Septoplasty cost

When you have a severe septal deviation, you may begin to notice issues.² If these affect your quality of life, your doctor may recommend a septoplasty.

Signs of a deviated septum include:^1,2

• Nasal blockage (blocked nose) in one nostril, both or alternating between the two
• Difficulty breathing through nasal passages
• Nosebleeds
• Reoccurring sinus infections
• Affected sense of smell.

More general symptoms include:^1,2

• Facial pain
• Headaches
• Loud, noisy breathing
• Trouble sleeping
• Obstructive sleep apnoea.

Your doctor may use a nasal endoscope to see into your nasal cavity to help make a diagnosis.²

While you cannot straighten your nasal septum without surgery, you may be able to manage symptoms with medication and nasal sprays.¹ The severity of your condition will determine how well these solutions help clear your airways and combat other symptoms.

When performed as a public patient in a public hospital, Medicare can cover the costs of deviated septum surgery. If you’re treated in a private hospital, Medicare will cover some of the MBS fees. However, Medicare will only cover nose surgery deemed medically necessary.

Any cosmetic surgery (surgery performed for aesthetic reasons but not medically necessary) will need to be paid for out of your own pocket.

While public hospitals are an essential service, some downsides can include the long waiting times. The average waiting time for a septoplasty in an Australian public hospital is 332 days.⁴

Private hospital cover can help cover septoplasty costs, provided you have the right inclusions in your policy. Your policy will need to include the ‘ear, nose and throat’ category, which is a minimum requirement for Bronze, Silver and Gold policies. Depending on the procedure, you may also need cover for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Medically Necessary). This is a minimum requirement for Silver and Gold policies.

While your septoplasty will typically be medically necessary and therefore covered provided you hold an appropriate level of cover, rhinoplasty may not be due to it being a cosmetic surgery.

Check your product disclosure statement (PDS) or policy documents for more information.

Being treated as a private patient can provide some noticeable advantages over public treatment, including:

• Avoiding public hospital waiting times
• Choice of private clinic and specialist (subject to availability)
• Private room for recovery (subject to availability).

Whenever you purchase a new health insurance policy, you’ll need to serve a waiting period before you can make a claim. This will also be the case if you’ve upgraded your policy to include new inclusions. For new conditions, the standard waiting period is typically 2 months. For a pre-existing condition, the waiting period is typically 12 months. If you switch policies, you won’t have to serve waiting periods except for inclusions you didn’t previously have.