The holiday season is the season of giving. This year, how can you extend that attention and care to yourself?  

COVID-19 brought the reality and importance of maintaining your health to the forefront of the world in a significant way. Before you check your gift lists twice, go over your health care benefits and make sure you are getting the most use out of them before this year ends.

  • Complete a general health checkup and any additional screenings your health care provider recommends.
  • Open enrollment: A period where you can make adjustments to your current health insurance plan or opt-in or out of a new health insurance plan. Be sure to be aware of the deadline as each organization is different.
  • Health insurance deductible: To ensure visits or procedures are covered by insurance, speak with your provider about scheduling if you have already reached your deductible. This resets generally at the new year.
  • Dental insurance: Benefit limits are usually set on a yearly basis. Make an appointment with your provider for a wellness exam, if you have not already maxed out your benefits, and they will recommend any treatment needed.
  • Vision insurance: As you review your health care plans, review your vision plan and what is included and in what time frame. This will guide you to decide if you need to take advantage of getting your lenses, frames or contacts while reviewing end-of-the-year benefits.
  • Health Savings Account (HSA) plans: Review with your insurance provider, but generally unused benefits rollover from the previous year to the next.
  • Flexible Spending Account (FSA) plans: Generally, these accounts do not roll into the following year and must all be used by the end of the year. Review your plan from your insurance provider for more details.

If you need to use up your 2021 benefits, make an appointment with one of our UofL Physicians – Primary Care providers. They can do annual wellness checks, treat common conditions like the flu or simply be a trusted health care resource. You can call UofL Health’s Primary Care hotline Monday-Friday at 502-588-4343 to schedule an appointment.

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Article by: UofL Health

UofL Health is a fully integrated regional academic health system with eight hospitals, four medical centers, Brown Cancer Center, Eye Institute, nearly 200 physician practice locations, and more than 1,000 providers in Louisville and the surrounding counties, including southern Indiana. Additional access to UofL Health is provided through a partnership with Carroll County Memorial Hospital. With more than 13,000 team members – physicians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists and other highly-skilled health care professionals, UofL Health is focused on one mission: to transform the health of communities we serve through compassionate, innovative, patient-centered care.

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