“Health is wealth.” This phrase is one of the oldest sayings you should have heard growing up. Aside from the fact that a healthy body can help you achieve anything, getting ill can put a significant price on your health.
It’s also the reason why many people refuse to take health care services even if they’re very sick. Regardless of their reason, not being able to figure out options that can help you when there are several ways to assist you is one of the worst feelings.
To enjoy the benefits that you could avail, here’s a list of tips that can help you save money in healthcare.
Cut Costs in Medicines
In all honesty, there are no cheap medicines, especially prescription ones. However, this doesn’t mean there aren’t any affordable alternative ways to access them. That’s why your best bet is to try cutting costs in medicines.
You can do this by purchasing the prescriptions smartly and discovering different ways to buy them at more affordable prices, such as the following:
- Find Coupons. There are rx discount coupons available online that you can utilize to purchase your prescriptions at a more affordable price. Prescription coupons like BuzzRx offer free access to thousands of medicines just by signing up for free. What’s more, you can purchase one each for your family and enjoy the coupon as long as you can.
- Compare Pharmacies. Another smart way to shop is to compare pharmacies in your area carefully. Although they serve the same function, to offer medicines, the retail prices differ. However, it may not be as significant, but every dollar counts. So, take your time in finding a pharmacy that offers the best prices.
- Ask for the Generics. The generic counterparts of drugs work the same way as the branded ones. Their only difference is that well-known brands produce the latter, thus, the price, whereas generics are sold far more affordable because a less popular brand sells it. So, don’t hesitate to ask for the generic counterpart of any medicines prescribed to you.
Open a Health Savings Account
To explain Health Savings Account (HSA) simply, it’s a type of savings account that allows users to set aside pre-tax money to pay for medical expenses.
It has great tax advantages that others use for their future retirement plans. However, you must remember that if you ever withdraw funds from your HSA account and use it for non-qualified expenses, you’re subjected to a 20% penalty on top of paying the income tax.
The money in this account doesn’t expire, so you can utilize it for future health expenses, and it will continue to grow at the end of the year. Moreover, as long as you utilize your HSA for qualified medical expenses, you can enjoy your HSA without tax, which allows you to save more money if you make payments through this account.
Since the eligibility can be special for HSAs, it’s best to read more about HSAs here and assess whether opening one would suit your situation.
Take Advantage of Preventive Services
Health is a crucial factor in a person’s life. Thus the government and other organizations have presented programs to help people have better access to healthcare. There are available insurance plans that allow you to enjoy a few services for free. Many healthcare programs provide free check-ups, vaccines, and other services to people.
One of the most common ones is the preventive care benefits. This includes regular exams, immunizations, and screenings. Depending on your health plan, you might enjoy these services without cost-sharing.
For this reason, you should visit your local government and ask for their healthcare services and see which ones can apply to you. Also, schedule another call with your health insurance plan to discuss these things.
Taking advantage of preventive services will allow you to get an updated report of your well-being and discover potential health dangers so that you can receive the appropriate treatment immediately. At the end of the day, prevention would always be better than cure.
Take the Chance to Negotiate
Sometimes, paying in cash would be the preferable solution to paying through your insurance. Also, there might be times when your insurance company won’t pay for the services. However, this doesn’t mean you’ll pay for everything at full cost.
Instead, try negotiating with your healthcare provider and mentioning paying upfront cash. Some medical offices offer cash discounts and present reduced rates to their patients.
Still, health insurance is as important, but if there are chances like this that you can take advantage of, then you should at least try. Even if you don’t get discounts, they might offer you a low to no-interest payment plan to enjoy your treatment without paying extra prices.
Final Thoughts
Taking care of your health can be expensive, especially if you have a special condition. Fortunately, as time advances, there are now several available ways you can access various health services without spending a hefty of money. You can start by trying out the above mentioned things and figure out what would suit your current situation the best.
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