Many of you don’t need to worry about the rising cost of healthcare, but I know more people that don’t have insurance than do. Worry may not be the right word, but our emphasis here at Momma’s Choice is that any concern or problem has solutions! Making the right choice is the tricky part!
A friend of mine that recently went through the medical olympics with a very sick little boy. Doctor visits that do no more than send you to another doctor, who charges you to say he can’t do anything until this certain test is done…and then charges again to interpret the test. Then there was the ER visit, they charged them to tell them he needed to be at a children’s hospital, and needs an ambulance to transport him!
Now that all the bills are filtering into her mailbox, she has saved thousands …everything from the ambulance bill to lab charges to the hospital stay with one simple trick: She negotiates. They pay cash for their medical bills out of a medical savings account, and everyone gives a discount of some sort. Most charges for medical services are set high because insurance companies will only pay a percentage of the total. So if you are paying cash, you are saving them billing fees plus time, and they still are probably making more from you than if they were billing an insurance company.
They did opt to pay the large hospital bill on payments, there’s no interest and no discount for paying up front. (I wonder if their managers have thought that one through?)
Another tidbit I didn’t know is that calling around for prices on services like bloodwork and x-rays can save you up to 75%! We discovered that a small local hospital charged about 25% of what a large metro hospital for x-rays. Everyone knows that comparing prescription prices pays off, (some pharmacies even price match!), but most people don’t think to compare the bigger services. Just be sure to let your doctor know where you want your work done, so they can write the order accordingly. If insurance companies were only so frugal, their rates might not be so out of reach!
I know saving money is tough, especially now, but a medical savings account pays you on both ends this way. You are getting interest on the money as you save, and then you save big time on the actual bill when you incur it.
Another way to save big money is through purchase of a dental savings card like ones found at DentalPlans.com or E-Health. There are others, but these two have good search capabilities. The cards cost between $79 and $169/year, and you can save double that amount in just one office visit, especially if you have kids. I know several families that have used these and saved hundreds on just their first visit. In case you’re not familiar with these, depending on the plan you buy, your card gives you a predetermined discounted price on each service from your dentist. Dentists rarely will give discounts for paying cash, since that’s what’s expected anyway. Typically with a discount card, check-ups will cost about $20, full mouth x-rays, $50, and big savings on extensive work like route canals, fillings and crowns. Finding a plan that your dentist takes is hit and miss, but there are good search tools for that, so it’s worth looking.
We’d love to hear from you about other ways you’ve found to save on medical costs! Hopefully Momma’s Choice will soon have our Health section developed to help you stay healthy enough you won’t need a doctor! 
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