Heart Insurance and Coronary Heart Disease
From our first breath till our last, heart is one part of our body that keeps functioning without a halt. Ever wondered how this little piece of muscle, to the size our clenched fist keeps on working tirelessly and more particularly, on the ways, by which we can put less burden on it and enable it to provide us a healthier and longer life.
People who do not have enough heart disease coverage can opt for supplemental coverage or policies which provide coverage for specific disease. Such heart insurance coverage helps to pay for unexpected medical expenses.
The statistics from American Heart Association on the number of cardiovascular disease puts a rather contrasting picture. With over 33 million Americans suffering from cardiovascular disease and over 400,000 deaths every years due to heart related disease shows that we have been rather ruthless on our heart.
What we eat, the way we live and the habits that we acquire have a direct impact on our heart. Some people may reason that death is inevitable and the number of breaths that God has assigned for us is fixed. But then no one likes to visit doctor or hospitals and be on medicine on a regular basis.
Many heart insurance providers consider heart related disease as a pre-existing condition so in many cases insurance companies put a waiting period on the applicant before the coverage can start.
Risk Factors and Treatment
The risk of developing cardiovascular disease and deaths due to coronary disease is more prevalent in people at 60 or older. The risk doubles every ten years after the age of 55. It does not mean that people in lesser age group cannot contract this disease. A lot depends on the quality of life we lead.
Men are more prone to heart disease than women. However, women who are past menopause are at similar risk to that of men. There are 2 to 5 times more chances that a man in middle age group will have heart disease in comparison to a woman of similar age.
Treatment options depend on the cause of the disease. Anti-arrhythmic and anti-platelet medications are used to treat heart disease. The treatment procedure will define the heart insurance coverage that will be best for a person.
Types
- Coronary Heart Disease – refers to inadequate supply to coronary muscles and surrounding tissues. Accumulation of plaque inside the arteries that connects to the myocardium is known as coronary artery disease.
- Cardiovascular Disease – It is any disease that affects the blood vessels or the heart itself. Associated cause of the disease is uneven ratios of lipoproteins and hyperlipidemia. In one of its types atherosclerotic plaque ruptures within the artery walls.
- Ischemic Heart Disease – This disease is related to reduction in blood supply to the cardiac muscles.
- Hypertensive Heart Disease – It is caused particularly due to localized high blood pressure.
- Heart Failure – Also known as congestive cardiac failure or congestive heart failure, is a condition in which heart ability to supply sufficient amount of blood to all the parts of the body is impaired.
Key Symptoms of Heart Disease
Since there are many possible cause for heart disease so there can be numerous symptoms related to it. Some of the most notable symptoms are as follows:
- Discomfort and Pain in Chest – Pain in chest is the most alarming symptoms; it is equal to pain in heart. Chest pain can be due to many other reasons but heart problem is the most common reason and certainly the most dangerous.
- Heart Palpitations – When the heartbeat gives an unusual awareness it is known as palpitation. People who have experienced it describe it as skips in the heart beat or irregular and rapid beating of the heart.
- Dizziness or lightheadedness – can be linked to several other causes like dehydration, gastrointestinal disturbance, thyroid or liver disease, cardiac arrhythmias, neurological disorder etc. Since this symptom is linked to several diseases, people experiencing it must get a thorough medical checkup from a physician.
- Loss of Consciousness or fainting – known as Syncope has been experienced by most people at least once in their life time but it does not always relate to serious medical problem. But at times it is an indication of a dangerous or life-threatening problem.
- Lethargy, fatigue or daytime sleepiness – are quite common symptoms. It can be due to abnormal functioning of any organ of the body and particularly the heart. To know the specific cause one needs to get done a thorough medical checkup.
- Shortness of Breath – in most of the cases is related to pulmonary or cardiac disorder. Heart patients who perform excess physical work frequently experience shortness of breath. It can also be due to various lung conditions such as emphysema, asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis or pleural effusion.
Smoking and Coronary Heart Disease
Smoking is a major cause of coronary heart disease and deaths caused due to it. Cigarette smoke toxins form plaques in the arteries which leads to hardening of the arteries known as atherosclerosis. Coronary heart disease caused due to smoking has been the third leading cause of death in United States. Getting enrolled in heart insurance coverage becomes even more difficult in such cases.
As per an estimate every 33 seconds 1 person die because of it. Smoking low nicotine or low tar cigarette does not make any significant difference in the risk of coronary heart disease. With so many problems attached to an insignificant addiction. It is better to get rid of it as soon as possible. Smoking cessation greatly reduces the chances of stroke.
Heart Insurance and Coronary Heart Disease
It can be tricky to understand insurance coverage and billing particularly in case of congenital heart disease. Here are some facts which will make things simpler for you:
Congenital heart problems require lifelong treatment and monitoring by the cardiologist. So it is essential to enroll in an adequate heart insurance which allows the insured person to consult the physicians of their choice.
In majority of the cases heart disease occurs when a person is an adult and is no longer covered under his or her parent’s insurance policy. One way to get coverage is through your employer’s heart insurance coverage. Majority of the companies offer heart insurance plans with reasonable coverage and rates, even though the disease is pre-existing.
People who are covered under group plan such as policy through work or through parent’s plan and their plan is about to end, then their heart insurance coverage will continue up to 18 months as per the federal law known as Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA).
In case the person heart problem is quite complicated and requires frequent checkup and medication it is better to have additional coverage from private heart insurance companies. To get the best quotes from leading heart disease insurance companies just fill in the form given on the main page.