You’re not completely at the mercy of health carriers and the federal government’s Marketplace plans. There are ways you can manage costs, and one of them lies in that little rectangular device you carry with you each day: your smartphone.
At your next doctor’s appointment, you’ll want to bring your smartphone with you and review your medication list.
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Open up one of these apps, and you’ll get an instant comparison of medication costs between brand name and generic options. Then, talk about alternative options that cost less that could work for you.
Here are a few of the apps to try and their primary functions:
- GoodRx. This app compares the prices of medications at various pharmacies and can even source coupons for drugs, too. Its database consists of over 70,000 pharmacies across the U.S. to help you find the lowest medication cost available.
- Healthcare Bluebook. This tool gives you an estimate of what will be a “fair price” to pay for healthcare services, such as a hospital stay, diagnostic costs, and doctor’s fees. Whether you need to buy a hearing aid, get a lab or X-ray done, have a dental procedure or buy medication, you can use the Bluebook to search, compare and save.
- LowestMed. The first app of its kind to give consumers a mobile way to compare prices, this app lets you easily document medication costs at the pharmacies in your area. It gives you control over what you’ll pay for your medications.
- Fair Health Cost Lookup. This tool helps you estimate what you’ll pay for the various services you need, and then works with you to plan out the costs for medical and dental procedures. The tool is comprehensive, too, covering mental health services, hearing supplies, lab tests, pregnancy and childbirth services, and much more.
While you may not want to change all of the medications that you’re on at once, talk to your doctor about the possibility of starting with one or two medications that you could switch. By the end of the year, the savings will add up!
Become your own best advocate for your health. Armed with these tools for comparing prices, you’ll be better informed and make good decisions about your health.
For more tips about lowering healthcare costs or for advice navigating open enrollment, talk to the InsureOne Benefits team today!