Well, Americans voted and now we have a new President Elect. I am personally hoping that he can accomplish what he has promised about making healthcare affordable for everyone. This time of year, causes worries about flu and colds, and it’s no wonder with the prices of doctor’s care and medications, not to mention if one would have to miss a day of work. We should all practice preventative care, but if we do get sick, have a cavity, or (eek!) need glasses how do we get frugal deals on these things? Ideally, most of us would have health insurance, but that isn’t always the case, and some of those who do, have gigantic deductibles and co-pay.
CNN.com has an excellent article HERE with a lot of tips on just what to do if these problems pop up.
Here are some tips that I wanted to add.
1. The article mentions going to a dental school for work to be done on your teeth, but don’t stop there. If you have a local optometry school, get your eye exams there for a huge discounted rate. (This is where I’m lucky, my baby sis works in an optometrist’s office and we get big discounts!)
2. Ask your doctor for samples! Drug reps leave the samples for patients to try before buying, and on some medications doctors have more than one rep so they can get an overflowing supply (I use to work in a medical office.). So don’t hesitate to ask as most doctors and nurses are glad to grab some for you, even if you’ve been on the medicine before.
3. Places like Planned Parenthood offer services on a sliding scale for things like your yearly Pap/Pelvic, and they offer birth control at a hugely discounted rate.
4. Your local health department can give your kids their vaccines without the cost of a pediatric visit, you only have to pay for the shot and the administration fee, which can be as low as $5.
Hopefully, we will all be healthy this winter season, but if we do get sick, at least we’ll know where to start!
No comments:
Post a Comment