Spring Allergies and Health Insurance: Managing Seasonal Health Challenges

There are several steps you can take to manage your spring allergies as the pollen count rises, such as avoiding your triggers, keeping your house clean, and, of course, taking medicine. Your health insurance may not cover nonprescription remedies, but it is likely to cover prescription medications and more invasive treatments, like immunotherapy shots.

Read below to find out more about managing spring allergies, including what the most common symptoms are and how your health insurance plan may be able to help.

On This Page

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  Are Spring Allergies Common?

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  How Do You Manage Your Spring Allergies?

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  Does Insurance Cover Medications for Spring Allergies?

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  Does Health Insurance Cover Allergy Testing?

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  How To Get Health Insurance To Prepare for Spring

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  FAQs

Are Spring Allergies Common?

In general, seasonal allergies are quite common, with about 20% of children and 25% of adults in the United States experiencing them in 2024.^[1] Throughout the springtime, many people experience an allergic reaction known as hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, due to increased pollen production by trees and grasses.^[2]

Common hay fever symptoms include the following:^[2]

• Runny and itchy nose
• Watery and itchy eyes
• Nasal congestion
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Postnasal drip
• Fatigue due to poor sleep
• Itching in the roof of the mouth or the throat
• Allergic shiners

How Do You Manage Your Spring Allergies?

Taking the following steps can help you manage your spring allergy symptoms and may lower your health care costs by alleviating your allergic rhinitis before it becomes a major health concern.

1. Know Your Triggers

During allergy season, pay attention to which activities and situations tend to make you feel sick so you can either avoid them or take steps in advance to mitigate their impact on your health. For example, rain can increase pollen counts.^[3] As a result, if pollen is one of your allergy triggers, you may want to pass on outdoor activities that you could otherwise handle if there has recently been a heavy rainstorm in your area.

2. Limit Time Outdoors

You may be able to mitigate your spring allergy symptoms by spending less time outside at the height of allergy season. While indoor triggers such as dust mites and pet dander often cause hay fever, outdoor allergens such as pollen, mold or fungal spores can also trigger symptoms.^[2]

Of course, it likely won’t be feasible or enjoyable to avoid going outside altogether during the spring, so it may be helpful to instead be strategic about when you participate in outdoor activities. For example, pollen levels tend to be highest in the morning, so you may be better off if you push your typical morning jog to the evening.^[3]

Alternatively, you could look up the pollen count in your area in advance to gauge whether it’s a good time for your outdoor exercise routine.

3. Take an Allergy Medicine

There are several allergy relief medicines that you can purchase without a prescription to treat your allergic rhinitis. Keep in mind that the right medicine for you depends on your specific symptoms. See the table below for an overview of common over-the-counter (OTC) allergy drugs.^[4]

Depending on the allergy medicine you choose, it may be beneficial to start taking it two to four weeks before you start experiencing symptoms to give it time to take effect.^[4] For example, if you consistently experience hay fever symptoms near the end of March, you could begin to counter those symptoms ahead of time by taking medicine toward the beginning of March.

At the very least, you should not wait for your symptoms to become severe before you start treating them.

4. Keep Your Doors and Windows Closed

If your allergy symptoms are primarily triggered by pollen, it’s important to keep your doors and windows closed whenever possible to prevent excessive pollen from entering your home. You can also address pollen that has already entered your home by regularly cleaning windows and other hard surfaces, and by sweeping and vacuuming your floors.

5. Remove Your Shoes Before Entering Your Home

Another simple lifestyle change that may help reduce your allergy symptoms is taking off your shoes before you come inside your home so you can avoid tracking pollen throughout your house. Similarly, you may want to shower and change clothes as soon as possible after you get home to minimize the amount of pollen that sticks to you.

6. Talk to Your Doctor

Although many people can manage their allergy symptoms on their own, you may want to see a doctor if you are unable to get relief from your symptoms, are experiencing negative side effects from OTC medicines or have a condition that exacerbates your hay fever symptoms, such as asthma or nasal polyps.^[2]

Does Insurance Cover Medications for Spring Allergies?

Coverage for allergy medications and other treatments varies among Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plans. Generally, coverage will depend on the type of treatment you are receiving and whether it has been approved or prescribed by your primary care physician.

Inhalers

Many health plans cover inhalers for policyholders with asthma and similar conditions. However, your insurance company may set a limit on the number of refills you can get within a given time frame. For example, TRICARE covers up to six inhaler refills per 90 days for military personnel and their families.^[5]

Nasal Sprays and Eye Drops

While ACA-compliant health insurance plans generally have to cover prescription drugs, insurance companies have some leeway in determining which drugs they will cover, meaning the exact nasal spray or eye drops your doctor recommends may not be covered unless your doctor submits a note saying that none of the other drugs covered by your health plan will adequately treat your condition.^[6]

In some cases, your insurer may exclude coverage for expensive drugs while covering cheaper alternatives. For example, Florida Blue does not cover name-brand Beconase AQ nasal spray or Acuvail eye drops, but it may cover generic beclomethasone nasal spray and ketorolac eye drops.^[7]

Skin Creams

If your hay fever causes you to develop a rash, your primary care physician may prescribe a skin cream for you, in which case your health insurance provider may cover the skin cream as a medically necessary prescription drug.

However, nonprescription OTC ointments are unlikely to be covered.

Antihistamines and Corticosteroid Pills

Your health insurance likely won’t cover nonprescription antihistamines.^[8] It also may not cover antihistamines at all unless you meet strict eligibility requirements, while coverage for corticosteroid pills largely depends on the type of drug you need.

For example, Cigna only deems certain oral antihistamines to be medically necessary if you have unsuccessfully tried to treat your symptoms with at least five other antihistamines.^[9]

Meanwhile, most Medicare and other health insurance plans cover some corticosteroids, such as hydrocortisone, budesonide, fluticasone propionate and methylprednisolone. However, they may exclude coverage for other corticosteroids, including loteprednol, prednisolone acetate and triamcinolone.^[10]

EpiPen Emergency Epinephrine Shots

Insurance coverage for name-brand EpiPen and EpiPen Jr autoinjectors can vary, but most health plans cover generic epinephrine autoinjectors.^[11] However, you should note that Medicare Part D plans may place restrictions on the amount of epinephrine you can have filled at one time.^[12]

Allergen Immunotherapy Injections

Health insurance plans usually cover immunotherapy that involves receiving allergy shots over an extended period of time to build up a resistance to the substance you are allergic to. The process generally requires one or two allergen injections per week during a buildup phase lasting three to six months, followed by one shot every two to four weeks during a maintenance phase lasting three to five years.^[13]

Does Health Insurance Cover Allergy Testing?

Most health plans also cover allergy testing. The primary way to test if you have any allergies is to undergo a skin test, during which your skin will be exposed to small doses of potential allergens. Afterward, your doctor should be able to easily determine what substances you are allergic to by noting which substances prompted an allergic reaction, usually in the form of itchy or swollen skin.^[14]

How To Get Health Insurance To Prepare for Spring

As you get ready for your spring allergies to flare up, you should compare quotes from about three to five health insurance companies to find a plan that will cover the treatments you need at an affordable rate. However, contacting multiple carriers individually to provide your information can be tedious.

Consider using an insurance marketplace like SmartFinancial to speed up the process. After you fill out a brief questionnaire, we’ll connect you with insurance agents who can match you up with health plans that meet your coverage needs at an appropriate cost. Click here to start your questionnaire and get free health insurance quotes today.