Medicare Healthcare Scare

As health costs rise so do Medicare prices at a faster rate than cost of living increases can contain. During your retirement years good healthcare is as important as ever.  Medicare is primary health insurance during this time yet the cost may be too high.  Medicare is a health plan for the elderly and disabled. Much of this specifc population is on a limited income which is usually only Social Security.  The average Social Security monthly payment for 2019 is $1461.  The average amount for Medicare can be up to one third of this average leaving less for food, rent, and other necessary living needs.

The standard part A premium for inpatient care may range from $240 to $437 and depends on the amount of Medicare taxes you have paid. If you have paid less than 7.5 years in Medicare taxes, the higher price is the premium price.  The deductible for Part A hospital coverage is $1,364 for each benefit period.  Coinsurance is $0 for first 60 days, $341 for next 30 days, and $682 for each "lifetime reserve day" (up to 60 days over your lifetime).  The patient is responsible for all costs after lifetime reserve depleted. 

The standard part B premium for outpatient care starts at $135.50 and is higher depending on income.  The deductible for this part is $185 per year.  After this has been met, payment for services is 20% of Medicare approved prices.  This can be covered with extra insurance coverage through a Medicare Advantage Plan offered by commercial health insurance companies.  If you fail to buy during the eligible enrollment periods, the premium may go up 10%. 

Regardless of who is paid for what, the result is the same.  Prices continue to increase and cover less.  For example, many home health care costs are excluded.  Home health care is important for those that are homebound or disabled.  This cost should hardly be extra on a limited income.  

Then there is Medicare part C (Medicare Advantage) and Medicare part D prescription coverage offered by regular insurance plans for an extra fee of course.  The deductibles, copayments and coinsurance are part of this as well.  Each insurere has their own plans and rates that add to your health maintenance if you can afford it.  Payment for part A and B is too much for many; therefore, medication may be omitted especially if the choice is food or medicine.

The Medicare healthcare scare is real.  What began as a "free" low cost comprehensive health program for the elderly has become a high cost less inclusive health plan for limited income retirees and peopele with disabilities.  Medicare solvency concerns have led to predictions it will be in debt within the next fifty years or so.  In the meantime, price increases with less coverage seems to be the answer for over 60 million people in their retirement years.  Best health!

Medicare:  Will It Be There When You Need It? 

http://bit.ly/bhloV2

Free Prescription: Prayer - Use as Needed

Pray for me. This often forgotten yet basic request is often deferred until times of severe health duress. How effective is prayer in helping heal your illnesses or that of someone else? Combining this with other forms of treatment has proven effective in managing illness, especially chronic disease.

Prayer is considered an alternative health treatment; however, faith healing is the only way to many. Man made medical treatments like drugs and surgery combined with modern technology have overshadowed prayer. Prayer, like many other alternative "natural" treatments, is usually left off the intern and resident training in medical school. Research has shown that many patients pray for their health regardless of religious background, and that is does indeed have healing health benefits.

Praying for oneself as well as being prayed for are effective in staying healthy as well as in healing. The beautiful thing is that you can do it anywhere, anytime without paying any money. No health insurance is required.

Best health!

by J.L, Richardson, M.D., family medicine doctor and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide.

This book provides 112 pages (large print) of health information that will tell you what your doctor should be asking you, telling you, and doing for you - as taught in medical school and used since Hippocrates. http://amzn.to/13m51UU

How You Can Save on Health Costs

Rising health care costs are one of the biggest reasons many people refrain from getting medical care when they need it.  Medical care costs deter many from doing what is best for their health. The following suggestions will help you spend your health dollars more wisely.

1. Eat proper foods. This is more healthy and less expensive especially if dining out or ordering in is eliminated.  Deleting junk food reduces expenses as well.  Home cooking is better for you and less costly.
2. Keep weight stable. It is the healthy thing to do. This will save on grocery and clothing expenses as well as long term savings on medical expenses.
3. Get prescription medicines in bulk quantity of 100 versus thirty day supply especially if you are paying outright. Buy nonprescription medication 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.
4. Talk with your doctor by phone, fax, and email to save on the cost of an office visit payment. Just think about the number of office visits you have been to where all you did was talk (after waiting for a long while). This will save your time and money.
5. Monitor blood pressure at home.  Call in, email, or fax your readings to your health care providers. 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.
6. Maintain healthy lifestyle changes long term.
7. Do routine health maintenance check-ups and testing.  Prevention and early detection have proven cost effective and good for overall health.

Invest in your most important asset - YOU. Maintaining your good health is one of the best ways to prosper into longevity.  Best health!

Your Choice: Medication or Food?

As health care costs rise everyone is looking for ways to save and cut costs. Recent studies and polls reveal that many are foregoing their medicine for other necessities of life like food and shelter.  Patient compliance has dropped to a new low.  Patients are taking their medication as needed when their budget allows.  This means less to none on a daily basis. Many are finding this indeed saves money, and possibly affects their health outcome minimally.

As food is the sustenance of life, many are making healthier choices.  This helps their medical maladies as well.  For hypertension and diabetes proper food choices can often alleviate the need for “stronger” treatment with medication. As more patients learn about dietary management and adhere to it, they find that they can indeed save money.

Talk to your healthcare provider if you are noncompliant with your medication because of the cost, or side effects that may cause other conditions requiring more medication, more money.  Be sure to get formal diet and nutrition counseling.  This will help make the right choices when you shop for food.  Contrary to popular myth, healthy food is actually affordable.  Shop smart to save your money and your health!     

Sicker from Med or Illness

You just had that coronary heart bypass, and you have been prescribed several new medication pertaining to that and other conditions that popped up during your hospitalization for the surgery. You go to see specialists for these new diagnoses, and you get more medication. So you have over ten different medications to take now. You thought you would be getting along much better by now, but something is just not right. Are your conditions getting worse?

You may think that you are getting worse from the illness, but could it be the medicine? You decide to get out the Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) and the Internet to research the medication you are taking. Upon discharge from the hospital you received information sheets about each medicine, but the information seems so scanty. Sure enough, you are right.

The PDR and Internet gives details about side effects and drug interactions you had no idea could occur. You wonder why the doctor didn't tell you one of the drugs could cause blindness, fatal lung disease, hepatitis, hyper- and hypothyroidism, loss of appetite, anorexia, constipation, worsening of the condition for which it has been given, etc., etc. As you read further you find this drug should not be used with two other medications you have been prescribed.

You no longer have to wonder why your recovery has been slower than expected, and why you feel so bad. You have been overmedicated! Here you were thinking you were getting sicker from your diagnoses and surgery.

Take the time to read about medicines you are prescribed. You may find that you are not as sick as you thought you were. Overmedication can easily mimic as well as bring on symptoms of many disease conditions, and make you feel worse than that for which you are being treated.

by J.L. Richardson, MD, family practice doctor, patient advocate, and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide, a Writers Digest International Self- Published Book Award winner.

www.mypatienthandbook.com/
www.blogtalkradio.com/drjfpmd
www.twitter.com/MD4U

Medication Information for Patients

Should patients receive the same information about medication that doctors get? YES!


The information from the drug company that comes with the medication should be given to the patient. After all the patient is the one taking the medicine. The benefits and the risks should be readily available; however, this is very seldom the case. Most of the time the doctor has not read this information, and does not give it to the patient. There is usually a lot to read. There is so much to read that most drug companies use extremely small print on a 10 foot long sliver of paper to tell about the drug. Fortunately, this information is now available on the Internet drug company web sites.

How many doctors or pharmacists even get to the last page of "patient counseling information"? If there is specific patient information, why is it at the end? Why is there information "for doctors only"? Why is the patient information so different from the doctor information?

Medication errors occur far too frequently to leave the patient out. Medication awareness for patients should be as important as diagnosis and treatment. Full disclosure of the good, bad and ugly effects of medication should be available to anyone who wants to know about it - especially the one taking it.


By J.L. Richardson, MD, family medicine doctor, patient, patient advocate, and author of the award winning Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide.

www.mypatienthandbook.com
www.blogtalkradio.com/drjfpmd - book excerpts read by author.
www.twitter.com/drjfpmd

Drug Prices Cheaper With Coupons?

This week my doctor gave me samples (about 4 to be exact) of a new medication he thought would benefit me. He also gave me a coupon for up to $30 off with the written prescription he gave me. On this coupon your patient information must be disclosed. There is space for your name, address, and a check box "if payment to pharmacy".

I call it a coupon. The drug company calls it a copay assistance card. If by chance, your pharmacy does not accept the copay card it instructs you to complete the personal information and mail it in with your pharmacy receipt (cost to mail another 43 cents).

There are all sorts of codes listed on the card in a small box. What does this mean? It seems like some secret tagging process.

I have two issues with this - the privacy afforded patients by HIPAA , and the copay card itself. If you get "up to $30 off", that can only mean that the medication is at least $29.99. This is an average amount for any monthly supply of meds as far as I am concerned.

Thank you, but no thank you, doc. Did it ever dawn on you that I may not be able to fit this in my already tight medical budget? I would have appreciated more samples especially if you have prescribed it to help me. Even information about the drug would have been welcome.

I was turned down for more samples even after shouting down the hall that this seemed unaffordable. I was denied the time to even think about asking for written drug information. Makes you go hmmm....


J.L. Richardson, M.D. is author of the award winning (soon to be NY Times bestseller), Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide.

http://mypatienthandbook.com/