Dadvice Weekly #47 / Deductible Maximization
Dadvice Weekly - #47
This year we had some stuff come up early in the year where we hit our deductible. I did a lot of research on what are good things people can do with health insurance once this has happened. I’ve been on a pretty strong journey of exploring these opportunities and have come away with what I believe to be good advice for anyone.
When I did my research I came across several Reddit threads, talked to a few friends, and did some back/forth with ChatGPT, and then my insurance company. If you find yourself in this situation talk to your insurance to confirm these expenses will be covered with health insurance. Most of these can be done without a PCP referral, but some places do require a PCP referral to be able to book an appointment or have insurance pay their portion of the appointment.
For this week’s Dadvice, here are some appointments to consider making if you have hit your deductible with almost half the year left. -SW
Go to a Dermatologist for Skin Exam
I have never had a skin exam. I wasn’t nervous about getting one, but I just felt like it took a lot of coordination so I kept putting it off. I was able to do this without a doctor referral. I got an appointment and my reasoning was I wanted to set a baseline for my skin so if there were concerns in the future I had something to compare it to.
Overall it was a great experience. Super easy. Took about 20 minutes from the time I got to the office to the time I got back in my car.
Go to Physical Therapy
In 2015 I dislocated my knee and had surgery. In 2018 I dislocated my knee again, tore some ligaments, and had another surgery. In the last 8 years my knee has felt strong, but it has some crunch to it when I bend it. When we hit our deductible I knew physical therapy could be something beneficial to at least have someone look at it and give me some updated exercises.
I have gone once a week for the last 4 weeks. I am going 2 more times in the next 2 weeks. This has been a great experience because when I started they took several measurements of both legs. In one of the measurements the strength in my surgically repaired knee was 70% of the strength of my other knee. They assured me this is fairly normal and as time goes on we tend to subconsciously favor the non-surgical leg when we go upstairs/downstairs, have to bend down, or stand up from sitting on the floor. As time goes on its pretty common for variance in strength, but a healthy target is 90% strength.
They have since given me some exercises that have been helpful. My 2 cents to anyone reading this - if you had surgery in college (or early 20s) I would hit physical therapy to get measurements. If you need some exercises they’ll give them to you. We made a plan together to go once a week for 6 weeks but I could have just done the measurements, gotten the exercises, and called it good with the PT clinic. Just make sure to bring water because it was way harder this time than I ever remember in college and at 23. No referral was needed for me.
Go to an Allergist
I remember in college realizing I had really bad allergies. Since then I have tried all sorts of over the counter solutions. They work well, but I will still be sneezing if I’m outside.
Something I did was go to an allergist for an allergy test. What they did for the test is have ~80 types of allergies to test you for. The process is you lay on a table and the nurse makes a grid on your back. She then pokes with you with every type of allergy. It wasn’t a shot, but it was a little piece of plastic. It didn’t hurt but if you’re allergic it gets really itchy. They make you lay there for 15 minutes, come back in, then measure the size of the hive to determine if you are allergic and to what magnitude.
After that there are a few routes you can go. You can go in for consistent allergy shots to build immunity, you can get access to stronger medication than what is over the counter, or you can do nothing. They also gave me the advice to download the app, Allergy Plus where you can track the allergies happening in your area. At the very least check the app and take over the counter medication on the days where allergies are forecasted higher than others. A referral was needed for this.
Go to a Chiropractor
If you have back or neck pain a chiropractor could be a good option for you to try. There are so many chains and private practices in our area and I bet there will be in your area too. Find someone with good reviews and go there.
For me specifically, I have gone to someone who does an adjustment, micro needling, and massage with the goal to reduce inflammation and pain. I view the chiropractor as a reactive tool to heal, but to fix the real root issue of the pain you need to look elsewhere. Overall, if you’ve hit your deductible, I think its still a helpful stop to make if you need pain reduction for neck or back. Just don’t expect it to permanently fix the root issue.
Dadvice Weekly is Kyle and Skyler—two friends in their thirties, living in Colorado, settling into fatherhood and trying to stay sane. Every Tuesday we share what’s working in our homes: gear we use, routines we’ve tested, ideas we’re trying. It could be a recipe, a product that solved a problem, or just what we’re thinking about as dads.
If you have a tip, tried something we mentioned, or just want to say hi, reply to this email or message us on Substack. We read everything, and we’re always looking for what works. Glad you’re here.