These are uncertain times we live in, and there is no denying that the novel COVID-19 pandemic has definitely impacted our way of life in numerous ways. If you are a bit worried about catching the Coronavirus yourself and what the subsequent medical treatment might entail, rest assured that you’re not alone. Your biggest concern might be how you’re going to fund treatment and medication if you do get infected. Naturally, the best thing would be not to get infected in the first place by adhering to social distancing rules, honoring the lockdown orders, and wearing a protective face mask and gloves at all times while outside.
Complement these measures by regularly disinfecting your living environment and you might never catch the new virus. That said, this still doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t budget for doctor appointments and save up should you get infected after all, or if any other medical issue comes up. Let’s explore the five best ways for you to save money for your healthcare expenses.
Analyze and determine your total healthcare budget
First things first, you can’t hope to make significant financial savings for your healthcare budget if you don’t know exactly what your current healthcare expenses are. This is why you need to analyze your current spending and put everything down on a piece of paper. To make this process as simple and straightforward as possible, you can divide your healthcare expenses into three main categories.
These include your fixed premium, your routine healthcare costs, and your unexpected expenses. Keep in mind that if you get insurance through your employer your premium might get deducted automatically from your paycheck. Your routine expenses should define all anticipated medical costs, including the copay for your annual checkup or any prescriptions. Lastly, your unexpected expenses, although impossible to calculate with accuracy, will define unforeseen circumstances like visits to the emergency room or an unexpected medical procedure.
Prioritize your long-term health
Next, you should start allocating resources towards your health savings account. Simply open a savings account in your bank or start putting money aside at the beginning of every month. Remember, if you wait till the end of the month, you probably won’t have anything left to save. Be sure to take a fixed sum straight out of your paycheck as soon as it drops into your account. If you want to minimize your expenses and have more to save up in the first place, then you should prioritize your health each and every day.
There’s no better way to keep the doctor away and your budget in check than to actively nurture your well-being by adhering to a healthy diet, sleeping properly, and maximizing your time working out. Building a strong, able body will go a long way in boosting your immune system. Eating healthy home-cooked meals will safeguard your budget and elevate your overall well-being.
Minimize your everyday spending
Another smart way you can save up more for any medical expense is to minimize your everyday spending and most importantly, optimize your credit card spending for maximum savings. It can be easy to overspend when you’re using a credit card. While that doesn’t mean that you should stop using it, it does mean that you should choose credit card plans with minimal or no annual fees to save as much as you can. This is something that residents in counties with high costs of living and healthcare, like Singapore, have been doing for years.
In Singapore, for example, people will regularly compare credit card providers to find better deals like the new no annual fee credit cards that have had their annual fee waived, allowing users to allocate those resources towards their healthcare budgets and savings plans. This is a lesser-known yet highly effective trick that you should try out for yourself in order to eliminate extraneous credit card spending, so be sure to find credit card providers in your region that offer cards with no annual charge.
Save money on prescription medication
Another big way you’re losing money without even realizing it is that you’re probably overspending on prescription medication. New drugs and treatment options that come to the market are often expensive and can even generate debt that you will need to get out of overtime, so it’s best to avoid these expenses from the start. Be sure to ask your doctor about generic medication instead of costly brand-name drugs, compare prices online. More importantly, don’t forget to use a dedicated app to find pharmacies that offer the best deals and discounts.
Compare different health insurance offers
And finally, always be on the lookout for better health insurance premiums and policies. It can be easy to get stuck with the same health insurance plan for years without realizing you could’ve done better for less. So, be sure to check if your insurer has a better program, or if their competitor can offer you a better premium for the same perks and coverage. This is a great way to minimize one of your biggest healthcare expenses.
Wrapping up
Paying off your medical bills and saving up for your healthcare might seem like a cumbersome task, but it’s doable if you follow the right steps and make the right changes. Use these tips to save money with ease and fill up your healthcare budget to protect yourself against every eventuality.