Monday, December 18, 2017

Reducing Your Out-Of-Pocket Healthcare Costs

The cost of health insurance in the United States is on the rise again. Insurance experts expect rates to go up more than 50% in 2018. The mandatory health insurance mandated by the former Obama administration helped some people.

People who were extremely poor could get help to pay for their insurance from the government. People with preexisting issues could not be turned away. In exchange for these improvements, most American families faced huge insurance premiums, out-of-pocket expenses, and less coverage.

Companies learned that having fewer than 50 full-time employees meant they did not have to pay any of their employees insurance costs. For small business owners, it became necessary to had fewer employees.

Impact on the American job market

There are certain jobs that are considered high-risk. For example, the trucking industry is considered to be among the highest group of people to insure. Long hours, bad road conditions, a sedentary lifestyle, and fatigue make it difficult to maintain your health.

Truckers began pulling away from the larger companies and buy their own trucks. This ensures that the driver has complete control over the policy and coverage he needs and the trucking industry can hire him to haul their loads without contributing to his medical insurance. An experienced logger (for example) can find logging trucks for sale and work for themselves.


Photo site: https://pixabay.com/en/yurty-siberia-truck-logging-logs-123841/

Senior Citizens

People over the age of 65-years old and those with a disability can take advantage of Medicare. Medicare is a federal government healthcare policy. It covers hospital stays (Part A) Doctors visits (Part B) Medicare Advantage (Part C) and prescriptions (Part D)


Part C Medicare can be purchased from private insurance companies often for the same price or a bit more than you pay for your standard Medicare insurance.


Photo site: https://pixabay.com/en/grandparents-grandmother-grandfather-2198053/

Tips for reducing your out-of-pocket expenses

- Visit your doctor
* Many people have policies with such a high co-pay that they are well into the late fall before their insurance pays anything. This causes them to skip proactive healthcare. It is less expensive to treat an illness if you catch it early. So go for your annual check-up.

- Maintain your health
* Once you have a physical from your doctor, you can determine what you need to reclaim or maintain your health. Make a healthcare plan of action.

- Review your policy
* Sit down with your agent and review your policy and the costs associated with it. Compare it to other plans. Select the one that has the doctors you want and the best coverage for your dollar.

- Get moving
* Remember our unhealthy trucking friend above. Long hours in a seat leads to a sluggish metabolism. Stay active. Exercise in a manner that you enjoy.

- Take care of business
*Your doctor’s office is a business. People forget that the doctor is there to serve you. You are his income. Make it your business to make sure all of your billing is accurate. Ask for adjustments if you find tests or treatments that are being billed to you, but you did not receive.

* Make sure you are using a doctor on your current medical plan. You will pay a lot more for an out-of-network doctor.

* If there is a procedure coming up that is not covered under your policy, ask for a discounted price. Often, a doctor would give you a special deal if you ask for it. However, most people do not.

- Prescription Drugs
* You are going to see many prescription drugs fall off of insurance plans this year. Click here for a list of medications that are being dropped. If you take one of these drugs, bring it up to your doctor so he can consider changing your treatment.

* Use generic drugs

By taking care of your health and your policies in advance, you will save a lot of money. You will be healthier and stress will be reduced in your life. Healthcare is a fact of life. But it doesn’t have to be the center of your world. Get control and keep it. You will be glad you did.


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