It’s that time of year again when you may be close to or have already met your insurance deductible, the annual expenses you are responsible to pay before your health insurance will pay your health claims. Once you’ve met your deductible, you will have access to several medical services for a significantly lower out-of-pocket amount, because you will only have to pay copays or coinsurance.
“Your health insurance may help you pay for a procedure or surgery you need or have been putting off,” explains MetroWest Medical Center CEO John Whitlock. “The best way to maximize your health care benefits is to schedule such appointments before your deductible resets January 1.”
Most health insurance plans cover preventative care services — such as immunizations, mammograms, and colonoscopies — regardless of whether or not you’ve met your annual deductible. However, once you’ve met your deductible, which depends on your specific plan, your insurance company will help you pay for additional covered or medical services, like prescription medications, visits with a specialist, or surgery.
According to MetroWest Medical Center surgeon Andrew Gordon, MD, many people tend to schedule needed, elective surgeries at the end of the year. This is typically when people have met their deductible and know it’s more likely that their insurance company will help pay for surgery.
“An elective surgery is a medically necessary surgery, one that provides some health or functional benefit such as symptom relief or prevention of further decline,” explains Dr.Gordon. “‘Elective’ only refers to the timing of the surgery, in that it does not need to be performed urgently or emergently.”
For Dr. Gordon, this is most often hernia surgeries which are usually able to be performed these days with small incisions via a minimally invasive approach. Similarly, a lot of people seek orthopedic procedures for meniscus repairs, frozen shoulders, and other procuedures.
“If you have met your deductible, and you are in need of care that can improve your quality of life, we are here for you and your family before the end of the year so you are able to take advantage of your benefits,” says Whitlock.
To get the most out of your medical coverage, we encourage you to schedule your needed surgery. Please schedule an appointment with your doctor or for a free physician referral, call (833)235-0651, or visit www.mwmc.com/patients/medical-deductibles for more information.
About MetroWest Medical Center
MetroWest Medical Center is a teaching community health care system serving the greater MetroWest region of Massachusetts. For more than 125 years, it provides services in three locations: Framingham Union Hospital, a full-service acute care hospital in Framingham; Leonard Morse Hospital, a behavioral health facility in Natick; and MetroWest Wellness Center, an outpatient care center of MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham. MetroWest Medical Center is committed to meeting the health care needs of the area residents by providing advanced medicine and personalized care, right in the local community. In 2023, Healthgrades® named MetroWest Medical Center one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention Award™ which puts MetroWest Medical Center in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for Coronary Intervention. To learn more, visit www.mwmc.com.
MetroWest Chamber of Commerce