Who Covers the Costs of Preventive Surgery Like Angelina Jolie's

This week, actress and director Angelina Jolie took to the New York Times to announce a big decision: She had her ovaries and fallopian tubes surgically removed, a preventive measure meant to decrease her risk of ovarian and breast cancer. This surgery followed her preventive double mastectomy in 2013.

After losing her mother, grandmother, and aunt to cancer, Jolie underwent genetic testing and learned that she had a mutation in one of her BRCA genes, a tumor-suppressor gene. That means she too has an increased risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

"I feel feminine, and grounded in the choices I am making for myself and my family," Jolie wrote. "I know my children will never have to say, 'Mom died of ovarian cancer.'"

The good news: If you share Jolie's predisposition to cancer, the same treatment options are probably available to you. Most insurers will cover preventive surgery for women with a BRCA mutation, says Lisa Schlager, vice president for community affairs and public policy at Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), a nonprofit organization devoted to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. (Generally, Medicare and Medicaid aren't as generous, Schlager says.)

That's been true for a long time—a 2001 study found that 97% of preventive surgeries for women with BRCA mutations were fully covered by insurance (except for deductibles and copays).

The surgery can be costly. According to HealthSparq, a health care costs transparency firm, the average national cost for the surgical removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes is $12,381.

That's the average insurer-negotiated price, based on actual claims data from 67 health plans. In other words, that's the average price insurers have agreed to pay hospitals and health providers for the procedure. You can expect to pay a smaller portion of that cost, depending on your health plan's deductible, co-pays and co-insurance.

Today, the average deductible for Americans with single, employer-subsidized health coverage is $1,217, which means most need to pay more than a grand out-of-pocket before insurance begins to cover the bulk of their costs, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

"It really depends on your insurance and your deductible," Schlager says. "Some people have a very high deductible, and we’re referring them to services that provide financial assistance."

Prices can also vary significantly by region. According to HealthSparq, the average cost of the procedure is $8,693 in Maryland, but $20,763 in San Francisco, a $12,070 price gap.

But generally, insurers will cover the surgery. After all, "the surgeries are less expensive to the private insurers than if you were to get cancer," Schlager says.

How do you know if you're at risk? According to guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, you should get screened for genetic abnormalities if any of your family members develop ovarian or fallopian tube cancer, breast cancer in both breasts, breast and ovarian cancer, breast cancer before age 50, male breast cancer, or other signs of hereditary breast-ovarian cancer syndrome. You should also get tested if more than one blood relative on the same side of your family has breast, ovarian, fallopian tube, prostate, pancreatic, or melanoma cancer. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which helps implement the Affordable Care Act, made similar recommendations.

Schlager says the cost of genetic testing has "dropped substantially" in recent years, to between $1,500 and $4,000. Most insurers will cover genetic testing if you meet the national guidelines, but if your insurer refuses, some labs have financial assistance programs to limit your out-of-pocket cost to about $100, Schlager says.

Then you should meet with a genetic counselor. The Affordable Care Act mandates that health insurers cover genetic counseling with no cost-sharing if you have an increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer. That is to say, genetic counseling is a women's preventive service that should be free to you, like birth control.

Jolie was quick to note that her choice isn't the answer for everyone. "A positive BRCA test does not mean a leap to surgery," Jolie wrote. "I have spoken to many doctors, surgeons and naturopaths. There are other options."

A genetic counselor should help you understand the implications of preventive surgery and consider other less invasive—but less effective—measures, like increased cancer screenings. "It’s a very personal decision, and every family is different," Schlager says. "Your first step is to talk to your doctor."