What is the cost of a standard abdominoplasty?

For a privately insured patient who meets Medicare criteria, the cost of a standard abdominoplasty is from $14 000 including the surgical fee, anaesthetic fee and 12 months follow up. Hospital and theatre costs will be covered by your insurance after payment of your excess. Some rebates will apply.

For an uninsured patient the cost of a standard abdominoplasty is from $25 000 including surgical fee, anaesthetic fee, theatre fee, 3 nights in hospital and 12 months follow up. Some rebates may apply.

Liposuction

Liposuction is used as a surgical technique by Dr Cameron to carry out all abdominoplasties. This does not incur extra cost. However, should liposuction be required to areas beyond the abdomen (e.g. thighs, hips, arms) this will incur extra costs.

Combined procedures

Other procedures, may be sometimes combined with an abdominoplasty in a single operation (e.g. standard abdominoplasty + breast lift). However, this is only appropriate for certain patients and procedures due to reasons of patient safety and/or Medicare requirements.

What is the cost of an extended abdominoplasty?

For a privately insured patient who meets Medicare criteria, the cost of an extended abdominoplasty is from $16 000 including the surgical fee, anaesthetic fee and 12 months follow up. Hospital and theatre costs will be covered by your insurance after payment of your excess. Some rebates will apply.

For an uninsured patient the cost of an extended abdominoplasty is from $26 000 including surgical fee, anaesthetic fee, theatre fee, 3 nights in hospital, Prevena dressing and 12 months follow up. Some rebates may apply.

Liposuction

Liposuction is used as a surgical technique by Dr Cameron to carry out all abdominoplasties. This does not incur extra cost. However, should liposuction be required to areas beyond the abdomen (e.g. thighs, hips, arms) this will incur extra costs.

Combined procedures

Other procedures, may be sometimes combined with an abdominoplasty in a single operation (e.g. standard abdominoplasty + breast lift). However, this is only appropriate for certain patients and procedures due to reasons of patient safety and/or Medicare requirements.

What is the cost of a circumferential abdominoplasty?

For a privately insured patient who meets Medicare criteria, the cost of a circumferential abdominoplasty is from $21 000 including the surgical fee, anaesthetic fee and 12 months follow up. Hospital and theatre costs will be covered by your insurance after payment of your excess. Some rebates will apply.

For a uninsured patient, the cost of a circumferential abdominoplasty is from $35000 including the surgical fee, anaesthetic fee, 5 nights in hospital, overnight stay in HDU, Prevena dressing and 12 months follow up. Some rebates may apply.

Liposuction

Liposuction is used as a surgical technique by Dr Cameron to carry out all abdominoplasties. This does not incur extra cost. However, should liposuction be required to areas beyond the abdomen (e.g. thighs, hips, arms) this will incur extra costs.

Combined procedures

Other procedures, may be sometimes combined with an abdominoplasty in a single operation (e.g. standard abdominoplasty + breast lift). However, this is only appropriate for certain patients and procedures due to reasons of patient safety and/or Medicare requirements.

Abdominoplasty may attract Medicare item numbers when performed to meet specific functional requirements. Eligibility will be assessed by Dr Cameron at your first consultation.

• Item 30175:
  

This item number is most commonly applied for post-pregnancy changes to the abdominal wall. To qualify, an ultrasound or CT must demonstrate at least 3cm gap between the rectus abdominus muscles, along with pain and/or urinary symptoms. Patients must have failed physio treatment and not have been pregnant in the preceding 12 months.

• Item 30177:

This item is most commonly applied for abdominoplasty after weight loss where at least 5 BMI points have been loss and rashes or other skin conditions are interfering with daily activities. Other treaments must have failed for the skin condition and weight must have been stable for 6 months. This item can cover standard, extended and Fleur de Lis abdominoplasty performed after significant weight loss.

• Item 30179
  

This is the item number for circumferential abdominoplasty. Patients must satisfy the same criteria as for 30177 (above) but have excess skin that extends circumferentially around the trunk.

If you hold private health insurance, we recommend contacting your health fund before booking to confirm:

• Your level of cover for the relevant item number(s)
• Whether your policy has any applicable waiting periods
• Your excess and any co-payment amounts
• Whether pre-authorisation is required

Even if your procedure is eligible for health fund cover, it is important to understand that out-of-pocket costs are still significant. In most cases, private health insurance primarily contributes to hospital-related costs. You may also receive rebates from Medicare and your health fund towards the surgeon’s and anaesthetist’s fees; however, these rebates are limited in comparison to the overall specialist fees

Dr Cameron will consult with you to determine whether you are medically indicated, and advise on the relevant item number for your procedure for you to confirm with your health fund. Some item numbers require, investigations for evidence to eligibility.  Our team will provide a formal personalised quote detailing all expected out-of-pocket costs before you commit to surgery.

We understand that navigating the financial aspects of surgery can feel overwhelming. Our aim is to provide clarity and transparency around the costs involved.

Medicare sets a Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee for surgical procedures. However, the MBS fee has not kept pace with the actual costs of delivering specialist plastic surgery care. Medicare reimburses 75% of the MBS fee for in-hospital procedures, and your private health fund typically contributes an additional 25% — together covering only a portion of the scheduled fee, not the actual cost of surgery.

Dr Cameron’s surgical fee reflects the complexity of your procedure, operative time, his level of specialist training and experience (FRACS — Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, PhD), consumables, surgical equipment, the surgical assistant fee, and the overhead of running a specialist surgical practice. The difference between what Medicare and your health fund contribute and Dr Cameron’s fee is your out-of-pocket gap, and will be clearly outlined in your personalised quote prior to surgery.

Your final surgical plan must be confirmed before a formal quote can be finalised and your booking secured. Our team will guide you through all costs prior to proceeding.

All of Dr Cameron’s surgical quotes are based on the planned procedure. In some cases, additional costs may arise if:

Please note that post-operative compression garments are a mandatory part of recovery for most surgical procedures. These are not covered by Medicare or private health insurance and are an additional out-of-pocket cost. Garment costs are listed separately in the cost overview above.

Where possible, Dr Cameron will discuss any anticipated complexity at your consultation. Our team will contact you promptly if any unexpected costs arise during your care.