Health Insurance Values » Ways to save
50+ ways you can save 
Order your prescription drugs by phone or mail
There are many discount prescription drug benefits available for a modest cost. Communicating for America offers a free prescription card through PCS. This program saves its members up to 40 percent at over 55,000 pharmacies nationwide. On average, CA members save $9.39 per prescription order.
Ask your doctor to prescribe generic drugs
Medicine marketed under its scientific name is usually 50 percent cheaper and just as effective as brand-name versions. In addition, look for generic drugs in the medicine you purchase over the counter.
For example, 100 generic aspirin may cost $1.79; the same ingredients packaged under a well-known brand name can cost more than $5 for 100 tablets. Consider, also, just how important the new easy-to-swallow products are to your comfort. The lesser price of some medicines may be comparably easier to swallow when thinking about your budget.
Take only those drugs you really need
When your doctor prescribes medication for you, understand exactly what it's meant to do and for how long. For example, you may receive two prescriptions for an earache: one is an antibiotic and the other is a painkiller. If you have little or no pain, you may opt to forego the cost of the painkiller this time.
Pay attention to the quantity
Find out how much medication you really may need. Make sure your doctor doesn't order you more medicine than is necessary. If it is a new drug, you may want a small amount to test for effectiveness and possible side effects before ordering large quantities.
Buy over-the-counter drugs only when needed
When you come down with a cold, understand that all those cold remedies lining the shelves do not cure the cold; they simply ease the discomfort of your symptoms. Take an over-the-counter product if you're truly uncomfortable, not to find a miracle cure.
Purchase the cheapest supplement possible
Take some time to educate yourself about the various vitamins and minerals you may need. Armed with that information, take a trip to your local pharmacy, or even better, health food co-op, and look for that vitamin or mineral in its purest, and cheapest, substance. Looking for a supplement to prevent osteoporosis? Calcium rich antacids offer the same amount of milligrams as supplements at a fraction of the price.
Consider home test kits
For determining ovulation, a woman can greatly improve her chances of conception beyond the basal temperature chart by purchasing a new test kit that indicates when ovulation is imminent. At costs ranging between $20 and $55, these kits are expensive, but may save the costs of fertility clinics, which can run in the thousands of dollars.
Pregnancy tests are abundant, and they are now more than 95 percent accurate. These tests can save several trips to the gynecologist's office during those anxious months awaiting conception.
For about $7, a colorectal cancer home test can be purchased to check blood in the stool. A similar kit at the doctor's office costs twice as much.
In all these cases, you may want to touch base with your doctor over the phone or in person for his or her professional assessment of your condition.
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Health Insurance Values is a service offered by IHC Health Solutions, a member of the IHC Group. All health insurance products offered on this site are endorsed by Communicating for America, Inc., a national non-profit membership organization.
