Top 5 Ways To Avoid High Healthcare Costs

February 20 01:00 2015 by ushadmin

U.S. healthcare costs are some of the highest in the world. Even if you have insurance, you can still get stuck with some hefty bills.

10TV talked to the experts about the Top 5 ways you can avoid those high costs without compromising quality care.

Joclyn Krevat is healthy today, but five years ago she developed a rare disorder that forced her to have a heart transplant.

“The hospital accepted my insurance and I assumed that meant that everyone who worked in the hospital was in on that,” said Krevat.

But after the procedure, the bills piled up. Even though the hospital took her insurance, the surgery team that did the transplant did not. Krevat and her husband owed more than $70,000. “I thought that we were going to lose everything,” Krevat said.

Krevat’s story is documented in a recent Consumer Reports study.

Health analyst Doris Peter says even insured Americans are having a hard time paying off medical bills. “It’s one of the major causes of debt and bankruptcy in this country,” Peter said.

One thing every patient can do before being treated is make sure all doctors treating you are in your network. Also, always find out how much treatment is going to cost. “That’s not always an easy answer to get but you need to demand that,” said Peter.

With the help of an advocacy group, Krevat was able to negotiate her bills down to just a few thousand dollars.

Meanwhile, some parents are struggling with simple family healthcare costs. “It’s part of having kids, they’re at school, bringing germs home and passing it around,” said Dustin Stone, a father of three.

When one of Stone’s girls caught the flu, he knew it was only a matter of time before they all got sick. “You know, we knew it was not going to be cheap, getting five prescriptions for the flu, but when the pharmacy told us it was $500. It was kind of a shock,” said Stone.

Doctors and pharmacists say there are alternatives. Dr. Chad Edwards treats patients with vitamin IVs and nutritional advice. “We find that a lot of people are Vitamin D deficient and a lot of studies show that Vitamin D deficiency is correlated with upper respiratory infections.”

But if you need more than vitamins or over the counter medication, consider a pharmacy with a low-cost prescription program like Walmart, Giant Eagle and Walgreens to fill many antibiotic prescriptions for free.

One of the most efficient ways to cut your healthcare costs is simply by living a healthy lifestyle and committing to be fit. Being healthy is not only good for you, but it will keep insurance costs down.