Health Briefs TV Reviews How to Find Affordable Health Care

The price of medical tests and exams can be vastly different within the same city or even just a few blocks away. Health Briefs TV reviews how to find affordable health care in your neighborhood.

Several factors go into the price of one medical test: location of the medical office or diagnostic center, overhead costs, rental price of the facility, and the methods used to testing. But what can cost less than a hundred dollars in one area, can cost more than 200 dollars just a few miles away. Here’s how to find the best and most affordable health care:

If insured, log in to the health insurance website and locate providers for the test. Call each one and ask for the cost of the test or exam. Keep a list of the providers called and compare proximity to home and price. Choose the best one for both.

The Health Briefs television show also recommends going online to find resources for comparing and calculating health care costs. Most health insurance websites offer some sort of resource for estimating the cost of medical needs. And there are other good sites that do the same such as the one at Fair Health Consumer. People should spend a little time researching the best options for the most affordable cost. 

Consider urgent care centers instead of going to the emergency room for less serious concerns such as fevers, cuts, and sprains. Pharmacy healthcare clinics are another good source for life’s minor health concerns. Write down any questions for the medical provider and be sure to ask them all.  It is up to each one of us to be our own medical advocate.

Health Briefs TV Explains How to Cut Medical Bills

save money on medical bills

Take charge of medical bills and payments with advice from Health Briefs TV. Reduce the amount by being your own health care advocate.

Open the envelope that the medical bill arrives in and pull the invoice out. Scrutinize it. Itemize all charges on the bill and take time to find out if the cost for each item in it is accurate. Be sure you are not charged for something you never got. Also, be sure the bill is accurate for you and your medical procedure, as sometimes patient names and IDs get crossed.

• Call the provider and insist on the itemized bill and a clear understanding for each charge. Request a hold on the bill, which delays the due date until all items have been clearly explained and all charges are accurate.
• Take charge and clear up the common medical billing mistakes:
• Upcoding – charging for a more expensive treatment than what was actually performed.
• Duplicate billing – charging for the same procedure multiple times.
• Unbundling – taking a service which is supposed to be packaged and billing for each item separately that is often higher than the package price.

• Ask for discounts and hardship applications.  Health Briefs TV knows that this is a humbling thing to do. But in order to be able to afford to pay the bill without breaking the checking account, it pays to ask.
• Negotiate – Always first try to negotiate a medical bill. Offer to pay a percentage of the whole bill. If that doesn’t work, set up a payment schedule and then set up automatic payments from checking accounts. Be sure to ask if that interest charges do not go up during the payment plan.
• It pays to be your own healthcare advocate. Take charge of medical and insurance bills and perhaps there will be some money saved.

Health Briefs on Medical Identity Theft and Why We Need to Pay Attention

There has been a 91 percent increase in the number of medical identity theft cases in the last year alone. Health Briefs examines the issue and offers prevention tips for consumers in North America.

Health care agencies including the insurance companies lag far behind the credit card, financial and large discount store companies when it comes to protecting a consumer’s personal data. And unlike credit card companies, there is no way for a consumer to know someone stole their medical data and used it to obtain health services.  Medical ID thieves can get health insurance in your name, obtain prescriptions, even check into the hospital to give birth or have surgery. The only way a person will know this happened is if they get a bill from a collector. So how can the average consumer who goes to the doctor, gets tests done in clinics and hospitals and may be admitted to a hospital prevent this from happening?

Health Briefs suggests only writing the last four digits of your Social Security Number on any form.  Don’t share any medical or healthcare information, such as insurance info via telephone or email unless you know without any doubt who is asking. Shred old healthcare forms, old prescription slips, doctor bills, etc and store current ones in a safe place. Know your rights and find out why a website is asking for this info, how it will be kept safe, whether it will be shared, and with whom. Read the Privacy Policy on the website. Look for the lock and key symbol to be sure the website is safe and secure. If in doubt, don’t offer any information. 

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