In a perfect world, the billions of people on Earth can live life without the worry of contracting disorders or illnesses. But, that’s not the planet you’re living in as of this moment. Perhaps, you stumbled upon this post as you seek ways to help protect your finances when you are suffering from an illness, like diabetes.

Thankfully, you can protect your financial security when you have diabetes. Continue reading to know the benefits of becoming an insurance policyholder when you have this disorder.

What Is Diabetes?

Before learning about the different benefits of diabetes insurance, you should learn more about this disorder first.

Diabetes is a chronic disease wherein the pancreas cannot create insulin, which is a hormone that acts like a key that allows cells to absorb glucose or sugar from food from the bloodstream. A normal functioning body generates energy to burn throughout the day if cells can gather a sufficient amount of energy from glucose.

But, symptoms start to appear if the pancreas cannot provide the necessary amount of insulin. These signs include:

  • Increased thirst
  • Extreme hunger
  • Frequent urination
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Fatigue and lethargy
  • Mood disorders (e.g., aggressiveness and sudden irritability)

These health warning signs can make it challenging for diabetes patients to have a reasonable quality of life. Also, diabetes management can become expensive. The high costs of managing this disease is one of the primary reasons why you should apply for a diabetes insurance policy.

Diabetes Insurance: Factors To Consider During Application

If you don’t have diabetes insurance yet, take note of some essential factors before signing the contract. Some of these points to ponder include:

Cover Amount

Some insurance firms allow their policyholders to have flexible options in deciding the total coverage amount for this specific protection.

The amount you declare should be sufficient in managing the disorder. For instance, you might say a cover amount to help you buy devices, such as ketone test strips, blood sugar meters, and diabetes medical alert bracelets.

The Right Health Plan

Different insurance plans exist that can cater to the financial needs of diabetes patients. But, it can be challenging to select an appropriate policy for your specific needs.

For example, you can choose to subscribe to a family floater health insurance plan as your base policy. This coverage allows you to save on the costs of premiums. It achieves this goal by allowing you to pay for the premiums of all registered family members.

Thus, you can save cash by protecting your finances in events, like multiple hospitalizations or medical emergencies in the family that may include diabetes-related crises.

The Type Of Diabetes

Different insurance policies may present you with various benefits, depending on the type of diabetes you have. Having said that, you should be familiar with the following types of diabetes:

  • Type-1 Diabetes – The body stops producing insulin while blood sugar levels skyrocket. Treatments for this type of diabetes may include insulin injections.
  • Type-2 Diabetes – Also called diabetes mellitus, this disease creates insulin resistance in the body. Type-2 diabetes can still make the pancreas produce insulin, but the body doesn’t use this hormone efficiently.

The Benefits Of Diabetes Insurance

Now that you know more about diabetes, along with the factors needed to consider in choosing the right insurance, it’s time to learn about the benefits of this contract.

1. Financial Protection

As per a report from the American Diabetes Association, the costs of diabetes rose by 26% from 2012 to 2017. Furthermore, the study states that the average medical expenditures of a diabetes patient are approximately $16,752 per year.

Hence, having excellent diabetes insurance helps you reduce the expenses in managing this disease. Through this, you can buy the necessary equipment and medications, as well as be able to pay for medical services needed for diabetes management without spending a significant amount of cash from your pockets or savings account.

Additionally, you may also save even more money from this particular insurance plan with employee medical insurance. Ask your employer if you can avail of a health insurance policy that offers coverage for diabetic policyholders. If so, then, you may take advantage of employee discounts on premiums or other cost-saving benefits.

The reduction in expenses helps you gain peace of mind, knowing that you can save cash for other emergencies.

2. Emotional Protection

Diabetes doesn’t only attack the body, but the mind as well. The pressure of daily living becomes more stressful when the symptoms of this disease strike.

Again, you can go through life’s daily challenges with ease if you have diabetes insurance. First, you don’t have to worry about losing a significant amount of your hard-earned cash in managing the disease. Next, you can save your household funds for other emergencies concerning your family. Perhaps, the last thing you’d want is to seek cash for other medical emergencies experienced by other household members when you also need to worry about your disorder.

3. Reduced Stress During Claims

In- and outpatient transactions in healthcare centers for diabetes management can put unwanted stress on the mind. The process of going back and forth different offices can deliver additional stress to diabetes patients.

Some insurance companies and their healthcare partners allow for cashless claims for the advantage of policyholders. These arrangements allow you, the policyholder, to secure the money in your pocket while still taking advantage of the insurance benefits.

Consider searching for insurance policies that allow you to make cashless claims. This feature allows the medical facility to transact with the insurance company for the costs of your diabetes-related expenses.

But, there’s a catch: you need to gain medical services from the insurer’s network hospitals. Otherwise, you may not avail of the full breadth of this feature. You might even have to pay for out-of-pocket expenses if you decide to gain medical services from out-of-network healthcare facilities.

Conclusion

At the time of writing, the cure for diabetes doesn’t exist. But, you can manage this disease by taking the necessary steps. However, these steps require the expenditure of a significant amount of cash. Gain peace of mind, alleviate stress, and procure financial protection with the help of diabetes insurance. Make sure to become a policyholder from a reliable insurance firm to gain optimal benefits from your coverage.