Check your HRA Account Balance and Claim Status

Become a Wise Consumer!

You are a wise consumer with every purchase you make in life.  Most consumers research and make very educated decisions for the major purchases they make in life.  We think your health and the health of your dependents is very important and should be considered a major purchase!  We want you to make educated decisions when it comes to purchasing health care.  Become a Wise Consumer of Health Care!

There are many different ways to describe consumer driven health plans, but they all mean the same thing…

• Defined Contribution Health Plans (DCH)
• Consumer Directed Health Care (CDH)
• Health Reimbursement Account (HRA)
• Section 105 Plans (105)
• Personal Health Account (PHA)

No matter what it is called, you the Consumer must make wise Health Care Choices!

Here are some tools to help you become a better consumer of Health Care.

Ask Questions		Understand Prescription Drugs
Wellness		Understand Your Plan

Ask Questions

• Start asking your doctor how much things cost?  How much is this office visit?  How much does that test cost?  How much is that procedure? If they cannot tell you how much something costs, ask them to find out.
• Compare costs…see how much that visit, test or procedure costs at another facility or with another doctor!  Make sure you are aware of network limitations your plan may have. Measure outcomes, don't just make decisions based on cost always.  Ask your doctor how many times they have performed certain procedures and what their success rate is with that procedure!  You can then make an educated decision about your health care.
• Ask your doctor if certain procedures or tests are necessary.  Don't pay for something you don't need.
• Ask your doctor for Generic Drugs whenever possible.
• Learn more by visiting our Health Links section.
  
  Hospital / Physician Quality Ratings and Profiles
  Healthgrades and Leapfrog Data

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Wellness

It is important that you eat properly, get adequate sleep, and exercise on a regular basis.  Those are the important first steps, but you must also visit your doctor for routine physicals.  Most often preventive steps can greatly reduce the risks of serious medical problems. 

Here are some tools to help you:

• Lifestyle / Health Risk Assessment 
  
• Health Information Library
  
• Web MD
  
• Medline Plus (English)
  
• Medline Plus (Spanish)
  
• Harvard School Consumer Health Information
  
• Learn more by visiting our Health Links section.

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Understand Prescription Drugs

Whenever possible try to determine the price of prescription drugs before you purchase them.  Ask your doctor if there is a generic version of the drug.  Generics can save you a lot of money.  Also compare the prices at different pharmacies.  Learn about your medications; determine whether there are generic equivalents or more cost effective brand medications.

The following pharmacy sites assist you in pricing drugs before you buy. Always call the phone number on the back of your drug card to determine whether a pharmacy participates in your drug program.

• Walgreens Pharmacy
• Eckerd Pharmacy
• CVS Pharmacy
• The Medicine Shoppe
• The Drugstore
• Target Pharmacy
• Learn more by visiting our Health Links section.

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Understand Your Plan

As a consumer you must understand what is your financial responsibility and to do this you must understand your plan.  Read through your Summary Plan Descriptions to learn more about what your plan offers, don’t wait until you need to use the plan.  Understanding your plan will help you become a better consumer. Access your Summary Plan Description.

If you have questions about your plan:

• Contact your benefit manager at your employer.
• Contact SOMI by logging on here, member accounts, for additional options visit our contact page.
• Learn more by visiting our Health Links section.

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