When you get that giant packet of coverage information in the mail from your health insurance company, do you roll your eyes and stuff the entire packet into the back of some file drawer? If so, then you are among the majority! While much of the information in the packet is important, wading through all of those pages when you need just one specific bit of information isn’t easy. In fact, tracking down coverage information can be downright frustrating!
But guess what? If you suffer from women’s urinary incontinence you may actually want to spend the time and effort to find out what your health insurance covers.
The High Cost of Women’s Urinary Incontinence
Did you know that a woman with urinary incontinence in the U.S. spends an average of more than $1,000 per year doing extra laundry and buying disposable pads or diapers? This number is only an estimate because women’s urinary incontinence tops the list as one of the “most embarrassing” topics women refuse to discuss with their doctors–or anyone else, for that matter! Other estimates put the figure as high as $1,500 per year. Plus, this figure doesn’t even include the cost of other products, such as special wipes, creams, deodorants, and plastic bags (for carrying around soiled clothing).
The fact of the matter is that most women with urinary incontinence have never sat down with their checkbook and calculator to total up the financial cost of “coping” with their condition on their own. They would be shocked if they did. In addition, few add up the social costs associated with this condition, which can include a shrinking social life, lack of exercise and sex, and the hyper-vigilance of looking for bathrooms all over town.
What Does Your Health Insurance Cover for Women’s Urinary Incontinence?
If you don’t know that answer to this question, and have been coping with your urinary incontinence on your own, the time is right to get some information from your health insurance company. If digging through all that paperwork seems like too much work (and it can be!) then simply pick up the phone and call your insurance company. Most companies are more than happy to look up the information you need. You might be surprised at how much coverage you actually have. Many insurance companies will cover some or all of the cost of:
- absorbent pads or adult diapers
- one or more appointments with your family doctor
- one or more appointments with specialists such as urologists or ob/gyns
- medication for urinary incontinence
- medical tests associated with urinary incontinence
- several visits to a physical therapist specializing in women’s pelvic health
- catheters
- surgeries for urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse
That’s a pretty long list! If you have good health insurance coverage, there’s really no need for you to pay the entire cost of coping with your condition–that’s why you have insurance. However, for your insurance company to help you financially, you will almost certainly need to get a specific medical diagnosis of your condition from a healthcare practitioner approved by your insurance company. What a great excuse to call your doctor!
We know … talking about urinary incontinence with your doctor (or anyone else) can be embarrassing. But isn’t a little embarrassment worth it if you can get the financial and medical help you need to cope with, decrease, or even eliminate your symptoms of urinary incontinence? From the stories that we have heard from our women patients with urinary incontinence, the trade off is definitely worth it!
When it comes to getting help from your health insurance company and doctor for your women’s urinary incontinence, follow Nike’s slogan: “Just do it!”
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