Q&A: would i qualify for free rhinoplasty on the nhs?
Question by : would i qualify for free rhinoplasty on the nhs?
I want to know if i can get free rhinoplasty from the NHS, i already have a confirmed deviated septum from birth, which i think has got worse after having a broken nose twice, I have great difficulty to breath through my nose, and its worse when i go sleep, as when im laying down and try and breath through my nose i get really short of breath.
I also have a really bad case of snoring, which keeps my 2 young children and partner awake, the neighbors can hear it too.
I think i would qualify for septoplasty as this causes many problems for me, it depresses me all the time and i often resort to taking my anger out on my partner, who just puts up with it.
As well as that i have very large hump on my nose which really gets me down, i wont go out and specialize because i feel like everyone is looking at me and laughing, part of the problem comes from being bullied and physically beaten at school.
if i got rid of this i would have loads more confidence and i wouldn’t be so depressed, also my relationship will improve as i gain in confidence.
As well as that because i don’t socialize this affects my children, 4 years and 1 year, who don’t play with other kids and spend there days inside home. my 4 year old doesn’t like to play with other children at school.
If i could get septoplasty on the NHS because of health related problems, would they also give me free rhinoplasty to remove my nasal problem as this is part of the problem why i am so depressed and anti social.
i am also so anti social that i font like to go out of my house, i have trouble taking my children to the Dr’s for immunizations because i am to scared to go out, and half the time my partner has to take my son to school.
Best answer:
Answer by pierced
It’s highly unlikely… although you could definitely try to sell your case to the insurance company. I just got rhinoplasty 4 days ago. My septoplasty was covered due to my deviated septum from either birth or breaking my nose (it’s unclear which, my mom had one from birth and I never thought of getting it checked out until I broke my nose and breathing problems worsened). I formed a bump on the bridge of my nose and I had hoped the insurance would cover it since it was due to an injury.
This is the way my surgeon/ENT explained it to me: insurance companies do not want to pay for rhinoplasty at all! It’s very very hard to get them to do this. With that said, they some times cover it if you have a documented health problem directly related to the shape of your nose. He told me it usually meant that you had to have an accident that made your nose very disfigured.
In my opinion, it sounds like you at least have a case. You can go to an ENT (I went to an ENT who was double boarded as an ENT and a facial plastic surgeon) and he/she could file a report with your insurance company. They’d take pictures and in your situation I’m assuming they’d send you to a psychiatrist and have them verify your social issues. My surgeon said it can be a long process though. He told me it can take up to 9 months to hear anything back from the insurance company and they may end up just denying the case. Your surgeon should be able to give you a realistic idea of whether or not you have a standing chance with getting it covered. In my case, it wasn’t causing me any psychological issues so they’d most likely rule it as just cosmetic.
I know that was really wordy, but I hope it helped. To summarize, I would definitely make an appointment with an ENT and have them file a report to your insurance company so you can work toward possibly getting your problem fixed!
Good luck and I really hope everything works out for you!
