Save on health care by getting rid of the dog or cat...

This is one of the tips in a book I am reading by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD entitled, 101 Ways to Save Money on Health Care: Tips to Help You Spend Smart and Stay Healthy. I posted on a self-published edition of the book here but had never read it and then, recently, a new forthcoming copy from Plume arrived in the mail. Apparently, the book was picked up by a publisher.

I can see why. It is quite instructive about how to save cash on health care and the advice is timely, easy to digest and actually, easy and good. For example, if you have a chronic condition like allergies, Dr. Koelker states, "Get rid of the cat and maybe you won't need medication. Seriously. Or the dog, or the bird."

We did that in my household about five years ago when we had to give up our beloved cats after myself and my daughter became violently ill from allergies. Another blogger took one of them and we sometimes get updates and pictures. Our allergist says that it was the best thing we could do and I have to admit that we do feel better without them. It sucks not having a pet but allergies suck more.

Anyway, this little book goes on to give advice on saving on prescription meds (look for coupons on the web, etc.) and gives tips on how to negotiate with your doctor and hospital to lower costs. It seems pretty good if you have straight forward problems that are not terribly complicated. I don't see how I could save much on an ICD but then again, who knows?