The first thing you need to do to save money on your Health Care Costs is to contact your insurance plan or state Medicaid or CHIP program to see what services are covered under your plan. Be aware of what your costs are (premiums, co-payments, deductibles, co-insurance). Be sure that you know the difference between in-network and out-of-network doctors and facilities. This will also assist you in managing your Health Care Costs.

How Much are Your Health Care Costs in the United States?

How much does the United States spend on Health Care Costs? The United States has one of the highest costs of healthcare in the world. In 2018, the United States spent about $3.6 trillion on healthcare, which averages about $11,000 per person.

Updated Jul 30, 2019 – Health Care Costs in the U.S. are about twice as expensive as it is in any other developed country. According to Consumer Reports, if the $3 trillion U.S. healthcare sector were ranked as a country, it would be the world’s fifth-largest economy. Nov 18 2019.

COVID-19 has increased pressure on our highly complex and expensive healthcare system, making it more urgent to lower healthcare costs.

One reason for high costs is administrative waste. Providers face a considerable array of usage and billing 

requirements from multiple payers, making it necessary to hire costly administrative help for billing and reimbursements.

Americans pay almost four times as much for pharmaceutical drugs as do citizens of other developed countries.
Hospitals, doctors, and nurses all charge more in the U.S. than in other countries, with hospital Health Care, Costs increasing much faster than professional salaries.
In other countries, prices for drugs and Health Care Costs are at least partially controlled by the government. In the U.S., prices depend on market forces.

What are the Causes of Increasing Health Care Costs?
The reasons for increasing Health Care Costs in the U.S. vary.

• Pay Cash. It sounds crazy, but it’s true: Sometimes, the cash price of a medical procedure will be less than using your insurance
• Drug costs are rising, and on average, Americans spend four times as much for prescriptions as citizens of other industrialized countries pay. High drug prices are the single most significant area of overspending in the U.S. compared to Europe, where drug prices are government regulated, often based on the medication’s clinical benefit.

How to Stay Healthy to Decrease Your Health Care Costs
Get an exercise routine, practice eating a healthy diet, do some form of relaxation, get enough sleep. Take an active role in your health, learn more about what you can do to stay healthy, and share what you know with your family and friends. Maintain a healthy lifestyle at work. All of these will help you keep your Health Care Costs low.
Get all of the health screenings your doctor recommends and manage chronic conditions.
Keep all of your medical information like doctors and other medical providers’ names and the telephone numbers for each one in a specific location.
In Summary

Most other developed countries control costs, in part, by having the government play a more decisive role in negotiating healthcare prices. Systems in other countries don’t require the high administrative costs that drive up pricing in the U.S. As the global overseers of their country’s plans, these governments can negotiate lower drug, medical equipment, and hospital costs.

They can influence the treatments used and patients’ ability to go to specialists or seek more expensive remedies. Consumers may have fewer choices, but costs are controlled. Now that the costs related to COVID-19 threaten to swamp both the healthcare system and government budgets, the time for change may be at hand.

John Miller and Miller Insurance Management https://millerinsmgmt.com/contact-us or https://www.healthaffairs.org