With the average cost of individual health insurance skyrocketing, most self-employed people deal with increased premiums, higher max out-of-pocket expenses, and decreased value in their health plans. We have seen thousands of real estate professionals take a more creative approach to get better healthcare at a lower cost, seeing upwards of a 60% decrease in price with a better network of doctors and services.
Clearwater has helped thousands of real estate professionals save money while improving the quality and control of their healthcare. Below are four proven approaches to both save money and take back control.
1. Try telemedicine
Today, real estate professionals look for two features in their healthcare: convenience and affordability. Location doesn’t have to limit accessibility to high-quality healthcare at a discounted price.
Fortunately, telemedicine companies like Teledoc can overcome geographic barriers to healthcare, especially for specialized providers. With 24/7/365 access, real estate professionals can save time and money.
For example, one recent customer saved $500 by using a telemedicine provider at 3 am on a Saturday vs. going to an urgent care center because their doctor’s office was closed.
2. Sign up for a prescription drug discount card
One very exciting option for dramatic savings is a discount drug membership program, many of which are free. A top example is GoodRx, which has helped people save up to 80% on their medications, whether or not they have insurance.
3. Shop around and negotiate
Real estate agents and brokers are skilled negotiators, but often forget they can do that with healthcare as well. In truth, the consumer has substantially more control in choosing which company they receive healthcare from and even more control over the cost.
There are helpful tools like Healthcare Bluebook, which helps consumers shop for their provider or service based on factors such as cost and quality. It’s easy to assume that every bill is always correct and needs to be paid as is. But many bills have a lot of moving parts on them— charges for services, supplies, and procedures—and administrators often make mistakes. At Clearwater Savings, we often find customers can negotiate their bills down upwards of 30 to 40% simply by making an effort to do so.
4. Blend supplements with healthshare
We have seen many real estate professionals take a more creative approach to get better healthcare at a lower cost. This includes strategies such as blending preventative insurance plans with medical cost-saving solutions (non-insurance). This approach gives them about a 60% decrease in price with a better network of doctors and services. This approach can also give real estate professionals more control over their budget with lower out of pocket expenses on their healthcare needs.
With telemedicine, creatively blending traditional insurance and medical-cost-sharing, utilizing free discount drug memberships, and shopping for doctors by price and negotiating your bills, you can both improve the quality of your health and save thousands of dollars year over year.
Talk to the team at Clearwater Savings about how we can help real estate professionals save on healthcare costs and improve their benefits.
Jason Sherman
About Jason Sherman
Jason has a passion for seeing real estate professionals grow their business. He Co-founded Clearwater as a solution to help the agent save money on their benefits and invest those savings into growth. He is also a marketing consultant and coach for over 600 top producing Real Estate professionals. Connect with Jason on LinkedIn.
About Clearwater Benefits
Clearwater Benefits was founded with the mission of helping self-employed families save money and improve their healthcare. To date, Clearwater has helped thousands of real estate professionals save an average of $10,000 a year, Improve their network of Doctors and decrease their out of pocket expenses by 80%. To learn more go to myagenthealth.com or book a call with one of our consultants.