Saving On Your Health Care Costs

A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that Americans are more worried about health care costs than losing their jobs or paying their mortgages.

The current issue of AARP The Magazine features unique ways to keep medical costs down, whatever your age.

The magazine's editor, Steve Slon, discussed some with The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler Thursday.

To read the article, click here.

The piece covers numerous areas including dealing with practitioners, prescriptions, hospitals, medical equipment, insurance, eye care, and dentists. It also goes into the politics of health care.

Slon says, "Most people are just not prepared for retirement itself, let alone the medical costs. It's estimated that people who are 65 today need to have $200,000 put aside for medical costs. Those are costs beyond what Medicare will pay. Most people in that age range haven't even put that much aside for retirement, let alone medical costs alone. And, those in the age group of 50-to-64 pay an average of $3,600 on health insurance premiums. There's a real need to cut health care costs."

No one really knows what the impact will be of so many people entering into their retirement years as baby boomers age.

Slon says, "The real issue is that control of health care is in the hands of big interests: big businesses, and employers. In the future, the thing that could change that equation is consumers forming strong alliances and acting as a group to make a change."

Slon and Syler covered aspects of dealing with practitioners.

Among his tips:

Go to fairs

Sloan says, "There are health fairs in most communities where you can go and get your blood sugar, blood pressure and other basic tests done for free. It's not real treatment, but can serve to let you know if everything is OK, or if you need to see a physician. It'll give you an early warning and will save time and money."

For more suggestions, go to Page 2Go back to school
Slon says, "For those who live in a university town, you can go to university medical clinics to get free or low-cost medical care. There's a myth that you will become a 'lab rat.' That won't happen. Medical schools cannot experiment on people who come into their clinics and research projects are governed by lots of rules and regulations. What going to one of these clinics will cost is time. You may wait some time to be seen and may have to be seen by several young interns, etc. But, they will spend time discussing treatments and you will save money." Slon also says you shouldn't forget dental schools and their clinics for low-cost dental work.

Consider an alternative
Slon says, "More and more Americans are using alternative therapies. In simplest terms, if you have general aches and pains you might want to consider massage, acupuncture and other natural remedies. In many cases, some of these treatments are covered by insurance. And, there's good evidence that some of these treatments are very helpful in relieving aches and pains. This isn't so good for serious diseases like heart disease or diabetes."

Try retail therapy
Slon says, "This is a growing trend. Big companies, such as Wal-Mart, CVS Drugs, and others, are opening walk-in clinics where you can see someone immediately who can diagnose a simple illness, strep throat, for example. You can get a diagnosis and a prescription on the spot. This is going to revolutionize in a small way the way medicine is practiced. Again, this isn't for serious illness."

Visit a nurse's office
Slon says, "For garden-variety health concerns, it's been shown that nurse-practitioners are just as good at diagnosing and treating common, everyday illnesses. It'll cost $25-$50 to visit a nurse practitioner. It's less expensive and quicker than an emergency room."

Pick up the telephone
Slon says, "This is going to revolutionize medical care. It's low-cost medical care at your fingertips. For an $18 registration fee and then $25-$50 a call, you can call and talk to a physician who will diagnose and prescribe over the phone. The conditions have to be fairly simple, but it's inexpensive access to a physician."