50 Ways To Save On Health Care

These strategies can help you keep more money in your pocket without sacrificing quality.

- Kimberly Lankford

Washington may still be struggling with health insurance reform, but if you get your coverage at work or you’re on Medicare, you don’t have to worry about “repeal and replace.” Particularly now, when many workers are re-upping benefits choices during open enrollment, there are plenty of moves you can make to take charge of your health care costs and save hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year. // Even with good insurance from your employer, you’re most likely paying a larger share of your medical expenses than in the past. Average healthcare costs topped $26,900 this year for a typical family of four with employer coverage, according to the Milliman Medical Index. Employers still pay the bulk of the costs, but employees are paying a larger share—$11,600 for the average family in 2017.

A growing portion of that cost accrues during the year, from deductibles, co-payments and coinsurance—which now account for $4,534 of the average family’s expenses. The median deductible for in-network care charged by large employers is $1,300 for employee-only coverage and $3,000 for families, according to the National Business Group on Health.

With rising deductibles and the shift from charging fixed-dollar co-payments—such as $30 for a doctor’s office visit—to coinsurance, which charges patients a percentage of the cost, it’s even more important to become a smart health care shopper. Insurers and employers are offering more tools and resources to make it easier to compare costs for tests, procedures and drugs. More than 80% of the large employers surveyed by the National Business Group on Health offer price transparency tools, and many insurers also provide web tools and smartphone apps that help you find in-network providers and calculate exactly how much you’ll pay under your plan.