How much does septoplasty cost in Australia?

Symptoms of a deviated septum can include nasal blockage (blocked nose), difficulty breathing, nosebleeds, recurring sinus infections and an affected sense of smell.² More general symptoms include facial pain, headaches, trouble breathing, noisy breathing, snoring, sleep apnoea and other sleep issues. Most cases of a deviated septum are mild and have little or no symptoms at all.

When you have a severe septal deviation, you may begin to notice issues.² If these affect your quality of life, your doctor may recommend a septoplasty.

Your doctor may use a nasal endoscope to see into your nasal cavity to help make a diagnosis.²

Yes, there are non-surgical alternative treatments that could help with symptoms of nasal deviation, including nasal steroid sprays, antihistamines, decongestants and nasal dilators. While septoplasty surgery is necessary to permanently straighten your nasal septum, these alternative treatments can help relieve symptoms such as congestion, inflammation and reduced airflow.

Yes, Medicare can cover the costs of a deviated septum surgery if you’re treated as a public patient in a public hospital. If you’re treated in a private hospital, Medicare will cover some of the MBS fees. However, Medicare will only cover nose surgery deemed medically necessary.

Any cosmetic surgery (surgery performed for aesthetic reasons but not medically necessary) will need to be paid for out of your own pocket.

While public hospitals are an essential service, some downsides can include long waiting times. The average waiting time for a septoplasty in an Australian public hospital is 320 days from 2024 – 2025.⁴

Yes, private hospital cover can help cover the costs of septoplasty, provided your policy includes the ‘ear, nose and throat’ category, which is a minimum requirement for Bronze, Silver and Gold policies. Depending on the procedure, you may also need cover for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Medically Necessary). This is a minimum requirement for Silver and Gold policies, but may also be found on some Bronze Plus policies.

Your septoplasty will typically be medically necessary and therefore covered provided you hold an appropriate level of cover, whereas rhinoplasty is usually classed as cosmetic so you’ll likely foot the entire bill.

Check your product disclosure statement (PDS) or policy documents for more information.

Being treated as a private patient can provide some noticeable advantages over public treatment, including:

• avoiding public hospital waiting times
• choice of private clinic and specialist (subject to availability)
• private room for recovery (subject to availability).

Yes, the hospital cover standard waiting period for new conditions is typically 2 months. For a pre-existing condition, the wait is typically 12 months. If you switch hospital policies, you won’t have to serve waiting periods except for inclusions you didn’t previously have, or for any changes to your excess.

Whenever you purchase a new health insurance policy, you’ll need to serve a waiting period before you can make a claim. This will also be the case if you’ve upgraded your policy to include new inclusions.