How to deal with fresh health insurance deductibles in the new year WSOC TV [Video]

Many Americans with high-deductible health insurance plans face a cold reality at the start of every year.

Those deductibles will have to be paid before most coverage starts. That can mean thousands of dollars in fresh health care bills.

Such financial hits can be brutal for patients with cancer or other chronic conditions. They may have met their deductibles last year, only to see them reset in January.

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

However, patient advocates say there are ways to manage the challenge.

Know the financial pain that may await with a high-deductible plan

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

This can be confusing. A plan may have separate deductibles for individuals and families. You may meet the individual deductible but still have to …