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- I recently discovered that my health insurance plan offers 3 benefits that can save me money.
- It covers lactation advice and a breast pump, which will help if I have kids.
- It also covers some workout classes as well as therapy sessions.
As the end of a year approaches, I sit down and take stock of my finances. It helps me see how much I’ve spent on essentials, monthly recurring bills, and even unnecessary purchases that I wish I hadn’t. Last week when I started creating this spreadsheet, I was reminded how expensive health insurance can be.
Every month I pay $348 for a PPO plan through United Healthcare. This is the amount after my husband’s employer subsidized the cost. It’s one of the most expensive recurring costs I have to pay, and some months I wish I could use that money for other things, like groceries or to cover my credit card bill.
That’s why I decided to look into my health insurance plan to see if there were any benefits available to me that could help me cut costs in other areas of my life.
Here are the three benefits I’ve found that can save me thousands of dollars a year.
1. Breastfeeding support
In the next year, I would like to start trying to get pregnant. Researching all the expenses related to pregnancy, postpartum, and even buying baby items made me think not only to start saving for those costs now, but also to call my health care provider. health insurance to see what additional benefits they cover, aside from medical expenses. visits and labor and delivery.
The first thing I noticed was access to a breast pump. Specifically, they cover double electric breast pumps for personal use, which can cost between $175 and $225 or more (this coverage was mandatory under the Affordable Care Act). I will probably need a pump, so this coverage alone will save me money.
If I find that I’m having difficulty with breastfeeding, or just want some extra training, my plan also covers the cost of lactation counseling with a network provider, as well as support classes. While the costs for this can vary depending on your location and the level of support you might need, this benefit can save a new mother a few hundred dollars.
2. Workout classes
One expense I’ve been paying for since the pandemic began is a subscription to the Peloton app, which gives me access to thousands of on-demand, real-time workout classes.
While browsing the homepage of my health insurance website, I saw that my plan included a free one-year subscription to the Peloton app. This will save me $155.88 per year. They also offer to waive three months of fees if you have an existing subscription, which saves me an additional $38.97.
The plan also offers an Apple Fitness+ membership, which is free, which I plan to use. That’s a savings of $79.99 per year.
I recently discovered a sweat equity program offered by my health insurance plan to encourage members to focus on their physical health. The program reimburses members $400 per year for completing 100 workout classes during this period. Since I already pay for a gym membership and train four to six times a week, I would qualify for the full refund and save that money every year.
3. Therapy sessions
Before I got married in 2021, I was paying about $500 a month for a high-deductible health insurance plan with few benefits since I was self-employed. So in 2019 when I decided to start seeing a therapist two or three times a month, my insurance plan didn’t cover the cost of those sessions and I had to pay $60 out of pocket for each session. .
When I joined my husband’s health insurance plan, I did not check to see if mental health services were included. However, last month I checked and saw that my plan covered the cost of seeing an in-network provider, including my current therapist. This will now save me $180 per month.
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