"Will my insurance company pay for my tattooing? "
That is my number one question I get regarding the tattoo process. It is a listed service covered by the Women's Health Care Act. I do not participate directly with any insurance company so, I do not bill them. I take payment upfront from my clients and provide a receipt that can be combined with a prescription from the doctor to be turned in for possible reimbursement. I never can say if they will or to what extent they will cover my services.
In the doctor's office setting it usually is "covered", meaning they bill your insurance company and that outrageous amount they charge will hit your deductible. Since most reconstruction patients have a year long journey or more before they're ready for tattooing, it very well might not fall in the same year as their surgeries were billed. Same goes for all the "touch ups". Since the pigment used in doctor's office settings fades, many times to the point where you can not tell it was ever done, they will tell you to come back for a touch up with one of their 6-8 inks ranging from bubblegum pink to an unnatural magenta to coffee bean. Usually, the nurse performing the "task" of tattooing has had little to no training on this at all. Multiple issues are problematic , first the pigment is not permanent body art ink, combined with the lack of training of the technician, and improper small grouping of needles for the surface area to be covered, leading to unnecessary tissue trauma. These all create the perfect storm for a less than acceptable result. A result to be repeated over and over again in the doctor's office for a ridiculous amount of money to be billed through insurance. Sounds crazy, right?
I can confidently say this because I did exactly this "tattooing "process in a doctor's office setting for 9 years. Being frustrated and wanting to provide a better service led me to this the right way. So, after all this, you decide how much a great tattoo to be the final finishing touch to your breast reconstruction is worth. How much are you worth?
Chrissy
