We shop around for cars. We shop around for places to live. Why do so few of us shop around for medical expenses? Obviously, if it’s an emergency you don’t have the time to compare prices. But when it comes to many other forms of treatment, many of us have the time to shop around but choose not to. There are many perks to medical shopping – here are some of the major expenses and why you should compare all of them.
Medication
When buying medication, many of us gravitate straight for the famous brands. However, there are often generic brands out there that have exactly the same impact whilst costing much less. All pharmaceutical drugs must be thoroughly tested so that they do what they say they do. The only reason some brands pay more is because they can get away with it due to their reputation.
Sites like WellRX.com can be used to compare medication prices. This can be far more economical than going to your pharmacy and comparing prices on the shelves. Be aware that there are also coupon sites out there which can allow you to save extra money.
Shopping around for medication also has other benefits. You may be able to find child-friendly medication that your kid is more willing to take. Those with allergies, may need a hypoallergenic medicine in some cases. There may even be moral or ethical reasons such as avoiding drugs that have been tested on animals or going holistic.
Clinic treatment
Prices may differ from clinic to clinic in some cases. With expensive surgery, this can sometimes make a huge difference. Advocacy services may be able to help you find the cheapest clinic in the country, whilst sites such as TreatmentAbroad.com can even be used to compare costs overseas. Even with the price of flights added, the lower cost of treatment can still make up for it, plus you get to spend your recovery on vacation.
There are other reasons why you may want to shop around for clinics. Certain clinics may be more specialised in a certain area, whilst there may even be specific doctors who are experienced in a certain type of treatment. This could be a way of lowering the risk. Another reason to shop around may be to skip the waiting lists. This is another reason why people will get treatment abroad, as it can sometimes allow them to get vital surgery faster.
Insurance
Okay, so this is something that many of us do shop around for, but many of us could probably spend more time comparing rates than we do. Rather than using your everyday comparison sites, it could be worth using specialist medical insurance brokers such as HealthInsuranceQuotes.co. These sites are able to not just shop for rates, but give information on perks and even deductibles.
On top of regular insurance, it can sometimes be worth taking other measures such as opening a savings account or taking out a credit card. These can be used to pay an insurance deductible. Make sure to compare interest rates here as they could determine how much you make in a savings account and how much you pay for a credit card.
Great post, thanks
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