According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services National Health Expenditure Fact Sheet, health spending in the U.S. increased by 4.6% in 2019 to $3.8 trillion.

What does it mean to be shopping for healthcare?

Simply put, it means comparing prices for healthcare-related services to obtain the best value for your dollar. If you’re wondering why you should care about the cost of healthcare services if you have a health benefit plan, remember that you are responsible for costs such as deductibles, coinsurance, copays and access fees. Why pay more than necessary? With a little research, shopping for healthcare can help you stretch your healthcare dollars to address rising healthcare costs by showing how you can save money on a range of services.

How to Address Rising Healthcare Costs:

1. You Can Save Money by Using In-Network Providers
   If your plan uses a PPO network, choose in-network providers for care to take advantage of negotiated discounts on services. Typically, it will cost you less to go to in-network providers than out-of-network, due to these discounts.


2. Seek the Right Level of Medical Care for Non-Urgent Needs and Save 
   With rising healthcare costs, it’s important to remember that where you go for services can affect how much they cost. For non-urgent healthcare needs, you have choices to receive the right level of medical care at the right price, without going to an ER where costs will be the highest. For example, you may contact your primary care physician, use telemedicine for a phone or video consult, visit an in-store clinic, or seek care at an urgent or immediate care center.


3. You Can Save on Prescription Drugs
   Use generic drugs when possible. Generics typically cost less than their brand-name counterparts, and according to this Association for Accessible Medicines 2020 Report, U.S. savings from generic drugs totaled $313 billion in 2019. Plus, you may be able to save money by using mail service for maintenance medications instead of filling prescriptions at a retail pharmacy.


4. Online Tools Can Help You Compare Prices for Medical Tests and Procedures
   Use an online tool to compare provider quality and cost for medical tests and procedures in your area. There may be a substantial difference in quality and cost depending on the facility you use, and you may save hundreds – possibly thousands – of dollars on care with a simple online search.

Remember, a little research can help you be a savvy healthcare consumer. Choose in-network providers, seek the right level of medical care and use online tools, such as Healthcare Bluebook^TM, a quality and costs transparency tool. By shopping for healthcare and making informed healthcare spending decisions, you may be able to make your healthcare dollars go farther.

Via Healthcare Bluebook*, members of employer-sponsored, self-funded health benefit plans administered by Star Marketing and Administration, Inc. can access an enhanced online tool designed to help locate doctors and facilities in their area with the best quality and price on a medical test, imaging or procedure. Members also can see their estimated out-of-pocket costs, based on their plan. 

*Plan provisions apply. Before receiving care, always ask providers for their price. If your plan offers a PPO network, call the provider  network at the toll-free number on your medical ID card to verify that the hospital and/or provider participates in the network.

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This article is part of our Healthy Foundations^® Wellness Newsletter.