12 tips on how to save on health costs

1. Use baking soda for indigestion. Packaged remedies like Alka-Seltzer are largely baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and aspirin. So if you don’t have a headache, drink ¼ teaspoon of baking

soda dissolved in ¼ cup of water. Save $8 per 36 doses. 2. BUY PILLS TO SPLIT. Ask your doctor if it’s cheaper to get half the amount of double-strength medication and split each pill into

two doses with a $5 device. For instance, 60 tablets of the 20mg Paxil cost $14.17 at Costco, according to GoodRX.com, but 30 tablets of the 40mg Paxil cost $11.87. You could save $80 to

$100 a year.  3. JOIN SILVER SNEAKERS. Ask your health care provider if you are eligible. The program offers free gym memberships to folks 65-plus. Save $700 per year, on average. 4. FOR

SOME MEDS, SKIP YOUR INSURANCE. Ask your pharmacist about the retail price of your prescription medication; it might be cheaper to pay that price. For example, the diabetes medication

metformin costs about $4 for a month's supply, while the average copay is $11. Savings: $7. 5. SUSPEND YOUR GYM MEMBERSHIP THIS SUMMER, AND TAKE YOUR EXERCISE OUTDOORS. You'll save

around $58 a month. 6. CHECK SUPERMARKET PHARMACIES. Some national chains and discount stores offer common medications for free. If your deductible is $10, you'll save $120 a year on

just one prescription. 7. STREAM FITNESS CLASSES ONLINE. Online fitness classes such as Daily Burn, Crunchlive and YogaToday typically cost around $15 per month for unlimited access — about

what you'd pay for a single in-person class. Use a $15 subscription 12 times a month and you'll save $165. Plus you get to decide when class starts. 8. BUY GLASSES ONLINE. It can

be 70 percent cheaper to buy at sites such as zennioptical.com than at a store. That's $210 off a $300 pair of specs. AARP members can save at EyeMed. 9. SHOP AROUND FOR MEDS. Area drug

prices can vary widely. For example, a customer in Raleigh, N.C., was quoted $249 at a national chain for duloxetine. Costco charged $43 for the same prescription. Savings: $206. 10. GET

HELP ON DRUG COSTS. Medicare beneficiaries may qualify for the Extra Help program to cover prescriptions. Savings: up to $4,000 a year. Apply at socialsecurity.gov/extrahelp or call

800-772-1213. 11. CALL IN A MEDICAL BILL NEGOTIATOR to review your bills for errors and overcharges, and save up to $3,000. 12. APPLY FOR FREE MEDS. Through the Partnership for Prescription

Assistance (pparx.org), qualified patients can get help. A free 120-day supply of the diabetes drug Victoza would save $2,096.