10 ways to beat the rising cost of health care
Deductibles, co-pays, and drug prices keep going up, up, up. These 10 smart moves can lower your expenses - but not the quality of the care you get.
By Amanda Gengler
Talk about a recession double whammy. It's bad enough that you've been working harder with less prospect of getting a raise. Now it feels as if you can't even afford to get sick.
According to benefits consultant Hewitt, the average insured worker at a big company is likely to spend $3,826 on insurance premiums and out-of-pocket medical costs in 2009. That's up 9% from last year, a remarkable figure when you consider that inflation overall is pretty close to zero.
It seems that in good times and bad, you can count on health-care costs to defy economic gravity. And it doesn't get much better when you hit 65 and qualify for Medicare. By one estimate, a couple retiring this year will need a cool quarter-million in savings just for medical expenses.
So for better or worse, managing your own health care has become an essential part of financial planning. Washington is hotly debating how to fix our high-cost health-care system, but in the meantime there are some things you can do to lower your bills without compromising on care. Here are your best strategies for easing the pain.
Click here to to discover 10 ways to beat the rising cost of healthcare!
Source: CNN Money
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