 Image: Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten under CC 3.0 |
Negotiating with health care providers for less expensive rates has become increasingly common among the uninsured. However, can it work if you already have a health insurance plan?
Some experts believe that it can. They recommend simply shopping around and calling different doctors for price quotes. This will be very helpful for those with high-deductible HSA plans, which force people to pay cash up front for most doctor visits and procedures. Full cash payments are more likely to convince providers to give medical discounts.
With managed care plans, it might be cheaper to stay within the provider network. Even within the network, it still make sense to compare the cost of medical procedures.
Tags: haggling, health care, health insurance, health insurance plan, health savings account, high-deductible health insurance, high-deductible hsa plans, hsa plans, medical discounts
