Cost of haemorrhoid surgery

Haemorrhoids can go unnoticed. However, the most common symptoms are:^1,2

• Bright red blood on the toilet paper or in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement
• Itchiness, pain or discomfort around your anus
• A lump protruding from your anus (called a prolapse).

Whether you feel pain or not, if you have any of the above symptoms, you should get checked by your healthcare professional. More serious conditions like bowel cancer have similar symptoms to haemorrhoids, so it’s worth seeing your doctor to rule this out.

Treatment for haemorrhoids will vary depending on the severity of your condition.^1,2 Very mild haemorrhoids can resolve on their own after a few days. If you’re experiencing pain, inflammation or discomfort, you can purchase over-the-counter medicated creams, ointments and suppositories to provide relief. For severe inflammation, your doctor can prescribe corticosteroid cream. An injection (sclerotherapy) can help numb the pain, stop bleeding and shrink the haemorrhoid.³

Only a small percentage of people with haemorrhoids require surgical treatment.¹ Surgery will only be recommended if other treatments haven’t worked or the haemorrhoid is severe.

The two surgical procedures for haemorrhoids are:^1,2,3,4

• Rubber band ligation: A band is placed around the haemorrhoid, cutting off the blood supply and causing it to shrink.
• Haemorrhoidectomy: Surgery performed under general anaesthetic to treat haemorrhoids. There are three main types of haemorrhoidectomy which are:
  • Haemorrhoidectomy, where the haemorrhoids are surgically cut away.
  • Stapled haemorrhoidectomy, which involves pulling the haemorrhoids back inside your rectum and stapling them in place.
  • Transanal haemorrhoidal de-arterialisation (THD), a process that involves closing the arteries that supply blood to your haemorrhoid, causing it to shrink.

Recovery time will vary depending on the surgery and the patient. After a haemorrhoidectomy, you may need to take one or two weeks off work.³

If you have the right level of cover, private hospital insurance can contribute towards the costs of haemorrhoid surgery. Rubber band ligation and haemorrhoidectomy fall under the clinical category ‘digestive system’, a minimum requirement for Bronze, Silver and Gold level hospital policies.

There are some key benefits to being treated as a private patient, including:

• Avoiding public hospital waiting times
• Choice of specialist and healthcare clinic
• Flexibility with booking appointments
• Private room for hospital stay (if required and depending on availability).

Keep in mind that there may be a difference between the Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee and your specialist’s fee. This gap may leave you with some out-of-pocket costs depending on what your health fund will cover.

Medicare can cover the costs of haemorrhoid surgery as a public patient in public hospitals and some of the costs in private clinics. While public healthcare provides an invaluable service, there are also downsides, such as long waiting times. According to statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the average waiting time for a haemorrhoidectomy in a public hospital can be between 53 and 319 days.⁷

When purchasing a new policy, especially if it’s the first time you’re getting health insurance, it’s important to be aware of waiting periods. This is the time you’ll need to wait until you can make a claim. The standard waiting period for most hospital treatments is 2 months unless you have a pre-existing condition, which is typically 12 months. If you’ve previously served a waiting period for an inclusion, you won’t have to serve it again if you switch policies with the same or a lower level of cover.