Does Medicare Cover Spider Vein Treatment?

Spider veins affect approximately 50% of all women and around 30% of all men, but most people are extremely hesitant about seeking treatment. There are primarily three myths that stop people from seeking spider vein treatment.

Are you wondering when does medicare cover spider vein treatment? In this article, we discuss the treatment options covered by medigap plans to reduce out of pocket costs.

First, because they think spider veins aren’t dangerous. Second, because they think spider veins can only be treated with compression stockings or other home remedies. Third, because they think spider vein treatment is extremely expensive.

However, these are all myths with no basis in reality. So let’s debunk them and establish why it’s important to seek spider vein treatment:

  1. In some cases, spider veins may just be a cosmetic issue. However, spider veins are often caused by underlying venous insufficiency, a condition in which your vein valves malfunction and blood accumulates in your leg veins. This is a serious medical condition that can lead to skin diseases, leg ulcers, and deep vein thrombosis if left untreated.
  2. Home remedies like wearing compression stockings, elevating the legs, and exercising can alleviate some of the discomfort of spider veins. But these methods cannot magically remove spider veins, especially if you have venous insufficiency. 
  3. Spider vein treatment can range from $0 to $3,000 and more, depending on insurance coverage and various other factors.

As you can see, spider veins can be extremely dangerous, they can only be treated by medical procedures, and they can be reasonable if covered by insurance. In this article, we’ll discuss when does medicare cover spider vein treatment and what are the treatment options covered by medigap plans.

When do you Get Original Medicare Coverage for Spider Vein Treatment?

As previously mentioned, spider veins are often caused by underlying venous insufficiency. Chronic venous insufficiency is a medical condition in which your vein valves malfunction. These vein valves are usually responsible for smooth blood circulation to the heart. They act as one-way doors to allow blood from the legs to flow to the heart but they prevent blood from flowing back down due to gravity.

When your vein valves malfunction, blood flows back down and accumulates in the leg veins due to gravity. Over time, more blood accumulates in your leg veins, which leads to vein dilation, which leads to the formation of spider veins and varicose veins on the surface of your skin.

Venous insufficiency is a serious medical condition because it leads to complications like severe bleeding, skin diseases, discoloration of the skin, leg ulcers, and deep vein thrombosis. The latter of these complications can also be fatal if the blood clots break away and travel to the lungs, thus inducing pulmonary embolism.

When you go to a vein treatment clinic, the vein doctor will first run diagnostic and imaging tests like Doppler Ultrasound to determine if you’re suffering from venous insufficiency. If your spider veins are caused by venous insufficiency, you will receive Medicare coverage. However, if your spider veins are not caused by venous insufficiency, your treatment will be considered cosmetic and won’t be covered by Medicare.

To put it shortly, whether you get Medicare advantage depends on whether your spider veins are caused by venous insufficiency.

Sclerotherapy Spider Vein Treatment — No Medicare Coverage

Sclerotherapy is currently the best spider vein treatment. It’s a minimally invasive and non-surgical procedure in which the vein doctor simply injects a medicine called sclerosant into your spider veins. The veins close down and eventually harden and disappear while the accumulated blood reroutes to healthier veins.

This procedure only treats the spider veins and doesn’t treat the underlying venous insufficiency. That’s why sclerotherapy isn’t covered by Medicare and you have to pay for it yourself. The cost of an average sclerotherapy session costs $700. However, in our vein treatment center, we can use the remnant medicine from your vein disease treatment to also treat your spider veins.

Does Medicare Cover Varicose Veins Treatment?

Varicose veins are always indicative of underlying venous insufficiency. As such, the only way to treat varicose veins is to treat the diseased saphenous vein. The following are the primary treatment options for spider veins and varicose veins caused by vein disease.

Radiofrequency Ablation

Radiofrequency ablation is a procedure in which the vein doctors uses thermal energy to irritate the saphenous vein’s walls and eventually collapse it. The average cost of a radiofrequency ablation procedure is $3,000, but it’s covered by medigap plans so it drastically cuts down the out of pocket costs.

Laser Treatment

Endovenous laser treatment is a procedure in which the vein doctor inserts a catheter and laser fiber into the diseased saphenous vein and uses laser energy to destroy it. This procedure may cost between $2,000 to $7,000 but it’s covered by Medicare.

VenaSeal

VenaSeal is a new and advanced vein treatment procedure during which the vein doctor injects a medical adhesive into the diseased vein. This adhesive fuses the vein walls and eventually shuts it down, thereby restoring blood circulation to the heart. This is a new treatment that has only recently been approved by the FDA so it’s not yet covered by Medicare and you have to pay for it yourself.

Schedule your Spider Veins and Varicose Veins Treatment

At VIP Medical Group, we thoroughly diagnose the root cause of your spider veins and treat it with the latest minimally invasive procedures. We are also affiliated with Medicare and all the leading insurance providers so we can offer the best Medicare coverage for spider veins and varicose veins treatment. For more information, please schedule your spider veins and varicose veins treatment today.

Do you need spider vein treatment? We’ll check to make sure your insurance will cover it:

Fill out the form below and one of our insurance agents will call you shortly with insurance coverage confirmation

Your information is encrypted and secure. By registering you confirm that you accept our Communications Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. We are committed to HIPAA compliance and respect your privacy.

FEATURED POSTS BY VEIN DOCTORS

Book an Appointment

We are experts in minimally invasive procedures with zero downtime, allowing you to resume regular activities the same day. Leave us your information, and we will reach out to help you verify your insurance coverage, and schedule an appointment with one of our vein specialists.

Fill out the form

Your information is encrypted and secure. By registering you confirm that you accept our Communications Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. We are committed to HIPAA compliance and respect your privacy.

Midtown Manhattan

290 Madison Ave Suite 202, New York, NY 10017
Call (646) 933-3171

Jericho

350 Jericho Turnpike Suite 310, Jericho, NY 11753
Call (631) 502-7911

Hartsdale

280 N Central Ave Suite 450, Hartsdale, NY 10530
Call (914) 520-2488

West Islip

500 Montauk Hwy Suite G, West Islip, NY 11795
Call (631) 636-0293

Bethesda

6903 Rockledge Drive, Suite 470, Bethesda, MD 20817
Call (240) 998-8223

San Diego

5330 Carroll Canyon Rd #140, San Diego, CA 92121
Call (858) 461-7223

San Jose

1270 S Winchester Blvd # 102, San Jose, CA 95128
Call (669) 232-8228

Palo Alto

2248 Park Blvd, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Call (650) 643-1639

Clifton

1117 US-46 Ste 205, Clifton, NJ 07013
Call (973) 447-1055

Paramus

140 NJ-17 #269, Paramus, NJ 07652
Call (973) 798-9775

Woodland Park

1167 McBride Ave Suite 2, Woodland Park, NJ 07424
Call (973) 310-5854

Woodbridge

517 US-1 #1100, Iselin, NJ 08830
Call (732) 860-0844

Scotch Plains

2253 South Ave #2, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Call (908) 900-1906

West Orange

405 Northfield Ave #204, West Orange, NJ 07052
Call (973) 936-8373

Port Jefferson

70 N Country Rd #201, Port Jefferson, NY 11777
Call (631) 636-0346

Financial District

156 William St Suite 302, New York, NY 10038
Call 516-774-4448

Downtown Brooklyn

188 Montague St 10th floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Call (516) 715-5448

Westchester

280 N Central Ave Suite 450, Westchester, NY 10530
Call (914) 520-2488

Bowie

4201 Northview Dr Suite 104, Bowie, MD 20716
Call (240) 932-5834

Edgewater

968 River Rd # 200, Edgewater, NJ 07020
Call (201) 351-0071

Temecula

27290 Madison Ave Suite 102, Temecula, CA 92590
Call (951) 954-5952

Morristown

310 Madison Ave 3rd floor, Morristown, NJ 07960
Call (973) 946-8026

Poway

15708 Pomerado Rd suite n202, Poway, CA 92064
Call (619) 956-7632

Forest Hills

107-30 71st Rd Suite 204, Forest Hills, NY 11375
Call (929) 674-5750

Princeton

8 Forrestal Rd S suite 203, Princeton, NJ 08540
Call (609) 436-0424

Newport Beach

1525 Superior Ave suite 202, Newport Beach, CA 92663
Call (949) 807-6714

Huntington Beach

7677 Center Avenue Suite 310, Huntington Beach, California 92647
Call (562) 825-4005

Irvine

4482 Barranca Pkwy #252, Irvine, CA 92604
Call (949) 850-8061

Brighton Beach

23 Brighton 11th St 7th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11235
Call 929-600-6143

National City

22 W. 35th Street, Suite 202, National City, CA 91950
Call (619) 505-9007

Bronx

2100 Bartow Ave, Suite 400, Bronx, NY 10475
Call (929) 696-0737

Hoboken

70 Hudson St, Lower Level, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Call (551) 799-6387

Upper East Side

1111 Park Avenue, Suite 1B, New York, New York, 10128
Call (332) 278-7994

Morris County

3695 Hill Rd, Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ 07054
Call (862) 415-3100