3 Tips For Saving Money On Expensive Medical Bills
At one point in your life, everyone is probably going to have some kind of medical issue that requires you to seek medical attention and then pay for the services you’ve given. But just because you’re having to visit the doctor or hospital shouldn’t mean that you have to go into debt due to your medical bills.
When handled correctly, you can take advantage of medical help without going broke. To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for saving money on expensive medical bills.
Pick The Right Insurance Plan For You
Arguably the biggest thing that can make it easier for you to afford medical expenses, especially hefty ones, is having the right insurance plan for you. Because different people have different medical needs and different feelings about taking on risk, the exact medical plan that you think will work best for you will likely vary from anyone else’s.
According to Maurie Backman, a contributor MoneyCrashers.com, finding the right insurance plan for you will be about finding the best balance between the coverage you think you’ll be needing, the amount of money you’re comfortable paying for a monthly premium, and how large or small of a deductible you’re wanting. When you’re able to find a plan with all three variables that you’re happy with, that’s when you’ll know that you have the right medical insurance plan for you.
Only Do What’s Medically Necessary
In some instances, getting medical help will require you to get certain tests or procedures done. And while some of these might be necessary, others likely aren’t.
To best deal with this, it can be helpful to only go to the doctor for things that you actually need medical help with, not for things like the common cold. And when you do go in to see the doctor, Mila Araujo, a contributor to The Balance, advises that you ask your doctor to only perform the tests or procedures that are medically necessary, not the ones that are just being done as a precaution. This can help save you a lot of money on unnecessary medical bills.
Seek Out Discounts By Paying With Cash
Once you know you’re going to be needing medical care, one great way you can try to save money on the overall cost, according to Katie Adams, a contributor to Investopedia.com, is to try to seek out a discount by paying the whole bill with cash on your own. Often, people won’t be able to cover the cost of the whole bill on their own though, and this makes some look for external help too. There can be many other ways people can find financial help for medical bills, such as visiting a crowdfunding page like https://www.gofundme.com/c/blog/cost-of-urgent-care to see some options into how one can easier cover the cost of their medical care.
Many medical offices and professionals will offer a discount to patients who are self-paying. So if you can negotiate the price down, just paying the costs on your own could save you a lot of money on both the bill and monthly medical insurance costs.
If you’re worried about being able to afford medical care, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn some ways you can reduce expensive medical bills.
