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Scroll down to #9... so much for APA's effort to transform psychology as a household word... So APA or NAPPP... I know you guys are out there... what are you going to do?
50 Ways to Cut Your Health-Care Costs
Save more than 25% by reading your hospital bill.Cut drug prices 35% by using mail order.Save $2,000 by flossing daily...and 47 other cost-cutting tips you haven't thought of.
By Cybele Weisser and Amanda Gengler
October 23, 2006 11:03 PM EDT
(MONEY Magazine) Even if you're in perfect health now, just thinking about the cost of medical care is bound to make you feel a little ill. With the price of everything from hospital visits to prescription drugs up more than three times the rate of inflation over the past few years, chances are the burden is starting to weigh on you: Average out-of-pocket medical costs for employees more than doubled between 2000 and 2005, while wages grew a measly 18%. Unhealthiest of all, some 35% of Americans say high costs routinely force them to neglect doctor's visits, skip prescription refills or otherwise skimp on care.
That's crazy. You don't have to choose between sound health and financial security. "Patients used to be passive and simply pay the sticker price," says Don Kemper, head of Healthwise, a nonprofit health-care information group. "Now people are starting to shop for value." In fact, with a little effort and a lot of savvy, you can trim thousands of dollars from your medical bills--and get better care too. Feeling better already?
More from Money Magazine
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Slash Your Doctor and Hospital Bills
Why spend hundreds a year on doctor visits--and maybe 10 times as much for hospital stays? You don't have to.
1 | ASK FOR A DEAL The rate that your doctor charges isn't set in stone. According to a 2005 Harris Interactive poll, about two-thirds of adults who negotiated for lower prices with a hospital or dentist succeeded, as did three out of five adults who bargained with their doctor. If you're paying out of pocket or face a high deductible, call your insurer's customer service number and ask about the rates it pays physicians in your area, which are typically lower than the sticker price set by providers. Then ask your doctor if he'll accept a similar amount.
2 | GET THE FACTS The more you know about the real cost of your care, the better you'll be able to negotiate discounts. Costs for 30 common hospital procedures can be found at cms.hhs.gov/HealthCareConInit, the website of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or you can pay $7.95 for medical cost reports from HealthGrades, a ratings company. Large insurers like Aetna, Cigna and United Healthcare have also begun to post rates online for members, though not for every area of the country.
3 | PAY UP FRONT, IN CASH Most doctors lose thousands each year on unpaid bills and spend thousands on credit-card processing fees. If you're footing the bill, laying out the bucks in advance of treatment can get you a 10% discount on your bill, says Pam Deloney of the American Private Physicians Association.
4 | LOOK FOR MISTAKES As many as eight out of 10 hospital bills contain errors, increasing the tab by 25% on average. Keep a log of every test and medication you get, and check it against your medical file, which you can order from the hospital's billing office. If you spot an error, send a certified letter requesting a corrected bill, and a copy of all documentation to your insurer.
5 | CHECK UP BEFORE YOU CHECK IN Radiologists, anesthesiologists and other specialists don't always accept the same insurance as the doctor who admits you to the hospital. Call your doctor to get the names of the medical providers who will be involved in your treatment, and verify with your insurer that they're in the network.
6 | TRACK YOUR SPENDING Do you know when you've met your deductibles or how much money is left in your health FSA? Programs such as Quicken's Medical Expense Manager ($50 at quicken.com) can tell you and also alert you to potential savings such as overlooked tax deductions and possible billing errors.
7 | FOLLOW DOCTOR'S ORDERS Roughly half of all patients don't follow instructions about taking medicine, which results in 10% of hospital visits a year, according to the Merck Manual of Medical Information. Simply doing what you're told can save you your out-of-pocket share of the average $8,200 cost of a hospital stay.
8 | EQUIP YOURSELF Hospitals charge a significant markup on equipment like crutches or braces, so you're almost always better off buying them on your own.
9 | SEEK SMART COUNSEL If you're seeing a mental-health therapist every week, you're probably footing much of the bill: Most health plans limit coverage to 30 visits a year. You can cut the cost by going to a certified counselor or clinical social worker (average fee: $90 an hour) instead of a psychologist (around $120). A recent survey found no difference in effectiveness.
10 | VISIT A RETAIL HEALTH CLINIC Got an earache or upset stomach? Visit a walk-in clinic found at retail stores like CVS and Wal-Mart. Cost: about $25 to $100 for treating minor ailments, or about 25% less than the cost of care in a doctor's office, according to insurer HealthPartners. (But only 40% take insurance, so you may have to pay full price rather than just a co-pay.) Bonus: No appointment is necessary, and patients are usually in and out within 15 minutes.
Get Broad Coverage for Less
Chances are, you're paying more than twice as much for health insurance as you did just a few years ago. The goal: better protection for fewer bucks.
11 | CHOOSE WISELY Don't just take the easy
50 Ways to Cut Your Health-Care Costs
Save more than 25% by reading your hospital bill.Cut drug prices 35% by using mail order.Save $2,000 by flossing daily...and 47 other cost-cutting tips you haven't thought of.
By Cybele Weisser and Amanda Gengler
October 23, 2006 11:03 PM EDT
(MONEY Magazine) Even if you're in perfect health now, just thinking about the cost of medical care is bound to make you feel a little ill. With the price of everything from hospital visits to prescription drugs up more than three times the rate of inflation over the past few years, chances are the burden is starting to weigh on you: Average out-of-pocket medical costs for employees more than doubled between 2000 and 2005, while wages grew a measly 18%. Unhealthiest of all, some 35% of Americans say high costs routinely force them to neglect doctor's visits, skip prescription refills or otherwise skimp on care.
That's crazy. You don't have to choose between sound health and financial security. "Patients used to be passive and simply pay the sticker price," says Don Kemper, head of Healthwise, a nonprofit health-care information group. "Now people are starting to shop for value." In fact, with a little effort and a lot of savvy, you can trim thousands of dollars from your medical bills--and get better care too. Feeling better already?
More from Money Magazine
Funds: The $20 billion tax time bomb
Fixing a real-estate heavy portfolio
Get your bond fix - the easy way
Best Places to Live
Current Issue
Subscribe to Money
Slash Your Doctor and Hospital Bills
Why spend hundreds a year on doctor visits--and maybe 10 times as much for hospital stays? You don't have to.
1 | ASK FOR A DEAL The rate that your doctor charges isn't set in stone. According to a 2005 Harris Interactive poll, about two-thirds of adults who negotiated for lower prices with a hospital or dentist succeeded, as did three out of five adults who bargained with their doctor. If you're paying out of pocket or face a high deductible, call your insurer's customer service number and ask about the rates it pays physicians in your area, which are typically lower than the sticker price set by providers. Then ask your doctor if he'll accept a similar amount.
2 | GET THE FACTS The more you know about the real cost of your care, the better you'll be able to negotiate discounts. Costs for 30 common hospital procedures can be found at cms.hhs.gov/HealthCareConInit, the website of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or you can pay $7.95 for medical cost reports from HealthGrades, a ratings company. Large insurers like Aetna, Cigna and United Healthcare have also begun to post rates online for members, though not for every area of the country.
3 | PAY UP FRONT, IN CASH Most doctors lose thousands each year on unpaid bills and spend thousands on credit-card processing fees. If you're footing the bill, laying out the bucks in advance of treatment can get you a 10% discount on your bill, says Pam Deloney of the American Private Physicians Association.
4 | LOOK FOR MISTAKES As many as eight out of 10 hospital bills contain errors, increasing the tab by 25% on average. Keep a log of every test and medication you get, and check it against your medical file, which you can order from the hospital's billing office. If you spot an error, send a certified letter requesting a corrected bill, and a copy of all documentation to your insurer.
5 | CHECK UP BEFORE YOU CHECK IN Radiologists, anesthesiologists and other specialists don't always accept the same insurance as the doctor who admits you to the hospital. Call your doctor to get the names of the medical providers who will be involved in your treatment, and verify with your insurer that they're in the network.
6 | TRACK YOUR SPENDING Do you know when you've met your deductibles or how much money is left in your health FSA? Programs such as Quicken's Medical Expense Manager ($50 at quicken.com) can tell you and also alert you to potential savings such as overlooked tax deductions and possible billing errors.
7 | FOLLOW DOCTOR'S ORDERS Roughly half of all patients don't follow instructions about taking medicine, which results in 10% of hospital visits a year, according to the Merck Manual of Medical Information. Simply doing what you're told can save you your out-of-pocket share of the average $8,200 cost of a hospital stay.
8 | EQUIP YOURSELF Hospitals charge a significant markup on equipment like crutches or braces, so you're almost always better off buying them on your own.
9 | SEEK SMART COUNSEL If you're seeing a mental-health therapist every week, you're probably footing much of the bill: Most health plans limit coverage to 30 visits a year. You can cut the cost by going to a certified counselor or clinical social worker (average fee: $90 an hour) instead of a psychologist (around $120). A recent survey found no difference in effectiveness.
10 | VISIT A RETAIL HEALTH CLINIC Got an earache or upset stomach? Visit a walk-in clinic found at retail stores like CVS and Wal-Mart. Cost: about $25 to $100 for treating minor ailments, or about 25% less than the cost of care in a doctor's office, according to insurer HealthPartners. (But only 40% take insurance, so you may have to pay full price rather than just a co-pay.) Bonus: No appointment is necessary, and patients are usually in and out within 15 minutes.
Get Broad Coverage for Less
Chances are, you're paying more than twice as much for health insurance as you did just a few years ago. The goal: better protection for fewer bucks.
11 | CHOOSE WISELY Don't just take the easy
