THE THIRD WAY WORKS EXACTLY AS ADVERTISED:

The prices paid for medical care in July rose just 1% from a year earlier, the slowest annual rate of growth since the early 1960s, according to Commerce Department data. Health-care increases now trail overall inflation, which itself has been historically slow in recent years. [...]

The recent slowdown in medical inflation is partly the result of less-generous health plans forcing patients to pay more attention to prices, doctors say.

"Fifteen years ago, pricing was not as important ... [but] when the co-pay is coming out of a patient's pocket, they more often want to know what they're paying," said Moshir Jacob, medical director at the Toledo Clinic . The Ohio practice advertises that it offers lower prices than area hospitals.

Sara Boehm, 32, of Santa Monica, Calif., Began comparison-shopping for prescription drugs using an app on her phone after she took a job at a startup company. She recently saved $ 300 on medicine she needed for a trip to Tanzania. " I use Amazon to comparison-shop for televisions and laptops-I should at least be putting in as much effort for health care, "she said.

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