Medical Money Malady

Medical money spent for your basic healthcare is expensive. The new medication will cost you $1000 full pay. The cardiac test will cost you $1000 for your portion of the $15,000 full price.  Your portion of the physical therapy evaluation with a provider out of your insurance network will cost $500. In or out of your insurance network is expensive.  If you lack health insurance, it is more expensive.  How do you choose what medication, treatment, or procedure to get? Is treatment more important than prevention?  If it was prevented treatment may be unnecessary.  

Medical care today is expensive and complicated.  More unhealthy chronic conditions make medical treatment complex and costly.  Many average household budgets are barely able to get proper nutrition and housing.  Health insurance is less affordable.  This leads to less prevention care, lifestyle maintenance care, and more treatment care. The cost of prevention is most likely less that treatment for chronic disease. As health insurance costs rises, personal deductibles and co-pays increase.  Being unable to pay for basic health insurance usually means less medical care including health maintenance! 

Chronic disease will become more chronic and more expensive to treat!  The rising cost of healthcare including health insurance leads to more money spent by the patient.  Along with the overall economic inflation (especially food), certain expenses are liable to be dropped.  Health insurance and medication are likely to be discontinued or decreased so one can afford housing, food, gas, clothes, and more basic needs.

More prevention care, lifestyle maintenance care, and less treatment care is critical care.  One of the best things a patient can do is to continue with a healthy lifestyle for you and your family.  When you eat nutritious food, your grocery bill can be healthier as well. Exercise keeps you moving and with less pain.  It also helps decrease stress creating mental health clarity and good mood.  Add daily meditation and prayer for more mental health benefits.  Healthy is less stressful for your medical care with less doctor visits, tests, and medication. Healthy lifestyle in itself is a lifesaver and money saver.  Best health!

More medical money information: MY PATIENT HANDBOOK: money

  

Save Money On Your Health

Saving money is healthy and good way to promote good health and wellness. Health prices are escalating more rapidly than prices of other services right now.  There are some things you can do to help avert financial stress. This can include:

·       Shop around for best care and prices.  Your insurance company may cover a diagnostic test with partial payment. This may be higher than the actual charge if you pay yourself.  Call places in your area that offer the same test to check for prices that are cheaper and fit your budget.  If your health insurance deductible is a hefty $6,000 or more, this may fail to be attained.  Paying out of pocket may come out less expensive than $6,000.

·       Cook at home.  Home cooked meals are healthier and cheaper.  You can get more meals from unprepared and uncooked grocery items.  The average cost of one restaurant meal without drinks is about $30.  The grocery equivalent would be two or more good, healthy meals cooked to your taste and perfection.

·       Use cheaper non-prescription medication.  There are many over the counter medication that can do the same as more expensive, newer drugs.  Many of these were prescription medication at one time.  They may be safer as well since they have been in use for a longer time, and been proven effective.

·       Exercise at home.  Create your own exercise plan.  Use exercises you learned in school physical education classes.  Simple stretching, arm rolls, jumping jacks, deep knee bends, sit-ups, and more.  Walking and running on land or in the pool are good aerobic activities.  Exercise can also be done in bed and in a chair.

·       Read more.  The cost to read is better health, more knowledge, and more information of your choice.  The actual cost of reading material can be as free as you make it using the library and Internet.

·       Develop a home entertainment program.  Your choices of your interests have proven to be healthier.  There is less stress over programs and their content.  If it must include television, make your own library with your preferred DVDs and TV sticks that attach to the television.  This works on your schedule. It is free of thoughtless commercial time, unpleasant images, and loud opinions that take away from a program’s content.  Cutting the cable cord can be healthy and good for wellness as well as a big money saver.

·       Take more staycation.  Vacations at home and nearer to home can be much healthier, cheaper, and less stressful.

·       Try to buy mainly that which is necessary leaving the desired for another time when extra money is available.  Reward yourself every now and then, but stay within your means.

·       Save consistently.

For more ways to save money check out “10 Money Saving Medical Tips” http://bit.ly/1Gt4f8I .  Best health!