A common concern about varicose vein removal is the cost of treatment. Fortunately most insurance companies will cover the cost of consultation and possible treatment with a vein specialist. After your consultation, your vein expert will likely require an ultrasound for complete evaluation and diagnosis. This ultrasound will help your vein doctor determine if your insurance will cover your varicose vein treatment and if you will incur any out of pocket cost such as deductible or co-insurance. Center for Varicose Veins offers payment plans for patients with no medical insurance or for patients that have medical insurance that do not cover the cost of treatment.
If you have significant associated symptoms including pain, aching, throbbing, tiredness, fatigue, restlessness, cramping, itching, burning or swelling and these symptoms cause moderate limitation of your daily activities, your vein expert will recommend an ultrasound of your legs. The ultrasound determines the size and location of the varicose veins and their underlying source. The cost of this ultrasound will also usually be covered by your insurance company, depending on the severity of your symptoms. Depending on the findings of your physical exam and diagnostic ultrasound, your vein doctor will send a letter of medical necessity to your insurance company asking for authorization to treat your varicose veins. If your insurance company agrees to authorize your treatment, the cost of your treatment will be covered excluding any copays or deductibles. The copays and deductibles will vary depending on your particular insurance carrier. Your vein specialist should provide you an estimate of these cost before you being treatment, so that there are no surprise bills after you begin your treatment.
If you are fortunate enough to have your insurance company cover the cost of your varicose vein treatment, it's important to realize not all insurance companies are treated equal. Some insurance companies will only cover treatment if you have severe disease with venous ulcer formation or multiple bleeding episodes from your varicose veins. Some insurance companies are excellent and will cover all your cost, from your initial consultation through your ultrasound and all possible treatment modalities including all follow up visits. Most insurance companies are somewhere in the middle and cover only certain vein treatments and procedures. They may also have limitations on the number of allowed treatments. Visit vein specialist and Interventional Radiologist Dr. Vinay Madan at the Center for Varicose Veins to find out if your insurance company offers coverage for your treatments.
Fortunately medicare and medicaid do cover treatment of varicose veins and venous insufficiency. Venous insufficiency is the underlying pathology leading to the varicose veins. This results from damage to one way valves in our veins, resulting in blood backing up in our veins causing venous reflux. This reflux is imaged by ultrasound and will determine if medicare or medicaid will cover your treatment. Medicare will usually only cover 80% of the cost of treatment unless you have a secondary insurance policy or both medicare and medicaid. If you have medicare or medicaid or are interested in learning more about varicose vein treatments, visit the Center for Varicose Veins or call (203) 529-5521 for more information or to book an appointment.
