Many Americans with high deductible health insurance plans face a cold reality at the beginning of each year.

Those deductibles will have to pay before most coverage begins. That can mean thousands of dollars in fresh Medical care invoices.

These financial successes can be brutal for cancer patients or other chronic conditions. They may have fulfilled their deductibles last year, just to see them restore in January.

Patients who use exempt tax accounts to reserve money can soften the crunch. There are no simple solutions to erase the problem for those without such accounts.

However, patient defenders say there are ways to handle the challenge.

Know the financial pain you can expect with a high deductible plan

Patients should know the size of their deductibles and how they work.

This can be confusing. A plan can have separate deductibles for individuals and families. It can comply with the individual deductible but it still has to satisfy the other when family members receive attention. He can also be a different deductible for recipes.

Understand the payments you will have after complying with the deductible. Insurance plans Usually, patients continue with a percentage of their invoice, called coiny, until they reach their maximum annual pocket.

Many people do not understand that they will still have to pay the coining after complying with the deductible, said Nicole Broadhurst, CEO of Tennessee Health Advocates, who helps patients with medical billing.

The financial success for care can be worse if you see a doctor outside the insurer’s coverage network. Make sure the attention is on your insurer’s network before going to the appointment.

Closely examine errors invoices

Medical invoices can be filled with errors. Someone at the Hospital or Medical Office may have entered the incorrect code for the care he received. They may also have sent an invoice before insurance coverage was resolved.

For emergency care, make sure an invoice complies with The law of no sorvisas.

That law requires that patients receive coverage in the network without additional billing for most emergency care. It also offers other protections for patients treated in a hospital on the network.

Request help with great medical invoices

There are several organizations that help people sail for medical invoices. Include the health defenders of Tennessee de Broadhurst and the non -profit foundation of Patient Advocate, which offers a Online directory of help resources.

Consider seeking financial assistance for a bill that seems unmanageable. Some hospital systems You can provide help For people with income levels of up to six figures.

Patients should be persistent when asking for help or discovering why an application was denied. That may have happened due to an error.

Hospitals or care providers may also be willing to establish interest plans.

Now is a good time to get the attention that will be covered

Some projections of routine and preventive care, such as annual physicists, must be covered independently of the deductible.

Broadhurst recommends obtaining them at the beginning of the year. If doctors find something they need to deal with, then you have the rest of the year to discover how to handle it financially.

If there is nothing to worry about, then you may have time to reserve money in case the deductible arrives later in the year.

____ The Department of Health and Sciences of Associated Press receives support from the Science and Educational Media Group of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The AP is solely responsible for all content.