Getting Insurance Coverage For Varicose Vein Procedures
It should come as no surprise to anyone that there is a serious lack of healthcare insurance in our country. Some people have no health care at all. Some people are under-insured through their work, with policies that cover little and have outrageous co-pays along with a substantial monthly premium. Some people make too much money to qualify for any kind of Medicaid. While this is arguably not the right place to discuss the morality or economics of reality as we know it, it is hoped that some suggestions herein may be of assistance to obtaining some medical care for the sufferers of varicose veins.
Maybe you developed varicose veins while pregnant, and while most women find that they were gone or greatly improved by three months after the birth of her child, yours did neither. Maybe they are the same or worse, and you are concerned.
Maybe you work at a job that requires you to stand in one place for most of your shift, and that itchy, painful bump that just popped up has you thinking that it may be a varicose vein, and you are concerned.
Maybe you have had varicose veins for a long time. Maybe one that resolved itself has come back. Whatever the scenario, you are concerned and you'd like to have it looked at and if there is anything to be done about it.
The first person you go see is your family doctor. In insurance lingo, that is your primary care physician (PCP). If you don't have one, it's time to get one. The reason why is that for many insurances, you need a PCP to refer you to the proper practitioner. Perhaps your PCP knows something about varicose veins and can help you himself. This would also be good because your PCP won't charge you as much as a specialist will.
Whoever you see, you will want to find out what the Diagnosis Code the doc is using. This is especially important for those with varicose veins (do you mind if I just call them VVs? Thanks.), because there are numbers that say that your VVs are a cosmetic problem rather than a medical problem.
If the doc uses the cosmetic code your insurance will not pay. That would make any procedure you had done an elective procedure, one that wasn't really important enough to have done, just because you wanted to. See the difference? You must impress on your PCP if you are in pain, if the VVs wake you up at night, that they interfere with your life or work, whatever the reason is that brought you to see your PCP. You can ask the doc what the code he wrote down is and what it means. If he doesn't know, talk to the office manager, because she probably does the coding. Be persistent and insistent, until someone can tell you what you want. If the correct code is used, there will be at least some form of coverage. If you crunch the numbers (and you are wise to know how much an office visit and all related charges will run you) and the amount still scares you, there might still be a remedy for you.
Recommended Reading
- More About Insurance And Varicose Veins
- Is This A Varicose Vein
- Varicose Vein Quiz
- No Needles Varicose Vein Options
- Varicose Vein Glossary
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