Medical treatments often engage the services of multiple vendors?i.e., medical clinic, hospital, X-ray center, or other diagnostic lab. By contacting each vendor, you can request an estimate for planned procedures (physician's procedures, routine labs, hospital charges such as room, meals, supplies). When the medical consultation is not an emergency, as a savvy consumer, take time to compare the cost of routine procedures offered at different medical facilities.
Once you have an idea of the cost of various medical expenses, examine your health insurance policy to fully understand what costs will be covered and those that will not. The latter includes deductibles, co-payments, and fees for using "out of network" providers if you belong to an HMO or PPO.
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