Does health insurance cover mole removal?

In Australia, private health insurance rarely covers or contributes to the cost of mole removal. In order to qualify for a payment from private health insurance, the mole must be removed for medical and not cosmetic reasons, and the removal must be performed while you are a hospital inpatient. Individual insurers and policies vary, so it’s always advisable to check with your insurer before claiming for any mole removal procedure.

‍Mole removal procedures are sometimes covered by Medicare and rarely by private health insurance. Under Australian health legislation, private health insurance may only cover mole removal if it is performed:

• For medical (not cosmetic) reasons.
• When the patient is admitted to a hospital.

This rules out the vast majority of mole removal procedures in Australia.

In addition, removing a mole without surgery, for example removing moles with a laser or IPL, with radiofrequency ablation, electrocautery or cryotherapy is not covered by Medicare (although in some cases a rebate might be paid if a biopsy is performed as part of a radiofrequency surgery procedure).

This means that for all cosmetic mole removal procedures the entire cost of the procedure must be paid for by the patient. Costs should always be discussed with the treating healthcare professional before committing to any mole removal treatment.