Designer vaginas in Oz not to be free in bid to curtail use of it

Sydney, May 5 (ANI): Australian government will most likely target one of the most delicate areas of medical care - cosmetic genital surgery - in its search for cuts to the cost of Medicare.

The increase in so-called "designer vagina" surgical procedures is expected to come under tougher scrutiny in relation to eligibility for Medicare benefits in Tuesday's budget, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The procedure is one of many operations that can be performed outside hospital and thus attract the benefit of the Medicare safety net which significantly reduces the out-of-pocket cost of expensive surgery.

Vulvoplasty or labioplasty, sought by patients to improve the shape and size of the vagina, and to treat painful or embarrassing conditions, can be eligible for Medicare payments if deemed to be clinically essential, but not if performed solely for cosmetic reasons.

The operation can cost nearly 4500 dollars.

However the number of these procedures done outside hospital attracting payments under the Medicare safety net has almost doubled in recent years to 191 in 2010, at a cost of 427,551 dollars.

The cost is small in terms of the 17 billion dollars Medicare budget but the focus of the cost-cutting in the budget is expected to fall on several small areas of health expenditure. (ANI)