Even for the insured, the cost of copays and other out-of-pocket expenses add up quickly, whether you’re single or have a family. If you’re feeling the pinch, you’re not alone – according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 53% of respondents said they had cut back on their health care to try and save money.

Many respondents reported an increased use of over-the-counter medications or home remedies, rather than scheduling a visit to their doctor. Others said they didn’t fill prescriptions to save money; some even skipped treatment or tests that their doctor recommended.

Ignoring your doctor’s instructions could prove risky if you have a serious medical condition. But no matter health status, you can cut down on some of the costs of healthcare without having to neglect your health. What can you do?

• When you visit a doctor, make sure you’re prepared. Take along all the information the doctor might need, including paperwork and medical records if necessary. Take note of whether your health has changed recently, including energy or weight fluctuations. If you have any questions you want to ask, make a note so you don’t forget them. Being prepared for a doctor’s visit cuts down on the need for repeat visits, and helps save on copays.
• Get your test results over the phone. Most of the time you won’t need to return to your doctor to get test results, so there’s no reason to spend money on the copayment when it’s not necessary.
• Consider setting up a flexible spending account when open enrollment comes around. Flexible spending accounts let you put pre-tax dollars aside to fund certain types of medical expenses.
• Call an organization such as the Patient Advocate Foundation (800- 532-5274) if you have a chronic disease and want some help with getting the most out of your insurance plan.
• If you’re uninsured, then consider visiting a store clinic. In some locations, retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart now run clinics where you can receive routine medical care for about half the price of a doctor’s visit.
• Try and track down locations where you can receive free medical screening. Organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can help you locate such programs.
• Request a quote for affordable health insurance here. Our system is able to connect you with leading health insurance carriers from across the country, and it could save you a lot of money on premiums or health care costs.

photo credit: effekt!

It didn’t. She was delirious by the time friends finally took her to the emergency room on New Year’s Eve. The doctors diagnosed pneumonia. Three weeks later, she died of adult respiratory distress syndrome. Would universal healthcare have saved her life? You decide.

Universal Healthcare – The Pros

Under universal health care, access to good medical care would become a right rather than a privilege. Hillary Clinton has referred to universal healthcare as “a core Democratic principle.” Certainly, universal healthcare would help the 40 million uninsured, and the countless under-insured people in the United States.

Universal healthcare would allow doctors to focus on what their patients need, not what their patients can afford. For instance, Julie (not her real name) suffers from bipolar disorder. A mood stabilizer controls her condition, but it costs several hundred dollars per month, and Julie has no insurance. So instead of prescribing the medication that he knows will be most effective, Julie’s psychiatrist has to experiment with the off-label generics that Julie can afford. Julie suffers, and society suffers with her when her condition deteriorates and requires expensive hospitalizations that, ultimately, tax payers end up funding. Perhaps this is why, in a recent survey, 59% of doctors supported universal healthcare.

Universal healthcare would allow for good preventive medicine. Chances are that Sylvia would never have become so sick with a chest infection if her asthma had been properly controlled in the first place. If people have access to healthcare, they can work on controlling chronic conditions and preventing health problems, which is far less expensive than dealing with medical problems that have spiraled out of control due to poor preventive care.

Universal Healthcare – The Cons

Universal healthcare would be difficult to coordinate and administer. Of course, universal healthcare isn’t a walk in the park, a magic cure-all. There are challenges as well, one of the chief challenges being who would administer the program. The government has, to put it kindly, not always shown itself to be a model of efficiency. Working out the kinks in universal healthcare would take time and patience—perhaps more patience than most patients possess.

Increased taxes. In a speech explaining why he opposed universal healthcare, John McCain stated, “I’m certainly not interested in raising people’s taxes.” He has touched on a valid point. Both proponents and opponents of universal healthcare agree that taxes would need to be increased to fund healthcare for everyone.

Hard choices. Countries that practice universal healthcare do not give a carte blanche to every treatment for every condition. Some expensive procedures that have very poor success rates may have to be disallowed in the interests of keeping the system afloat. Americans understand this intellectually, but might have a hard time when it is their care or a loved one’s care that is affected.

Universal healthcare is neither angel nor devil. It has its benefits and its drawbacks. But whatever your feelings on the issue, it’s clear that the American healthcare system is ripe for change. It will be interesting to see where this election year takes us and what the President has up his (or her) sleeve.

photo credit: Heather R.

Lack of Success in the Past

Health insurers have an interest in providing insurance coverage for those procedures known to be successful. The insurance company does not want to waste time or money paying medical health professionals for treatments which are unnecessary and ineffective. Therefore, the lack of success shown to be associated with lobotomies in the past can be said to be one of the main reasons why insurance companies won’t cover this type of procedure.

Of course, this may be no surprise, but medical evidence conclusively shows that lobotomies simply do not work in preventing or treating mental illness and in fact do more harm than good in the long run. In this case, a lack of treatment success means that the insurance company will see no justification in offering coverage for this type of procedure.

Not a Necessity in Treating Mental Illness

Another reason why insurance companies do not want to cover your lobotomy is due to the lack of necessity with regard to this type of procedure. Along with the lengthy amount of research showing that these types of operations simply do not work to cure mental illness, a lobotomy is not a necessity. There are plenty of prescription drugs and counseling treatments available to help individuals with their mental illness, many of which are deemed to be highly successful.

Cited As a Barbaric Practice

The lobotomy has also been cited as a barbaric practice by many. The exact procedure is painful and questionable in legitimacy which overall tends to equate with a barbaric treatment method. As most doctors in the world refuse to perform this type of treatment method, the insurance companies are even more opposed to providing coverage for a procedure of this type.

Fraudulent Insurance Claims

Some insured individuals have even gone as far as to falsely claim that they received this type of medical treatment and falsified documents to back it up. This is just one other reason why insurance companies refuse to offer medical health coverage for a lobotomy procedure.

More Information on Lobotomies

In order to gain more insight into lobotomies and why this type of procedure has been phased out of society, an hour length show on PBS entitled “The Lobotomist” is well worth the viewing time.

References

• http://www.freewebs.com/bruiseduk/lobotomy.htm

Photo credit: caramel377 (creative commons, 2.0)