I recently went to a Podiatrist because I have been experiencing heel pain for the last couple of months. Like any responsible person, I did a lot of online research of my symptoms prior to visiting the Doctor.
The first thing the doctor did was order 6 x-rays, 3 per foot. When he came back to my room he told me that he had not looked at them yet and pulled the first two out of the envelope. He used these two to diagnose my condition and show me what the problem was. I did not realize until after I left that he never looked at the other four x-rays! This is a big deal, because it drives up cost that will directly affect you. See my explanation of group rates below.
So how did I save $500? The doctor recommended customer fit orthopedic orthotics at $350 for the first pair and $300 for each additional pair. He also recommended wearing night splints for several weeks. He wanted $220 for the splints. The nurse asked me to sign a form that said I would be responsible for full payment if the insurance company did not cover these items... get this... BEFORE she received word back from my insurance company! If I had signed that paper, I would have been responsible for a minimum of $570, plus my copay.
Needless to say, my insurance did not cover the items, (they would have covered the orthotics, but I had a $500 deductible that has not been met yet) so I started looking for alternatives, because regardless of the cost, I was still in a lot of pain.
My first stop was Walmart. I wound up buying the new Dr. Scholl's Custom Fit Orthodics for $40. Four days later, my feet feel much, much better. I have trouble believing the expensive pair from the Doctor's office would have better results.
My second stop was Walgreens. Low and behold they had the night splints for.... drumroll please... $24 each! These splints are more comfortable than the $220 ones that the nurse insisted on me trying on.
For those of you doing the math, I saved $482.00. Not quite $500, but I plan on questioning EVERYTHING my Doctors tell me from here on out. I recommend that you do the same.
As promised: Group Rate Savings. The reason your employer is able to provide you with affordable insurance, even if you have pre-existing conditions, is by buying a group policy. Let's say you have 50 employees at your place of employment. If you add up the total premiums paid by those 50 employees, and subtract the actual cost of health care for the year, you will arrive at the profit margin for the insurance company. (minus admin fees etc.) If the cost of providing care to your particular group goes up, chances are your rates will be raised the following year. The larger the group is, that smaller the rate per person is raised to cover the additional costs.
I am sure you have already concluded this, but it is in your best interest to keep costs down. This means asking the Doctor how many x-rays he really needs, etc. (believe me, after seeing four wasted x-rays, I plan I doing this from now on) Challenge other costs too. If you know of any other ways to save money, please share this in the comments section below.
I wish all of the the best of health!!
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