6 Ways to Save on Your Health Care

Many people, even those with health insurance, worry about their family’s medical expenses. In fact, the cost of health care was one of the top concerns noted by community members who participated in Beaufort Memorial’s 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment.

Below are some cost-saving tips and several Beaufort Memorial programs that can help you manage health care expenses for your family.

1. Use the Right Level of Care

• BMH Care Anywhere

Any time of day or night, you can have a face-to-face video visit with a board-certified physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner using the BMH Care Anywhere app. It’s perfect for common, nonemergency illnesses when you need after-hours care, are too busy to schedule an appointment or it isn’t convenient to come in. Visits are $67 and most frequently used for:

• Bronchitis or respiratory infection
• Cold or flu
• Cough, sore throat, chills or fever
• Earache
• Pink eye
• Rash or skin irritation
• Bug bites
• Sinus infection
• Upset stomach/nausea
• Urinary tract infection

• Walk-In Care at Publix

Video visits are also available at selected Lowcountry Publix locations with private rooms housing a BMH Care Anywhere kiosk. Attached to the kiosk are several smart tools, including stethoscope, blood pressure cuff and thermometer. The tools allow providers to do things like listen to your lungs, look at your eardrums and see a magnified view of skin conditions, so they can offer a more accurate diagnosis. Walk-In Care at Publix is available during the same hours as the Publix Pharmacy and a visit costs $67.

• Express Care

When you need to be seen urgently but don’t have a life-threatening condition, get a same-day in-person Express Care visit. Select an available time online or walk in to be seen. With on-site X-ray and lab services, Express Care visits are great for:

• School, sports, camp and work physicals
• Sprains, strains and minor fractures
• Minor cuts and bruising
• Fever, sore throat, colds and earaches
• Immunizations

2. Be Proactive

• Partner with a primary care provider.

Over time, your primary care provider gets to know you and your health history. This helps them tailor care to your needs and recommend screenings to catch conditions early. A good relationship with your primary care provider improves health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. We make it easy to find adult primary care providers who are accepting new patients.

• Don’t let health issues escalate.

Many conditions can be treated more easily and at lower cost when they are caught early. If you notice something concerning, get it checked out before it becomes a bigger problem.

• Keep up with recommended screenings.

Staying on top of regular screenings is another way to catch things before they get more difficult to treat. Your primary care provider can discuss which ones are right for you during your annual physical.

Read More: For Women, Health Care is Self-Care

• Take medications as directed.

Simply put, the medications your provider prescribes won’t help if you don’t take them. Many medications need to have a consistent level in the blood stream to be effective; following medication instructions and dosage will ensure your body will get what it needs.

If you are concerned that you may not be able to afford a prescription, speak with your provider and see the tips below to save on medications.

• Take care of yourself by maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise, eating well-balanced meals and not smoking.

Healthy habits can minimize your risk for diseases, even when they run in your family. They can also boost your immune system, which will help you get over illnesses more quickly and keep you from getting sick in the first place. The LifeFit Wellness Center has coaches and dietitians available to help you meet fitness and nutritional goals.

• Sign up for a Health Care Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) through your employer.

These accounts let you set aside pre-tax wages that you can use for qualified health care expenses.

3. Take Advantage of No- and Low-Cost Screenings

• Watch for the Beaufort Memorial Mobile Wellness Unit.

Beaufort Memorial regularly visits neighborhood locations throughout Beaufort and Jasper counties with the 40-foot Mobile Wellness Unit. Free services include blood pressure and blood sugar checks. When a nurse practitioner is present, free clinical breast, prostate and skin cancer exams are also available. Cholesterol and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests are available for $10 each.

Read More: Health Screenings for Women

• Take advantage of the $60 cardiovascular screening package.

This low-cost screening package includes three scans (carotid artery, abdominal aortic aneurysm and ankle-brachial) that show your risk of having a stroke or developing peripheral vascular disease (PVD) or peripheral artery disease (PAD).

4. Avoid “Surprise” Medical Bills

• Check coverage ahead of time and understand your health benefits.

Check with your insurance provider before appointments and procedures to find out if they require a referral or prior authorizations. You won’t avoid all out-of-pocket costs but following the rules will save you money.

Be aware that Beaufort Memorial does not employ all of the providers who see or serve patients at our hospital, including radiologists, pathologists, anesthesiologists, hospitalists and ER physicians. Check the list of phone numbers on our Billing & Insurance page to contact those providers about the insurance plans they accept.

Take advantage of the preventive or wellness benefits included in your plan to help maintain your health. Often these visits are completely paid for by insurance.

• Prepay for package discounts.

Purchase a voucher through MDsave and get up to 60% off common surgeries, procedures and services at Beaufort Memorial. The single flat fee covers both the facility and physician charges for things like mammography and other imaging tests, which typically bill separately.

• Obtain an estimate of charges.

Please ask for an estimate of charges at the time of scheduling or at time of service.

You may also use our patient payment estimator tool to get an estimate of your out-of-pocket costs, based on your health insurance coverage.

Call 843-522-5015 to ask for an estimate of charges.

As part of our price transparency efforts, Beaufort Memorial Hospital also has available a machine-readable listing of gross charges, negotiated charges by payer and minimum and maximum negotiated charges for different diagnoses (MS-DRG), procedures, services and products . These charges may not be what you, as a patient, or your insurance carrier will be billed, therefore we recommend patients use the estimator tool above or call patient financial services to get an estimate of out-of-pocket charges.

5. Save on Medications

• Ask for low-cost alternatives.

Ask your health care provider if there is a generic option or a less expensive substitute for the drug they’ve prescribed.

• Have your health plan put it in the mail.

Check with your health plan to see if they offer a mail-order pharmacy option for long-term medications. Many will let you order a 90-day supply with a lower copay.

• Get a discount card.

NeedyMeds is a national nonprofit that connects people with programs offering direct assistance and facilitation for health care services, medications and durable medical equipment. Call 1-800-503-6897 or submit an online request to receive your NeedyMeds drug discount card (card discount cannot be combined with any insurance but may offer a better discount than your insurance).

• Find coupons and grants.

Medicine Assistance Tool is a search engine for patient assistance resources provided by the biopharmaceutical industry.

WebMDRx lets you compare prices at different retailers and offers coupons.

Read More: Managing Your Meds

6. Get Financial Assistance

• Enroll for AccessHealth Lowcountry services.

Gain access to providers who offer free or sliding-fee-scale services. This program serves low-income (below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level), uninsured adults, ages 19-64, in Beaufort and Jasper counties. In addition to helping you find a primary care provider, assistance is offered for prescription drugs and transportation.

• Set up a payment plan.

Contact Beaufort Memorial Patient Financial Services at 843-522-5150 if you are unable to pay your entire Beaufort Memorial bill. Our team members will work with you to see if you qualify for an interest-free payment plan.

• Get a discount for paying upfront.

If you don’t have insurance, speak with a Beaufort Memorial Patient Financial Services team member at 843-522-5150 about receiving the maximum self-pay discount by paying before receiving care.

• Get guidance on applying for other assistance programs.

Our Patient Financial Services team is available to help patients in need at 843-522-5150. Call to get assistance with qualifying for the Medicaid program or the Hospital-Sponsored Financial Assistance Program. We use federal poverty guidelines as a baseline for determining the amount of assistance we can offer.