Medicaid Covering Circumcision?

Updated on March 01, 2010
S.K. asks from Port Saint Lucie, FL
19 answers

I have a 16 month old son that has an appointment to be circumcised next wednesday. The Doctor whome is doing the procedure does accept medicaid but supposedly, medicaid does not cover circumcisions at all anymore. So i'm not sure if i will have to pay out of pocket or if medicaid will cover it because the doctore accepts it? And if i do have to pay out of pocket, does anybody know about how much it'd be? Please help! Thanks!

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So What Happened?

Thank you so much everyone for all your input and advice!! I called the office today to say i dont believe my insurance would cover it and to see how much it would cost without insurance. The receptionist then asked what insurance i had and when i told her, she said it would cover it!! But we'll see for sure on the 10th.

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K.C.

answers from Tampa on

They will cover it after the child is a year old and its MEDICALLY needed. For example, if the baby keeps getting UTI's.......Otherwise its like $200- $300, depending on the Dr

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A.G.

answers from Punta Gorda on

Medicaid does not pay for circumcission. You will have to pay for it. I would call the doctor and ask him how much it is going to cost. Circumcission is biblical. While you are reasearching not doing it you could research the commitment that is biblical in circumcission.

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R.A.

answers from Boca Raton on

Hi, circumcision is mutilation. If you're religious I'm sure you know that if we are created in G-d's image then he didn't make a mistake and put something there that Drs are meant to remove. It's painful, cruel and not needed. The American Cancer Society retracted their statement that there is more chance of cervical cancer to women whose partner is uncircumcised. People think it's barbaric to circ a girl but not a boy, it's the same thing. Can be dangerous too.
I'm sure you LOVE your baby and want the best for him, consider the possibilities.
http://www.nocirc.org/

Once a dr said the whole hygiene reasoning for circumcision is ridiculous b/c there are many other body parts where dirt, etc can get it and we're obviously not going to start removing ears, noses, etc.

2 moms found this helpful
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C.S.

answers from Lakeland on

they don't cover the procedure anymore because the medical associations have deemed it unnecessary and cosmetic. Massachusetts is looking at banning it as cruel.
If you choose to circumcise your son, you will likely have to pay out of pocket to do it. However, there is no medical reason for it, so you may want to reconsider.
If you choose to move forward and do it anyway, please, please, please find a doctor who will use local anesthesia on your baby so that he does not have to suffer excruciating pain for a cultural practice. It's just not fair. Good luck.

2 moms found this helpful
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J.M.

answers from Gainesville on

Medicaid does not pay for circumcision anymore because it is not deemed
"medically necessary" anymore. If he were to have a problem later on from not being circumcised then the dr would say it needed to be done and medicaid would pay for it. But since that doesnt seem like your case, it would be an expense out of pocket.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.W.

answers from Miami on

Your doctor can answer this question.
My question to you is why have the baby circumcised? Unless medically necessary, I do not recommend the procedure. It's painful.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.F.

answers from St. Cloud on

Ummmmmm, ladies......this is 16 month old boy being circumcized, not a newborn. I am sure this mom has a reason for doing it, and most likely, it's none of our business.
Also......male circ. is NOTHING like female circ. Anyone who thinks they are the same is insulting the girls/women who have had to live their entire lives in agony for men's sexual pleasure due to female circumcision.

S., I hope you get an answer to your question! I wish I could help!

1 mom found this helpful
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I.G.

answers from Seattle on

You will need to contact medicaid! They will pay, if the procedure is done for medical reasons.

If it is elective, I would urge you to reconsider or at least get educated. It is very painful - usually done before they leave the hospital, infant don't complain! Circumcising a toddler is a whole different ballpark! Recovery for toddlers is longer and painful as well...
Watch a video on how it's done and speak to other parents who had it done on toddlers... it really isn't something you want to put your child through just because...
Good luck.

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A.

answers from Tampa on

I work for a medicaid/medicare HMO, and medicaid does not pay for it unless it medically necessary. The cost is around $200. If you see fit to have this procedure on your son, he is your child, and I dont think people should judge. I am certain your ped will take the necessary precautions to make the procedure comfortable for him at his age.

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S.D.

answers from Daytona Beach on

I dont believe any one covers circumcision anymore. They all say it's not medicaly nessary. It only cost about $250, but thats what I paid when they were newborn. Not sure if they charge more when they are older. Make sure you ask for some kind of pain killer for him. They dont usually give it to babies. Make sure You want to do this now that hes older. He will remember the pain and its not fun at any age. Good luck.

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

My son's was done in 1998 also, as an infant before discharge from the hospital. It cost about $200 if I remember correctly. Be aware that a circumcision is considered an elective surgery - not medically necessary, so I would assume you would pay out of pocket. We had EXCELLENT health insurance coverage.. but were still required to pay out of pocket for the procedure because we had not met the deductible yet that year.

I, too, find it curious that so many people are so vocal in their opposition to this procedure, but there doesn't seem to be any outcry against piercing a baby girl's ears.

We didn't circumcise our son for religious purposes (we are Christian.. and being circumcised has nothing to do with being saved - there are NO works that we can do to accomplish that; only Christ's works can accomplish that); we did it because we wanted our son to look the same as his dad and the other 80% of the kids in the high school locker room.

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M.L.

answers from Miami on

A lot of insurances do not cover it anymore because it is cosmetic it is not a necessary procedure. But I am not sure how Medicaid works in this situation try it you never know. If the doctor puts that it is medically necessary than that's a whole different story then the insurance will cover it. I had to pay $500 for my son's circumcision. good luck!

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R.H.

answers from Tampa on

you will have to pay out of pocket and the doctor's office should be able to tell you exactly how much you will have to pay - just call and ask ahead of time so that you are prepared.

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S.D.

answers from Topeka on

You need to contact medicaid to get the correct information

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H.A.

answers from Miami on

medicaid doesnt cover it, even if your dr accepts it. it costs between 200-300$ typically.

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S.T.

answers from Gainesville on

Medicaid did not cover my son's and that was in 2003. We had to pay around $200. I was in the hospital with my daughter who was having hernia repair surgery. We spoke to a mother who was having her 18 month old son circumsized that day. She said most if not all health insurance companies are no longer paying for it. They are trying to say that it's cosmetic.

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L.W.

answers from Miami on

Since it's not standard procedure anymore they may not. Why is your son getting it done this age? If the doc deems it medically necessary, medicaid should cover it. Otherwise it's elective. Circumcision is something that is decided on for a number of factors, it's up to you. There are medical concerns for either decision. I know people who have successfully gone their whole life uncircumcised. I also know a few people who have had to have it done later because of medical problems. I don't know anyone who is circumcised that has had problems. All 3 of my boys had it done before they left the hospital. They were numbed first, none of them cried at all, and they were healed up within a week. And I know they were numbed because I was present. We were given infant tylenol for them too.

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S.S.

answers from Daytona Beach on

medicaid stopped paying for circumcisions a few years ago since it's not "medically necessary". you will have to pay for it out of pocket since it's not something that they pay for. when my son was born i wasn't sure if my insurance would cover it and the dr said it was about $120 thru him. this was almost 4yrs ago now. my doc did give a shot to numb it and my son only cried when he got the shot. he didn't cry when he was circumcised. i agree with the other post as he is your son and if it's what you want for him then do it. there are good and bad to both sides of the issue. to me not having it done outweighed having it done. good luck.

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

My son was circumcised at the hospital the day after he was born in 1998. We paid $200 out of pocket. They used a topical anesthesia and he showed no sign of pain or discomfort. It took only about 20 min. Often the same people who argue against it see nothing wrong with piercing a baby girls ears anytime in her first year. Family traditions, religions, and cultural practices go hand in hand with being human, and there is room for a lot of differences in this world.

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