Estimated Monthly Savings: $42
It’s hard to imagine that any health care visit can lead to cost savings, but you can save money when you’re not able to cure what ails you at home.
One of the easiest ways to keep more money in your wallet is to know who to see about your condition and when.
Understand the emergency room
According to Academy Health, 56% of 67 million emergency room visits are avoidable. That may be because many understand the emergency room to serve a dual purpose. The first is to provide immediate care to those experiencing a life-threatening illness such as a heart attack. The second is to provide care to those who become ill when primary care physicians and urgent care facilities are not available to them.
The truth is that the emergency room serves only one purpose: to provide care to those who are suffering from potentially life-threatening illness or injury.
Know when to go to urgent care
Understanding the path to care that health care providers have laid out is also important — for your wallet. Following these three easy steps when you feel ill can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars each year.
- Schedule a visit with your primary care physician.
- Visit urgent care.
- Go to the emergency room.
Consider urgent care when you can’t get in to see your primary care physician within a reasonable amount of time. It provides you the opportunity to see a doctor or nurse practitioner the same day without an appointment.
How much can you save?
A recent report from Debt.org shows that the average cost for treatment for a sinus infection costs $112 at an urgent care facility. The same treatment is $617 in an emergency room.
Your potential savings for just one visit for a common condition is $505, providing a $42 monthly savings from your annual healthcare budget with just one visit.
