By 2025 about 5 million women in Canada will be facing the challenge of menopause according to the Menopause Foundation of Canada. Unfortunately, over half of Canadians feel that menopause is a taboo subject. That means that too often women are suffering without reaching out for medical treatments that may alleviate their symptoms.
Another obstacle to seeking medical treatment can be facing out-of-pocket costs for healthcare. Having health insurance in place helps remove that barrier by providing financial support and so much more.
What are signs and symptoms of menopause?
Lots of people don’t know what menopause is, including women. They don’t know the symptoms and they don’t know their symptoms are related to perimenopause or menopause, including:
- Hot flashes
- Memory issues
- Joint pain
- Lack of sleep
- Body aches
- Migraines and headaches
- Heart palpitations.
The problem is that when women don’t understand that their symptoms might be connected, they are not able to take action to support improvements in their physical and mental health and inevitably all aspects of their life.
How does health insurance help?
Health insurance plans provide benefits that cover costs for menopause care and treatments such as
- Health consultation resources to discuss symptoms easily and conveniently with medical professionals without having to travel to seek medical help
- Trusted online health information resources on an app, by phone or desktop
- Hormone replacement therapy paid for through prescription drug coverage has been used to relieve the symptoms of menopause of hot flashes and urinary issues for over 70 years, and is known to help reduce bone loss and fractures
- Pelvic floor physiotherapy by a physiotherapist can be a cornerstone therapy for menopause to relieve or even prevent common concerns, like urinary incontinence and is an alternative to surgeries, and it can lessen the duration of hormone replacement
- Massage and chiropractic therapy to ease joint and muscle pain
- Mental health support including to alleviate mood changes with online and live psychotherapy
- Dietician health coaching to promote healthier food choices and provide support to reduce or maintain a healthy weight
- Support and rewards for active living regimens to help lower musculoskeletal problems and factors that contribute to bone density loss and osteoporosis by encouraging exercise to building muscle and maintain a healthy weight.
By using the benefits covered by health insurance, women can privately reach out for help, get support they need and live more comfortably through menopause years.
Health insurance offsets other out-of-pocket healthcare costs too
Regardless of menopausal symptoms at middle age, women still take on most of the family burden when it comes to childcare responsibilities or caring for elders. It is vital to retain financial security at every phase of life and to have tools in place to achieve a healthy life balance – and that includes health insurance.
Remember, provincial or territorial health plans only covers basic healthcare needs, but health insurance helps an individual to pay for services that aren’t covered, such as private nursing services, ambulance transportation, wheelchairs, medical equipment, and dental care costs.
Regardless of relationship changes, employment changes or health changes, health insurance stays in place through working and non-working years.
Women should consider these factors when making the decision to buy their own individual health insurance plan:
- Putting your own individual coverage in place ensures that you can be continuously covered regardless of where you work, or if you are working at all (and that helps you be financially secure).
- You can choose coverage for the health benefits you want most, like major dental costs, psychologist visits or increasingly popular alternative therapies like visits to chiropractors, physiotherapists, or massage therapists.
- Your health insurance can be designed to co-ordinate with your employer coverage to increase overall protection.
- If you are in good health now, you have the freedom to choose the best policy possible and the security of knowing you can keep it for life, regardless of whether you have other health insurance in place or not. If you have health concerns, you are eligible for guaranteed issue plans for your coverage needs.
Women’s needs change, but the need for health insurance protection doesn’t
During a woman’s lifetime, paying for healthcare services can be a real challenge because of a combination of hurdles women may face like absence from the workforce or limited career paths, low wages, and lack of private pensions and savings. These factors can make women vulnerable to health challenges and financial stability later in life, just when health insurance can deliver the support essential to balancing life changes like menopause. Independently purchasing health and dental insurance is key to a healthy life. SBIS make it easy to find the best heath insurance solution online or contact us for expert guidance. We’re happy to help.
