Heart Disease and Health Insurance:

The prevalence of heart disease is growing, especially in the United States. This trend is making it more difficult for people with this pre-existing condition to find adequate health insurance. In addition, all of your necessary treatments may not be covered by an insurance policy if they refuse a claim based on a pre-existing condition.

It is important to search for a policy that will cover you, despite your heart disease, but you should be prepared to pay higher premiums and in some cases, you will have to meet a higher deductible before your coverage will take effect. Some insurance companies will also offer a co-insurance plan, where they will only cover a specific percentage of your health care services. Even though this can be expensive over a long period of time, you will still end up paying less than if you did not have an insurance policy at all.

Here are some common considerations for people suffering heart disease that need to find an insurance plan that will cover their needs.

Cholesterol Screenings

Keeping a watch on cholesterol levels is vital in treating many diseases of the heart. If you need frequent screens, this can be expensive. It is important to find an insurance plan that will provide coverage for these screenings, even if it is only for a few of them.

In addition to regular cholesterol screenings, you may need frequent blood work to determine how your treatment is progressing. This usually results in lab fees that may not be entirely covered by your insurance policy. It is a good idea to know how much you will need to spend out-of-pocket before deciding on which policy is right for you.

Preventative Care and Doctor Visits

Regular screenings usually mean regular doctor visits and your screenings may result in preventative care. Some health insurance plans will limit the amount of doctor visits that they will cover per year.

In-Hospital Care

Heart disease may result in the need for surgery, and it is important to understand just how much of your in-hospital care will be covered by your insurance policy. There may also be a limit to the amount of days you may stay in the hospital, or a dollar amount limit for your care. You may need to add on a supplemental policy if you are concerned about your need for surgery.

Prescription Benefits

Heart disease can only be treated with a combination of regular care from your physician, a healthy diet and in most cases, prescription medication. Blood pressure medicine, cholesterol blockers and other medications are commonly needed and can be expensive. Make sure that your policy will offer you a prescription drug benefit that will help you meet these costs.

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