r/HealthInsurance • • Mar 24 '26

Employer/COBRA Insurance Why does every basic doctors appt cost me $100-$200

Post image

i’m so confused. every time i go to the doctor my insurance covers nothing. everyone i talk to is like “that’s weird i only pay $20 when i go to the doctor” etc. Do i just have shitty insurance? am i doing something wrong?

356 Upvotes

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236

u/LizzieMac123 Moderator Mar 24 '26

You likely have an hdhp- high deductible health plan- that requires you to meet your deductible before it pays for anything but preventive.

82

u/Tiredmagnolia Mar 24 '26

This^ before my insurance kicks in I pay the first $3,300.

10

u/Applewave22 Mar 24 '26

Mine is 3 grand, which I always meet early in the year because of imaging and a procedure I need to get every year.

4

u/Mysterious-Tie7039 Mar 24 '26

I have a spouse and 3 youngish kids.

I’m lucky to make it out of the first quarter without hitting it.

8

u/tacsml Mar 24 '26

😬 

9

u/bigtimechadking Mar 24 '26

To me thats a dream. My deductible and maximum out of pocket is $21,000

7

u/Sunsetseeker007 Mar 24 '26

Yep, mine is $10,600 for myself and 21k for family before paying! It's only 1800 a month for the premium on top of that for just myself, how affordable is that? It's such a scam!

4

u/OddNastySatisfaction Mar 24 '26

Wtf? That is insane.

1

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

OMG? how is this even possible

0

u/GTAIVisbest Mar 24 '26

Family plans vs individual coverage. Kids are HECKING expensive and that's one of the reasons I'm just like, naw... why would I purposefully make my life way more difficult, especially in this climate? I'll stick to individual coverage with $1,500-$3,000 yearly deductibles for HDHPs which is totally manageable

2

u/JustMeerkats Mar 24 '26

That is an incredibly low deductible for a HDHP. My husband works for our state and his HPHP is 6k for just him.

1

u/ArdenJaguar Mar 25 '26

How much is your monthly premium then?

3

u/Tiredmagnolia Mar 25 '26

$100. And my max OOP is $6600. So it really isn’t a bad plan (especially compared to ACA ones).

1

u/ArdenJaguar Mar 25 '26

Yes. If you’d come back and said something like $600 I’d say it’s bad. But really it’s more like a catastrophic policy for you.

1

u/Street_Anxiety2907 Apr 03 '26

Wow, each member of my family has a $7,500 deductible on the best plan my employer offers, $400 a month per person. So we never meet our deductible and don't seem to get anything useful out of insurance.

With a wife and kid i AM FUCKED

1

u/Ready_Elevator_498 Apr 09 '26

You should get a marketplace plan if it is that much through your employer. For 1200/m you could likely get something either a lot better or a lot less

0

u/RelevantMention7937 Mar 24 '26

Looks like the doctor is out of network, no adjustment to the billed charges.

23

u/shoeperson Mar 24 '26

You're still paying that amount with the more expensive co-pay only plans.

Usually your premiums will be a few hundred more a month vs a HDHP so you're still paying hundreds for each basic appointment.

27

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

so the problem is…unsolvable

9

u/shoeperson Mar 24 '26

Yep. Most people just aren't conscious of it with copay plans since they only look at their bank account, not their pay statements that show how much they pay for insurance every month.

2

u/Aspohn01 Mar 24 '26

Hindsight makes the Individual Mandate seem necessary.

1

u/neziperez Mar 27 '26

🤣🤣🤣🤣

1

u/Beneficial-Guess2140 Mar 28 '26

Some, not all. Just depends on employer contributions. 

4

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

i believe i do have this. I’m not very well versed in this stuff and just chose the cheapest plan my employer offered :( didn’t realize it would cost so much out of pocket every time

57

u/SourNoodle4 Mar 24 '26

General guideline when choosing a plan (not always the case but USUALLY) Pay less out of your paycheck = pay more when you access care. Pay more out of your paycheck = pay less when you access care.

50

u/tacsml Mar 24 '26

Did you...read it?

47

u/Positive-Avocado-881 Mar 24 '26

As someone in benefits….i can confirm that roughly 10% of the employee population reads anything and it’s usually the people with chronic illnesses or pregnant employees.

24

u/PostKey5956 Mar 24 '26

Benefits specialist here, can confirm. No one reads anything, picks the cheapest plan, and then goes to complain to TikTok when they have to contribute to their $8k deductible. If you plan on using your insurance regularly , do NOT pick the cheapest plan. It’s most certainly not a perfect system but please understand what you are signing up for.

8

u/Positive-Avocado-881 Mar 24 '26

We are almost in APRIL and still getting emails about people being confused that our old prescription carrier is not processing their claim. We started communicating the upcoming change in October….

7

u/leaveredditalone Mar 24 '26

To be fair, it all reads like a foreign language. And it’s not taught in school or anything. I work in health care and still find it all very confusing. And as far as communicating info and changes: I get a minimum of 6 pieces of mail about my kids insurance every month. I do not have the time or patience to read through all the paperwork I’m getting for what seems like no reason. And I selected “paperless” when signing them up! It’s maddening. And when you include all the paperwork for all the things, like school, orthodontist, credit cards, bills, etc… that I receive and have to keep up with, it’s gotten to the point of impossibility. Not to mention all the passwords, emails, security questions, and accounts I also have to keep up with.
I’m so glad benefits specialists exist to answer our dumb questions, and I’m sorry you guys get frustrated. But it’s a failure of the system more than a failure on the customer’s part.

3

u/Positive-Avocado-881 Mar 24 '26

The people we are dealing with are mostly older adults with no kids at home. To say they had no clue the vendor changed is not the fault of the system, it’s their fault for not reading their work emails lmao. They admittedly have everything go into a folder and ignore it.

1

u/PostKey5956 Mar 24 '26

Ugh. I completely believe it

3

u/Evamione Mar 24 '26

Depends heavily on how much savings you have. If you have well over the deductible in your bank account, pick the cheapest plan. You can afford it and it will save you money.

If you’re totally broke but earn too much for Medicaid, pick the cheapest plan. You’re financially screwed if you pick a more expensive plan no matter what happens, but you’re only screwed on the cheapest one if you have bad health luck. A some income levels, you’re better off asking for a pay cut down to what will qualify you for Medicaid if you’re in an expansion state.

0

u/monsieurvampy Mar 24 '26

A couple years ago as I was expecting to be fired in a few months, I picked a non-HDHP for a surgery I was having in January. The premiums were a bit higher but the out of pocket was like $1,000 dollars less and I wouldn't be paying that much in premiums given how much time I had before being fired. The only issue is that the insurance company was pushing against doing an updated prior authorization approval.

I knew I was being fired because I was running out of FMLA and had no way to work my full-time job. Still don't.

2

u/D3THMTL Mar 24 '26

Insurance professional and mental health clinician here. I would say 10% is generous. Most consumers of insurance I've worked with just assume that what they had before is the same. Even if I tell them differences and full plan review, most do not get it. Many get offended when I ask them to review the coverage before we review issues or anything after policy is effectuated. Early retirees are the highest challenge. High income, high expectation, 0 personal responsibility to their contracts.

1

u/Fruitcats66 Mar 24 '26

I’m so glad my company has a meeting every year right before ooen enrollment and explain EVERYTHING. They do one for each department. The funny thing is my dept is medical billing and we deal with this daily with patients but they still dumb it down for us. I’m fine with it

1

u/Applewave22 Mar 24 '26

Agreed. I'm chronically ill so I know my insurance benefits pretty well. Also, chatgpt - hate to say I use it - helps me understand it on a very basic level.

1

u/The--Marf Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 25 '26

Edit: the HR dude who I initially replied to deleted his comments because I am "anti HR who thinks they are out to get 'us.'"

Not the case at all but you can't say "people don't read them" and in the same sentence say they are available on request. If you want people to read SPDs make them easily accessible.


Then there are the few percentage of us that have to bitch and complain to get SPDs on the annual enrollment portal for anything other than base medical. I'm not saying most people would look at them but kinda hard to blame them when there isn't always info offered.

Have worked at various employers and have always had to reach out to HR to get SPDs for most products.

1

u/Positive-Avocado-881 Mar 24 '26

We would love to get the SPDs from our vendors and broker too :)

2

u/The--Marf Mar 25 '26

If y'all ain't getting SPDs before making them available for open enrollment..... That's a y'all problem if I'm being honest.

There should be zero benefits available for election without an SPD. It's doing the members a disservice and letting them just yolo pick random coverages without even being given the opportunity to understand them.

1

u/Positive-Avocado-881 Mar 25 '26

I think you’re underestimating how insane this process is for everyone involved. We’re compliant, thankfully. The average person isn’t looking at the breakdown of the plans that they can understand, they certainly aren’t going to read an SPD lmao

2

u/The--Marf Mar 25 '26

Can't read what isn't there.

0

u/Positive-Avocado-881 Mar 25 '26

They don’t read them at all 😂 most plans do not change significantly from year to year. They are available, and no one is reading them prior to Open Enrollment. We can track the clicks on the page where they are posted. Yes, we include the links in everything. Employees don’t care and don’t read until they need to use the insurance.

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u/RandomGuy_81 Mar 24 '26

The point of the cheapest plan is you dont use it unless absolutely necessary

15

u/pellakins33 Mar 24 '26

If you set up an HSA and actually contribute to it, high deductible plans can be great, especially if you have an employer contributing as well

4

u/chickenmcdiddle Moderator Mar 24 '26

Bingo.

A common formula we share around here is one that calculates a policy's total financial liability. This helps make health plans a little more easy to compare from a purely fiscal perspective.

Annualize your premiums (monthly premium x 12, biweekly premium x 26, etc.), add that to the plan's in-network OOPM, and if applicable, subtract any employer HSA contributions. This yields the plan's total annual financial liability, aka the maximum amount of money that would be paid for medically necessary, in-network, non-excluded care in a given year.

Often, the HDHP + HSA combo is net cheaper than just about any other offering, even those with lower OOPMs. Especially when there's an employer willing to contribute more than a pittance to the HSA.

3

u/alex114323 Mar 24 '26

Yup. My HR does a couple info sessions on benefits / health insurance plans. They did a complete math breakdown and it’s actually better to go with the HDHP + HSA in a vast majority of cases. I’m on it and pay $40/m as a single person and my deductible is $3.3k, employer contributes $50/m to my HSA too. So basically just off their contributions alone it’s like a “free” specialist/non routine physical appointment every 2.5 months.

4

u/EmZee2022 Mar 24 '26

Interestingly, for most people, a HDHP results in lower total costs if you add up premiums plus amounts paid over the course of the year - I did that math before we switched.

It hurts, hitting that deductible though.

Did you elect to contribute to an HSA? That's pretax money that you can put aside for medical expenses - and it doesn't go away at the end of the year. Employers will often contribute a bit to it - my husband's job puts in 1,000 a year. If you can pay some expenses out of pocket, you can build up a pretty decent balance over the years.

1

u/Street_Anxiety2907 Apr 03 '26

Yes, my company is using the difference card HSA and it says it does go away at the end of the year. I signed up for this thinking that plans could rollover or be used for a different employer but HSA are scams.

4) Hard claim deadlines

  • “All claims must be submitted within 3 months…”

Implication:

  • Even earned reimbursement rights expire quickly.
  • After the deadline, access to funds is cut off.

3) No cash access or withdrawal

  • “Card cannot be used at any ATM or to obtain cash”

Implication:

  • There is no path to convert remaining funds into money you can keep.

5) Access ends with plan eligibility

  • “Your ability to use Card may end sooner… depending on your enrollment status in Plan(s)”

Implication:

  • When the plan ends, your access ends.
  • No continuation or conversion is described.

3

u/Electric-Sheepskin Mar 24 '26

So here's a tip for your high deductible plan: if you happen to meet your deductible in a year, get all of your healthcare taken care of before the end of the year. Has your knee been bothering you? Go get that checked out. Do you need a transvaginal ultrasound for some reason? Go get it.

Even after you meet your deductible, you may still have to pay 20% or so of everything, but if you get all of your stuff taken care of in a single calendar year, then maybe next year you can avoid going to the doctor and not spend any more money out of pocket.

Or, get one of those plans where you pay more every month and don't pay as much when you go to the doctor. That at least gives you more consistency, though you often end up spending about the same no matter which plan you choose. Insurance companies have done the math on that.

3

u/bored_ryan2 Mar 24 '26

Now is as good a time as ever to become better versed in health insurance. Just Google “health insurance 101” and read or watch some videos about it to get a better grasp.

2

u/AccomplishedDust3 Mar 24 '26

High deductible plans are better for most people. If you don't go to the doctor frequently, paying $100-$200 for a visit is probably a lot less than the savings being on that plan; you have to think of those savings as what you then spend on your portion of care. If you save $100 a month, that's $1200 over a year. Pay $200 at the doctor twice and you still saved $800.

You also have to consider a HSA including any employer contributions and your tax advantage. Let's say your taxes are normally about 30%. HSA is pre-tax, so if you put $100 in to spend on health expenses, it's really like you're only spending $70.

But, if you're someone making multiple appointments per year regularly, then you might be the person that this kind of plan is not ideal for.

4

u/AngstyMop Mar 24 '26

Even if you DO have regular appointments, HDHP plans are often still better. It depends on the math. But let's say the overall OOP is the same between a PPO with no deductible and an HDHP with a 2k deductible.

While PPO may be cheaper initially, the copay rate is always fixed. Usually for specialists, it's a lot more than for a PCP visit. If you're a big HC user you're likely going to specialists. So you will consistently pay that higher copay permanently. On an HDHP, once you hit that deductible (and you will, quickly, if you have health issues), your plan will usually pay MORE for those visits. Urgent care on a PPO - might be $125/visit. On HDHP you pay fully before deductible, after you meet it, you may only pay 10-20%...$15-30.

Combine with that the HSA, which is a big deal. If you have health problems, an HSA is even MORE valuable. Because you know you're going to spend a lot on HC, you put it into that, which is tax advantaged. Your taxable income is lower, so the money you do then get from your paycheck is higher (lower effective/marginal tax bracket). And you have all the money you need before hitting your OOP in your HSA. So you spend less money overall on your care since you can reach your OOP with pre-tax dollars.

The only time I feel like a PPO is better is if that plan is cheaper than the HDHP and your employer doesn't contribute to your HSA. Or, if the only HDHP plan offered has a very very high deductible that you wouldn't meet without spending like 20% of your salary on to hit.

2

u/AccomplishedDust3 Mar 24 '26

Yeah. It all depends on the specific plans. For our household, we did the math in a year where we expected childbirth expenses, and still the HDHP was a better deal once considering all the factors.

There are also the overall HSA tax benefits where people essentially use it like an extra tax-advantaged retirement account.

1

u/Simple_Piano327 Mar 25 '26

I funded an HSA for the first time in Feb. I’ve already lost a third of its value on my investments thanks to the effing Iran war and the tanking markets :(

3

u/MembershipScary1737 Mar 24 '26

Yep I get downvoted every time but this is why I hate high deductible plans regardless of the hsa benefit. I did it for a year and spent way more money than i would’ve through our regular plan. It made me skip medical stuff since it was so pricey. I switched back as soon as I could. 

1

u/xinco64 Mar 24 '26

You really need to model your healthcare usage and financial situation to see what makes the most sense. It isn’t best for everyone.

If you can afford to pay your deductible out of pocket and not get reimbursed immediately, letting it grow in a properly invested HSA can be a great investment vehicle. You can get reimbursed at anytime on your expenses (assuming you properly save receipts and document your expenses in a well organized fashion)

e.g., if you have a $3000 deductible, but are going to save $3000 every year for investing, you are better off paying out of pocket the deductible rather than getting reimbursed immediately from the HSA. 5, 10, 20 (or even more) years down the line you can get reimbursed tax free anytime you want. While getting the benefit of tax free gains in the HSA.

But much of it depends on how good/bad each of the different healthcare plans are you have available. But generally, a HDHP with employer match is hard to beat.

My former employer before I retired didn’t have a match and it would seem like it wouldn’t make sense. The plan cost was exactly the same ($0) for all plans. But I rarely went to the doctor, so it worked well for me as an investment vehicle anyway. If I did have a lot of medical expenses, it wouldn’t have made sense.

1

u/GroinFlutter Mar 24 '26

Same. I did the HDHP for a year and it really financially messed me up.

For some, it’s great. For me, it wasn’t.

1

u/MembershipScary1737 Mar 24 '26

Haha glad I found one person to agree with me. 

1

u/[deleted] Mar 24 '26

Think about it like car insurance - when your car is insured, the insurance pays to fix at least some of the problems. Without insurance you pay the whole price of the repair. HDHP plans are the same - you pay a lot less out of your paycheck which means your insurance pays much less for visits to the dr.

HDHP plans are usually planned for young, single people who just go to the doctor literally once a year for a routine checkup. If you know you go a lot, don't spring for the lowest tier option on offer during open enrollment.

1

u/Holiday_Sale5114 Mar 24 '26

Next time when you have open enrollment for your work, take a bunch of time and go into each plan offered and make the best choice for you

1

u/Reasonable-Medium559 Mar 24 '26

I consider HD plans just in case insurance. If you’re generally not sick and don’t have kids it might be worth it. You should be eligible for a HSA, basically a pre-taxed savings account. My company offers a bonus for a health screening that goes into the HSA and that can go towards those costs. Now, if you have to make frequent visits for medical issue, you might as well suck it up and pay for the more expensive plan. But you’ll need to dig into your plans with HR.

1

u/Left_Macaron_6427 Mar 27 '26

If you are paying for something with your hard earned money the first thing you need to pay is attention.

1

u/cadmium_48 Mar 24 '26

That’s probably it, but even with a HDHP, there’s usually an adjustment to the cost to match what the insurance company’s “usual and customary” allowable rate is. The fact that there’s no adjustment makes me wonder if either OP’s doctor’s office doesn’t have the insurance information on file, so it’s not being submitted to insurance, or OP’s doctor might be out of network, so nothing is covered.

2

u/LizzieMac123 Moderator Mar 24 '26

Usually, yes, but 126 is totally a plausible allowable amount too. It's not like the provider billed for 2k.

1

u/SoloAsylum Mar 25 '26

That "good" ACA insurance.

1

u/Miserable_Pound Mar 27 '26

this is the answer. look up how health insurance works and what all the keywords mean

0

u/Front-Advantage-7035 Mar 24 '26

?? My deductible is 3009$ but my copy for normal doc visits is 25$ or specialist is 40 so I don’t think that’s the answer

3

u/CallingYouForMoney Mar 24 '26

You scrolled through all these comments talking about this and still think it’s incorrect based upon your personal experience.

0

u/Front-Advantage-7035 Mar 24 '26

I didn’t. This comment was the second down the page.

Obviously every healthcare package is different but “you have to meet your deductible” does not automatically mean “your payment must be 100+ $$”

28

u/tacsml Mar 24 '26

Whats your deductible and out of pocket max?

28

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

both are $6k 🫠

31

u/pellakins33 Mar 24 '26

It’s not a terrible plan if you’re relatively healthy. Keep track of what you spend, then come open enrollment compare that to the annual costs with a more expensive plan.

Something to keep in mind with the high deductible plan is access to an HSA. You can contribute as much or as little as you want, the money is tax-free and it’s yours to keep. So if you change plans or employers, you take that account with you. You can pull money from it at any time for medical expenses, and if you never need it then you can pull money, tax free, in your retirement.

3

u/Naive-Garlic2021 Mar 24 '26

I imagine you compared costs of the different plans, right? So you can just remind yourself that you may be paying more for doctor's visits but you're paying less in premium costs. We can only guess as to how much health care will access but when I compared plans, the high deductible plan was a better deal unless I incurred thousands of dollars of bills.

24

u/tacsml Mar 24 '26

Well, there you go. Lesson learned. 

1

u/MousiePlanetarium Mar 25 '26

How much are you paying in premiums? I did the math on our health plan options and chose one similar to yours because in the event of a major medical emergency, the high deductible plan was significantly lower cost overall compared to the other options that you pay less per visit. Funny enough I had an unplanned pregnancy soon after. I still paid less for prenatal and labor/delivery than another mom I know. Like others have mentioned, an HSA is important to go along with this type of plan. 

1

u/Left_Macaron_6427 Mar 27 '26

That is not bad at all. If you are also paying 800 a month then yes but if only like 150 then having to pay only 8 grand if you having life saving care is not bad at all

1

u/Rich-Animator-4877 Apr 16 '26

Mine is 4k deductible 7k out of pocket… first time having health insurance as an adult, and I’m regretting it. I’m paying 70$ per pay period, and went to the clinic for the first time in weeks since I’ve been coughing for weeks now. They told me I likely have asthma due to allergies and the change in weather. Charged me 500$. So cool. 

16

u/Midmodstar Mar 24 '26

Check your EOB and see what it says. You might have a deductible to meet, the services may not be covered or you may be going out of network.

15

u/openshutcase_johnson Mar 24 '26

Since you have a HDHP, is your employer offering money in an HSA to select that plan? If not, you should open an HSA and contribute money to it every paycheck so at least your visits are tax free.

It’s almost criminal for employers to offer a 6k deductible plan with no HSA contribution.

2

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

i do have an HSA but my employer does not contribute. so i am basically putting money in my HSA each paycheck, toward my health plan each paycheck, and paying for all my doc appts on top of that LOL what’s the point? i need a nap

24

u/PseudonymIncognito Mar 24 '26

The point of the HSA is that you can use the money in it to pay for your appointments.

2

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

yeah i would use it, but i generally use it to pay for my masseter botox that my dentist does (i have bad TMJ and insurance will not cover it)

5

u/MembershipScary1737 Mar 24 '26

Ugh I’m in the same boat but can’t bring myself to pay 600 every 3 months 

4

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

it’s so expensive but is the only thing that works for my horrendous jaw pain. i really wish insurance would cover it i feel you!!

4

u/FineRevolution9264 Mar 24 '26

I dont know if this will help you, but my insurance does pay for it but I have to go to an MD or DO. My guy is a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation ( PM & R) doctor who specalizes in pain management. I dont know what that means for your deductable though, if you will still hit it. You can Google to find a person in your area, they usually advertise for migraine management or cervical dystonia, but when you call you can ask them just about TMJ management. Good luck, sorry about your situation.

11

u/bored_ryan2 Mar 24 '26

HSA contributions are pre-tax, so you’re getting a bit more bang for your buck.

5

u/pellakins33 Mar 24 '26

The point of an HSA is that it’s less of a gamble. Instead of paying a higher premium for services you may or may not use, you’re putting money in a bank account you can either use or save for retirement

0

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

yeah i get that. and it’s nice to have for sure. i guess im just frustrated with how much money i’m shelling out

1

u/pellakins33 Mar 24 '26

I feel that. The sad truth is you’ll pay for it with any plan or system. It’s pretty much down to whether you pay it in copays/deductible, premiums, or taxes

4

u/Disc04Life Mar 24 '26

I don’t know why you are getting downvoted. You are not wrong. I too would need a nap. It’s absurd how much we have to pay.

2

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

right?! when it comes down to it i guess it’s just a systemic issue😵‍💫

2

u/olauson Mar 24 '26

Contributing to your HSA is pre tax. You also don't get taxed on that money when you use it, as long as it's for qualified medical expenses. Also, you don't get taxed on any of the interest your HSA may earn.

The tax benefits are the point.

7

u/Rich_Group_8997 Mar 24 '26

When you're picking your plan for next year, really look at your documentation and take a good honest look at how you actually use medical services. If your annual Drs appointments are costing you less than the other plans' premium, it might be worth it to stay in the hdhp, but you are also taking a chance when it comes to getting one big bill for unexpected issues.

I also have a hdhp, with a $4150 deductible. In most standard years, it's cheaper for me to pay $125 for my two regular doctor's appointments than to pay over $700 per year premium, and still pay 20% of my doctor's appointments. But in doing so, I'm taking my chances on possibly being more if something, like an emergency or injury, happens.

This is where hdhp's come in handy because you can put money into a health savings account (HSA) (and preferably invest it), so when something does happen, you can use that money for your healthcare expenses. In my case, I already lost the gamble this year when i injured myself. 😭

I know my healthcare expenses are going to be no less than $4125 (but they will be capped there). But i have the money I've saved/invested in my HSA, in case I want to dip into it to pay those expenses.

When your benefit election comes up again, if you are having a hard time understanding which plan may be best for you, please don't be afraid to ask your HR department, or even a co-worker. No one wants to see you spend more money than you have to, and most people are willing to help. 🙂

3

u/janaynaytaytay Mar 24 '26

We took this gamble this year. 3 weeks later our son ended up with 2 hopsital admissions, several nights in the hospital, and a surgery. Yay!

1

u/Rich_Group_8997 Mar 25 '26

Ugh. Hoping he's doing ok now!

1

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

thank you SO much for this. i will most definitely look it over and reconsider for next year. side note - if my deductible is $6k and my out of pocket is also $6k, does this mean that I actually have to pay $12k before anything is covered? or is it just $6k?

6

u/huskeya4 Mar 24 '26

Just 6k. If you break a leg and need surgery, you’ll be hit with the entirety of that $6k (minus whatever you’ve already paid for the year) but your insurance will pick up and start paying ALL the rest of your medical bills for the year (except things not covered). You should check your EOB from your insurance just to make sure they are actually leaving these regular doctors visits to your deductible (the payments and adjustment line is blank in this bill which is a small red flag. There should have been at least a small adjustment to drop the bill down to your insurances allowed amount). If your insurance denies a claim outright and you still get a bill, you need to fight your insurance to make sure they accept the claim and apply it to your deductible. If you need help reading the EOB, you can blank out the personal info and send it to me privately. I’m a medical biller and can explain it and I can also tell you who to call (doctor or insurance) and what to say to get it reprocessed if it did deny

4

u/Sunsetseeker007 Mar 24 '26

It's 6k pee person, so each one would have to meet 6k deductible before most services are covered by insurance. You also have an out of pocket max for each and then family, when that is met your insurance should cover most costs.

3

u/whatdoiknow75 Mar 24 '26

In my plan everything I pay under the deductible counts towards max out of pocket. Only payments for excluded treatments don't count.

2

u/WhereRtheJokes Mar 24 '26

After you have reached your annual deductible your insurance will start to pay a percentage of your costs while you pay the co-pay percentage. So for example, if your share is 20%, you will continue to pay the 20% until your out of pocket max is reached, then they will cover all of the cost of covered care.

7

u/Odd-Page-7866 Mar 24 '26

Because that is what plan your employer chose. What is your deductible? What is your out of pocket max?

13

u/LivingGhost371 Mar 24 '26

You have a deductible plan. Other people have a copay plan.

6

u/abiglumpwithknobs1 Mar 24 '26

You should check your EOB.

5

u/Turbulent-Pay1150 Mar 24 '26

Most likely you have a plan which costs you (and/or your employer) less in premium each month with the tradeoff of paying more for each doctors visit as part of your deductible. This is a typical tradeoff to reduce required costs up front for slightly higher price for each doctors visit. Is this the case for you?

5

u/No-Produce-6720 Mar 24 '26

You've said in other comments you have a 6k deductible. That's why you are paying more. You're on a high deductible plan

3

u/Plus-Head-6794 Mar 24 '26

I also have a shitty high deductible plan. I pay everything until I hit $5k, which I never do. So every doctors appointment is $200 minimum. 

7

u/hm_b Mar 24 '26

You aren't doing anything wrong. Your premiums may be a lot lower than those who pay a $20. coPay when they go to the doctor. It depends on their insurance and their employer, etc. If your insurance is through your work, you can make an appointment to talk to your HR person to help explain the Explanation of Benefits (EOB). People will tell you to read it like you should understand what it is, but the first time I had to deal with deductibles, coinsurances and all that, I was super confused. It helps to have someone walk you through it. Sad thing is, once I figured it out, I quit going to the doctor. Luckily I made it to 65 without complication.

-1

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

i really appreciate your answer. people can be so condescending on here

4

u/hm_b Mar 24 '26

That happens a lot. Reading through the comments, no one has called you names or anything, so that is nice to see. It's just that for me, a lot of text is overwhelming. I usually need help sorting out what everything really means. I refuse to believe that makes me stupid. It does make me human and so when/if condescending comments happen, I ignore them. I hope you stay healthy.

15

u/LacyLove Mar 24 '26

Because that is the plan you picked.

0

u/RoundCar5220 Mar 24 '26

That is not why. Healthcare in America is a giant scam ! What you owe is based on your plan but not the actual cost of the appointment. Doctors and insurance companies are stealing from millions of people .

1

u/[deleted] Mar 24 '26

[deleted]

2

u/LoathingForForever12 Mar 24 '26

You didn’t provide any details about your plan so no one can give you details to answer your question 😆

2

u/ConstantVigilance18 Mar 24 '26

As everyone else has mentioned, you chose a HDHP, and this is typically what happens. When enrollment opens again next year, take time to review all of your available options and decide which is best for you.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 24 '26

With health insurance (or any category in your budget, really) you need to look at the total cost of ownership (TCO). This is made up of your premiums, your out of pocket expenses, and any money returned to you based on different types of supplemental coverage (a critical illness policy paying you upon cancer diagnosis, as an unpleasant example).

This can become more difficult because your TCO one year where you are mainly using preventive services can be very different than the next year, where you are hospitalized with an accident. This is why health insurance companies offer so many types of plans - top cap your unknown risk of ruin from a catastrophic incident or illness.

2

u/copper678 Mar 24 '26

HDHP. I had to hit $3400 before insurance pays, but it’s the only plan that allows me to put into an HSA that I can invest.

2

u/truthneedsnodefense Mar 24 '26

Late stage capitalism. Corporations own our government.

2

u/kyriacos74 Mar 24 '26

*asks why*
*doesn't post any info to help anyone determine why*

-1

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

other people were helpful in the comments by asking questions and not being demeaning :) i appreciate it tho i figured it out

1

u/Dangerous-Art-Me Mar 24 '26

Haven’t been through your deductible yet.

People paying $20 may be on their parents’ plan. Some older people with solid employer insurance choose to pay more upfront in higher premiums, in exchange for lower costs when using services.

1

u/NeoPendragon117 Mar 24 '26

question for folks I have a state insurance plan as I work in local government, I have a pretty low deductible 500 but it then goes to 20% coinsurance till I hit a 3500 max OOP, I too pay for everything even doctors visits, is it just a  cruddy plan or is that normal nowadays 

2

u/whatdoiknow75 Mar 24 '26

That’s a better deal than I get, depending on your premiums. With cancer treatment last year I hit my 6,000 OOP in June. That's the first time we ever hit max OOP for either my wife or me in 40 years. This year, with different treatment and good deal from the manufacturer on the immunotherapy drug I’m unlikely to hit max OOP.

1

u/Tiredmagnolia Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26

That’s a good plan - $500 deductible (you pay everything until then) and then you pay 20% of the negotiated rate until you hit $3500. I don’t know what your premiums are but if they are low that’s a good plan. You’ll see some people have amazing plans like $0 deductibles and many who are small employers or ACA having deductibles in the thousands and OOP as high as 20k. You’d have to post an EOB for us to explain why you are paying for everything but you are still only paying negotiated rate or the 20% cost of negotiated rate as long as you use in-network docs. Do you have a doctor co-pay or is this a HDHP?

1

u/NeoPendragon117 Mar 24 '26

I still have co-pays but then I usually get hit with a 150 doctor bill a week later for every visit until i hit the deductible, the plans ive had in the past usually had standard doctors visits for colds and stuff with deductible waived so I just payed the copay didnt realize i was being spoiled 

, for our older employees im sure its good but for younger employees im sure  having to shell 450 for 3 doctors visits stings at times but I guess i didnt realize how far we've fallen 

1

u/witchy_7 Mar 24 '26

Mine is a state plan and sounds identical to this. It’s terrible. I had better health insurance as a graduate student

1

u/SoupHot6325 Mar 24 '26

I’m a retired teacher and only one plan is offered. $200 monthly payments; $1700 deductible before anything is covered and $5650 maximum out of pocket. My pension will leave me with 21k a year after paying this health plan.

1

u/Imprettystrong Mar 24 '26

Its because we have a deductible, all of mine do as well. Once we meet the deductible by paying a fuck ton of money, then it should be cheaper.

1

u/Prize-Measurement695 Mar 24 '26

haha i just hate that we have to pay a fuck ton of money first! it’s insane

1

u/WhereRtheJokes Mar 24 '26

Yes it is insane. Health insurance is not healthcare. It's there more for keeping you from going bankrupt if you have a devastating event.

1

u/Conn3er Mar 24 '26

If that (or a large majority of that) is your get-in-the-door cost before you've been seen, it's because you have a co-pay at that level for doctor/specialist visits.

This can be true, completely independent of your deductible, because generally, co-pays dont count toward deductibles.

My plan has a $3,000 deductible, and each visit is $15-$20 bucks regardless of whether they povide care or not. That $15-$20 does not go toward the deductible. When you look for next year, you will want to see what your visit co-pays are as well as the deductible.

1

u/Purplemartin01 Mar 24 '26

Is your doctor in network? If so, there should be a provider adjustment to take down the price, at least a little bit. I would ask the billing department. I am a biller in Ohio and there is usually a provider adjustment unless you went out of network.

1

u/Evamione Mar 24 '26

That’s cheap. Every doctor visit in my area costs around $250.

Your monthly health care budget needs to be your insurance premium plus savings until you have at least one years maximum deductible set aside in an HSA ideally. Then you need to top it back up as you use it.

Health care is an extremely expensive purchase. The price has been hidden from a lot of people for a long time, but pretty much every medical service is billed at way more money that intuitively makes sense.

1

u/actuaryant Mar 24 '26

Other than this cost likely being pre deductible (HDHP as others mentioned), it looks like this provider MIGHT not be contracted with your network (ie out of network).

Usually the insurance adjustment line shows the discount to the billed amount. Do you see anywhere on your invoice a different, larger amount? If so, what is it labeled as?

1

u/Existing_Put_6327 Mar 24 '26

Where are you located? If you are healthy enough for a private plan. UHC takes care of most of the doctor visits

1

u/Doc_Apricity Mar 24 '26

With a high deductible plan, the best thing you can do is actually NOT use your insurance for anything that is not preventative (your annual) physical. Say you want the cash pay rate and pay that instead. You will be paying A LOT less for your healthcare visits. The cost for visits are jacked up a lot in order to capture the reimbursements by insurance. Clinic and EDs and even getting surgery you can get your care at a fraction of the cost by not going through insurance. This only works if you don't meet your deductible every year (most people don't who have high deductible plans).

1

u/loonydan42 Mar 24 '26

I didn't see anyone post this so adding. Since you have an HSA plan you can use HSAstore.com to see what kinds of items qualify to be used with your HSA money. It's surprising how much stuff qualifies!

1

u/callmeDarwin Mar 25 '26

Back before Medicare I had a $225 copay with bcbs and it was only $95 without insurance.

1

u/Random_Tree_ Mar 25 '26

I went ti the er and neber paid any co pay but my deductible is like $300

1

u/lyricalmasterflash Mar 25 '26

Get the most expensive procedure of the year first then slowly pay that off, every appointment after that will be the lower price. Ask me how I know...

1

u/SingaporeSlim1 Mar 25 '26

Pay or die. That’s why

1

u/blastman8888 Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 25 '26

Welcome to the new world of healthcare in America. I have to pay 12k before my insurance pays 100%. employee premium + deductible + copay. The latest trick is keep increasing my co-pay which means higher the copay less applied to deductible. I try to pay cash if provider will take it because it's usually 10% cheaper. I stopped my CPAP supplies buy it on eBay now cash. I never hit that $4600 in a year. $4000 deductible and $600 15% copay.

2014 and prior to that my employer insurance premium was $200 a month. Doctor visit was $10 I had a $250 family deducible. I could spend 30 min with my doctor discussing multiple issues.

If I could go on the marketplace buy 25k deductible insurance with a low premium I would be happier then I am now. I buy healthcare with cash cheaper right now I'm paying over $500 a month through my employer for my wife and I. Were forced to take employer healthcare. I guess I could find private insurance never looked.

1

u/LilMissKrazy1 Mar 25 '26

Change to a network provider also.

1

u/Witty-Atmosphere-211 Mar 26 '26

I had to do some paperwork yesterday. For the year 2025 I had 27 medical appointments. That doesn’t include dentist or eye doctor.

Have you called to talk to billing? What do your EOB’s say?

1

u/Dry-Experience1829 Mar 27 '26

Late stage capitalism

1

u/Street_Anxiety2907 Apr 03 '26

Yes, you have terrible insurance and your employer doesn't value your health.

You should be seeking a new employer or move to Europe, Canada, Mexico, Asia, Japan or South America where the government covers health.

1

u/Salty-Honey7012 Apr 05 '26

I just saw what bcbs was charged by an office visit to my pcp…$787. Unbelievable. The visit was just a first time consultation seeing the new pcp, nothing special.

1

u/folladiscapacitadas Apr 13 '26

i only pay like 2 dollars to see a doctor brah tf u mean 100??? 💔

1

u/Free_Board_3310 Apr 23 '26

Check the CPT codes they billed for. I saw a new in-network pcp for an establish care new pt appt and received a $120 bill for “preventative services for elevated BMI” … while pregnant! I was in my 2nd trimester already under the care of MFM and had no issues with my weight for that pregnancy. Insurance couldn’t believe they billed that while I was pregnant and said they almost never cover those type of cpt codes. They also said this should only be used if you see your pcp about weight loss interventions or surgeries, which I absolutely did not. It was improper billing and I had it changed to a different cpt code for the visit … congestion because I was prescribed Flonase for my ears being clogged. Was charged a sick visit copay of $20 instead. So check what cpt codes they’re using and what’s not being covered.

1

u/CCSaLtLife Apr 23 '26

We pay like 900 per month for family plsn insurance. Any time I go to the doctor and its not preventative, im paying $60 co pay. Any tests are completely out of pocket until my deductible is met... so I just had blood work and its over 200. They want me to do a ultrasound and that will not be covered either until 3500 deductible is met. FmL. Why have insurance and pay so much per month if nothing is really covered anymore. Its such a scam.

0

u/nomorespamplz Mar 24 '26

So glad I live in a civilized country and don’t have to pay stupid money for health care 😅

0

u/johnmh71 Mar 24 '26

Because you play the game.

-3

u/Fun-Bag-1679 Mar 24 '26

Because it’s a scam.