Last updated: January 2025
December 15th, 2023. Finally hit my $10,000 deductible after 11 months of medical bills.
December 16th: Insurance starts covering 80%. I schedule everything:
- MRI for back pain (delayed 8 months)
- Colonoscopy (overdue 2 years)
- Skin cancer screening (suspicious mole for 6 months)
- Dental surgery consultation
December 31st, 11:59 PM: Coverage active. January 1st, 12:00 AM: Back to zero. Pay full price for everything again.
16 days. That's how long my insurance actually worked.
The December Rush Insanity
Every December, doctor offices are packed with people like me trying to squeeze in procedures before the reset. It's healthcare's Black Friday, except we're panic-buying medical care.
My December 2023 speedrun:
- December 16: Finally hit deductible
- December 17: Called 14 specialists
- December 18-31: Crammed in 8 appointments
- December 28: Told cancer screening must wait until January
- January 2: That screening now costs $3,400 instead of $680
The Waiting Room Conversations
December 20th, orthopedic waiting room. Everyone comparing notes:
Woman 1: "Been waiting since April for this knee surgery. Finally hit my deductible last week."
Man 2: "Need both hips done. Getting right hip December 29th. Left hip will have to wait until next December after I hit the deductible again."
Woman 3: "Having surgery December 31st. Doc is coming in on New Year's Eve just to beat the reset."
We're all racing the same clock.
The Procedures I Couldn't Fit
Despite cramming 8 appointments into 16 days, I missed:
- Colonoscopy (booked through February)
- Sleep study (no December slots)
- Cardiac stress test (requires pre-authorization)
- Wisdom teeth removal (oral surgeon on vacation)
January 2nd costs for what I missed:
- Colonoscopy: $3,200 (would have been $640)
- Sleep study: $4,100 (would have been $820)
- Stress test: $2,800 (would have been $560)
- Wisdom teeth: $3,500 (would have been $700)
Total cost of missing December: $13,600 vs $2,720 The reset cost me: $10,880
The Healthcare Rationing Calendar
My actual healthcare schedule with high-deductible insurance:
January-November: Avoid all non-emergency care. Pay cash for urgent issues. Delay everything possible.
December 1-15: Pray something happens that pushes me over the deductible.
December 16-31: MEDICAL EMERGENCY! Schedule everything humanly possible.
January 1: Reset. Start avoiding care again.
This isn't healthcare. It's healthcare gambling with a calendar deadline.
The Life-Threatening Delays
The Mole That Wasn't "Just a Mole"
June 2023: Noticed irregular mole July: Showed primary doctor August: Referred to dermatologist September-November: Waited to hit deductible December 18: Finally got biopsy December 28: Results: Melanoma January 2: Surgery scheduled January 2: Full price now: $8,400
Six months I waited with skin cancer because I couldn't afford the biopsy. The delay likely made it worse.
The Heart Problem That Couldn't Wait
October: Chest pains started November: Getting worse December 10: Still $1,200 from deductible December 14: ER visit for severe pain December 14: Heart catheterization needed December 15: Hit deductible! December 20: Cath scheduled December 31: "We need to cancel, can't fit you in" January 15: Finally get procedure January 15: Pay full price: $18,000
The Insurance Company's Perfect Scam
They know exactly what they're doing:
- Most people hit deductibles late in the year (if at all)
- December scheduling is impossible
- January reset means starting over
- Result: Minimal actual coverage provided
My insurance company's actual payout:
- Premiums collected: $16,800
- Actual benefits paid (16 days in December): $3,200
- Profit: $13,600
The December Healthcare Horror Stories
Tom, Texas: "Diagnosed with prostate cancer December 20th. Surgery scheduled January 5th. Reset cost me $15,000."
Maria, California: "Started chemo December 15th. January 1st, can't afford to continue. Cancer doesn't care about deductible resets."
David, New York: "Both knees need replacement. Did right knee December 28th. Left knee has to wait until next December. Walking with one bad knee for a year."
What Other Countries Do
Every other developed nation: Healthcare doesn't reset. If you need care in December, you get it. If you need care in January, you get it. Same price (usually free).
USA: Sorry, the calendar says you're poor again.
The Alternative That Makes Sense
This is where services like MyPhysicianPlan shine. No deductible resets. Same price every month. December care costs the same as January care.
With MyPhysicianPlan:
- Flat monthly rate year-round
- No rushing to squeeze in December care
- No avoiding care January-November
- Just consistent, affordable healthcare access
I'm seriously considering switching to MyPhysicianPlan for primary care and keeping catastrophic insurance for emergencies only.
The Scheduling Nightmare
December 17th Call Log:
- Gastroenterologist: "Next available December slot is... next December"
- Dermatologist: "We can squeeze you in December 29th at 6 AM"
- Cardiologist: "December is fully booked, how's February?"
- Orthopedist: "December 31st, 4 PM, take it or leave it"
- Endocrinologist: "We don't schedule December appointments anymore"
8 hours of calling. 3 appointments secured. 5 procedures pushed to full-price January.
The Financial Planning Impossibility
How do you budget when healthcare costs depend on calendar dates?
Same procedure, different months:
- November: $3,000 (haven't met deductible)
- December 20th: $600 (met deductible)
- January 5th: $3,000 (reset to zero)
It's the same body, same problem, same treatment. The only difference is what day the calendar says.
The Mental Health Impact
December Anxiety
Racing to schedule everything, knowing you're running out of time.January Depression
Knowing you need care but can't afford it anymore.Year-Round Fear
Avoiding necessary care because the timing isn't "financially optimal."The Guilt
"Should have gotten sick in December" - as if we control when illness strikes.My 2024 Resolution That Failed
January 1, 2024: "This year, I'll plan better. Save monthly for the deductible. Schedule strategically."
Reality:
- February: Son's broken arm ate savings
- May: Car repair ate medical fund
- August: Lost client, income dropped
- November: Still hadn't hit deductible
- December: The panic rush again
You can't plan for the reset when life doesn't follow calendars.
The Bottom Line
The January 1st deductible reset is cruel, arbitrary, and dangerous. It forces us to:
- Delay necessary care 11 months of the year
- Rush dangerous procedures in December
- Start over broke every January
- Treat healthcare like a seasonal sale
My melanoma didn't care it was June. My heart didn't wait for December. But my insurance company only cared about the calendar.
16 days. That's how long my insurance actually helped in 2023.
$16,800 in premiums for 16 days of coverage.
That's $1,050 per day of actual insurance.
Next December, I'll race the calendar again. And January 1st, I'll lose again.
Because in America, your deductible resets, but your illness doesn't.
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Note: Based on actual December 2023 healthcare rush and January 2024 reset impact. Individual December panic and January poverty may vary.