Healthcare is something I worry about for my family and I am constantly thinking about. I have one son who has a heart condition, another with asthma and allergies and a third child who so far is so good! While my husband has a great healthcare plan, we still pay a good amount out of pocket each paycheck and each year the cost raises. It also seems like each year we have more and more healthcare costs for illnesses, medicine, and even vision and dental work. It’s funny how I budget for our monthly bills like cable, gas, electric, mortgage and so forth, but I don’t give a second thought to inclduing healthcare in our budget. While I can’t obviously plan for everything, a nice cushion would be nice.
Here are some tips from Cigna Healthcare:
PLAN:
Spend a night reviewing your healthcare expenses. Know what you spend now and what future costs may be. For example, think ahead of whether someone in your family will need glasses or braces. Knowing your current and future costs may be helpful in budgeting.
PREPARE:
Know where the nearest urgent care facility is. They provide the same quality of care for non-emergent conditions as an ER but typically have shorter wait times and are less-expensive. Check with your health plan to see if they offer a 24/7 nurse hotline to provide you with health-related adice around the clock for quick answers. Finally, keep the phone number to your local pharmacy handy so prescriptions can be called in to save time.
PREVENT:
Take advantage of preventative services offered by your health plan could mean the difference between life and early death. Visit your doctor for a checkup each year and make the appointment worthwhile by asking all the questions you have. Take advantage of all the free services offered such as access to dietitians and nurses.
Check out a conversation from Cigna:
You can also watch the series of videos titled “The Health Plan Conversation” on the Cigna YouTube page here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA6E5AFEC2CB50537&feature=plcp
What are your tips on saving money on healthcare? (Of course other than not having any.)
Mom and More Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Cigna. I received a promotional item as a thank-you for participating. Please see my Disclosure Policy.
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Another tip is you might be able negotiate with the hospital or doctors office to lower your bill. I did this with another shoulder surgery I had this spring. This was my 3 one in the last 2 years and it is not cheap, our ortho doctor and the hospital did reduce our bills quite a bit.. you just have to ask.
This summer was bad for the kids, with allergies and asthma, my daughter was having to keep switching up the medication for them, which added another expense.