Which types of vein treatments are typically covered by insurance companies?

For spider veins, none.

A lot of offices will submit bills to insurance companies for the treatment of spider veins. Spider veins can cause itching, burning or some sort of irritating feeling, but those spider veins are essentially cosmetic. The patient is certainly willing to try to get their insurance company to cover treatments for spider veins, but no doctor should bill an insurance company for what is basically a cosmetic problem.

Varicose veins, on the other hand, can cause significant problems in a patient’s life. They can cause burning, itching, heaviness, aching and throbbing, and they can lead to more problems of the ankle, causing ankle swelling, the skin to break down, and ulcer formation. Most insurance companies will cover treatment for varicose veins. They are more likely to cover an operation to treat varicose veins than paying for sclerotherapy.

It is very difficult to prove to an insurance company that something is medically necessary. Whether treatment of varicose veins is cosmetic or medically necessary is really up to the insurance company’s decision to cover the procedure.