Toward the end of the year, when you may have used up your deductible, it's a good time to look into health care services you have been putting off. | Pexels/Maitree Rimthong
Toward the end of the year, when you may have used up your deductible, it's a good time to look into health care services you have been putting off. | Pexels/Maitree Rimthong
• Most Americans who get health insurance through their employer have an annual deductible.
• You can save money during the last few months of the year by taking advantage of your health insurance if you've already met your deductible.
• Most health insurance plans cover allergy testing and treatment.
While many people save money by shopping on Black Friday, another way to save money this holiday season is by making the most of your health insurance if you've already met your deductible.
Richmond Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers' Dr. John Ditto said there's a few ways to treat patients at an ENT center.
"In the U.S., there are three ways to treat patients," he added. "Allergy shots is one way, or what we call subcutaneous immunotherapy. Second is sublingual therapy, which is drops. It's the allergy drops given just like the shots, except you put it under your tongue. And then there are sublingual tablets that are approved in the United States by the FDA."
The recent 23rd Employer Health Benefits Survey conducted by the Kaiser Foundation recently found that as many as 85% of American workers who had health insurance coverage through their employer in 2021 had a general annual deductible for coverage that needed to be met before the plan paid for most health services. Family Allergy reports that most insurance plans cover allergy testing and treatment, meaning once your deductible has been met, costs for allergy tests and treatments could be very low or even zero.
If you discover you have allergies at the end of the year and your allergist recommends shots for treatment, you can begin the shots before your deductible resets, which will save you money, in addition to beginning to build up your body's defenses against spring allergens.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, for workers employed by small companies, the average single coverage deductible was $2,379 in 2021, and for workers employed by large firms, the average deductible cost was $1,397.
Stamford Health recommends that those who've met their deductible should start making appointments for testing before the end of the year, which could save them money over the long run. Recommendations include getting your annual physical and refilling prescriptions, as well as taking care of lab work or other diagnostic testing, Stamford also stresses that people over 45 should get a colonoscopy and women over 40 should get a mammogram.
If you're interested in learning more about diagnosis or treatment of allergies, please take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.
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