How Much Does a Septoplasty Cost?

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What is deviated septum surgery?

How much does a septoplasty cost?

Are there other out-of-pocket costs for deviated septum surgery?

Are there other or ongoing costs after a septoplasty?

How long will I have to wait for a septoplasty?

What level of health insurance do I need to cover a septoplasty?

Where can I find and compare health insurance?

Long story short

A septoplasty is a surgery to fix a deviated septum

Straightening your septum can help you breathe more easily through your nose.

The cost of deviated septum surgery in Australia varies by patient type

Medicare covers public patients’ costs, while private patients could have out-of-pocket costs – it depends on their insurance.

Going private has its perks!

Choosing your doctor, picking your surgery date, and even a shorter wait can make the extra cost worth it.

What is deviated septum surgery?

A septoplasty, otherwise known as deviated septum surgery, is a quick procedure to straighten the cartilage inside your nose. Doctors (and piercing aficionados) call this cartilage the septum. Its job is to separate your nostrils.

Unfortunately, nature doesn’t have a ruler or spirit level to hand, so some folks are born with a crooked (deviated) septum. Others might take a footy to the nose or have a nasty tumble, whacking their nose and whacking that septum out of alignment. A little deviation tends not to be a problem, but if things are seriously out of line, you can run into some issues.

For instance, you might regularly have that blocked nose feeling (and lament not having appreciated breathing easily through your nose when you could). Similarly, if sinus infections are a common occurrence, this could be a dead giveaway. A deviated septum can also affect your sleep; you could have disturbed sleep, including obstructive sleep apnoea.

Ahead of a septoplasty, you might have a nasal endoscopy. Essentially, your doctor pops a small camera up your nose to double-check if a deviated septum is to blame for your symptoms. Assuming that’s all your doctor finds, the surgery can go ahead, typically under a general anaesthetic.

FYI, while a septoplasty is technically a ‘nose job,’ you probably won’t see it discussed in celebrity gossip mags in a ‘Who’s had plastic surgery?’ article. When people think of nose jobs, what they’re usually referring to is a rhinoplasty. This is a procedure to reshape your nose and can sometimes be for medical reasons. If a little reshaping will help you breathe more easily, a rhinoplasty can even be done alongside a septoplasty (that procedure is imaginatively called a septorhinoplasty).

How much does a septoplasty cost?

One of the big factors that affects how much your deviated septum surgery costs is whether you go public or private.

If you take the public patient path, Medicare covers your septoplasty. This means that the Medicare rebate is enough to cover the septoplasty surgery. You also won’t have to pay hospital fees.

Some people, though, prefer to head down the private patient route. So, how much does it cost to fix a deviated septum in the private system?

Well, it’s another ‘it depends’ answer. In this case, it depends on things like what your treating specialist charges and what your private health insurer covers. Since there’s no set septoplasty price when you go private, there can be a mismatch between what the doctor charges and what your insurer and Medicare cover (this is sometimes called a ‘gap’). The table gives you an idea of this.

What was the typical cost of a septoplasty for private patients in 2023–24?

Source: Medical Costs Finder – Septoplasty

Note: These are the amounts patients typically paid for these services, rounded to the nearest dollar. The paid amounts do not add up to the total typical specialist fees as dollar amounts are the medians for that dataset only. They do not include hospital payments such as excesses, co-payments, or other payments. These fees may vary depending on your situation. Not all patients had out-of-pocket costs; those who didn’t aren’t included in these figures. Data retrieved November 2025.

Even if those surgery costs and rebates are more misaligned than your septum, you could find the trade-off is worth it to go private.

For starters, it means you have a choice of doctor. Friends, family, even the IT guy from work all might have recommended a surgeon, and going with a trusted choice could allay your fears.

Private patients, in general, also tend to have a shorter wait for elective (non-emergency) surgeries like septoplasties, compared to public patients.

Helpful tip

Keep in mind that if it turns out you need a septorhinoplasty rather than purely a septoplasty, your costs will likely be different. That’s why it’s important to talk with treating doctor ahead of time about what the procedure is, what item numbers will be used, and what costs to expect. You can then reach out to your insurer to double-check how much they cover for the surgery.

Andres Gutierrez

General Manager – Health

Are there other out-of-pocket costs for deviated septum surgery?

In Australia, public hospital care is free, from the surgery to the infamous room service. But private patients using their health insurance might have some additional costs to pay on top of any gap payment for their surgery.

For instance, your policy document might list an excess. This is a fee to be paid before you’re admitted into hospital.

Similarly, some policies come with co-payments. You pay this fee for every day you’re in hospital. Handily, you can usually go home on the same day you have your septoplasty, so you probably won’t pay this more than once for your deviated septum surgery.

Are there other or ongoing costs after a septoplasty?

When it comes to surgeries, it’s hard to find much that’s safer than a septoplasty. There’s only a small risk of complications, like bleeding, infection, and localised numbness. If the odds aren’t in your favour, you might need to seek further treatment to deal with these complications. This could mean some further costs.

Unlike other surgeries, there isn’t any rehab to be done once you’re home after deviated septum surgery. It’s likely you won’t even need to check back in with your treating doctor. Instead, your homework is to take it easy and practice those good hygiene habits we all became experts at during 2020. Now is not the time to catch a cold, unless you want to risk a nasal infection.

How long will I have to wait for a septoplasty?

Like your costs for deviated septum surgery, how long you’ll end up waiting can depend on whether or not you’re a public patient.

In 2023–24, public hospital septoplasty patients had a median wait of 329 days (that’s how long it took for 50% of patients to be seen – which means that the other 50% waited longer). Meanwhile, private patients at public hospitals had a median wait of 297 days.¹Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Admitted patient care 2023–24: What procedures were performed?

Sure, neither figure would be classed as ‘fast’ service, but keep in mind that it doesn’t include patients at private hospitals. Plus, some private patients might have chosen to delay their surgery. For instance, they could have wanted to work the surgery in around their schedule, picking a time when they knew they could rest (and weren’t heading off on holiday). This flexibility can be one of the reasons people opt to go private – in the public system, you go to hospital when your number’s called, no matter what you have in your diary.

If you’re thinking private might be the way forward for you, remember that private health insurance comes with waiting periods. For newbies or those who’ve just upgraded their hospital policy, you’ll have a maximum waiting period of two months before you can start claiming. If your deviated septum is a pre-existing condition – as in you had it before you took out cover – your max waiting period is 12 months.

What level of health insurance do I need to cover a septoplasty?

Health insurance for hospital comes in four flavours (tiers). Each successive tier covers additional procedures. Any hospital cover in the bronze tier or above includes septoplasty cover, under the ear, nose, and throat category.

Where can I find and compare health insurance?

Deviating from the norm is what hundreds of teen movies are about. But a deviated septum is unlikely to be the next Disney school holiday hit. If you’re ready to bring your septum in line and are keen for a little health insurance help, iSelect is here for you. You can use our online comparison tool to compare a range of health insurance options from different providers. Alternatively, you can jump on the phone and dial 1800 784 772 to chat with a health comparison expert.