance companies based in my home country only seem to cover domestic treatment.  Insurance companies based in the USA seem to require you to be a US citizen.  The only medical complication insurance policies for travelling patients that I've found so far are for those travelling to specific doctors in the third world.

Thanks in advance for any information or leads you can provide.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

You are correct.  There is insurance that one can purchase when planning a cosmetic surgical procedure.  It would insure you against any subsequent hospitalization for treatment of a complication.  It is provided by a company called "CosmetAssure". (Try Googling it).   However, I do not know if they would insure non-Americans.  You might inquire -- it's certainly worth a try.

On the other hand, assuming you are in the hands of an experienced gyne surgeon, the chance that you would need subsequent hospitalization for emergency treatment would be exceedingly small.

I have my own surgical facility --and if there is ever a need for something to be done very soon after surgery (this happens about once in every 5 years), my facility is right there and ready for it -- at no charge.

If you are interested in traveling to the US, then I would be pleased to provide a free consultation to you.  Kindly send me a PM with your name and email address and I will start the ball rolling.

Dr Jacobs

[itwillallbeok]

Thanks for your reply Dr. Jacobs.  I have read up on CosmetAssure and unfortunately it is not something that a patient can purchase directly because the surgeon is the policy holder.  The way it works is I would have to choose a surgeon who is a CosmetAssure participant, and then I would be automatically covered under the surgeon's policy.  Unfortunately, from what I can tell, none of the trusted surgeons that I've seen post on gynecomastia.org are CostmetAssure participants.

I do realize the likelihood of a complication requiring emergency hospitalization is extremely low, I would just like to be prepared.

[Litlriki]

CosmetAssure is the only program I'm familiar with as well.  As has been Dr. Jacob's experience, problems associated with gynecomastia surgery are typically manageable without hospital admission, and as is his practice, I don't charge the patient to deal with those issues.  I don't have the luxury of my own surgicenter, but I am able to handle most problems in the procedure room in my office, unless a general anesthetic was required, which fortunately has never been the case. 

Rick Silverman