Health insurers usually require policy holders to contribute a set amount toward their medical expenses. The amount you pay for your medical care before insurance coverage kicks in is called your health care deductible. Since podiatrists are not primary care physicians, you may need to pay for foot care services yourself at first, until you have reached your deductible limit and your insurance company begins to pay. (The charges may be discounted depending on the type of arrangement we have with the insurer.)
The amount of your deductible is tied to your premium. The lower deductible you want, the more your insurance coverage will cost per month. Employers decide which plans to offer and often cut their costs by requiring their employees to pay higher deductibles. It is not uncommon to pay several hundred dollars a month for insurance coverage and still have to pay several thousand dollars a year in medical expenses before the insurance company will begin paying.
To know how much your deductible is, look at your policy. If you don’t understand something, we may be able to answer your questions. Call Yuko Miyazaki, DPM in the Oakland, CA area at (510) 647-3744. If we don’t know the answer, we can help get the information you need from your insurer.