The Endometriosis Foundation of India, headquartered in Hyderabad, which was started with the aim of creating awareness and providing helping hands is submitting a proposal to the state and central governments along with insurance regulators urging them to cover Endometriosis under health insurance policies.

Endometriosis is a significant yet underdiagnosed and underfunded medical condition affecting millions of women. It is a chronic condition affecting approximately 10% of people of reproductive age worldwide, which translates to millions of women in India alone. Despite its prevalence, endometriosis remains underdiagnosed, often misunderstood, and inadequately addressed within the Indian healthcare system.

According to Dr. Vimee Bindra, the founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of India, “Healthcare expenses and resource utilization were higher among endometriosis cases than controls in all measured categories. Endometriosis has a significant financial impact on patients with Medicaid insurance, highlighting the unmet medical need for earlier detection and affordable therapies”.

Given that endometriosis has a huge negative influence on the lives of millions of women in India, it is imperative that endometriosis be included as a major component in health insurance plans. Insurance companies may significantly enhance the well-being and quality of life of affected women by recognizing endometriosis as a serious health problem and providing enough coverage for diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care. Additionally, this would encourage early identification and action, eventually cutting down on long-term healthcare costs.

Given the foregoing, they kindly request that the state and federal governments, as well as insurance regulators, take the following actions:

1. Endometriosis should be included as a covered medical condition straight from the beginning or commencement of insurance, and there should not be a lag of two to three years for the coverage. Review and revise current health insurance policy rules to include this.

• Prompt insurance companies to create thorough endometriosis-specific coverage that includes examinations, treatments, and follow-up care.

• Encourage cooperation between insurance companies, medical experts, and patient advocacy organizations to make sure insurance plans handle endometriosis holistically.

• Because these procedures are difficult and require a multidisciplinary approach, surgeons who perform endometriosis surgeries in such circumstances should be properly compensated rather than having them performed as part of ordinary gynecological procedures.

These actions will significantly assist the millions of Indian women who suffer from endometriosis and will advance the healthcare system as a whole. They also hope that they will inspire other healthcare professionals to advance this super-specialty.

Priyanka Dutta