The authors of this study state, as is well known to vein specialists, that "there are a number of proven interventions to treat varicose veins and to improve patients' life quality, but these interventions are often restricted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and private third-party payers".
The title of the article is Proposal for a national coverage determination for the treatment for varicose veins and venous disease due to disparate Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services local coverage determination policies.
The article published in the Journal o Vascular Surgery Venous and Lymphatic Disorders by Welch HJ, Kabnick L2 Vasquez MA, Monahan DL, Lurie F and Jacobowicz G state that "The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have private contractors that administer Medicare policies in 10 jurisdictions across the United States. There is no national policy or coverage for the treatment of varicose veins."
The current state of "multiple, disparate regional policies written by the contractors that cover the same Medicare beneficiary population. These disparate policies are not evidence based and provide unfair coverage of the same disease to the Medicare population, depending on where they live".
The authors of this article propose for a "national coverage determination policy for the treatment of varicose veins" across the U.S. and it's territories.
Dr Karamanoukian's note: It makes sense to provide same coverage for all Medicare and Medicaid patients across the U.S. This article is a "no brainer" from my perspective.