Saturday, February 28, 2009

How To Save On Health Care When There Is An Economy Crisis

By Alexandra Vrugt

Taking care of your family's health is one of the hardest and most expensive parts of managing a household. With the cost of doctor's visits skyrocketing and fewer employers offering health care benefits, how can a family have their health care needs met? It can happen! Many of your family's health care expenses can be decreased using the same cost saving techniques that you use for daily household budgeting. Here are a few money saving strategies for getting a more positive outlook for your family's health care expenses:

Referrals are great. A lot of medical practices will give a special discount or will perform some complimentary services just for getting a referral. They make money because you are bringing them business and you save or get something done for free. It's a win-win for everyone. If you really like your health care provider, it's only natural to want others to know that they provide good service. Getting a discount is even more incentive.

Making the effort to avoid those high priced designer drugs! Buy generic drugs whenever possible. You will get the same results and the price for a 30-day supply could be as low as $1. If you run after the higher priced, name brand drugs you can expect to pay lots of money, sometimes more than $200 for the same or less! There is usually lots of medical research to support the fact that generic drugs are the same as the designer ones. They simply are there for saving cost conscious people money!

Watching for eyeglasses deals! You will see them throughout the year, but especially around back to school time. These eyeglasses deals usually can range from as high as discounts of 50-75% to actually free specs for certain family members. Additionally, there are always loads of coupons in the Sunday newspaper that can be used for reduced pricing or buy-one-get-one deals on glasses. If your family is low to moderate income, check your child's school or the local hospital which usually knows or offers children free eyeglasses to ensure that they are able to perform properly in school.

Grab those gift cards! Many drug stores offer actual money or store gift cards when you transfer your prescription to them. Unless you are in a deep relationship with the pharmacist, you could get lots of cash and gifts just by switching stores! For many people, this is a no-brainer and they do it every time they get a new prescription.

Always use coupons! In each Sunday paper and online, you can find coupons for everything from allergy medicine to dental or medical services. Consider them free money and reap the benefits of these fabulous savings tools.

Healthcare is a part of life, but it doesn't have to be a financial burden for your family. Look for deals and opportunities for saving. Cost comparisons and coupons will help you to know when the best time is to make certain health care decisions. But, always remember to do what will work best for your family and their health even when the world is experiencing an economy crisis! - 16650

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