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:

Taking advantage of referral bonuses! Many practitioners offer referral bonuses or reduced pricing on health care services when their clients bring in new business. It makes sense for everyone involved. You get a discount, the doctor gets the business, and the person that you are referring gets to have peace of mind knowing that their health care professional has been proven to be good.

Buy generic drugs. There is plenty of scientific evidence that shows that the "name brand" drugs are no more effective than the generics. Actually, the generics you can buy for cheap and still have a few dollars left for other medical expenses. But, if you pay for the name brands, you can expect to pay an arm and a leg. Doesn't $1 or $2 sound better for a 30-day supply than an over-budget price of $200 for the same thing?

Keep an eye out for those eyeglass sales! Every year, at the start of the back to school season, many eyeglass stores and superstores such as Walmart have incredible sales on eyeglasses. Some will offer discounts of 50-75% off or buy one, get one free sales. This is not only a great time to get glasses for your children to use for going back to school, it is also a perfect time to pick up a spare pair for each member of your family. In addition to the discounts at the popular stores, some may actually participate in eye care programs for those with low to moderate incomes. With these programs, which are usually in partnership with a local hospital or health care company, children can get their eyeglasses completely free!

Make sure to get your gift cards! Drug stores are now offering one of the best incentives ever for transferring your prescription...FREE MONEY! Usually given as a gift card or in actual dollars, you could get enough to do something special for yourself or your family just by switching from one pharmacy to another. You are not limited to just one switch, do it whenever you get a new prescription for the maximum payout.

Use those coupons! Sunday newspapers and circulars are full of coupons for discounts on medicines and health care services. You can always find ways of saving, cost cutting, or getting freebies if you just stay on the look out.

These are a just a few simple ways of saving money while doing your best to provide your family with great health care services. Take advantage of what's out there. Do it as if your family is counting on it. - 15438

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