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Lowering Medical Costs Without Health Insurance

While shopping at the grocery and department stores, consumers seem to want to get the best prices on what they purchase. They carry coupons, store customer cards and adds from their local paper showing what is on sale for the week. Then why is it when it comes to very expensive costs, such as medical costs, there are usually no price comparisons? These are some simple steps that a consumer can take to help lower their medical costs if they do not have health insurance:

1. Call around to local doctors offices and talk with the person in charge of finances. Ask if they have a lower cost per visit for consumers who do not have health insurance. Many do.

2. Talk with your local pharmacies. A lot of them have prescription drug discount programs that a consumer can join for a fee. After they have joined, they can usually get their prescriptions for at least 30% off or more.

3. Ask the pharmacist for generic drugs instead of name brand drugs. This reduces the price substantially.

4. Check with your non-profit local hospitals. Many have discount rates for the use of their medical facilities for non-insured consumers.

5. Shop around for over the counter drugs and medical bandages. There can be big price variations.

Most who have health insurance usually have a standard deduction that they pay per doctor visit or per prescription. They do not have a reason to shop around. Their costs are already set. But, if you are one of the vast growing consumers with out health insurance, your medical costs for just the basics, can be very high.

Source:

Nina Pineda  ”Cutting thousands off your medical bills“ 7 On Your Side

The Physical Cost of Not Buying Health Insurance

Health Insurance can usually be purchased by paying a consistently priced premium every month. Knowing what amount the insurance pays on medical costs is a great help in the ability to budget your money. It is also a way to know the amount of income needed to sustain the type of lifestyle you want to have. Not knowing what monthly medical expenses you have can be a financial disaster. Not only that, your overall physical health and well being could greatly suffer.

Below are some procedures in medical and dental care that very likely would not get done because of your inability to afford them without health insurance:

  • Practicing disease prevention through annual checkups. Possible hidden signs such as high blood pressure and  high cholesterol would not be found that might have saved you from a stroke or heart attack.
  • Prescriptions filled that need to be taken on a daily basis.
  • Practicing good habits such as nutrition can falter because you have not been to the doctor to take his advise.
  • Hospitalization for a non-life threatening surgery.Needed physical therapy.
  • Regular visits to your dentist for cleaning and preventative care.
  • Taking care of teeth with cavities or ones that have abscessed.

In the event that some of these visits or procedures were able to be done through a financial agreement with your medical costs, the out of pocket costs, without insurance would probably be considerably more than you would have paid if you were insured.

Source:

Personal Experience