this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2024
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Biologically male procedures only. EDIT: If the two people who downvoted this question could explain their reasoning, I would be super interested. No judgements. This is a safe space!

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[–] [email protected] 121 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Do you snore? Get a sleep study and a CPAP - thats pricy! Need a colonoscopy? Gel shots in your knees? Any family histories that would warrant testing for cancer markers?

[–] Reverendender 24 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (7 children)

Just had Inspire surgery. How do you think I hit my maxes lol! What I do think I have also is arthritis.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 months ago

If you're beginning to struggle with joints, get on the PT, MRI route while it's free.

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[–] sorrybookbroke 79 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (10 children)

This is the perfect opportunity to recreationally infect yourself with rare short term diseases. Try breaking your arm or nose so you have a story. Self harm has never been so cheap.

Edit: See evasive_chimpanzee's comment here, as the following seems to be incorrect information

Seriously though get checked for prostate cancer. Especially if you're over 25 it's very possible and catching it early will be a massive difference.

Same for everyone reading this. I doubt it's that expensive so please look into it and get checked if affordable where you are.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Checking for prostate cancer is super easy now and doesn't even require a finger in your bum. It's a simple blood test that is far more accurate than the traditional manual method. I get one done every time I have a physical since they just add it on to the other stuff they check my blood for.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 2 months ago

-doesn’t even require a finger in your bum

Then what the heck am I paying these deductibles for?? >:(

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[–] [email protected] 75 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (6 children)

Do every test available for prevention and prophylaxis.
Get your general practitioner to do a full health check, ECG, EEG, cardiac ultrasound, a full blood panel, bloodpressure, pulmonary function, skin cancer prevention ect.
Schedule a gastroscopy and colonoscopy.
Check in with an urologist to get your prostate and urinary tract checked.
If you can, get a full body scan. Either PET or MRI.

Nearly every serious disease or health issue is easier prevented or treated when caught before it casues real issues.
Every cancer there is, has a better outcome and is easier treated when found early. Most of them are silent until very late in the game.

This is something I would recommend to anyone: Take advantage of every preventative messure or examination that is available to you!
There is no illness that you can detect too early.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago

Until the insurance decides they're not covering it for some reason and OP is stuck with the bill.

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[–] [email protected] 66 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (4 children)

Vasectomy if you don't plan on having kids. Also consider mental healthcare. Everybody could use a little bit now and then.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 56 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I say blow your free healthcare on something frivolous and fun.

See if they'll swap your left kidney with your right one.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Frivolous? Yes. Fun? 😬😬😬

[–] [email protected] 26 points 2 months ago (2 children)

The surgeon deserves a little fun too

[–] [email protected] 52 points 2 months ago (3 children)
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[–] [email protected] 44 points 2 months ago (3 children)

To your "edit" point: Don't take a handful of downvotes personally; it's pretty easy to do accidentally on mobile so they may have been unintentional

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago (3 children)

To add to that downvotes have no serious negative effect on this platform

In reddit as soon as a few people downloaded you, you disappeared

Here people can brigade you and unless you're reading top, who cares, your stuff still gets seen.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago

Some people also use downvotes as way to say they dislike something. Unlikely, but some people might be down voting to indicate they don't like the insurance industry.

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 2 months ago

What you mean is, your HMO has had to dust off the "not medically necessary" stamp.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 2 months ago (4 children)

If you're on any expensive meds, now'd be a good time to get them refilled. ...and 'my backpack got stolen!' them and get them refilled again if that's covered.

If you've got anything you think needs to be addressed with any urgency at all, skip the normal process and go to the ER to complain about your symptoms, especially if you've got ANY pain in your abdomen or tenderness in your lower back (which could mean kidney stones).

Infact, even if you don't have pain, go in and tell them you feel nauseous after eating anything greasy or fatty, and you'll get a free ultrasound of your gallbladder to see if there's any stones in there. ...don't actually accept surgery to remove it unless there are stones that look like they're for sure going to be problematic, cuz you WILL have symptoms once it's gone (eating will make you feel like shit... your body should adjust eventually, but that's not a guarantee, and it can take anywhere from a few months to years).

So, if they offer a scan or any diagnostic, do it. If they offer surgery, have a long think about whether it's actually worth doing.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 2 months ago

I'd double- and triple-check the small print.
They'll find a way to still charge you.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Do you have any persistent pain or discomfort when doing things? Get that checked out.

Another +1 for colonoscopy.

Also if there's a family history of anything nasty, see if there's a test for it my maybe? (E.g. heart attacks, get blood work done for cholesterol).

Get a full physical including blood work.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Fun fact: for people over 45, colonoscopy screening for cancer is always free. If your insurance tries to make you pay for it, report them to your state insurance commissioner or the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. ACA made a lot of preventative medicine & screenings free.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Idk? Boob job? Dental work? Extra set of arms? I wouldn’t know

[–] [email protected] 32 points 2 months ago (2 children)

It's the US, so dental isn't included

[–] RoquetteQueen 15 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (5 children)

Wait, what? You guys are paying all that for insurance and it doesn't always include dental? Like the main reason I wanted to be on health insurance here in Canada was for dental and prescriptions. I've been on some of the crappiest insurance plans here and they all include dental.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago

Teeth are luxury bones.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Oh then get a quadruple bypass since you’re in America

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Similar boat. Getting my snoring looked into. Got a sleep study done and now I'm having an ent do a scoping to see what's actually vibrating and what can be done.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago

Get all your injuries out of the way. Do a bunch of dumb shit to build character

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

My health insurance denied covering my vasectomy so i put it off. Later that year i was in an accident and hit my max out of pocket pretty quick. I called up my doctor and had them resubmit the preauthorization. got it covered at 100%

I'm still pretty pissed that sterilization for women is covered at 100% under my plan but not for men. (It should be both 100% imo)

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Get prohibitive dental work. My teeth are fucked from no fluoride in the water when I was a kid, so I always have more work needed.

[–] [email protected] 57 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Lol dental work isn't covered under health insurance. Teeth are luxury bones that only the rich are allowed to keep!

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago

Any minor physical pains? Could see a physical therapist. If you use a computer a lot, your posture might be bad and it helps a lot!

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Dentistry. This shit is always hard to get for free so you should do everything you can.

[–] Reverendender 25 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Not covered by my health insurance, or even most health insurances in the US. We have special horrible dental insurance for that.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Chewing bones and seeing orbs are not covered in US health insurance

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Talk to your primary doctor if they can get you a referral for an MRI. Insurance loves to try and deny MRIs, so I think a referral is probably required due to how expensive they are. IMO, they should be included in annual physicals since it's one of the only (if not the only) ways to detect brain tumors early, which is critical given how difficult it is to treat brain tumors and the earlier the better.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Find a excuse to get physical therapy.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago

When this happened for me, I went and refilled my sumatriptan injections as fast as I could and actually used those for two years afterwards, it did save me money. If you need any extra dermatologist stuff, mental health, physical therapy, do it now.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I don't know what's covered under US "healthcare", and I think it also depends on your age. Probably should talk to your doctor and ask them. Maybe a bunch of blood tests, dental work, cancer screenings, prostate check, colonoscopy, and upper endoscopy.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 2 months ago

I work in American healthcare. Your doctor is actually one of the worst people to ask about coverage.

Unfortunately, the only solid way to be 100% sure of coverage is to call your insurance company and make them guarantee your planned procedures in writing. Every doctors office has a department to deal with insuranceβ€”after you talk to the insurance company you will want to talk to the insurance department at the doctors office and give them the written statement from the insurance company.

After your procedures, your bill will be processed by a medical coder at the doctors office, and a clearing house coder who gets things ready for your insurance company, before it potentially gets double checked again by coders who actually work for the insurance company. Those people will not have any clue about the arrangement made prior to your procedure, and this is the series of steps where something might happen that would cause your insurance company to not pay.

If you did your due diligence and got everything in writing beforehand, then the insurance company will kick the bill back to the doctor, at which point it will be reviewed by a payment specialist who will be able to see and use the written commitment to force the insurance company to process the bill.

This whole process takes anywhere from weeks to months, so you may not know there is a problem until a while after your appointment.

Welcome to American healthcare. Good luck getting whatever you can.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, dental is typically separate from health care in the US. (It's stupid).

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago (5 children)

My wife is there.

She's gotten two knee replacements this year and is scheduled for a hip replacement before the end of the year. And last night I reminded her she's been meaning to go to a dermatologist.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Get an MRI for, idk, back pain.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Get your ears cleaned at an ent. Go to a dermatologist and get a facial. Go to a pediatrist and get a mani/pedi.

Really sucks that dental doesn’t count as medical.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago

Colonoscopy

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