Be a Better Healthcare Consumer
For a long time, people with employer-provided benefits were pretty complacent about healthcare costs. In recent years, though, as more and more cost has shifted to patients and deductibles have gone up, employees have been encouraged to be better “healthcare consumers” in order to control costs as much as possible.
The problem is, healthcare consumers feel powerless to affect their costs. But they aren’t. By following a few guidelines, you can exert at least some control over how much you pay for care.
Know your plan. One of the best ways to limit costs is to know what your plan will and will not cover. Studying a benefits booklet isn’t exactly fun, but it does pay to be informed and to make sure you fully understand your options.
Stick with your network. Using caregivers in your plan’s network will almost always lower your costs.
Discuss costs. We traditionally have not asked caregivers, “What will this cost?” Now we should. If nothing else, it lets the caregivers know you’re sensitive to costs, and they might consider less-expensive care options or find other ways to limit costs.
Pay attention. It’s easy to just pay what you see on the bottom line when you receive healthcare bills and EOB forms. But you should review bills and EOBs carefully, making sure the numbers match up and understanding that some studies have suggested that as much as 80 percent of medical bills include errors. If you see something questionable, ask your provider to explain it.
Price shop on medications. You have a virtually endless array of options when it comes to getting discounted prescriptions. Tap into any card, website or source you can to get the best deal. The good news? Many pharmacies are making it easier by offering their own programs to rival third-party discounters. Also: Always ask about generics.
Take advantage of flex spending. While pre-tax health-spending accounts won’t lower the actual cost of care, they will soften the overall impact healthcare has on your pocketbook.
Get preventive care. Staying healthy is the most cost-effective approach to your health. Besides, most preventive care is fully covered these days.
Save the ER for emergencies. The emergency room is just about the most expensive part of the hospital. Save it for real emergencies, choosing to see your primary care provider or an urgent care facility for less-than-emergency care.
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Tags: benefits, healthcare