Living Healthy on a Retirement Budget
Living Healthy on a Retirement Budget
Other ways to save:
Try a warehouse membership store. They often have good deals on prescription prices, says Yeager, and you don't have to be a member to use the pharmacy.
Look for $4 prescriptions. Some chain drugstores, grocery stores, and retailers with pharmacies offer some generic prescriptions for $4.
Don't worry about brands. "The perception is that it's better to take a name-brand painkiller or multivitamin," says Amy R. Ehrlich, MD, associate chief of geriatrics at the Montefiore Medical Center. "But that's extremely expensive and there's no data that buying an expensive name brand is any more beneficial than generic. I personally see people spending a tremendous amount of money on this."
Think twice about supplement shakes. Some seniors feel like they need to take regular nutritional supplement drinks or shakes. But unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it's less expensive -- and healthier -- to get your nutrition from a well-balanced diet, Ehrlich says.
Call in an expert to save on insurance costs. Ehrlich suggests finding an advocate in your health care network who can make sure you're getting the right benefits and can answer any questions. "Their job is to work with you and make sure you're getting any services you're entitled to."
If you're worried about health care expenses, you should talk to your doctor, Yeager says.
"Everything is negotiable, including health care costs. If you have trouble with a copay, don't be shy about raising the issue in advance with your health care provider," he says. "If nothing else, it seems to be very easy to negotiate a payment plan for treatment."
Live Healthy on a Retirement Budget
Save on Drugs continued...
Other ways to save:
Try a warehouse membership store. They often have good deals on prescription prices, says Yeager, and you don't have to be a member to use the pharmacy.
Look for $4 prescriptions. Some chain drugstores, grocery stores, and retailers with pharmacies offer some generic prescriptions for $4.
Don't worry about brands. "The perception is that it's better to take a name-brand painkiller or multivitamin," says Amy R. Ehrlich, MD, associate chief of geriatrics at the Montefiore Medical Center. "But that's extremely expensive and there's no data that buying an expensive name brand is any more beneficial than generic. I personally see people spending a tremendous amount of money on this."
Think twice about supplement shakes. Some seniors feel like they need to take regular nutritional supplement drinks or shakes. But unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it's less expensive -- and healthier -- to get your nutrition from a well-balanced diet, Ehrlich says.
Call in an expert to save on insurance costs. Ehrlich suggests finding an advocate in your health care network who can make sure you're getting the right benefits and can answer any questions. "Their job is to work with you and make sure you're getting any services you're entitled to."
If you're worried about health care expenses, you should talk to your doctor, Yeager says.
"Everything is negotiable, including health care costs. If you have trouble with a copay, don't be shy about raising the issue in advance with your health care provider," he says. "If nothing else, it seems to be very easy to negotiate a payment plan for treatment."
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