What is diabetes?
Type I diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce insulin. Type I is a rarer form of the disease than Type II, which can have varying causes, including lack of insulin or insulin not being processed correctly by the body. The latter is worsened if the patient is obese or overweight. By far the majority of cases detected in childhood will be Type I, and it generally occurs for no known reason. Type II is much more likely to occur when a patient is older, and accounts for 85% of the 2.8 million known cases in the UK.
Symptoms of both types of diabetes include thirst and frequent urination. When glucose is not processed for energy, the kidneys try to deal with a build up of the glucose by filtering and excreting it. Increased blood glucose can also cause thrush, and glucose can build up in the eye causing clouded vision. As the body has to use fat for energy instead of glucose, some diabetics will also noticeably lose weight quite quickly.
However, Type II diabetes can be so slow to develop that symptoms are often subtle or are not noticed for several years. This means there are a large quantity of people – estimated at more than 850,000 in the UK – who have Type II diabetes but do not yet know it.
How is diabetes managed?
All sufferers of Type I diabetes need insulin supplements. As insulin is a protein, oral administration is not possible, so patients are taught to inject themselves regularly to control their blood sugar levels. The injections a Type I diabetic performs are not particularly painful.
The injection is administered just under the skin in fatty tissue, and the dose can be self adjusted according to the patient’s blood glucose reading. (Diabetics often own blood glucose measuring machines which are capable of giving an accurate reading from a pin prick of blood on a small test strip.) Various modern types of safe, hygienic insulin delivery are available to diabetics, including pen-type devices with fine needles that are twisted to deliver the required dose.
Diabetes can also be treated with drugs, and this is the most common solution for Type II diabetics. However, if the condition worsens or the disease does not respond adequately, insulin injections may also be prescribed to control the symptoms of diabetes effectively.
Can I get private medical insurance if I am diabetic?
If you are diabetic you’re probably very aware that your options around private medical insurance are limited. Pre-existing conditions are sometimes not covered under private health insurance policies, and neither are any related conditions which arise as a result of your diabetes. There may also be implications when you switch insurer, even if your diabetes was diagnosed after your initial policy began. Some will treat it as a pre-existing condition, and some will impose restrictions on when you can claim – for example, a non-claiming period of around two years is common.
Also, bear in mind that health insurance companies will often only pay out for acute conditions, meaning conditions that arise suddenly and can be treated quickly. Long-term conditions are another matter, although some insurers do cover them to some degree. It is unlikely that routine appointments to deal with diabetes will be covered under a private health insurance policy, but on the other hand, you may benefit from regular health check-ups of a more general nature. If you need medication to control or manage your diabetes, check policy wording carefully to see if the cost of the medication would be covered. It’s quite normal for this kind of drug treatment to be excluded.
One interesting option is PruHealth’s Vitality programme which is designed to reward lifestyle changes with cashback and other benefits. If you’ve recently been diagnosed, chances are you’ll be making some changes to your diet and routine anyway, and Vitality might give you a little extra push in the right direction – together with some handy financial incentives.
Another option for diabetics is a hospital cash fund which will pay out for elements of your treatment and medication. Such a scheme is not really medical insurance, but it can help with the cost of managing your illness. Again, some insurers will cover diabetics and some will not. In short, it is possible to obtain private health insurance if you are diabetic already, but it may be more expensive. Speak to an insurance broker who will scan the market and see what options are available to you. If you have medical insurance at work, it may be worth trying to extend that cover if you leave your job rather than trying to negotiate the same terms elsewhere. A broker can help you make the right decision so you can handle your diabetes in the best way possible.
