Does Your Insurance Cover HRT?

As many women look to hormone replacement therapy to alleviate some of the uncomfortable symptoms caused by menopause or removal of the ovaries, it becomes important to know, Does insurance cover HRT?.

The ovaries produce hormones that are crucial in helping women balance their body. When menopause begins, the ovaries slow down and eventually stop production of these hormones.

The same happens when the ovaries are surgically removed, except the production stops suddenly. When the body lacks these hormones, a woman can experience all kinds of unpleasant side effects including night sweats, mood swings, and hot flashes.

To help her cope with these radical changes, many doctors will prescribe hormone replacement therapy. This type of therapy uses synthetic hormones that work similar to those produced by the ovaries. Replacement hormones can help relieve many of the symptoms experienced during menopause. Most women report feeling better after beginning treatment.

Hormone replacement prescriptions and initial doctor visits are not cheap, however, and the important question becomes, does your insurance cover HRT?

Women who do not have insurance can expect to pay quite a bit for these prescriptions and medical care.

Before prescribing any hormone replacements, a doctor will probably want to conduct a thorough health history and exam. This is usually to rule out uterine cancer and certain forms of breast cancer. HRT has been shown to give women an increased risk for these types of cancers, so the doctor will want to be certain that this is not likely to occur before deciding on HRT.

Initial doctor visits can range in price and those without insurance can expect to pay anywhere from $200 and up. Most insurance companies will pay for all aspects of HRT, including the initial medical exams, prescriptions and follow up appointments.

If you do have insurance, it is always a good idea to check with your health insurance provider to see exactly what may or may not be covered. Some insurance plans are very thorough and will pay for everything, minus the co-payment.

Those insurance plans that cover HRT prescriptions will provide a great benefit. With these plans, prescriptions are only charged a co-payment ranging usually from 10 to 35 dollars.

For women without insurance, hormone replacement therapy can be expensive. After the initial medical exam with the doctor, there will also be the cost of the prescriptions. Many of these must be refilled on a monthly basis. There will also be additional costs associated with follow up medical checks.

Women on HRT usually visit their doctor every three to six months. This is important because doctors will carefully monitor a women's hormone levels when taking HRT drugs. These medications can have serious side effects, including elevated risks of some forms of breast cancer and uterine or endometrial cancer.

The cost per year for hormone medications can vary. Estrogen oral pills are the least expensive, usually costing around $500 per year. Skin patches can cost around $580 per year. Estrogen and progestin creams are the most expensive, costing over $1000 per year. It is thus vital to find out whether your insurance does cover HRT.