Make any needed appointments before the end of the year to maximize your benefits.
As the fall season begins and schedules begin to fill up, it is important to prioritize your health and make sure you’re getting the most out of your health care coverage before benefits reset in January.
Preventive care, including annual wellness visits and screenings, is intended to help you identify and stay ahead of any potential health problems. These visits and screenings – such as colonoscopies, mammograms, vaccinations and routine lab work – let your primary care provider catch any problems early, sometimes even before symptoms arise. Many cases of high blood pressure, diabetes and even certain cancers can go undetected until the illness has progressed to a later stage, when it is more difficult (and more expensive) to treat. These preventive doctor visits should not be put off.
Your primary care provider will consider your age, family history and risk factors to determine which screenings are important for you. For example, it is generally recommended that people age 45 and older get regular colon cancer screenings, but someone with a family history of this disease should start getting colonoscopies at a younger age.
Know your year-end FSA and HSA rules
Many insurance plans cover preventive services at little to no cost to you, but benefits and funds from flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, or vision and dental coverage may not “roll over” into the new year — meaning you run the risk of losing them if you don’t use these benefits by Dec. 31.
Think about more than primary care
In addition to a primary care appointment, schedule dental and vision appointments before those providers’ schedules fill up during this busy fall season. Dental visits help detect problems such as cavities, and they support overall oral health, which is often overlooked.
Similarly, a routine eye exam can identify early signs of glaucoma and ensure your eyeglass prescription is up to date. Use your remaining flexible spending account or health savings account funds on items that go beyond traditional medical costs, such as prescription glasses, physical therapy, postpartum care products and other eligible health expenses. A full list of these available expenses can typically be found online through your health care insurance provider’s website.
There’s a financial incentive to using your benefits before the year ends. And these appointments and services are also part of creating healthier, sustainable lifestyle habits. Preventive care helps you manage your health, which ultimately results in better outcomes and lower costs by decreasing the likelihood of developing chronic and preventable diseases.
Set time aside for yourself and your family this fall and schedule those doctor appointments you’ve been putting off. Taking these steps allows you to maximize valuable benefits and helps you start the new year with your health on track.
This article was written by Jannah Branch-Smith, FNP, and Dr. Kaylin S. Craig, MMHC. Branch-Smith is a family nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt Primary Care Providence Marketplace, in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. She provides virtual care to patients across Middle Tennessee. Craig is an internal medicine doctor at Vanderbilt Primary Care Providence Marketplace.
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Primary care is where good health begins. Your primary care provider is your first contact for general health issues, yearly screenings and more. Vanderbilt Primary Care has dozens of clinics throughout Middle Tennessee, so you are always close to a trusted partner in health and wellness.
