Keeping a close eye on your budget is important, but it’s also important to safeguard your future. If you or someone you love is prone to dizziness, falling, or has any other medical condition, you may want to consider a medical alert system.
The trouble is, medical alert systems can be so expensive! Well, that isn’t always the case, as long as you have a few tricks up your sleeve for getting the best deal!
Choose a basic plan
Medical alert systems are a booming business. Because they can so effectively keep seniors safe living in their own homes, many companies have been created with a wide variety of product and service offerings.
Every medical alert system customer service representative would love to sell you all the bells and whistles with their systems. From carbon monoxide detectors to medication alerts, daily check-in calls, phone apps, and fall detection, it’s easy to see how the cost of a medical alert system can get out of hand.
Even with all these extras, most medical alert systems offer a basic plan that allows you to press an emergency button and communicate directly with an emergency response agent. As a matter of fact, you can get mobile GPS service with GreatCall Splash for just $19.99 a month! Medical alert systems don’t get any more affordable than that!
Be mindful of payment plans
Medical alert system companies want to make it easy for you to pay. Although most don’t require you to sign a contract, they may ask you to make a long-term commitment.
If you want to save the most money, you should sign up for an annual or semi-annual plan. Although you’ll pay more upfront, the total cost of the system and service is more affordable. For example, Medical Care Alert’s Home System costs $29.95 per month if you pay for three months at a time. If you choose their annual plan, the same system only costs $27.45 per month, and you get one month for free.
However, coming up with all that money upfront can be difficult. Although it will cost more in the long-run, it may be better for your budget to pay smaller amounts in increments throughout the year. The Home System mentioned above costs $29.95 per month, but you only have to pay $89.85 every three months. Paying for an annual plan will cost you $329.40.
Can you get a medical alert system for free?
Even by choosing a basic plan and being mindful of how you pay, you may still find that things are still a little too tight for you to pay for a system out-of-pocket. In this case, you might want to look into trying to get a medical alert system for free.
Medicare and Medicaid aren’t likely to provide you with a system for free, but they may consider your situation if you obtain a doctor’s note. Make an appointment with your doctor and see if this is a possibility.
If Medicare and Medicaid make it clear that they won’t provide you with a medical alert system, you can try your insurance company. They might be willing to pay a small amount now to ensure that they don’t have to pay for outrageous medical bills later.
If all else fails, check with local non-profits and other agencies in your area. Subsidies are available in some areas that will cover the cost of a medical alert system.
Beware of scams! If you haven’t reached out to a company, insurance carrier, or local agency first, a random call about a free medical alert system is probably too good to be true.
Decide where to spend your money
Ultimately, you decide where to spend your money, but spending a little now could help you save later. Just as you might skip the drive thru and choose to pay more for fresh fruit and vegetables from the grocery store to reduce your chances of illness and disease, so too can a medical alert system keep you from paying outrageous medical bills. It can even keep you from spending exorbitant amounts at a nursing home by allowing you to live independently in your very own home!
With a little patience and the drive to do a little research, there’s definitely a medical alert system that’s right for everyone, no matter what your budget.