Guest Author - Cheryl Tidball, DO

Asthma may be one of the most common chronic diseases, but it certainly isn’t cheap. With increasing health insurance premiums and copays, the cost of seeing the doctor and getting appropriate medications is getting more and more difficult. That is, if one is lucky enough to have health insurance and prescription coverage at all. However, there are steps every asthmatic can take to make their health care more affordable.

Step One: Take medications as directed! One mistake that many asthmatics make is that they decrease the amount or frequency of their scheduled medications in order to save money. Unfortunately, this strategy often backfires, with one’s asthma getting more out of control, possibly requiring even more medications, ER visits, and hospitalizations and dramatically raising costs.

Step Two: Talk to your pharmacist! Pharmacists are often the best source of information regarding which medications have generic or lower cost alternatives and which medications are on which health insurance formularies. Insurance companies often place medications or tiered lists, with each tier representing a different out-of-pocket cost for the patient. Each insurance company has a different formulary which may change frequently, so often doctors aren’t even aware of what medications may be less expensive, so check with the pharmacist. In spite of the heavy advertising that is everywhere, generic medications are usually just as effective.

Step Three: Take steps to monitor your asthma and triggers! Using your peak flowmeter on a daily basis may help you catch asthma exacerbations early, helping you start stepped-up treatment as soon as possible and preventing expensive emergency room trips! Be aware of your asthma triggers and take steps to decrease them before they start to bother your asthma. If you have seasonal allergy problems, starting allergy meds a few weeks before allergy season starts is essential. If you have trouble with winter respiratory infections, make sure you get your flu shot every fall.

Step Four: Check for special programs offered by your insurance company! Many health insurance companies have special programs for individuals with chronic diseases including asthma. They generally offer information, help in developing an asthma action plan, and access to an advice nurse for problems.

Step Five: If you don’t have insurance, take action before you have problems breathing! If you can possibly afford it, it is usually wise to at least try to get a low-cost insurance plan even it has a high deductible. Although it may not help with the usual day-to-day health care expenses, at least it will keep you from going bankrupt over medical bills if you ever need extensive treatment or hospitalization. If you can’t get insurance, check out free or low-cost health clinics in your community. Having a “get-to-know-you” visit at one of these clinics may help you be able to make an appointment more quickly when your asthma acts up. Check into programs offering free or low-cost medications—three favorite sources of information include needymeds.com, pparx.org, and rxassist.org.

Step Six: Shop around! Don’t assume that the cost of your medications will be about the same cost anywhere. Pharmacies vary widely in their prices, so it pays to call to several different pharmacies and check. Often pharmacies will give a discount to cash patients if they ask, so don’t be shy!

Step Seven: Budget for health care expenses! Whether or not you have insurance, set money into a special savings account every month to cover medical costs that are not covered by other resources. Check out familyhealthbudget.com to help you decide how much money you need to be putting aside.

By thinking and planning ahead for your health care financial needs, you can make sure you get the quality care you need at a fraction of the price!