Jackie Fortiér

You do have the right to an itemized estimate and explanation of how much a health service would cost if you paid out of pocket.

So if you have time before you go and get that service, you could go and ask them how much it would be, and then you can compare that price with what your insurance company tells you it would cost if you used your insurance.

So paying cash may save you money, but remember the amount you pay

generally won't count toward your deductible or your out-of-pocket maximum because you're not going through your insurance.

So if you're able to, usually before, you know, like a surgery, for example, that you might have planned, you might be able to do the math on how much it would cost if you paid cash versus how much it would cost if you went through your insurance.