People have been practicing yoga and meditation for centuries. They are exercises that promote maximum health and well-being, and the benefits are long term. The popularity of these is increasing as more people see how much better they feel after using them. The problem is that even though they are great exercises to preserve health, they are not covered by insurance. This is quite disheartening since it is a prevention tool, and there are other means of prevention that are covered by insurance policies. This isn’t the only reason they should be covered by insurance, though. The following are five additional reasons.
Reduces Fall Injury Risks
When you fall, the chance of you getting hurt is higher if you’re not strong or flexible. Yoga improves flexibility and builds muscle strength. This means if you fall after doing yoga for a few months, you will probably be less likely to get hurt, so you won’t need medical care. This could save the insurance company a lot of money from not having to pay for medical bills. It would make sense for insurance companies to cover yoga, so people can help themselves stay injury-free if there’s an accident.
Improves Bone Health
Yoga strengthens bones, which can help people prevent osteoporosis. Many people end up suffering from osteoporosis as they age, and the treatment for it can be expensive. In addition, osteoporosis increases the risk of broken bones, and that can lead to surgery or extensive treatment. These surgeries and treatment can end up costing the insurance company a lot of money. Yoga is much less expensive.
Boosts Immunity
Yoga and meditation boost immunity. When you take time to center yourself and calm down, you let your body catch up to everything you’ve been doing. This gives your immunity a chance to recuperate, so it can fight off those pesky viruses. When the immune system is strong, you are less sick, and that means fewer medical appointments. Simply by paying for yoga and meditation services, the insurance company will save money by not having to pay for as many medical appointments.
Lowers Risk of Heart Attack
Yoga and meditation help lower heart attack risk. Yoga increases your heart rate to keep your heart pumping and in good shape. Meditation reduces stress that wreaks havoc on your heart over time. With a reduced risk of heart attack, you will be less likely to need heart related medications or hospitalization due to a heart attack.
Reduces Depression Symptoms
Depression is difficult to deal with and many people take anti-depressants. These prescriptions can cost a lot of money to insurance companies, especially if people have to take them long term or need to increase their dose over time. Yoga and meditation can lower the risk of depression and reduce the symptoms for those suffering from it
Helps People Lead a Healthy Lifestyle
Yoga and meditation enable people to concentrate on their body and mind. As they do this, they start to tap into their core. This helps them see that they shouldn’t only take care of their body with yoga and meditation, but in other ways too. This can lead people to be more conscious of what they are eating, so they can eat foods that will promote health and wellness. Overtime, this can prevent health problems that could end up costing the insurance company thousands of dollars.
Insurance Companies Need to Consider Long Term Benefits
Insurance companies often try to keep people as healthy as possible, so they don’t end up having to pay for treatments and surgeries. Yoga and meditation are great ways to keep people healthy, so why are they not including the cost of them in policies? It may be because research hasn’t made a solid case for it just yet. While many people know the benefits of it, there needs to be more studies on the effectiveness of them to prove they are a worthwhile option for coverage.
In the meantime, all that anyone can do is pay for yoga and meditation classes out of pocket. It’s up to us to protect ourselves. The insurance companies are the ones that end up benefiting from the addition money people are spending on these exercises. What they don’t realize is they would save much more if they covered the cost, so more people could afford to include them in their lifestyle.
