ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Say you've had a heart attack and your insurer offered you free medicines to help prevent another one. Doctors did that in a major study and were stunned to find that only about half of patients took them.

Those who did suffered fewer heart-related problems and saved $500 on average for health care over roughly a year. And it didn't cost the insurer more; in fact, costs were trending lower because of fewer hospitalizations.

"People don't get as sick, and it's people getting sick that costs the most money," said Dr. Lonny Reisman, an author on the study and chief medical officer for Aetna, one of its sponsors.

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