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You Need Health Insurance. You Also Need NOT Health Insurance

The Affordable Care Act is not enough to protect you. Thankfully, there’s help, and it’s dirt cheap.

Jon Noble
Jon Noble
October 22, 2026 · 4 min read
Reviewed by Jacob Halverson, Director
You Need Health Insurance. You Also Need NOT Health Insurance

The Affordable Care Act is controversial, but is it actually affordable? It’s certainly complicated and even confusing.

Over the summer, a swirl of ACA news sent heads spinning. President Trump announced the federal government will issue $500 refund checks starting in October for nearly 1 million people, but only for enrollees who don’t receive federal premium subsidies. But even for the recipients, that won’t cover the expiring enhanced tax credits.

If you don’t know what any of that means, welcome to healthcare in the 2020s. It doesn’t matter what political party you align with, or even if you participate in the ACA marketplaces. Health insurance costs are soaring. No one wants to see headlines like this from NBC News: "Your health insurance bills are about to go up."

To keep your costs from literally killing you, seek out some new and novel ways to stay healthy physically and financially. One of those is SavingsXL.

SavingsXL saves its members on a wide range of products and services — several that are health-related — but it’s not insurance. It supplements insurance plans, and at no cost for our members.

Telemedicine with both AI and human beings

There’s always a lot of talk about technology making healthcare more accurate and more affordable. The good news is that’s already happening. The bad news is that it’s not yet widespread. But telemedicine is one of the premiere features of SavingsXL. And it’s free.

When members log onto the portal, they first see an AI chat window that helps them describe their symptoms. Then members are directed to a long list of medical professionals who can help, along with information about their patient ratings. You can make an appointment for the same day, often within the hour.

You meet with your medical pro over a Zoom-like app, and unlike many doctor’s appointments, you don’t have to wait and you’re not rushed out of the room. You can ask about everything from allergies to urinary problems, from a sore throat to constipation.

Telemedicine is a wonderful way to accomplish two things. First, if you (like me) worry whether a new ailment is serious, this is the best way to get a quick answer. I’m sure you’ve scoured the Internet for answers before, and instead logged off with more questions — and a fear of impending death. General AI chatbots don’t help, either.

Second, in many cases telemedicine can save you the time and expense of driving to the emergency room or an urgent care center. Of course, if you have a serious condition, your medical professional will urge you to go to one. But arriving there with the input of a medical professional can help your treatment.

Prescription savings that are easy to find

If there’s one technology that’s already taken hold, it’s filling prescriptions online for cheaper and picking them up at your nearest pharmacy. What SavingsXL offers are deeper savings — from 10% to 85% — on name-brand and generic prescriptions at more pharmacies (over 65,000) across the country.

Sadly, some insurance plans tout savings but make you drive great distances to pick up your medication. Some offer prescriptions by mail, which SavingsXL also does, but the discounts can be slight.

Since SavingsXL isn’t insurance, it’s also easier to navigate online to find what you need. No pages and pages of insurance information. Just a few quick steps and you’re ordering your medications.

Dental and vision discounts

I once hired a college graduate who was overwhelmed with his first job. During the new-hire orientation about benefits, I remember him asking the HR reps, "Why do eyeballs and teeth need their own insurance?"

No one had a good answer beyond, "That’s just the way it is."

Thankfully, there’s another way. SavingsXL offers its members both dental and vision benefits, and they’re much easier to understand than the complexities of insurance for that coverage. For example, members get 10% to 60% off eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other retail eyewear items — and 10% to 30% off eye examinations from over 20,000 eye care professionals nationwide.

It’s the same for dental: save 10% to 50% on routine cleanings, X-rays, fillings, extractions, crowns, braces, dentures, and more.

I’d never suggest SavingsXL is better than health insurance, and it’s certainly no replacement for it. But as insurance becomes more complex and more expensive for less coverage, extra benefits like ours will become the norm. Like it or not, that’s the future. But you don’t have to wait. You can benefit today.

Start saving with SavingsXL

One membership, 18 benefits. Most members save $1,300–$2,300 a year on the things they already buy.

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Site Disclaimer: All trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. SavingsXL is a discount and saving curating Site that gives consumers access to discount products and services through a subscription plan. The discounts and savings are not provided by SavingsXL, rather all savings are provided by various independent third party service providers. Access to the SavingsXL's subscription plan is provided through SavingsXL's fulfillment provider. You understand and agrees that SavingsXL subscription plan fees cover the costs SavingsXL for curating the web and bringing the consumer with service and product discounts. You understand that other savings offers may exist that are not included in the various subscription plans provided by SavingsXL, or that the offers presented to you under any of our subscriptions may be provided elsewhere. You agree that savings benefits may change from time to time, or may be subject to availability by independent service providers. You must be a US consumer to use SavingsXL's site and Subscription Plan.

Discount Dental, Pharmacy and Vision Benefits Disclosure. This plan is NOT insurance. This plan is not a qualified health plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Some services may be covered by a qualified health plan under the ACA. This plan does not meet the minimum creditable coverage requirements under M.G.L. c. 111M and 956 CMR 5.00. This is not a Medicare prescription drug plan. The plan provides discounts at certain health care providers of medical services. The plan does not make payments directly to the providers of medical services. The plan member is obligated to pay for all health care services but will receive a discount from those health care providers who have contracted with the discount plan organization. The range of discounts will vary depending on the provider type and services provided. The discount plan organization is Gallagher Affinity Insurance Services, Inc., at 2850 W. Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008, 1-888-868-6199. To view a list of participating providers visit www.findbestbenefits.com and enter Promo Code 576710. You have the right to cancel this plan within 30 days of the effective date for a full refund of fees paid. Such refunds are issued within 30 days of cancellation. This discount plan disclosure is required by our plan administrator, Gallagher Affinity Insurance Services, Inc., and describes their own plan terms — you don't pay Gallagher separately for this benefit, as it's included in your SavingsXL membership fee. The 30-day cancellation and refund right above applies to Gallagher's discount plan terms only, not to your SavingsXL membership; SavingsXL membership fees are billed and can be canceled separately, anytime, under SavingsXL's own no-contract terms. You may elect, at your own cost, to modify or change this service directly with the provider, in which case their additional terms and conditions would apply.

*Potential savings based on regular use of the program's benefits. Actual savings depend on which benefits you use and how often — shopping, grocery, and entertainment savings in particular add up with frequent use. Some members save less. Benefits must be used to realize savings.