Health Insurance Cover for Knee Replacement Surgery

While some insurance companies let you file reimbursement for a knee replacement surgery, a few of them provide additional coverage for knee replacement among critical illness insurance in India. Read on to learn more about knee replacement surgery, also known as arthroplasty.

What is Knee Replacement/Arthroplasty?

Our seemingly simple knee joints are easily at risk because of many factors we may ignore initially. Most common factors include aging, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and many other causes. While osteoarthritis is the leading cause of knee surgeries in India, there can be many reasons that people may experience chronic knee pain which makes knee replacement a necessity in order to restore normal functions in the knee.

Most patients opt for this surgery due to prolonged stiffness and ache in their knees. Other than osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ligament tears, and other cartilage defects also cause damage to your knees which eventually needs a replacement.

A knee replacement surgery involves the replacement of the damaged bone and the cartilage with the required prosthesis or artificial joints. It is important to know the full extent of the damage and the type of replacement you need:

• Total knee replacement involves the whole knee being replaced by prosthetics
• Partial replacement takes place only in the affected area of the knee
• Bilateral knee replacement involves both the knees getting replaced at the same time.

Knee replacement is often because of severe issues and a critical illness insurance plan goes a long way to shoulder your financial strain.

When do you need Knee Replacement Surgery?

The surgery is usually recommended to people suffering a lot of pain and severe dysfunction in one of both of their knees. To determine this, a number of tests like X-rays, MRIs, etc are done to assess your knee's stability and range of motion.

If the patient has extreme difficulty while walking, getting in or out of seated positions, while taking a flight of stairs then it can indicate severe knee pain. In some cases, people may even have knee pain while resting.

An orthopedic surgeon is the best person to determine your condition depending on your age, activity levels, body weight, and other health factors.

How much does a Knee Replacement Surgery cost?

Your overall health and the place you have your surgery determine your expenses. Other pre-existing conditions affecting your knees also affect the cost of your surgery. This can cost you anywhere between Rs 50,000 and Rs 2 lakhs as these prosthetics are expensive and often need to be imported from other countries.

You should consider these additional costs in case of a knee replacement surgery:

• Duration of your stay at the hospital
• Physiotherapy/ physical therapy you may need at the hospital
• Future follow-up appointments
• Additional therapy while recovering at your own home
• Transportation costs
• Additional tests and check up

Keeping these things in mind, you should know how much it will cost you and how much of this will be covered by your insurance policy. Thus, it is highly recommended that you opt for a health insurance cover for your knee replacement surgery.

Why Opt for Health Insurance Cover for a Knee Replacement Surgery?

In case of severe knee issues, most doctors suggest knee replacement surgery. This allows the individual to lead a pain-free and comfortable life again. However, this can be pretty expensive if you have any complications or don't have medical insurance that covers expenses related to this surgery.

Make sure you buy a health insurance policy that covers your knee replacement surgery with an adequate sum insured. Here are some more benefits of getting a comprehensive health insurance plan:

• Cashless Treatment Facility: Your hospital bills will be settled directly with your hospital. You simply need to visit a hospital that is a part of the network as stated in your insurance. However, you may need to schedule your hospitalization beforehand for smooth service.
• Cover for Treatment: A good plan will cover your pre-hospitalization and post-hospitalization costs. This can also include the room charges along with the surgeon's expenses. Your health insurance policy will also take care of your in-patient hospitalization expenses.

To Conclude,

For a long while, this surgery fell under the category of cosmetic procedures or implants. However, things have been different with many health insurance policies in India offering reimbursement for knee replacement surgeries.

Before buying a health insurance cover for knee replacement surgery, you should know about some important facts like the waiting period or increase in your usual premium. While this cover is now being offered by many, some insurance providers only agree to pay half of the total cost of the knee replacement treatment.

There may also be a longer waiting period anywhere between 2 to 4 years before you can file for this claim. So make sure you go through all these benefits thoroughly by comparing health insurance policies online on Policybazaar, so that you invest in a good knee replacement cover in your plan.