Make the Most of your Health Insurance
11/7/2022
Schedule appointments, tests and surgeries to maximize your health plan benefits before year end
Hattiesburg, MS - As the holidays approach, it’s easy to forget to take advantage of your insurance benefits. Now is a good time to review your outstanding health care needs and take full advantage of paid-up deductibles or available funds in Flexible Spending Accounts while you still can.
“When discussing health care needs with their doctor, people should also consider the best strategy for using their health insurance plan benefits,” says Patricia Cambell, M.D., a family medicine physician with Merit Health’s Primary Care Clinic in Petal. “You can take advantage of unused benefits by completing outstanding treatments or recommended tests and procedures before the year ends.”
Most health insurance plans have a deductible requirement—a predetermined amount of healthcare expense that must be covered before the plan begins paying the majority of (if not all) remaining expenses. Campbell says it’s crucial to know how close you are to meeting your deductible—or if you’ve already met it “because once you reach that threshold, you have a limited window of opportunity to receive health care services with the bulk of that expense covered by your plan. The coming new year brings with it a new deductible,” she says.
The close of 2022 also affects individuals who have Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)—which are pre-tax dollars set aside primarily for health-related expenses. The Internal Revenue Service requires those funds to be spent—or forfeited—by December 31. It’s important to make sure those funds are spent, so that they do not go to waste, says Campbell.
If you have been putting off scheduling care, such as an annual check-up, allergy testing, or elective surgery, it would be wise to check your deductible status and your FSA balance to see if there’s money to be saved, encourages Campbell.
“It’s important to schedule services soon so there is enough time to have the test or procedure done before the end of the year. Getting everything squared-away in November will help ensure the services you receive are considered part of your 2022 coverage,” she says.
Every health plan is different. It is important to know how your plan works so you can get the most from your benefits. To make an appointment with a primary care provider and find out what benefits you could take advantage of before the end of the year, visit WesleyPrimaryCare.com.
To sign up for Merit Health Wesley’s monthly e-newsletter, Live Healthy, visit bit.ly/mhwnews.
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