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For the first time in my life, I have hit my deductible AND reached my out-of-pocket maximum. I now have three months of actual free healthcare, which is unheard of in the US. What should I get done? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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] 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Medical authorities usually don't advocate for getting imagery like that as a screening tool without any relevant risk factors or symptoms. Everyone has stuff that is unique and weird about their bodies but completely benign, and chances are, it turns up in an MRI or CT. This can end up leading to unnecessary invasive procedures to remove or biopsy something. The odds (in the literal sense) are that not-called for screening leads to either worse outcomes or the same outcomes as people who didn't get the screenings.

I didn't look up a source for MRI specifically, cause that's pretty broad, but here's a report that does a good job explaining it for prostate cancer screenings. The logic is the same.

https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/document/RecommendationStatementFinal/prostate-cancer-screening

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 month ago

I mean, sure, but if it detects something and there's no reason to suspect it's necessarily cancerous, then I'd hope doctors would recommend just keeping an eye on it and possibly scheduling periodic checkups to ensure it doesn't continue growing. No competent doctor is going to recommend invasive surgery right off the bat.