1. Go ahead and eat that apple. According to the U.S. Apple Association, research suggests that an apple a day really can help lowering LDL cholesterol and risk of stroke, promote liver and lung health, and lower the risk of some cancers. Chomp in!
2. Use mail order for medications and get more than 1 month's supply at a time. Ask your doctor for recommendations.
   
3. Check with your pharmacist to see if any pills could be split without changing the potency of the drug. Note however, this has been discourage by the American Pharmaceutical Association.
   
4. Flexible spending through an employer makes the funds you spend on medical expenses tax free.
   
5. Know what you can be reimbursed for through your insurance company and learn how to fill out their forms.
   
6. Enter a clinical study to get personalized care and maybe a new medication. See www.clinicaltrials.gov
   
7. Are you lacking decent benefits? See www.benefitscheckup.com. BenefitsCheckUp helps thousands every day to find programs for people ages 55 and over that may pay for some of their costs of prescription drugs, health care, utilities, and other essential items or services.
   
8. Get a copy of your newest medical records annually so you don't have to spend money in the future on copying hundreds of pages.
   
9. Find out what alternative treatments your insurance may cover. For example, many reimburse for acupuncture with a doctor's approval.
   
10. Ask your doctor for any free samples of medications s/he supplies.
    

You can read the rest of this article in the May/June 2004 issue.
You can order this back issue by clicking here.