How Medicare Beneficiaries Can Lower Their Health Care Costs

Youre a current Medicare beneficiary or youre planning on enrolling in the near future

. You are familiar with the basic program and are not particularly concerned with any specific health care issues. Well, whether you are a current Medicare beneficiary or preparing for your future, it is important to understand how you and your doctor can use your Medicare coverage to your best advantage.

What Medicare Beneficiaries Can Do For Themselves

What some Medicare beneficiaries dont consider is that many of the conditions that require them to be on maintenance drugs, suggests Alan Weinstock, insurance broker at http://www.MedicareSupplementPlans.com, are caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices.

One of the first things that you can do for yourself is to eliminate bad habits smoking, drinking to excess, poor eating habits and improve your lifestyle choices exercising regularly, getting plenty of rest, eating healthy. And your doctor can help.

Talk to your doctor about any medical issues that you have such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking or obesity. If you find it difficult to make reasonable lifestyle changes on your own, ask about participating in a medically supervised lifestyle program. Not only can these changes lead to improved health, they may eliminate your need for maintenance drugs and, thereby, save you the cost of expensive prescription medication. Not to mention that improvements in your lifestyle can extend your life as well.

If on the other hand you find that you need to continue with some or all of your prescription medications, there is a program that you might want to consider: Manufacturers Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs (sometimes referred to as Patient Assistance Programs). These programs, offered by many of the major drug manufacturers, offer Medicare beneficiaries assistance with the cost of prescription drugs.. Get more information at www.medicare.gov/pap/index.asp.

What Medicare Can Do For Medicare Beneficiaries

When it comes to cutting costs, says Weinstock, Medicare offers beneficiaries other options as well. Like the Extra Help program for one. Extra Help is a low-income subsidy that helps pay your monthly Medicare drug plan premium and helps pay any yearly deductible, coinsurance and copayments for prescription drugs.

In addition, a related programState Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)can provide Medicare beneficiaries with free personalized counseling. This includes everything from helping you understand your health plan choices and Medicare bill to choosing between a Medicare Advantage Plan and Original Medicare with a Medigap insurance plan .

For more information about Medicare supplement insurance (Medigap) consider contacting the brokers at http://www.MedicareSupplementPlans.com. Or for more information about the SHIP in your state visit www.medicare.gov and select Find Helpful Phone Numbers and Websites.

by: Dallas

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