Roughly a year ago, I wrote an article on how our family keeps healthcare costs down. Among the tips? Eating well, practicing good safety tips (such as wearing bike helmets), and knowing when to rest and relax. Today I thought I’d share more tips on how we manage our family health care costs.
With a larger family, it can be very easy for medical and healthcare costs to zoom out of control really quickly. Here are some of the things we do to keep our healthcare costs low.
1. We keep medicine costs to a minimum. How do we do this? Primarily by eating well, as in eating mostly whole foods, and by exercising. When that doesn’t do the trick, we turn to natural healing alternatives such as Oil of Oregano, Epsom Salts or health supplements that are tried and true based on our experience. On the occasion that we do need medicine, however, we make sure to shop around and to go generic whenever possible. By using these two techniques, we’ve saved an easy 75% on medicine costs in our family, and in some instances, closer to 90%. My mom is another perfect example: by switching the seizure med she takes for her Epilepsy to the generic version (on the advice of her neurosurgeon), she saves herself a good $90 every three months, and on a retiree’s budget, that really adds up.
2. We educate ourselves thoroughly on the healthcare plans available to us. Family health insurance can be quite expensive. However, if you’re willing to research the options, you might be able to find lower cost care in places you didn’t expect. If health insurance is offered through your employer, there are likely a few different plans available, and it’s up to you to find out which one suits your family. A quick Internet search will give you an idea of what healthcare options are available in your area. With so many health care companies out there, it’s important to do your research and find out which health care insurance route is best for you and/or your family.
3. We feed our minds as well as we feed our bodies. This may seem silly to some, but we’ve found in our family that, just like you are what you eat, you are what you watch, read or listen too. Having suffered from serious Depression for 7 straight years, I started looking to natural healing methods for help in managing my symptoms. After experimenting with diet, I found that eating whole foods had a profound effect for good on my moods. Being curious, I then started monitoring the types of shows I watched and the types of books I read. I found that the more violent books and TV I partook in, the more the Depression magnified within the days following. If I read positive books and watched funny or uplifting TV shows or movies, the Depression went away. Our minds and the lies that they tell us often have a profound effect on our health, so we’ve found it’s best to choose what we put into those minds wisely, and our health as a family as improved as such.
The cost of healthcare can be a scary thing these days, especially if you don’t know your options. Work today to educate yourself on what healthcare options are available for you.
What are your secrets for keeping healthcare costs low?
For us it’s mostly exercise and eating well. If we can keep those two things going, we’ll be way ahead of the game when it comes to health care costs further down the line.
It really does make a difference! It’s amazing how much of this health care stuff is truly in our control.
Excersing and eating well Laurie is the key to lower health costs. My wife works in health care and she sees first hand the result of poor life choices. My dad was in poor health so I hope to never go through what he went through.
So true, Charles!! We see it all around us in our families and with friends, and it’s tough to watch, knowing that there’s a better way. Like you, we’ve committed to healthy lifestyle choices after watching beloved family members make poor choices and lose their lives because of it. Good for you for doing the same.
Great points Laurie! I think keeping a positive mental health relates directly to the state of your physical health. I found that when I was not as happy in my life that I definitely ate foods that were not as good for me, I exercised less and as a result, I felt bad about myself. And you bring up a great point about being cognizant of the type of negative energy we surround ourselves in. If we remove that, we can change so many aspect of our lives.
GREAT point, Shannon!!! That positive mental state does make a difference. As one who has previously suffered from Depression, I can attest to that!
You’re so right about surrounding yourself with positive, instead of negative, influences. “As a man thinketh…. so is he.”
Eating well also makes a big difference!
LOVE that verse, Stephanie, and the older I get, the more I find it to be true. Some would argue, but experience speaks volumes.
We do exercise and we eat healthy foods. Less meat and more vegetables and fruits. We tried to avoid sodas, junk foods and chocolates.
It really makes a difference, doesn’t it, Marie!!! I know those changes have been great for us.