As you and your husband get older you are all the more open to free catheters, protective pads, and other expensive medical supplies. For this reason, you make sure that you are able to get the care that you need by attending regularly scheduled appointments. And while you do not always get free medical supplies when you visit your doctor’s office, you know that you will not be able to get any of the advice that you need or an opportunity to make sure that you do get any free catheters or any other samples that are available.
In today’s changing health care systems, it is important to make sure that you are getting the most affordable care options that are available. And while you may not want to pay more than you need to, it is some times increasingly difficult to get free samples, even from your family physician. And while there are many medical suppliers that are available to the public, the fact of the matter is that even these convenient locations have items that may be difficult to afford. For this reason, it is important to take every opportunity to use coupons, rebates, and other items to make sure that you are getting the most affordable supplies.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the medical supply industry and the needs that Americans have from them as well as the impact that they have on the nation’s economy:
- By the year 2010, 5.5 million Americans lived to the age of 85 of longer. By the year 2050, this 85 and older age group will climb to 19 million Americans, a number that represents 5% of the total population, according to the Institute on Aging. Many of these people will need the use of a number of medical supplies in addition to their prescribed medications.
- In 2015, 26.8% of survey respondents expressed breast milk five to fifteen times a week. These breast pumping supplies are important, but can be very expensive for many families, so it is important to get them free or at reduced costs whenever possible.
- Out-of-pocket spending for dental services, which made up 40% of dental spending, increased 1.8% in the year 2015 alone. It is no wonder that there are many people who are looking for the most affordable options.
- Including contact lenses, eyeglasses, hearing aids, wheelchairs, mobility aids, and more, retail spending for durable medical equipment reached $48.5 billion in the year 2015, according to the latest research.
From finding a resource for free catheters to making sure that you are taking advantage of the other available supplies, it is important that you are doing everything that you can to find the most affordable care options.