A trick to help cut US medical expenses

Living in a big city in the United States is very expensive, you need to work a lot to pay for everyday expenses, and also to save money for retirement, a college for children, and also for unforeseen expenses.

Фото: Depositphotos

However, medical expenses can become a budget-destroying bomb, even if you pay for insurance, writes CNBC.

However, many Americans have found a way to cut medical bills. After receiving a referral from a doctor, check how much the procedure prescribed for you will cost in different hospitals, and then choose the most profitable option.

This may seem simple - since Americans often compare prices when shopping — but almost no one does this when receiving medical services.

Despite financial problems, patients often receive help in expensive clinics, although cheaper options are available on the market.

Less than 1% of Americans use the opportunity to compare prices for services to find cheaper options.

Why is comparing the prices of medical services useful?

For example, MRI in some American hospitals can cost 2000 or even 3000 dollars. However, the average cost of this service in the US is 1111 dollars. An MRI is worth an average of 130 dollars in Spain and 215 dollars in Australia.

Prescribing this service, doctors do not talk about the average price, and the search for cheaper options is entirely at the discretion of the patient.

According to Gallup, the cost of medical care is currently the main financial problem for Americans.

But the problem is not only that healthcare costs Americans too much. The problem also lies in the fact that final prices are often a secret. This complicates the process of comparing prices and finding offers at a reasonable price that the patient can afford.

Given that more than half of Americans (57%) have less than 1000 dollars in their savings accounts, one expensive service can completely strip them of their savings.

How to find the best price

To search for cheap options for medical services, use the site of your insurance company, find there different medical institutions and compare prices for the services you need. The cheapest will often be for those who are ready to immediately pay for the service in cash without the participation of the insurance company. Attracting insurance companies often raises the cost of services.

The American health insurance system is one of the reasons why people in the US pay 3,4 a trillion dollars a year for medical care without getting impressive results.

Health expenditure per capita in Canada is 4 500 dollars, which is half of what every citizen of the United States spends on medicine, and Canadians get better medical services, the country has a longer life expectancy.

Having the desire to pay directly, and not through intermediaries, you can get better prices.

If you cannot find out the price on the hospital's website, then it makes sense to call the institution and ask about the cost of the service you need there.

Having found a cheap option, you can see the reviews about the hospital on websites and social networks, although there are not always many of them and they can not always be objective, so you should read them very carefully.

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