1. Practice Prevention
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure—and pounds of dollar bills. Use your health plan’s preventive care benefits to get the services that catch problems in their earliest stages, when they’re easier and less costly to treat. Spend a little on prevention—even if you’re in the best of health right now—and you’ll avoid spending a lot on complex care.
LM HealthWorks Plan:
- The Plan pays most preventive care services at 100% with no deductible or coinsurance required.
2. Use In-Network Providers
If your health plan offers both in-network and out-of-network benefits, you save when you choose in-network providers. This is because they have negotiated rates with the health plan and generally charge less for their services. Plus, the plan pays more in benefits—and you pay less out of your own pocket—when you go in network for the care you need.
Although designating a Primary Care Physician (PCP) is not required for all health plans, building a relationship with a PCP can provide stability and help centralize coordination of care. A PCP provides routine, basic and preventive care, and can help you find the right specialty care when you need it. A PCP can be an internist, general or family practitioner or, for children, a pediatrician.
LM HealthWorks Plan:
- Choose and visit with confidence an Aexcel-designated provider.
3. Rx: Switch to Mail Order and
Ask for Generics
If you and/or your covered family members are covered by a Lockheed Martin health plan and use medications on an ongoing basis (called maintenance medications), you can save with mail-order drug service. In fact, average savings with mail order (compared to using retail pharmacies) are $308 per year. Ask your doctor about substituting generic for brand-name drugs (where safe and appropriate) and you can save even more.
LM HealthWorks Plan:
- Compare costs, find generic alternatives and find out if your medication is covered under the plan with the Price-a-Medication Tool. If you are already registered with Medco.com, you can access the Price-A-Medication Tool via your personalized Web site.
4. Know Your Benefits and
Understand the Cost of Care Before You Go
Whenever possible, know what your health plan covers and how much your share of the cost will be before you receive care. Ask your doctor or health care provider for costs up front. That way you can discuss treatment alternatives with your doctor and make informed decisions.
Take action: Refer to your enrollment materials or your SPD for detailed information about your plan’s coverage.
LM HealthWorks Plan:
- To find average estimated costs for medical treatments, tests and other services in your area, use the Cost of Care tools.
- Find out what you’ll pay for prescriptions before you have them filled with the Price-a-Medication tool.
5. Use the emergency room wisely.
When your health need or concern is not an emergency, the emergency room is not the place to be. Everything costs more in the hospital ER and you can wait hours to receive non-emergency care. When you need help in a hurry but it’s not a life-threatening emergency, there are better, less costly options for the care you need—such as walk-in clinics and urgent-care centers.
LM HealthWorks Plan:
- The online provider directory lists in-network walk-in clinics and urgent-care centers in your area.
- Not sure what to do? Call the Nurse Advice Line (available 24/7) at 1-877-458-4975 for help deciding where to receive care.
- See the difference in what the plan pays when you visit the ER for a non-emergency problem versus a true emergency.
Finally, take steps to Stay Well.
Remember, good health is your best weapon against the high cost of health care. Eat healthy, put exercise into your day, kick unhealthy habits and take time to relax and de-stress.
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