You can shave money off your medical bills by being a smart consumer according to Doctor Phillip Hecht.
The Baylor-Grapevine cardiologist recommends using a mail order pharmacy when possible.
"Very often, 90 days worth of prescriptions through a mail order will be less than 30 days from the pharmacy because these mail order pharmacies buy in bulk," said Dr. Hecht.
Patients can also get an added benefit by using their company's flex-spending program to pay for drugs pre-tax.
In addition to using your resources from your insurance plan, Dr. Hecht says ask for samples, especially when starting a new medication.
One more way to save is to get the generic equivalent of a name brand drug. "I think some patients have the feeling that generic drugs aren't as good, but I don't believe that at all," said Dr. Hecht.
Finally, Dr. Hecht offered one way to keep your dental costs down, use dental students for basic check-ups. The cost savings in fees are as much as 50 percent and the check-ups are supervised by a licensed dentist.
