Feeling the pinch on your retirement pocketbook because of medical bills and healthcare needs? There are easier ways for seniors to stretch a dollar when it comes to their health and wellbeing. Don’t miss these 9 go-to tips:
Feeling the pinch on your retirement pocketbook because of medical bills and healthcare needs? There are easier ways for seniors to stretch a dollar when it comes to their health and wellbeing. Don’t miss these 9 go-to tips:
Find Out What Insurance Will Cover
Before you head to the pharmacy to buy a cane or walker over the counter, for example, find out if your insurance will cover the cost of one. With a direct medical order from a treating physician, insurance companies can cover some if not all of the cost of durable medical equipment or other healthcare products you may require.
Ask Your Doctor for Free Samples
One of those most expensive costs seniors cover is on medicine. Whether in need of a refill or starting a new prescription, it is worth asking your general practitioner or prescribing specialist if they have free samples in your dosage at their office that they can give you.
Get Free Preventative Care
An array of free preventative screenings, tests, and vaccinations are available to many seniors via their private health plans or Medicare. Save on medical costs down the line by taking preventative steps now with covered wellness checkups, colon, prostate, and breast cancer screenings, flu and pneumonia vaccines, and smoking-cessation counseling.
Rent Instead of Buy
Did you know that medical equipment is sometimes available to lease instead of purchasing? Mobility aids in particular are often available on a rent-to-buy basis, like a rental knee scooter or wheelchair. If recovering from injury or surgery, rental options might be more cost effective than a large upfront investment for medical equipment you will only need temporarily.
Offset Costs With Supplemental Income
Stretch your healthcare dollar by supplementing expenses with fresh income. Short of picking up a part-time job, seniors can also make extra cash selling collectibles and gently-used high dollar items online, tutoring or giving lessons for money, or renting out an extra room in their home.
Shop Online
Whether you’re looking to fill a doctor’s prescription or in need of a medical device you are paying for out of pocket, always look online. Prescription drugs are available internationally at a fraction of the cost you might pay at your own U.S. pharmacy, and with sites like PlanetDrugsDirect.com which require a prescription to process an order, the cheaper alternative is safe and legal. Online websites that sell medical equipment, vitamins, and other non-prescribed items often offer free shipping deals and discount promotions for first-time buyers too.
Get a Second Opinion
Thinking about investing in a high dollar piece of medical equipment or procedure your doctor has recommended? Sometimes it pays big to get a second opinion that helps you find a less expensive but just as effective alternative.
Use Coupons
Don’t pass by the coupon books and fliers your home pharmacy issues each month – they could help you with health care costs on vitamins, simple medical equipment, pain relief medications, incontinence supplies, and more. Websites like InternetDrugCoupons.com also offer you access to printable coupons you can use on a variety of medicines.
Get a Prescription
Some over the counter medicines, like those used to treat allergies, are also still available via prescription and can end up costing you way less when insurance is helping pick up the tab. In the same vein, generic versions of your brand name prescription might be just as effective for you but cost way less. Do a little research with your insurance provider and ask your physician to write you a prescription for effective, cheaper medicine that might otherwise cost you 5x as much off the aisle shelf.
Staying healthy as a senior shouldn’t break the bank. Simple tips, tricks and reminders can save you hundreds of dollars a year, if not more.
Article Provided by:
Joe Fleming
Co-Founder, Vive Health
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