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How to Manage Cost of Medicare Continued
In order to reduce the cost of hospital bills, a health-care consultant, Michelle Katz, author of the book Healthcare for Less counsels that people should pay cash to reduce costs.
“People often do not realise that medical costs are negotiable — particularly if you are willing to pay cash. A cash transaction can save you up to 50 per cent,” says Katz.
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According to the author, not all medical charges are created equal. The cost of procedures can fluctuate wildly from hospital to hospital. “It is like shopping for a car,” says Katz. Before you go in for elective surgery, she suggests calling the billing departments of several local hospitals to get price quotes. Find out exactly what services are included in the cost to avoid hidden charges.
Before your doctor writes you a prescription, inquire if there are samples to be had. If they are not available, ask your care provider to write a 90-day prescription rather than a 30-day.
This will save you from having to schedule another appointment for a refill.
Shopping at the pharmacies of wholesalers can also deliver significant savings. But regardless of where you fill your prescription, ask for the generic brand, says Katz.
Of course, some health-care expenses are unavoidable, but don’t be a passive consumer. According to the Medical Billing Advocates of America, an advocacy group, as many as nine out of 10 medical bills reviewed contain errors.
Vigilantly checking over your medical bills can save you tons of cash, says Katz.
According to the growing “Stealth Health” movement, sneaking healthy habits into our daily living can also keep one healthy and avoid hospital bills.
“You can infuse your life with the power of prevention incrementally and fairly painlessly, and yes, doing something, no matter how small, is infinitely better for you than doing nothing,” says David Katz, the director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Centre, United States and of the Yale Preventive Medicine Centre. Katz is also co-author of the book Stealth Health: How to Sneak Age-Defying, Disease-Fighting Habits into Your Life without Really Trying.
From your morning shower to the evening news, from your work commute to your household chores, Katz says, there are at least 2,400 ways to sneak healthy activities into daily living.
“If you let yourself make small changes, they will add up to meaningful changes in the quality of your diet, your physical activity pattern, your capacity to deal with stress, and in your sleep quality — and those four things comprise an enormously powerful health promotion that can change your life,” he says.
And yes, he says, a nap on the couch can be a health-giving opportunity — particularly if you are not getting enough sleep at night.
Nutritionist and diabetes educator Fran Grossman agrees.
“You don’t have to belong to a gym or live on wheat grass just to be healthy,” says Grossman, a nutrition counselor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. “There are dozens of small things you can do every day that make a difference, and you do not always have to do a lot to gain a lot to live long.”
Culled from Punch
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