Dear Dr. Winder:
Q. I have literally suffered with back, neck and shoulder pain from my overly large, heavy breasts for many, many years. I've gone to many doctors and chiropractors, and had some relief. However, as I'm getting older it is more and more problematic for me. I don't know what breast reduction surgery costs, but imagine that it's beyond my means. Is there any possibility that my health insurance would cover this?

A. Not knowing who your health insurance carrier is, I cannot predict if you might qualify for insurance coverage. It is, however, easy for you to find out; call the phone number on your insurance card, identify yourself and ask them if breast reduction is an "eligible expense". If it is, that is not an assurance that they'd pay for the surgery; that means that if they find the surgery to be "medically necessary" that they would pay for the surgery. Medical necessity is determined by the size and weight of your breasts, which we demonstrate with photos (taken from the neck down) when we write your insurance company for authorization to proceed with surgery. Also, if you can show a history of attempted treatment by doctors or chiropractors, as well as letters from them stating that you have legitimate problems and they feel you'd benefit from breast reduction, this will greatly strengthen your position. If, however, it is not an eligible expense, or you are turned down by your insurance company, we offer patients without coverage greatly reduced fees in order to make it affordable to most everyone. Women who have this surgery are extremely pleased they did. Call 970-884-6181 to schedule an appointment.

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