Does Medi-cal Pay For Infant Circumcision? If Not How Much Does It Cost?
It does not cover circumcision. The cost varies, it is normally a few hundred dollars. In your state, only 30% of boys are circumcised these days anyway. Since you haven’t made up your mind, here is some more info for you-
First, only 50% of boys nationwide are circumcised. You may actually find that your son is in the minority in the locker room if you cut him. (I don’t advocate making this decision on those grounds, but if you were leaning towards doing it because you don’t want him to be “different”, you should know that the boys will be pretty evenly split between cut and intact and no one will think intact is weird)
Second, it is VERY painful to an infant. Most doctors still don’t use any anesthesia, those that do rarely offer adequate anesthesia because the only stuff that works is not safe enough to use in infants for such a “minor” procedure. Further, some of the pain meds offered to infants aren’t even recommended for use on babies! Further, some doctors argue that it has been done “for thousands of years” without anesthetic- what they neglect to tell you is that a medical circumcision can take over 15 minutes to complete. A Jewish ritual circumcision, by contrast, takes under 60 seconds to complete (and the bay is given wine) Here is some info on the pain…..http://www.cirp.org/library/pain/http://www.circumcision.org/response.htmhttp://www.cirp.org/library/pain/taddio2… (note in this one that even infants offered pain meds for the procedure showed signs of post traumatic stress!)
You should also know that studies have shown that the most sensitive parts of the male anatomy of ON the foreskin- NOT the head of the penis. By cutting off the foreskin, you remove a mans most erogenous genital tissue. Here is a study about that…. (note that other studies found no difference, but they neglected to test the sensitivity of the foreskin- they only tested the glans penis of intact and cut men and didn’t pay any attention to the foreskin at all) http://www.nocirc.org/touch-test/touchte…
You should know that infant boys are EASIER to care for when they are intact. The foreskin does not retract until late childhood or even puberty, so you do nothing special, just wipe the outside of his penis clean and leave it alone. In a cut boy he will be extremely sensitive for a few weeks because the head of the penis is raw and exposed (they have to tear the foreskin off of the head in infants, it is naturally fused). During this time you will need to keep it VERY clean and may need to cover the wound with vaseline and gauze. Furthermore, to prevent painful and bleeding erections later in life, doctors are now commonly leaving more skin behind- in a cut boy this means you may have to push the left over skin back at every diaper change and clean beneath it to prevent it from adhering or infecting. The very thing that mother’s think they avoid by circumcising! In short-
Intact = wipe like a finger, NEVER retract
Cut= vaseline, clean thoroughly, push back remaining skin to prevent adhesions etc (the last step perhaps for several months or years)
Here is an excellent tutorial on the basics of intact care and circumcision….http://www.lactivistintactivist.com/?pag…
Another factor in your decision is that circumcised boys experience a 12% increase in their risk of MRSA infection. MRSA is commonly picked up in hospitals (where circumcision is performed in non-sterile conditions) and has been known to kill adults. I wouldn’t want to deal with it in an infant. Also, 12% is a BIG risk, the risk of a boy “needing” a circ later in life is WELL below that- under 1%. http://www.nocirc.org/publish/12-Answers…
The so called “benefits” of circumcision are generally trumped up. A big one now is that it “prevents” AIDS. All the studies showing “benefits” like this have been poorly designed and inconclusive. Also, for every study that finds a “benefit” there are more studies that find no benefit. http://www.icgi.org/
It is rather eye-opening to see how circumcision first became popular in the US to begin with. It was virtually unknown in this country until the 20th century. This slide show takes you through the rise of circumcision…. http://youtube.com/watch?v=f4unKTMpBGA
Finally, you should watch a video or two of the procedure so you are fully informed of what your infant will go through. I will warn you that these are graphic. If you can’t handle watching them as an adult, why would you expect your infant son to endure them?
There are two main methods for circumcision here is one of each-
Gomco Clamp- note that the father is in the room, and the doctor claims to have used anesthesia (although whether or not he did is debatable, and he is dismissive about the whole idea) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=…
Plastibell- I include this because some parents will have you believe it is “painless” or “requires no cutting/blood” I’ll let you judge for yourself…..
http://you
Medi-cal doesn’t cover it.
I am surprised that your bf is intact but he wants to circ his son. Just remember that circumcision is permanent. It can never be undone. But if you leave your son intact, he can make the decision to be circumcised (which is unlikely) when he’s an adult.
There are no valid medical enefits to infant circumcision. Only 1% of intact men require medical circumcisions as adults. The foreskin is a natural and functional part of the penis.
Most insurance companies no longer cover it since it is cosmetic surgery. The cost varies, but will be at least a few hundred dollars.
Whether to circumcise your son or to leave him intact is an important decision that should research throughly.
I believe that it is an unnecessary and irreversible procedure, so I would not put my son through it.
The American Academy of Pediatrics say medical research on the topic “is not sufficient to recommend routine circumcision.” They add that “it is not essential to the child’s wellbeing.” Their British, Australian and Canadian counterparts all agree that circumcision is medically unnecessary.
The US is the last developed country to still do it routinely though. In Europe, South America, Canada, Australia and most of Asia, less than 20% of boys are circumcised. Nowadays the rate in the US is at an all-time low:http://www.associatedcontent.com/article…
A major study published in the Journal of Pediatrics last year found that being circumcised does not reduce the risk of common STDs:http://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(…
Also, the AAP says it does not significantly reduce the risk of urinary tract infections (which less than 1% of uncircumcised boys may get) or penile cancer (which less than 0.1% of uncircumcised men may get).
The foreskin doesn’t require high-maintenance cleaning and actually has many protective and sexual benefits:http://www.circumstitions.com/Care.htmlhttp://www.noharmm.org/mothering.htm
Ultimately like I said this is a big decision so do plenty of research. One more thing to note is that the overwhelming majority of guys who aren’t circumcised seem to be glad they still have their foreskin, and most never have any problems with it!
Good luck, hope this helps.
No, they no longer do because it is considered nothing more than a cosmetic surgery done on new born babies. If you feel strongly against Female Circumcision then you shouldn’t get boy’s done for the very same reason.
There ARE many men who feel anger at having a part of their sexuality taken from them without any reason. Also there are only about 55% of babies currently getting it done so if you don’t do it, your baby will not be strange…more likely BIGGER because you didn’t!
I don’t think medical covers it but I’m not sure.
I payed around $200 for my son when he was a baby. You should check with your pediatrician.
If you do decide to do it, do it soon. The older your baby gets, the more aware he will be of the pain. My son was circumcised at two weeks. He screamed when they snipped it off and then cried for like 10 minutes. I think I cried more than he did.
My husband told me that his mom had him circumcised when he was twelve years old and that he was in so much pain, not to mention the embarrassment. He said that he doesn’t wish that on anyone.
If you don’t want your son to be mad at you when he gets older then don’t circumcise him. The foreskin is the most important part of his penis and less and less people are circumcisising each year.
Take the whole baby home with you. Please. He will thank you for it one day when he realizes his mommy thought he was perfect the way he was born and when he realizes he is a complete and whole man.
-Connor
No it does not cover circumcision anymore. It is up to your babies pediatrition to do it within two weeks of birth. It costs about 120 dollars and they will let you know about it when you deliver or ask about it at your next appt.Your baby will thank you so don’t blow it.
I don’t think it does, it costs a few hundred depending where you are. I wouldn’t do it if I had a son because it’s not necessary and most guys aren’t done and they are fine. Also it hurts the baby and can never be undone.
Harriet
yes medicare does cover they will ask you after you give birth do you want the baby circumcised i think it’s a good idea to get one so you wont have many problems when he gets older
Circumcision is not covered as it is considered cosmetic.
No it does not. Trust me don’t get it, if they mess up they can’t fix it.
I don’t think they do because I just had my son’s done it was 382.00
no medi-cal doesnt cover this but it costs about $200 , thats how much i paid
Yes, I believe so. My son has healthy families which is also a state sponsored ins. program and they covered his circumcision.
i dont know what medi-cal is.. but if its the same thing as medi-caid.. mine did
have it done in a water tub…it take 4 skin divers