Insurance Questions: Are Veins Considered a Medical Condition?

When it comes to getting your varicose veins removed, you may be a bit more than hesitant because of the thought of the cost of the procedure. In fact, most patients think that vein removal is primarily cosmetic, and so it won’t be covered by insurance, but that isn’t always the case. In fact, it’s usually the opposite. Read on to learn more about varicose veins and whether surgery is covered under your insurance.

Understanding your Veins

Varicose veins aren’t just there to make you feel self-conscious about wearing shorts or sandals. Veins are one-way valves that collect blood and send it back to your heart. In your legs, your veins have to go uphill in order to reach the heart— causing them to work harder in the process. For a variety of reasons, the blood flow can slow down and start to flow backwards— increasing the pressure on the vein and ultimately causing varicose veins. If left untreated, varicose veins can cause severe swelling in the legs and ultimately lead to ulcers— meaning that, they are considered, by most insurance agencies to be a medical condition.

Understanding Your Insurance

For most insurance agencies to approve varicose vein surgery, you will have to get a consultation from one of our doctors at Atlas Vein Care. During your consultation, we may conduct a vein mapping procedure that will allow us to map and then track your veins over a period of a couple of months to see if they have or will continue to get worse. If one of our doctors does think that you need surgery, then it will be up to your insurance agency to approve it or not.

Dealing with insurance companies can be difficult and stressful. However, if your varicose veins are considered to be a medical problem, you shouldn’t have a problem getting approved, but remember that it varies from agency to agency. If you would like to learn more about this surgery or to schedule your consultation, contact Atlas Vein Care today!