With rising inflation, it can make accessing healthcare more difficult and unaffordable. Although health insurance helps to cover catastrophic events, day-to-day expenses like prescriptions, doctor visits, and testing are often out of pocket and subject to your deductible.
When there are other living expenses to worry about, paying for health insurance premiums in the place of rent, groceries, and other monthly expenses can begin to feel like an unnecessary expense.
Here are 5 ways to save money on healthcare this summer to get the most out of your health insurance plan.
Use prescription discount cards or saving programs at pharmacies to lower prescription costs
If you have a high deductible plan, prescriptions are often subject to your deductible and you pay the negotiated price that the insurance company has with the pharmacy. However, there is no way of knowing what this cost is and it can add up quickly if there is no set copay.
Instead, you could use services like GoodRx or discount cards provided by the pharmacy that allows you to pay a yearly subscription to have access to discounts on prescriptions. These discounts can often be used on top of the cost of your prescription and will still go toward your deductible.
Utilize telehealth services for your doctor visits
Telehealth services are often provided for free on insurance plans or at a discounted rate. Sometimes, they do cost the same as an in-person visit. With rising gas prices, spending time and money to go to an in-person visit can add up. Instead, consider scheduling the same visit virtually to save money on transportation costs.
Go to urgent care instead of running to the ER
Often on plans, ER visits require you to pay the full price of the visit toward your deductible, and there is no way of knowing how expensive a visit will be. Instead, unless your condition is critical, consider an urgent care facility, which offers a copay in and out of network. This limits your out-of-pocket expenses to see a provider and also allows you to get the same care without the wait times.
Take advantage of free preventative care
All plans offered on the marketplace offer free preventative care. You can see a provider all while getting screened for major illnesses through blood work, colonoscopy, and mammograms. Save yourself time and money from a large medical bill by keeping yourself healthy.
Use reward benefits
Some insurance carriers now offer cash reward benefits that can be redeemed and used anywhere. Check your plan and see how you can take advantage of these benefits. Often, you can get rewarded for doing things like going to the doctor, setting up appointments, or choosing a provider, all of which are things you would have done with a plan.
Are you looking for ways to save money this summer? Don’t let high prices turn you away from getting the medical care you need.