Even with the ACA in place, medical bills can quickly spiral out of control. How can you lower your costs? These tips can help.

1. If you have a PPO, always double check to ensure that your doctor is in-network. This is particularly important when you receive a referral from your primary care physician, who may not be able to keep every insurance plan committed to memory. Before you leave the office, have them call and ensure the specialist is in-network. Our Health Advocacy Benefit could save you hours by helping check on these potential issues.
2. Ask about options. If the cost of the treatment prescribed is overwhelming, find out if every test is strictly necessary. If test A could confirm or rule out a problem, perhaps getting it first instead of bundled with test B,C, and D is the smart move. Our Lab Testing and Scans Benefit could also seriously cut down on these costs.
3. For items which are more expensive to pay your co-pay on, ask what your doctor’s office cash discount price is. You might be surprised at the difference. The Medical Bill Saver Benefit can often save you up to 60% off of services – better than your insurance company!
4. Speaking of pharmaceutical costs, ask about generics. Sometimes it’s cheaper to pay out of pocket for a generic than to pay the copay for a 2nd or 3rd tier drug. There might even be an OTC option you can use some of your pre-tax health savings account dollars for. Our Discount Pharmacy Card Benefit can provide deep discounts even on generic drugs.
5. Look at your medical bills. A whopping 9 out of 10 hospital bills have overcharges that are missed by the patient. Ask for an itemized bill and look for errors. Insurance companies incorrectly handle claims as well, so don’t be shy asking for an audit of your bill by your claim manager. Medical Bill Saver can be a lifesaver here, finding savings up to 60%.
6. Make sure you are up-to-date on what is covered and not covered. You might be surprised that you have unused coverage you could be benefiting from, and you also might discover that there are certain areas you’d do better negotiating on your own for. Better yet, use our Health Advocacy Benefit to negotiate on your behalf and save yourself the hassle!
7. Talk to your doctor’s office staff and make friends with them. They’ll be more eager to help you watch for errors and to help you with any discounts the office offers if they know you appreciate it – a basket of fruit or a box of homemade cupcakes or muffins can really mean a lot.
8. Ask about payment schedules if you know a co-pay is going to be hard to manage. Have a number in mind that your budget can bear and go in asking for a slightly lower number so you have wiggle room. Medical Bill Saver can come to the rescue if you need a negotiator.

Obviously, if you have 2BenefitU plan, you can always use the mentioned benefits to help track down areas you are overpaying in and lower your healthcare costs. These are just several of the many money-saving benefits you get when you have a subscription!