Here are 14 ways to save a health buck — or even a Benjamin or two. You’ll get advice on where to find low-cost medical services, eating healthy on the cheap and how to look good for less. You’ll feel like a million bucks – without having to spend it.
Save on medical care
1. Vaccinate for free: If your kids are on Medicaid, not insured or underinsured (meaning your health plan doesn’t cover shots), they can get free vaccinations from the federal government’s Vaccines for Children Program. Details are atwww.CDC.gov.
2. Join a clinical trial: Many medical studies need people for research on chronic diseases, such as diabetes, or common ailments, such as allergies. You’ll get free medication and treatment. In some cases, you’ll be paid. A database of federally funded and private medical trials is at ClinicalTrials.gov.
3. Attend a health fair: Many health fairs offer free or reduced-rate screenings. You'll get important information about blood pressure or cholesterol levels that may help avoid diabetes and other diseases, says organizer Fiona Gathright of Wellness Corporate Solutions.
4. Get low-cost ob-gyn checkups: Women can get inexpensive ob-gyn care and contraception at one of the 880 Planned Parenthood clinics around the country. Find one near you at PlannedParenthood.org.
5. Find free screenings: The Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act provides low-income or uninsured women with free or low-cost mammograms, pap tests, pelvic exams and diagnostic testing if results are abnormal. Find a clinic near you at the Centers for Disease Control Web site.
6. Ask for a discount: Ask about doctors fees in advance and offer to pay cash for a discount, says economist Devon Herrick, who has studied health care issues for the National Center for Policy Analysis. A new Web site, PriceDoc.com, helps consumers find better pricing. (It’s available in Seattle and is launching nationwide in November.) Also, bargain down a hefty hospital bill if paying will cause a hardship. “Hospitals and doctors will work with you so they don’t lose their ability to collect,” says Kathleen Stoll, deputy executive director of Families USA, a health care consumer organization based in Washington, D.C.
7. Shop for lab work: Call labs for prices. Paying upfront and/or filing insurance forms yourself may save a bundle, Herrick says. Or go online to providers likeMyMedLab.com and BloodWorksUSA.com. “The hospital may be five times more expensive than a comparable lab.”
8. Avoid ERs: If you have health insurance and don’t have a life-threatening medical emergency, a same-day doctor’s appointment is a better, cheaper option. The national average for an ER visit is about $1,000; an average doctor’s office visit is $60, says a spokeswoman for CIGNA Health Care. If you don’t have health insurance, the ER is your best bet. Many hospitals are required to treat uninsured patients to get federal subsidies.9. Cut office visit costs: Local retail clinics or telemedicine services such asTelaDoc.com can cost half as much as traditional office visits. TelaDoc charges about $35 per phone consultation, economist Herrick says.
10. Have in-office procedures: Minor surgeries are cheaper in an office or ambulatory center, but some doctors prefer higher-priced hospitals, often for their own convenience, economist Herrick says. Save thousands by finding doctors with their own office operating room.
11. Try therapy by the minute: For $1.60 per minute, you can talk to a social worker, marriage counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist through MyTherapyNet. The site promises to connect you with a mental health professional within 20 minutes for an instant messaging e-therapy session.
12. Seek surgery outside U.S.: Medical treatments in other countries are only a fraction of the cost charged by U.S. providers, according to the “Rise of Medical Tourism” by Grail Research. The average cost of knee replacement surgery in the U.S. was $40,000 in 2007; in Thailand it was $10,000. But beware: The report warns “it’s not all roses,” with legal issues related to bad outcomes, follow-up treatment, insurance coverage or language barriers.
13. Get touched: Need a good rub? Many massage schools provide low-cost rubdowns to the public for half of what you’d pay at a day spa. Search for schools near you at the American Massage Therapy Association Web site.
Save on prescriptions
14. Get free samples: Ask your doctor for free samples of your regular medicines. Dermatologists may also have freebies of face creams, cleansers and sunscreens. Eye doctors often give out free contact lens cleaners.
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