Choosing Health Insurance Plans for Diabetics

Diabetes is a disease that is defined as a metabolic condition in which someone has high blood sugar because their body is unable to create substantial insulin or because the cells in their body are unresponsive to the insulin that is produced. It can have a great negative effect on certain body organs like the heart, the kidney and eyes and can cause damage to them or even lead to strokes. Currently it is approximated that 18 million Americans have diabetes. Similarly, 1 million people are diagnosed with this condition annually.

The control of this disease can be mastered quite well but the treatment can be rather very expensive. The American Diabetes Association estimates that around $11,744 is spent on medical issues pertaining to diabetes; monitoring it, treating it and generally trying to control the blood sugar levels. Someone who has diabetes can actually take up full time employment and also be in line for health insurance benefits.

It is estimated that most diabetes patients are financially unable to cope with the demands of the disease and are therefore not able to properly look after themselves.

It is not exactly easy to come across a cheap health insurance program because the majority of the insurance companies look at diabetics as difficult to insure because there is a great likelihood that there will be complications arising every now and again.

In addition, the complications that arise during diabetes usually call for specific and special medical care systems. Ordinary health issues that affect these diabetics will still require specialized treatment because of the nature of the disease which needs extreme attention.

There are instances where coverage is given but at a very high cost. Sometimes it even forces the person to begin living a less comfortable life because they are trying to cater for these expenses. This is why many people decide to remain uninsured. There are however some plans from the Government that one can rely on to help them with the diabetes.

One such program is Medicaid which is jointly offered by the State Government and the Federal Government. This program offers help to people who are suffering from diabetes but are financially unable to cater for all the medical expenses related to the disease. Original Medicare in turn covers the expenses in terms of services, equipment and supplies. It also caters for preventive coverage for individuals who might be at risk of getting diabetes.

The Government also offers SCHIP which offers health insurance to children who are from families that are not able to cater for themselves when it comes to health costs. This program is very low cost and is offered to children who are under 19 years of age.

In case one works in a company that offers health insurance state laws call for such a person to receive appropriate attention and help with the condition. Most times when companies go for health coverage, they include diabetes and therefore are able to provide supplies for the diabetics who are covered. This might be quite expensive but it is the most reliable alternative