WHAT IS KIDNEY STONE?
Kidney stone is a very common condition that affects many adults. They are hard buildup of salt and mineral in the kidney. Kidney stone can cause extreme pain which sometimes need immediate medical treatment. It is very crucial to cure kidney stone properly. Hence, there are health insurance policies that covers kidney stone treatment.
Kidney stone can be different in size, from being large to tiny masses of crystals. The stone is a deposit of minerals and is made up of different substances, such as uric acid, calcium oxalate, cystine, or struvite.
Kidney stone can cause severe pain, especially when it moves through the urinary tract. kidney stone symptoms includes sharp shooting pain in your back or side. Also it shows symptoms like blood in urine, frequent urination, infection, or kidney disease.
There are many reasons for formation of kidney stone, such as diet high in sodium, protein, sugar and oxalate can increase the risk. Additional to that stopping or slowing of urine flow can also increase your changes for developing kidney stone.
KIDNEY STONE SYMPTOMS:
Kidney stone shows many symptoms, and one of the most common symptoms is lower or side back pain. As symptoms also depends on the location of the stone in the urinary tract. Some of the other symptoms are blood in urine, nausea and vomiting sensation, foul-smelling, cloudy urine, and difficulty in passing urine.
KIDNEY STONE DIAGNOSIS:
Diagnosis of kidney stone is done by imaging test, such as X-Ray, ultrasound, and CT scans. In the imaging test your healthcare provider will locate the position of the stone and according to that your doctor will determine which treatment is suitable for you. However, smaller stones can pass through urine on it’s own, Larger stones are treated by medication or sometime surgery.
How do you manage kidney stone operation costs?
Treatment for kidney stones can be expensive, especially for those who don’t have health insurance to cover the cost. All the medical bills, imaging tests, medicines and surgery, if needed, can be costly, but if you have a health insurance policy to cover all your bills, it will be easy for you to focus on your health instead of worrying about bills. With that, it is also advised to drink plenty of water and eat healthy food with low sodium and high calcium, which will help reduce the risk of stone formation.
Key points to keep in mind before buying health insurance for kidney stones:
Before buying a health insurance for kidney stone treatment bills, you need to know about some of the important key points of health insurance. Here are a few points to keep in mind before you buy health insurance:
l Understand coverage: Before buying a health insurance policy for kidney stones, you must know the details of the coverage plan. Does the health insurance policy cover the treatment and diagnosis of kidney stones, like medication, imaging tests, surgery, hospitalization, and doctors feel? You must read your policy to understand what it covers.
l Know about waiting time: Check what is the waiting period for pre-existing diseases or for kidney stone. As it is important to know about waiting period, as you can not claim the benefits if you are in waiting period.
l Evaluate the potential cost: While going for kidney stone treatment, you should evaluate the potential cost of the treatment, which also includes diagnosis. However, the cost of the treatment can vary according to the type of treatment. If you go for a lithotripsy procedure, it can be less than the surgery, but the cost of medication and follow-up checkups can be more. That’s why evaluating the round of cost can help in choosing a comprehensive health insurance policy.
l Network Hospitals: When going for health insurance plan you must check if the plan has large number of network hospitals, as it will be helpful when you, if you plan for cashless treatment. Cashless health insurance means you do not have to pay at the time of medical emergency.
What are the eligibility criteria for kidney stone insurance coverage:
Some basic documents and a few rules are needed to follow for the application; here are some basic eligibility criteria to get kidney stone coverage hassle-free:
- The applicant for the policy must be an Indian citizen.
- The applicant should be 18 year or above.
- The applicant must not have any kind of pre-existing condition related to kidney stones.
DIFFERENT TYPE OF KIDNEY STONE TREATMENTS:
There is surgical and non-surgical way to treat kidney stone. Small size kidney stone can be treated with medication, but if the stone is big in size it gets important to perform surgery. However, there are four different type of surgical methods for kidney stone removal, and what method will be used totally depend on the size of stone.
Different surgical methods for kidney stone removal:
l Ureteroscopy: Stone is removed with the help of lighted scope also known as ureteroscope will be inserted through the urethra and bladder to break the stone with the help of laser, and remove the stone pieces.
l Shockwave lithotripsy: Your healthcare provider will use X-ray and sound waves to break the stone into pieces from outside of the body and the pieces od stone will pass out of the body through urine.
l Percutaneous nephrolithotomy: It is a small surgical process to remove the stones which are too large to be pass on their own. A small opening is made at the back to insert a hollow tube directly into the kidney. Then a metal telescope will be used to break it into smaller pieces or directly remove the stone. Once the stone is completely removed, your healthcare provider will place a tube in the kidney to drain urine, and another tube will be used in the ureter, as it will help the kidney heal.
l Laparoscopic surgery: It is also known as keyhole surgery, as it use a small opening in the abdomen area and use specialized instruments to remove kidney stone.
Now, it is your decision what kind of treatment you want and what kind of surgery you will go for. If you want to remove the stone by breaking it into pieces and passing through urine or in its intact form. But for both of them, you need to go for proper guidance and medical procedure.
Conclusion:
Kidney stones are painful conditions that need proper treatment. If you are looking for a health insurance policy for kidney stones in India, there are many options. Many insurance providers offer coverage for kidney stone treatment, including non-surgical and surgical methods. However, a proper health insurance policy will manage all your consultant, diagnosis, medical and surgical bills. Some health insurance companies also provide cashless health insurance for kidney stone treatment in their network hospitals.
It is important to know your need for the plan and read all the document before you buy the plan, additionally it is also very crucial to make lifestyle changes that helps with better health, such as drinking enough water, healthy diet and regular exercise.