Author Bowtie Team
Updated on 2025-06-12
Disclaimer: This article is translated with the assistance of AI.
With more beauty salons, clinics, and medical centers claiming to treat warts, quality varies wildly, and some even coach patients to exaggerate symptoms, luring them into the ‘wart removal trap’! The Bowtie team uncovers common insurance claim pitfalls, explains how insurers handle wart removal cases, and shares essential tips to dodge these traps and avoid legal headaches – claim smarter today!
Common Traps in Wart Removal Insurance Claims
From all the online discussions out there, plenty of consumers mention deciding on wart removal treatments after a friend’s recommendation or seeing social media promotions. Some even get talked into pricey procedures by medical or beauty centers, with promises that insurance will cover the full cost. But if you rush in and buy into these claims without thinking twice, you might not only risk making things worse but also get misled by shady providers who make it sound like insurance will foot the entire bill—leaving you to pay out of pocket in the end.
It’s easy to spot potential misleading tactics from these service providers in such cases—they’re dishing out inaccurate claims info without being insurance pros. Common misleading info includes:
- Falsely claiming their services can be “fully” reimbursed by insurance
- Pushing consumers toward treatments that cost way more than necessary, exceeding what’s typically needed and leaving you short on reimbursement
- Promoting procedures that have nothing to do with your wart issue
- Failing to provide complete medical records with solid evidence to the insurance company during claims, which can delay your payout
Suspicious Wart Removal Cases
According to data from the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers, by February 2021, a total of 19 insurance companies in Hong Kong had reported over 4,200 suspicious cases related to wart removal treatments—with the first one drawing industry attention as early as 2020. This has caught the eye of various key organizations, including Insurance Authority , Insurance Claims Complaints Bureau , Hong Kong Federation of Insurers , Medical Council of Hong Kong , Consumer Council , and even Independent Commission Against Corruption .
Given how serious this is, the Consumer Council released a press release in February 2022 1 to warn the public to “Beware of medical centers and beauty salons exaggerating wart severity and treatment effectiveness” . It highlighted that in many related claims, providers were suspected of:
- Exaggerating the severity of warts;
- Submitting medical records lacking solid medical evidence;
- Overcharging fees.
The release also outlined three typical cases to help folks stay alert to dodgy providers:
- Staff pushing health insurance as covering most costs, but the payout falls short of expectations
- Doctors misdiagnosing the cause, leading to ineffective treatment—claiming one laser session will zap warts for good, but it doesn’t deliver
- Beauty therapists overhyping “wart” severity, resulting in poor treatment outcomes and dark scars
The Consumer Council stresses that medical professionals have a duty to offer accurate, evidence-based, and realistic treatment options , and if non-medical staff like beauty workers mislead you, they could face legal consequences.
We’re echoing that advice: Before jumping into any treatment, get solid medical advice first. And if you’re planning to claim through insurance, check with your provider. If you suspect overcharging or misconduct from a medical center or beauty salon, don’t hesitate to complain to bodies like the Medical Council of Hong Kong or the Consumer Council for the help you need.
- 1 The Consumer Council in February 2022 advised consumers to think twice about wart removal procedures and urged medical centers to comply with the law.
What is the Reasonable Cost for Wart Removal Treatment?
Some medical or beauty centers sell exorbitantly priced wart removal treatments to consumers, often reaching several thousand dollars, and even up to four times or more than the Hospital Authority (HA) private medical services fees upper limit. According to HA data, wart removal treatment is categorized as a “Category 1 Minor Surgery,” with a reference fee of $6,070 – $12,750.
For reference, here are some treatment costs from private hospitals; for instance, Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital charges between HK$6,430 and $15,270 for skin laser treatment of warts, while Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital starts at $2,500. This shows that some high-priced treatments offered by medical or beauty centers in the market might include services beyond what’s medically necessary, driving up the costs.
How Will Insurance Companies Handle Wart Removal Insurance Claims?
If an insurance company receives unusual wart removal insurance claims, such as when the claimed amount is significantly higher than the reasonable cost of the treatment, the company will handle the case in the following ways:
- Contact medical institutions to review the patient’s medical records and the reasons for the wart removal treatment
- Process the claim based on the principle of “reasonable and customary charges,” referring to the fair market prices for similar treatments
- Some insurance companies may require the patient to see a doctor designated by the insurer to verify if wart removal is medically necessary
What happens if a patient exaggerates the severity of warts and the effectiveness of treatment when making an insurance claim?
If a patient follows recommendations from medical centers or beauty salons and exaggerates the severity of warts and the treatment’s effectiveness to undergo an expensive procedure, it could lead to the following consequences:
- Financial loss: The insurance company will only reimburse based on “reasonable and customary charges,” leaving the patient to cover the difference.
- Overall increase in medical insurance costs: If there are more suspicious wart removal insurance claims, it could lead to rising premiums in the long run.
What to Watch Out for in Wart Removal Insurance Claims?
- Before wart removal, seek professional medical advice, such as getting confirmation from a registered doctor that the treatment is medically necessary
- After determining the required treatment, ensure the service provider is a licensed doctor and the medical facility is a licensed clinic
- Shop around to get a treatment at a price that aligns with market rates, and watch out for any unnecessary services not related to medical needs, such as whitening treatments
- If anything seems suspicious, consult your insurance company to ensure all submitted documents and the entire claims process are legitimate and reasonable
- Avoid suggestions that exaggerate the severity of warts and treatment effectiveness to prevent any suspicion of using fraudulent documents
Additionally, if you undergo wart removal surgery at a private hospital, you can apply for prior authorization service through your insurance company to ensure a smooth insurance claim for wart removal.
Can Bowtie VHIS Cover Wart Removal Surgery Costs?
Yes. If the insured needs to undergo wart removal surgery due to medical necessity after the policy takes effect, and the related costs comply with the Reasonable and Customary principle, unless limited by individual exclusions (if any), Bowtie will treat it as a ‘minor surgery’ for compensation.
To ensure your claim goes smoothly, we strongly recommend that you log into the online platform to perform a claim estimate before undergoing wart removal treatment. This will help you understand the coverage and get a preliminary claim estimate, so you can decide whether to proceed with the treatment.
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