Will Insurance Pay For A Testicular Implant?

Q: Dr. Eppley,I am interested in a testicular implant.  I’ am 24 years old and I have monorchism. When I was in grade school my older brothers thought it was funny to tell  every one and this humiliation as stuck with me my whole life. They called me “Half a Man” or “UniBall”. It was a traumatic experience to say the least. Now that I am older I would like to have an implant put in. I just want to feel normal. I’ve read enough about testicular implants over the years to know the surgery is considered an aesthetic procedure but there’s so much more to it than that.  Is there any way an insurance provider would consider covering such a surgery?

A: Whether insurance would cover a procedure like a testicular implant is one they have to answer. I can not predict with any accuracy what any insurance may or may not do. My experience would suggest, however, that they are likely to call it a cosmetic procedure as it serves no medical benefit. (unfortunately they do not consider the psychological aspects of any missing or deformed body part as being medically significant) However this is a question that you would have to ask your insurance carrier.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana