Health care is expensive! With a little time and effort on your part, you can save bucks on your health care without sacrificing quality.
- Negotiate your billing arrangement with your doctor. If you are having hard time financially, talk directly to your doctor. Usually, the people who choose to become doctors do so because they want to help people and make a difference in the world. If your doctor goes to bat for you with the billing folks, you may get a break. It might not be easy to ask for help, but it may be worth it in the long run.
- Ask about drug samples. Many offices have closets full of drug samples — you may be able to get a full course of antibiotics and other drugs without going to the pharmacy.
- Ask about cheaper drugs. Your doctor may not know which drugs are covered under your insurance plan — ask about drugs that are equally effective but less expensive. Your pharmacist may also be able to suggest a generic drug that can save you big bucks! Just be sure that the benefits and risks of alternate drugs are the same.
- Negotiate your hospital bill. If you can demonstrate that the insurance co-pay or deductible for a hospital stay is a hardship, the hospital may be able to reduce or waive an account balance. It isn’t always easy to ask for help, or admit that you can’t handle your bills — but you can’t get help unless you talk to an account administrator from the hospital. According to a vice president at Continuum Health Partners in New York City, the number of people who actually pay 100% of their hospital charges is low: around two percent.
- Ask about barter. It never hurts to ask, right? Maybe you have a service the doctor needs — electricians, plumbers, decorators, gardeners, caterers, and more have a good shot at a successful bartering agreement.