How to save money on medical supplies

Going through either permanent or long-term illness or disability is an extremely shocking and painful experience that requires years of both physical and mental recovery. However, another thing that might come as a shock to you is the unbelievably large costs of medical supplies. What’s most difficult about getting appropriate and quality medical equipment and assistive devices is the fact that most of them aren’t covered by your insurance. This means that you will have to purchase them on your own. But, don’t worry for there is always a silver lining in such a situation. Soon, you will get to realize that there are numerous ways for you to save substantial sums of money on medical supplies. Here are some of them.

Buy Online

One of the best ways to purchase your medical supplies on budget is to buy online. Online wholesaler retailers buy products in a bulk and sell them to a widely established network, which means that they almost always offer much lower prices to their customers. Buying online has numerous benefits. First, you can do it from your home, avoiding spending countless hours in crowded lines. Second, you can get informed about the products you buy, not only from the retailer’s point of view, but also from people who went through similar problems like you. Finally, by buying more products, you will usually get both large discounts and free shipping.

Avoid shopping locally

No matter how much you love shopping locally, you need to completely avoid it because local supply stores offer much poorer range of products at astronomical prices. Therefore, instead of buying locally, you should switch to larger suppliers, who provide their customers with an impressive choice of medical equipment for less than half the price.

If you have already decided what brand you would like to buy, you could also visit the manufacturer directly, where you will avoid the middlemen and get enormous discounts. On the other hand, trusted suppliers of medical equipment buy products in a bulk, which enables them to offer larger discounts than manufacturers themselves. Since both solutions are completely safe, you need to do a research and determine whether it is the manufacturer or the distributer who offers products at more affordable prices.

Consider renting

Renting medical equipment could be the best solution for everyone with temporary illness or disability. In this case, buying brand new supplies is just wasting money on something you won’t need ever again once your recovery is over. Most importantly, the entire process of renting medical equipment is pretty simple.  Doing a research, you will find out that numerous local medical supply stores offer rental programs in order to cut the costs and help their customers. What also makes renting more affordable solution is the fact that, unlike purchasing new medical equipment, rental products are covered by your insurance because they are considered a reimbursable expense.

Get the insurance

Although not applicable to any kind of injury, getting life insurance, health insurance plan or medical coverage might help you cover some, or not all costs of your medical equipment. Also, you should know that the medical expenses for the disabled or people older than 65 are covered by the special government programs. However, before you choose a particular health insurance plan, you have to pay attention what expenses it actually covers and whether it can be applied in your case.

Craigslist and classified ads

Before you decide to buy brand new medical equipment, you might also pay attention to the craigslist and classified ads. Many sites offer used medical supplies that are about 40 and 50 percent cheaper than the manufacturer’s recommended price. Sometimes, you might find expensive items like power wheelchair, hospital beds, lift chairs and scooters, as well as toilet risers and shower chairs that were used by either a person who has recovered or passed away. Although they are not completely new, if they work properly, these products will help you save up a lot.

Visit product fairs

Most large manufacturers of medical equipment host product fairs. This is a great opportunity for you to get informed about the latest prices and offers, or even buy a particular medical supply at much lower prices. There, you will be able to see a comprehensive range of physio equipment well as to ask medical experts about anything you, as are interested in.

Although in the beginning, buying medical supplies will be a nightmare to you, later you will discover numerous options that will make your life easier and help you save a lot of money. These are just some tips recommended by most prominent disabled people’s organizations. Try them out and you will definitely not regret it!

One thought on “How to save money on medical supplies

Leave a Reply to Jimmy Kent Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *