I referred a cardiac patient the other day for an echocardiogram. She messaged me back, saying the co-pay was $500.

[Ms. Toad]

7. It is early January. Probably not the copay, but the deductible.

When I had insurance through work, I typically had a deductible from $250 to $500, before insurance kicked in. (In one job, the deductible was much higher, but also serves as the out of pocket cap.). So the first medical in event of the year was expensive since I had to pay 100%, up to the deductible.