If you have a Preferred Provider Option (PPO) plan, your insurance company will pay for the biggest part of your medical costs only if you use providers that are part of their network. If you use a doctor outside the network, you could end up paying 70 to 80 percent of the costs of your care. If there is not a doctor within the network that offers the treatment you need, you may need to get prior authorization from the health insurance company. Failing to do so could result in you being responsible for the entire bill.

In some cases, tests or treatments ordered by your doctor may not be totally necessary. Before you agree to treatments or tests, talk to your doctor about alternative options. You may be able to make other adjustments in your life, such as eating better and exercising, rather than undergoing expensive treatments for some illnesses.

If there is a procedure you must have, talk to the office staff about your financial situation to see if there may be discounts for hospital employees you may be able to access. The office staff may be able to reduce your costs in several different ways if you are financially unable to pay for a treatment that is necessary. You may want to offer to pay in cash rather than use your insurance as there are times when doctors and hospitals will charge you less if they don’t have to file an insurance claim.

There is a chance that the hospital you are using offers discounts for hospital staff. These discounts may range from 20 to 50 percent of the cost of the procedure. You can talk to the billing office about any discounts for doctors or nurses that may be available that they can apply to your costs as well. Many times, you simply need to ask for a discount in order to get it as the healthcare industry is increasingly competitive. If there are no hospital employee discounts, there may be other discounts that can be applied to your bill to help you save money.

If you can’t pay your bill in full or if the discounts for nurses and doctors are not enough to get the bill where you can afford it, talk to the hospital about setting up a payment plan. Hospitals are usually willing to work with patients who are struggling financially. They can help you set up a payment plan that will work with your budget in order to get the bill paid.

If you are finding it difficult to pay your medical bills, you may need to talk to your insurance company about a different plan. They may have an option with lower co-payments and deductibles that will lower your out-of-pocket expenses. Keep in mind, however, that plans with lower co-payments and deductibles usually have higher monthly premiums so you will need to decide which is easier on your budget.

Employeeandmemberdiscounts.com is another way for you to save on your health costs. We have searched and compiled some of the best discounts for hospital staff and made them available to you. In addition to savings on healthcare, you can find other savings that were designed as discounts for nurses and doctors, but we have made them available to everyone. There is no membership fee and you can sign up at any time. If you own a business or manage an organization, we can even help you set up a discount program specifically for your employees or members. They can begin accessing discounts for hospital employees immediately. Our discount programs include savings people can actually use on travel, entertainment as well as items they use every day.

If you want to reduce your healthcare costs, visit Employeeandmemberdiscounts.com and sign up today. If you own a company or manage an organization, fill out the easy online form or give us a call. Our perk experts can help you create the perfect discount program so that your members and employees can begin saving money right away.

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