Top 10 Ways to Reduce Your Health $$$ Costs

We all need to keep down our medical and health expenses. Here are 10 ways to prevent and lessen your health-money expenditures:

1. Eat Better, Save More $ Money. Healthy eating and cheaper eating can both save you money every week. Reduce portion sizes to healthy levels and move whole grains and vegetables to the “center” of your diet: Buy more fruits and vegetables. You’ll save money and be healthier. Simpler, natural healthy foods help—rice, dry beans, inexpensive vegetables—are often cheaper than unhealthy processed foods.
2. Take advantage of Free Health Screenings If your health insurance doesn't provide adequate coverage in some areas, or if you don't have any health insurance coverage at all, you may want to look into free health screenings. Local clinics and hospitals often provide a variety of screenings, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and mammograms.
3. Make A Resolution For “Preventative” Health Actions- Get Preventative Care. If you’re overweight (millions of overweight Americans are prediabetic and don’t know it), get your weight down to reduce your risk of diabetes. It will also help with hypertension and other problems that can cost you big. Prevention isn’t a cure-all, but it’s a good bet if you want to avoid situations that can lead to major, expensive, health bills.
4. Do Not Pay More $$ for Your Medical Insurance Than You Need – Did you pay for more insurance & medical coverage than you needed in 2008? Did you meet your deductible cost ceiling in 2008? Check your coverage and shop around for the best value. Early detection will save you money–it can even save your life! In addition to scheduling your annual physicals and age-related “milestone” screenings, make sure you conduct self-check exams on a regular basis.
5. Use Urgent Care Whenever Possible. Use Urgent Care Center, Instead of the Emergency Room
6. Take Natural Supplements when possible, but when taking Rx Drugs, Use Generic Drugs– When you buy generic drugs, it costs substantially less and saves everyone money, especially you the consumer, because you’ll also pay the lowest co-payment for a generic drug. Combine the use of generic drugs with mail service utilization, and there is no co-pay! Generics have the same quality, strength, purity, and stability as brand name medications. In addition, the FDA requires that these generic drugs & products must contain the same active ingredients as the original brand, and also produce the same effects for the body.
7. Take a Health Risk Assessment – Take a personal health survey to help you identify opportunities to improve your health. When you take action and your health improves, your medical expenses decrease. So not only do you feel better, you spend less money!
8. Stick to your Supplements & Meds. If you’re on supplements and/or regular medication—take your medicine. Failure to comply (including skipping doses to save money) is a common behavior, but it can reduce supplement efficacy.
9. Bargain down costs. Both doctors and hospitals will actually negotiate, and sometimes adjust their bills based on patient needs, ability to pay cash, and other factors. And if you’re facing a hospital stay, there are things you can do before and after to avoid overcharges, including packing your own drugs, keeping a treatment log, and asking for an itemized statement.
10. Get organized. Many people are sloppy about keeping copies of prescriptions, test results, insurance claims, and the like. If you have your documents in order, it will be easier to win a disagreement with an insurance company, and it can lead to more efficient appointments with your doctor.