Health issues come up in various ways. Certain skin issues can stay dormant during your younger years and get activated as you get older. Skin troubles can be quite troubling to manage. They can be irritating and impact you mentally. Along with this, they can also lead to severe issues like skin cancer. If they’re left undeterred, they can grow even more severe. This is why it is important to treat your dermatological problems as soon as possible.
What Comes Under Skin Issues?
In the medical field, skin issues come under dermatology. A dermatology specialist or a dermatologist will diagnose you with a skin disease and suggest suitable treatment. Some of the common skin issues that come under dermatology are:
- Rash
- Scabies
- Acne
- Fungal skin infections, athlete’s foot, ringworm, etc.
- Sunburn
- Auto-immune skin diseases
- Viral issues like measles, chickenpox, etc.
Skin issues and dermatology treatments can either be surgical or medical. But regardless of the type of treatment, medical treatments for skin issues can be expensive. For example, chemotherapy for skin cancer or any medical surgery to handle a skin disorder can affect your life savings severely. Along with this, most skin-based treatments go on for a long time, which can impact your savings over a long tenure. This is why most individuals wonder, ‘does health insurance cover skincare?’
Does Health Insurance Cover Skin Problems?
Yes, the benefits of health insurance cover most skin issues or dermatology. If you have purchased a health insurance plan, you can get medical coverage to deal with the costs of your treatment for dermatological issues. In addition, certain issues like skin cancer can be covered under both a cancer insurance plan and a critical illness insurance plan. But the coverage you are liable to get will be different for different insurers.
For example, most health insurance policies only cover rising hospitalisation costs from a dermatology treatment or surgery. It may exclude daycare procedures and OPD consultation costs. Some health insurance plans also cover hospitalisation costs, consultations and daycare procedures.
It is advised that you must read the terms and conditions of your health insurance plan before purchasing the policy. Unfortunately, most individuals purchase health insurance for the tax benefits and do not read through the policy document before purchasing. Therefore, you must read the policy document when buying the plan. Once you have a decent idea about your plan’s coverage, you will understand the different skin issues covered under your plan.
Variants of Skin Treatments Covered Under Health Insurance
Here are some of the skin issues that are generally covered under most health insurance policies:
- Acne
- Skin cancer treatment and removal
- Rashes
- Viral diseases of the skin
- Fungal infections
- Psoriasis
- Skin allergies
- Poison ivy rash
- Keloid scars
- Port-wine stains
If you’re facing issues like these, your health insurance plan will provide you with the financial coverage for dealing with the treatment bills. However, you should also learn about the skin treatments that are not covered under the health insurance plan.
Skin Treatments Not Covered Under Health Insurance
Here are some skin treatments that are not covered under the health insurance plan:
- Cosmetic surgery
- Botox
- Non-accidental plastic surgery
- Tattoo removal
- Chemical peels
- Facials
- Microdermabrasion
- Fillers
These are a few issues that your health insurance plan may not cover.
Apart from the inclusions and exclusions of a health insurance plan, it would help to learn about the specific conditions for skin issues in your health insurance plan.
Conditions for Health Insurance Coverage for Dermatology
You must consider certain conditions if you wish to get health insurance coverage for skin issues. First, coverage for skin cancer is available only after the waiting period. As per the regular health insurance plans, the waiting period for skin cancer is mostly 1 or 2 years. On the other hand, under a critical illness insurance policy, skin cancer is covered after a 90 day waiting period with a survival period of 30 days.
If you have been dealing with skin cancer or the skin issue before purchasing health insurance, it is considered a pre-existing disease. Therefore, you will need to wait out the fixed period before filing the claim for skin issues under your health insurance policy.
Usually, the waiting period for pre-existing issues is around somewhere between 1 to 4 years. In this scenario, you can look through the different policies available in India and opt for the best health insurance for dermatology. Most insurers like Tata AIG offer affordable health insurance in India to help customers get the coverage they need for dealing with different issues.
Conclusion
Skin issues can be quite frustrating to manage. However, if you have a suitable health insurance plan, you will not have to worry about the medical bills, and you can get the medical treatment you need through the medical policy. However, you must learn about the inclusions and exclusions for skin issues before filing a claim. For example, certain issues like cosmetic surgery and botox aren’t covered under health insurance plans.
