The Fractured Insurance Landscape of Laser Therapy for Scar Revision.

This article examines insurance coverage trends for fractional laser therapy, a treatment shown to improve skin texture, range of motion, and quality of life in patients with traumatic scars such as hypertrophic scars and contractures. A cross-sectional review of 60 major U.S. health insurers found that only 37.2% considered laser therapy medically necessary, typically requiring documented functional impairment, while some insurers denied coverage entirely. Analysis of six years of institutional claims data revealed that patients with Medicare or Medicaid had higher odds of reimbursement compared to those with private insurance, but overall reimbursement rates declined annually by approximately 14.5% from 2017 to 2022. The study highlights challenges in coding and policy variability that contribute to limited patient access and recommends improved documentation of functional impairment and development of specific procedural codes to support coverage for this treatment.