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Many ways to save money on medical care

With or without health insurance, there are dozens of ways to save money on medical care, local health officials said – you just have to know where to look.

Sandy Behrens, director of the La Porte County Community Health Center, and two representatives from the La Porte Regional Health System spoke about health care savings to women attending Women’s Fair 2009, held Tuesday at Blue Chip Casino.

“It’s not always easy to find the savings, but once you know where to go and what is available to you, you can stretch your dollar further on medical care and sometimes even find help for free,” said Julie Bellah, financial counselor for La Porte Regional Health System. “There are always options.”

For people who have health insurance through their workplace, it’s always a good idea to take advantage of flex or health spending accounts if they are available, Bellah said. Money is taken pre-tax from paychecks and deposited into the accounts, which can then be used for copayments and other medical expenses.

State and federal programs help provide health insurance to people who are not employed, Bellah said. If you are not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid, she said, Indiana has the Healthy Indiana Plan, which provides coverages at a sliding scale cost based on income to state residents who have been uninsured for at least six months and meet other qualifications.

“I’ve heard from so many people who said they didn’t try to sign up for HIP because they heard applications weren’t being accepted. That’s not the case,” Bellah said. “If you have kids in your household, you can be accepted right now. It’s true that non-caregivers are being put on a waiting list right now, but 4,000 more spots are going to open in November. It’s first-come, first serve, so the sooner you sign up, the better.”

Bellah also stressed the importance of examining your medical bills when they’re received, to make sure all procedures were billed correctly.

“It should show how much your insurance company paid, what you were billed for. It’s possible you were billed for something you didn’t receive, or maybe your health insurance denied something unneccesarily,” she said. “You can appeal when the insurance companies deny your claim. They don’t always know the whole story.”

Save copies of medical bills, as well, because any medical costs that exceed 7.5 percent of your yearly income are tax deductible, she said.

Saving money on prescription medications comes down to using generic drugs instead of newer, brand-name ones, Behrens said. New drugs can cost up to 10 times more than a generic equivalent.

“Doctors tend to pass these new drugs down as a ‘miracle cure’ when a generic could probably do the same thing for you,” she said. “Talk to your doctor and let them know cost is very important to you. They can usually help you find a less expensive medicine that will help you.”

Shopping around at pharmacies to find the best price for a prescription is worth the effort, because some stores will offer certain medications at cheaper prices just to bring in business, Behrens said. Places like Walgreens, Meijer, Walmart and Fagen Pharmacy put lists of their $4 medications on their Web sites. And sometimes, even if you have health insurance, it’s cheaper to pay full price for inexpensive generics than have the prescription covered by insurance, she said.

Lastly, community health and wellness screenings are usually free and will help track all kinds of health issues, said Josh Kellems, health promotion coordinator at La Porte Regional Health System. For instance, this month the health system is taking appointments for breast cancer screenings. Next month, free pap smears and pelvic exams to screen for cervical cancer will be available to women who have not had those exams for three years, he said.

“These should not take the place of a medical checkup. There are more accurate tests doctors can have done to detect problems,” Kellems said. “But for people with no other options, this can be helpful.”

Five easy ways to save on health care:
- Doctors and hospitals will often provide at least a 10 percent discount on medical bills if they are paid in full at the time of service. Just ask!

- Patients are charged according to their income at the La Porte Community Health Center in La Porte, or HealthLinc Community Health Center in Michigan City. Many times services will be less expensive there.

- Ask your doctor to prescribe only medications on pharmacies’ “cheap lists” for $5 or less.

- If you can, have your doctor order higher-dose pills than you need so you can split them at home. Your prescription will last twice as long for the same price or even less.

- Participate in free or low-cost community health and wellness screenings.

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