Finding an affordable doctor is vital to your health and your pocketbook.
With health-care costs on the rise, finding affordable healthcare can be challenging. Choosing a doctor can be a difficult decision, but when searching for an affordable doctor, there are many things to consider such as insurance coverage, location of the office or facility and payment options. Finding an affordable doctor can be difficult based on the type of doctor your are searching for and what "affordable" means to you, but the key is to shop around.
Instructions
1. Determine what affordable means in your specific financial situation. After budgeting your expenses and weighing the need for a specific doctor, determine how much you are able to spend on your doctor's visits and health-care costs.
2. Contact your insurance company. Research in-network providers; these doctors will require you to pay less money. Also, get a detailed summary of your benefits so that you are aware of your financial responsibility, which may include co-payments or a deductible.
3. Contact a local hospital or health organization if you do not have insurance and ask about physicians who provide assistance or discounts to the uninsured. Often times there are patient assistance programs for people with limited income or people in financial hardships that are offered by state-funded health organizations.
4. Contact the doctors and ask questions regarding the services that they offer. Make sure that they can provide you with the care you need to avoid having to see multiple doctors for your medical needs, which will cost more.
5. Determine the distance that each medical facility is away from your home. Consider travel time and expenses when selecting an affordable physician. Consider a physician close to home in the case of an emergency.
6. Shop around. Speak with a few of the physicians in order to determine how well you get along with them and how comfortable you will be in their practice. Also, ask each office about their payment policies. Some offices offer payment plans.
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