It's the beginning of the year and the medical aid coffers are full, for the moment. This year, before your medical spending spirals out of control, there are a few easy steps you can take to make your funds go further, says Dr James Arens, clinical operations executive of Pro Sano Medical Scheme.
This year, make it your mission to know your medical scheme's rules, especially what expenses are paid from your actual benefits (also known as risk) and what is paid out of your medical savings account ( medical savings). It's also important to know how much of your medical expenses were paid out of your own pocket last year, so that:
1. You can claim tax benefits on these expenses, and
2. You can have a good idea of where the problem areas are, and manage them appropriately.
If you are not sure of this information, call your medical scheme directly and a consultant will assist.
It's also essential that members of your family understand the medical aid rules and how much money each person has to spend on, for example, glasses, dentistry, and other medical procedures. Have a round table discussion at home to make sure all the members of your family are on the same page and understand their annual limits. Many of us tend to believe that our medical aid funds are bottomless, and get a nasty shock when we find our medical savings have all been used up and we have to pay medical expenses from our own pocket.
Set rules and limits for the family and make sure they stick to them. This way, everyone will benefit and there should be enough in the coffers to cover everybody's medical eventualities the whole year through.
Some doctors charge medical scheme rates while others charge a higher rate. If you feel uncomfortable discussing payment procedures with your doctor, call ahead and have the conversation with the receptionist when you book the appointment. Don't feel shy to request medical aid rates, and ask whether you qualify for a discount, for example, if you pay for the appointment at the time and claim back from your medical scheme yourself. Many specialists offer a substantial discount for early settlement by the member so it's worth your while to make inquiries when you make your booking. It could save you money.
A health professional is like any other service provider and runs a business like any other. People ask their doctors for better rates all the time, and there's no reason why, as a loyal customer, you should not benefit from preferential rates or discounts. Don't pay more just because you are too shy to bring it up. If you really can't bring yourself to negotiate with your doctor, ask a friend to make the call on your behalf and find out the payment procedures, whether the doctor charges medical aid rates or not, and whether a discounted rate, such as a pensioner's or student's rate, could apply.
Unless you have a real emergency on your hands, try to avoid surcharges for after hours or emergency treatments. Don't miss appointments that you'll end up paying for, and get the most out of every appointment by making a list of all your health questions. Things often go right out of our heads when we're sitting in front of our doctor - how often have your remembered a question that you wanted to ask just as you walk out the door?
Remember that many doctors charge for telephone consultations or to write out a prescription, so avoid additional costs by planning well and writing down your questions beforehand. Take your list along with you and make your 15 minutes or longer with your health care provider really count.
5. Clear out that medicine cabinet*
The beginning of the year is a great time to get that medicine cabinet sorted out. Firstly, get rid of any leftover or expired medicines for safety reasons. In addition to expired medicines, get rid of any medicines that haven't been stored properly, as well as any empty prescription bottles. You'll also get a good idea of what over-the-counter medicines such as painkillers, cough and cold medicines, sunscreen, etc you have stock of, saving you from buying duplicates unnecessarily.
Once you've decided which medicines can be thrown out, ask your pharmacist about disposing them safely - remember, children and even animals can get into medicines that have been thrown in the bin, and medicines you flush down the toilet will end up poisoning our groundwater.
6. Go for generics**
Finally, a word on generic medicines. Generics contain exactly the same active ingredients as the original formulation and are therefore identical to their brand-name counterparts. The advantage of generics is that they are much cheaper than the original brand medicine. Always ask your doctor or your pharmacist if they can offer you a generic equivalent, and get the rest of the family to do so too. Doing so will save you a huge amount over the course of the year, and see to it that your medical aid funds will stretch that much further.
If you apply these few simple rules to managing your medical expenses in 2011, there should be more than enough the whole year through to cover your medical expenses, both planned and unforeseen.
*Just about all of us keep many of our medicines in the medicine cabinet - which we have mounted on a wall in the bathroom. Consider getting a child-proof medicines case and keeping your medicines in that - placing it on a high shelf in your bedroom cupboard out of reach of little hands. Why? Because a bathroom is often hot, humid and steamy, whereas your bedroom is cooler and less humid - and that is a far better environment for the storage of medicines and medical supplies - Editor.
**Once purchased, medicines cannot be returned, so it can be a good idea if you are going to be taking a long course of medication, to have just half your prescription filled the first time you purchase the medication. If the medication doesn't agree with you and your doctor has to prescribe another, then at least you have cut your losses. If there are no side-effects, then you can get the other half of your prescription and from then on, the complete course every time you make a repeat purchase - Editor
