Do you want to know how to get insurance for varicose vein removal? To get insurance coverage for varicose vein removal, the reason for the treatment should be for medical purposes. If treatment is done for cosmetic reasons because you don’t like how it looks, insurance plans will not provide coverage.
Your condition should exhibit symptoms that need to be alleviated for insurance to cover the costs. In addition, the treatment should be deemed medically necessary for your health and well-being and prevent potential complications in the future.
If you don’t experience symptoms such as pain and swelling, but you want it treated anyway because the way it looks bothers you, the full cost of the treatment will come from your own pocket.
For removing varicose veins to be considered medically necessary, it should show symptoms that negatively affect your daily life. Sometimes, you should try other methods of treatment besides vein removal for a period of time. If the symptoms don’t go away after the said period, the insurance will cover the removal procedure.
For more information about varicose vein removal and how to get insurance to cover it, keep reading this article.
What Are Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins happen when veins become enlarged and twisted in certain parts of the body. This most commonly happens in the legs because of the increased pressure to the veins caused by walking and standing.
By itself, varicose veins are not really that grave, but they can cause many discomforts and even lead to other complications. For some people, varicose veins don’t exhibit symptoms that are cause for alarm and immediate treatment. If this is the case, then treatment would usually be only done for cosmetic purposes.
There are also smaller versions of varicose veins, called spider veins. These veins can be seen through the skin with a blue or red color, and look like spider webs, hence the name.
Varicose veins are the result of damaged valves in the veins. These valves act as one-way gates for the low-oxygen blood that flows to the heart. When these valves are weakened, it can cause the blood to flow back and collect. This mostly happens in the legs, where the blood has to flow upwards against gravity. It is why varicose veins are found mostly in the legs. The increased pressure causes the veins to stretch and enlarge.
To learn more about how to get insurance for varicose vein removal, continue reading this article.
Does Insurance Cover Varicose Vein Removal
To determine if insurance will cover your varicose vein removal, it is important to be aware of some things. First, insurance will only cover your treatment if it is medically necessary. This means that it is harmful to your health and should be treated for its symptoms.
These symptoms should be things that interfere negatively with your life, like limiting your work capacity. An example is if this condition causes fatigue and aching to your legs, preventing you from standing for long periods, that your job requires you to do so.
Also, the treatment will not be covered if the condition can be treated or dealt with by using other methods. Examples of these would be compression stockings, exercise, oral medicine, weight loss, and more. You would try these for a given amount of time.
If it still does not fix itself, then varicose vein removal will be necessary. Your condition should also be examined using methods such as duplex ultrasound. If you want the removal procedure done for reasons beyond what is stated above, you would have to pay for the costs yourself.
Getting Insurance: Ways For Varicose Vein Removal
Patients who want treatment and removal for their varicose veins can choose which method they want. It also depends on availability, resting on which treatment methods the hospital they go to offers. Some of the most common ones are listed and elaborated below.
#1. Sclerotherapy
This treatment method is done using a solution injected into the veins to be removed. The solution damages and scars the veins causing them to close, which prevents blood from flowing through. Blood will flow through other veins instead. Sclerotherapy is usually considered when dealing with small veins.
#2. Laser treatment
With this method, the veins are scarred and will collapse because of the heat from the laser. The shrunken veins would go out of the picture and die. The blood supposedly flowing there will flow through other healthier veins.
#3. Vein stripping
Ligation and stripping is a mini surgery done to get rid of veins with damaged valves. This is because no damaged valves mean no varicose veins. Incisions are made on opposite sides of the vein, and a type of thread is inserted in one end and out the other. This vein will then be stripped or removed.
Final Words
At the end of this article, I hope you have learned how to get insurance for varicose vein removal. Thank you for reading up to this point of the article. Your time and effort are very much appreciated.