- Question
Should cosmetic surgey be covered by health insurance?
Should health insurance pay for cosmetic surgery? This entry maps the positions on the question — that cosmetic surgery should be covered, that it should not, and that it depends on the case, such as reconstructive need.
Yes, cosmetic surgery should be covered by health insurance
Proponents argue that the line between cosmetic and medical treatment does not survive examination. Appearance affects how people are treated and how they get on, so a system that pays to relieve suffering should not refuse when its cause is visible.
No, cosmetic surgery should not be covered by health insurance
On this view insurance exists to pool the cost of illness and injury, and cosmetic surgery is neither. Proponents argue that funding elective procedures charges everyone for the preferences of a few, and that the demand has no natural limit.
It depends - in some instances cosmetic surgery should be covered by health insurance
This position holds that the category is too broad to settle in one answer. Proponents argue that reconstruction after injury or disease, and correction of a condition that impairs function, differ in kind from altering a healthy appearance.