How to Save on Your Health Costs

Spending your health dollars wisely is easy to do. These tips are a must for saving your health as well as your money.

1. Keep your weight stable. It is the healthy thing to do. This will save on grocery and clothing expenses.
2. Get prescription meds in bulk quantity of 100 versus thirty day supply especially if you are paying for your meds.Buy nonprescription medical items in bulk when on sale. You will be amazed at your savings when you buy a six to twelve month supply on sale. This tip is also effective for emergency preparedness.
3. Check with your state provisions for health care. Many states have low cost insurance plans available. Check what your state has to offer by contacting the state health agency.
4. Talk with your doctor by phone, fax, and email to save on the cost of an office visit payment. This avoids wasting valuable time waiting in the doctor's office especially when time constraints often result in patients being seen 30 to 60 minutes after the given appointment time. Save your time and money.
5. For blood pressure checks, get yourself a home blood pressure monitor. Call in your readings. Many doctors will discover that your blood pressure is actually stable when the stress of the doctor's white coat is absent. For diabetics, a home glucometer is very useful for monitoring blood sugar.

Invest in your most important asset - YOU. Great health is true wealth!

Tips for Effective Communication

1. Listen a lot.
2. Be specific.
3. Ask for a reasonable change that will relieve the gripe.
4. Make sure your patient/healthcare provider understands what you want and you understand what she or he wants.
5. Deal with only ONE issue at a time.
6. ALWAYS consider compromise.
7. Never assume you know what the other is thinking. Check it out. Don't assume or predict reactions, rejections, or acceptance.
8. Accept what the other feels. Don't tell your patient/healthcare provider what he or she should or should not be feeling.
9. Don't name call or label.
10. Sarcasm is dirty fighting - call each other on it.
11. Stay in the present. Grievances should be dealt with at the earliest possible moment. Don't save them up to use as weapons.

Great health relies on effective communication by everyone - YOU the patient, your family, and your health care team. Best health!