Editor’s Note: My good friend Marc Lichtenfeld, the Chief Income Strategist at The Oxford Club, has an urgent message for investors…

In today’s article, he’s telling readers all about four easy ways to save on healthcare costs.

Plus, he’s spotted an opportunity in the healthcare sector that’s so compelling that he’s recorded an urgent message for Trade of the Day readers.

Tune in here, and you’ll see why he’s giving away the ticker symbol of the company behind this miracle drug… for free!

But I must warn you… do NOT hesitate.

Marc is positioning himself and his readers for a major catalyst that should boost the stock on September 6.

Here’s what you need to know to position yourself for a potential windfall.

– Ryan Fitzwater, Publisher

“You need to pay $500 today,” the voice on the phone demanded.

It was 7:30 in the morning. I was in a hospital room with my 6-year-old son. He’d just been admitted after spending all night in the emergency room.

I was exhausted, stressed and not thrilled about having to deal with a financial transaction.

I told the woman from the billing department that the hospital had my insurance information, and I would pay anything that wasn’t covered after the bill was submitted to my insurer. She insisted I had to pay a $500 deposit immediately.

“Are you going to throw my son out of the hospital if I don’t pay you $500 today?” I snapped, already knowing the answer to the question.

After a long pause, she said no.

“Then bill my insurance company,” I said as I hung up.

It wasn’t the last time I battled a healthcare worker over money they said I had to pay.

Recently, the receptionist at my doctor’s office told me I had to pay $471.25 for a 10-minute visit. I told her to bill my insurance company, and I’d pay anything I owed after that.

While we bickered, she fiddled on her computer. After a few minutes, she exclaimed, “Oh, it looks like you don’t owe anything. Your insurance will cover it all.”

Getting healthcare treatment for yourself or a loved one is stressful. Complicated costs and insurance policies make it even more so.

Had I given in and paid the hospital or the doctor when I didn’t need to, I would have had to wait for a refund from my insurance company.

At best, it would have been processed automatically – though the payment would have taken months to arrive. At worst, I would have had to keep track of all of the paperwork and contact my insurer myself.

Copays are due at the time services are rendered. But any other charge should be billed to you or, if you have insurance, to your insurance company.

When it comes to healthcare costs, there are a few simple things you can do to make sure you pay only what you owe… and sometimes even less.

• Refuse to pay anything other than a copay until your healthcare provider bills you or your insurance company. That said, you should pay bills when you receive them. If you have a history of being late, providers may rightfully insist you pay something before seeing a doctor.
• Go over the bill, especially if it’s from a hospital. Hospital bills are notoriously filled with errors. If a hospital charged you $47 for Tylenol, be certain you actually got the Tylenol. If you were charged $500 for a test, make sure you received the test.
• Ask the doctor for a discount. If you’re paying out of pocket or have a high deductible, request a lower charge in return for paying upfront. Many providers will let you do this, especially if it means they don’t have to submit paperwork and wait for payment from your insurance company.
• Ask the doctor for free samples of medicine. Pharmaceutical reps give doctors lots of free samples. If your medication will be costly, your doctor should be happy to give you any free samples he or she has in stock.

When my son was 17, we took a trip to the emergency room for a dog bite. (It was nothing, and he was fine.) They gave him a Band-Aid and sent us on our way.

I went over that bill extremely carefully. I felt bad for the billing clerk who had to deal with me. But I was going to pay only what I owed.

You wouldn’t give in to an aggressive used-car salesman who was pushing you to spring for silly upgrades or an extended warranty. Don’t let yourself get shoved around by the billing clerks in a doctor’s office or hospital, either. Push back and advocate for yourself.

YOUR ACTION PLAN

Those are four easy ways to save on medical expenses, but there’s another potential breakthrough that could help investors make money on healthcare.

The truth is… our scientific understanding of weight loss hasn’t always been as deep as it is today. For decades, we’ve been waiting for a safe and effective weight loss drug…

And now, finally, it’s here – and it’s providing the investment opportunity of a lifetime.

I’ve put together an urgent video with everything you need to know…

In it, I give away the name and ticker symbol of the company behind the NEW #1 weight loss drug… 100% free.

(And no, it’s NOT Ozempic or Wegovy. This drug is almost twice as effective.)

Go here to get all the details on this imminent opportunity (BEFORE September 6).

Good investing,

Marc

FUN FACT FRIDAY

Beer Is Medicine? It may sound new or futuristic, but industrial biotechnology has been around since humans began mass-producing beer 10,000 years ago. It was all made possible with a species of yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae (that translates to “sugar fungi of beer”), which is still used today.