Health Insurance Values » HealthLog with Dave Keller

Saving money on health care

No one can argue that the cost of health care in the United States is growing each year. However, creative consumers are finding ways to combat costs and actually decrease their health care spending. These strategies not only help them to lower their out-of-pocket expenses, but they also provide a road map for designing a health insurance package that fits their needs and saves money too.

Convenience care clinics
Convenience care clinics, whose brand names include Minute Clinic or Redi-Clinic, are a low cost way to treat simple illnesses such as the flu, poison ivy and bronchitis or to get a school or sports physical. Often located in pharmacies and grocery stores, these clinics list their prices, so you know the cost before you are treated. While they are not a substitute for a family physician relationship, they are a convenient and inexpensive way to treat common conditions. Convenience care clinics are especially economical for people who have an HSA-qualified plan and do not have an office visit copay.

Individual dental plans
Individual dental plans are growing in popularity, especially for early retirees and people whose employers have dropped group dental plans. Individual plans have improved recently as more carriers move beyond simple discount plans to provide dental insurance for preventive, basic and even major care.

Alternative doctor visits
Some health plans and associations now provide access to telephone consultations for non-emergency medical issues. For little or no additional cost, insured members can speak to licensed and practicing physicians who can recommend treatment and write prescriptions over the phone. While these types of plans are usually marketed for their convenience, the cost savings can also be substantial.

Association benefits
Many associations offer health-related discount plans. Some of the more upscale plans bundle accident medical insurance, critical illness coverage, life insurance and accident disability insurance into one package. If you purchase your health insurance through an association, check out the discount offerings — you will likely find ones that you can use.

Plan for your physician visit
In a busy day it is often difficult to plan ahead, but planning for your physician visit is critical, especially if you are taking a prescription medication. By planning ahead you can investigate alternative prescription options, some of which can save you thousands of dollars per year. Even if you have copay coverage on your individual medical plan, the switch from a name brand drug to a generic equivalent can save hundreds of dollars per year, or even more if you are able to drop the copayment on your name-brand drugs.

You can investigate prescription options by calling or visiting your pharmacy or visiting an online pharmacy such as www.drugstore.com. Many insurance carrier Web sites also offer prescription cost comparisons that you can use to prepare for a physician visit.