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Friday, 07 September 2018 15:50

Five More Tips to EMPOWER your employees to be smart consumers of health care!

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We wrote a blog article in April about Consumerism and how to empower your employees to be smart consumers of health care. We know how difficult and confusing benefits can be, so check out these five additional tips to continue this education for your employees to enable them to advocate around their own health care and out-of-pocket expenses! 

1. Be prepared and locate Urgent Care centers, Emergency Rooms and walk-in clinic facilities near you

  • Locate Urgent Care facilities near you ahead of time in case the need arises

  • Find out their hours and how they bill their claims. Some Urgent Care facilities bill as both Urgent Care and Emergency Room depending on the service hours and services provided. Be aware and ask questions! Do not make any assumptions

  • Looking for a location under a stressful situation could increase your chances of spending more 

2. Research providers and facilities and their pricing before any procedure or visit

  • Higher prices do not equal higher quality services. 

  • Do your homework by searching your carrier’s cost and quality pages for provider ratings and relative pricing

  • Ask providers for their pricing

  • Providers may not tell you an exact price, but once you have these two pieces of information, you are better equipped to decide where you want to get a service done

3. Ensure you are billed correctly after receiving services

  • After being seen by your provider, request a detailed list of the services you received.

  • Compare that list with your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to ensure you have been billed correctly.

4. Take advantage of employer health accounts! 

If your employer offers a Health Savings Account (HSA), a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) or a Flexible Spending Account (FSA):

  • These may provide a tax-free benefit to you

  • Understand how these accounts work and see if they would benefit you, especially if your employer contributes to them

5. Pharmacy Tips

  • Always ask for a generic equivalent if possible

  • See if your pharmacy offers coupons for the higher priced medications you are prescribed

Once again, be well informed, ask questions and do not make assumptions!

We at Fall River always want to provide the best information and arm our members with the tools they need to make the right decisions about their health care. If you have any questions or need more guidance regarding any of these topics, please contact your account manager.

Read 2069 times Last modified on Monday, 14 September 2020 11:31
Gaby Baughn

Gaby is our bilingual Client Service Specialist. She provides day-to-day support to our clients and members with billing, claims, eligibility, and system issues in English and Spanish. Gaby also assists the Client Managers with creating communications materials, preparing for open enrollment meetings and quoting.

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