A health crisis brings high medical bills. Here are tips for dealing with the costs
LA TimesIt’s understandable to worry about medical bills after a cancer diagnosis or other serious health issue. Your Medicare supplement plan — also known as a Medigap plan — is designed to cover some or all of the costs not paid by traditional Medicare, including co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles. You may be able to seek out cheaper prescriptions through online pharmacies, GoodRx, NeedyMeds, manufacturer discount programs or Medicare’s Extra Help program, which helps Medicare recipients with limited means to afford their medications. Physician and certified financial planner Carolyn McClanahan warns that people can find themselves on a “medical treadmill” that continues pushing painful, debilitating and costly treatments with little or no real benefit to the patient. McClanahan recommends picking up a copy of Katy Butler’s excellent book, “The Art of Dying Well: A Practical Guide to a Good End of Life.” Despite its title, the book doesn’t just focus on the very end of life, but also provides essential information about how to best navigate the healthcare system as an older person.
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