Top board-certified doctors and specialists in Buckhead and Atlanta’s northside communities are partnering with HealthGate.com, an online resource based in Alpharetta that helps the insured and non-insured lower out-of-pocket expenses for medical, health, dental and beauty services.

Tanya Mack, HealthGate president, noted that about 70 percent of Americans don’t meet their deductibles, meaning they are paying hundreds to thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for medical care. Additionally, most insurance plans have coverage gaps and rising premiums, shifting the burden of non-covered expenses to the consumer.

In this case, she says, many are faced with choosing to have a non-covered procedure or not, based on information they’ve gathered and costs.

“With consumers paying more out of pocket for healthcare, they’re increasingly taking more responsibility for their own healthcare decisions and healthy lifestyle choices,” Mack said. “With gaps in coverage, consumers want more transparency in advance of their visit regarding the doctor they’re seeing, procedure details and costs. We’re offering all that and a way to save money on healthcare expenses.”

HealthGate helps consumers lower out-of-pocket costs by 25 to 75 percent through savings on health, medical, dental and beauty services. Services include well woman exams, travel physicals, sports physicals, allergy testing and rush-rapid treatment, wisdom teeth extraction and natural weight-loss programs.

HealthGate.com features provider videos, procedure details and ease of service selection that directly links consumers to top local healthcare professionals.

Many HealthGate providers also give back to local communities by donating select procedures and services at 100 percent savings.

Dr. David Redding, an allergist with Redding Allergy and Asthma Center in Atlanta, said that HealthGate provides cost savings to consumers, especially those with high-deductible plans and young people who may not have insurance. Redding and his twin brother, Alan, also an allergist, offer two services through HealthGate: allergy testing and a new, faster allergy treatment called Rush Immunotherapy.

“There is a lot of complexity and confusion about how much healthcare services cost due to the complex way that medical services are paid,” Redding said.

“This is a way to let the healthcare consumer know upfront how much a medical service costs without having to decipher complex billing statements involving terms they don’t understand.“

Information: www.healthgate.com.