The cost of your care matters. Not all doctors charge the same price for the same care. Whether you have a deductible or copay plan, who you see for care and what they charge affects the final bill that you, your health insurance or your employer pay.

That’s why it is important to research the price of your doctor or facility.

Shop around by calling providers and asking about pricing.

If they won’t price out your procedure, find another facility.

A Minnesota transparency law states that all providers must give you the cost of a procedure if you ask. Click here for more specific information.

• Research the cost of care on your carrier’s website: Click Here

• Research cost information on other websites:

Healthcare Scoop

MN Health Information

Carol.com

Hospitalpricecheck.org

Cost Savings Tips

• Know how much it costs.

• You will be better armed to negotiate discounts when you know the real costs of care. You can find rates on the websites of large insurers like BlueCross, Medica, HealthPartners and the Medicare website.

• Pay in cash.

• You can often save up to 10 percent on your bill by paying in cash up front. Ask your doctor if they will give you a discount for paying in cash at the time of service. Use your health savings account if you can.

• Look at your bill closely.

• You will often find mistakes. Keep track of your visits, tests and medications and compare them against your bills. Request a corrected bill if you find an error and notify your insurance company.

• Take advantage of flexible spending accounts.

• A flexible spending account, or FSA, is an employee benefit program that allows you to set aside money, on a pre-tax basis, for certain health care and dependent care expenses. That means you keep more of your money. For every $1,000 you put in, you’ll save approximately $300 in taxes. Ask your human resources department about this benefit.

• Get a second opinion about your diagnosis

• Click here for more informationon a second opinion

• Click here for Cost of Health Care Services by Region

• Click here for more information

What this means for YOU:

Cost should not be a driving force in whether or not you decide to see a doctor. However, consumer driven health plans give you more control over how you spend your health care dollars. You’ll of course want to be sure you are spending YOUR money wisely.