High Deductibles Are No Reason to Delay or Forego Diagnostic Procedures

With the Affordable Care Act – also known as ObamaCare – in full effect, the rate of growth in medical costs and insurance premiums continues to slow as high-deductible plans come to dominate the market of available coverage choices. With millions of consumers burdened by high out-of-pocket healthcare costs, what does this mean for the future of healthcare and preventative care?

Before we get into it, let’s break down some basic health insurance terminology.

• A premium is the total amount that you as a consumer pay to the insurance company for health insurance coverage – this is typically a monthly charge
• A deductible is a specific dollar amount that your health insurance company may require you to pay out-of-pocket each year before your health insurance plan begins to make payments for claims.

So if your plan costs $244 per month before tax credits, but your annual deductible is $4,500, that means you must pay $4,500 in medical expenses each year before any insurance kicks in.

High-deductible plans are becoming more and more prevalent as health insurers offer them as a tradeoff to keep premiums down. While the advantages of such plans are debatable, the consensus seems to be that people with high-deductible plans tend to cut back on both necessary and unnecessary care.

It is concerning that high deductibles are driving patients to avoid potentially beneficial care, such as emergency room visits or preventative screenings. These cutbacks could backfire down the road if people end up sicker and require more intensive treatment.

For those who require diagnostic services – such as cardiovascular imaging, ultrasound, or x-Ray – but have yet to meet their annual deductibles, there is no reason to avoid life-saving procedures. As consumers, patients have the option to shop around for affordable care that meets their high-quality expectations. Rather than paying out-of-pocket for inflated hospital procedures, patients can receive the same services at K & T Diagnostic, Inc. and K & T Portable X-Ray Solutions for a much more reasonable price.