Thinking back on that last post, about how it takes all of us to curb medical spending, reminded me of my personal attitude adjustment on this issue.
My health plan puts claims online so I can track them, and also shows what I paid and what the plan paid. That was an eye-opener. I thought I was pretty low-maintenance, not a drain on the plan. But my two little meds for a skin condition really add up: between co-pay and insurance coverage, they cost $200 a month, more than my premium share.
Working for a health plan has made me conscious of medical costs. So I researched my options at RegenceRx.com. I found that hydrocortisone cream controls the same symptoms as the prescription I used, for only $5 a tube (less for store-brand). After awhile, I didn’t even need it every day, just every few weeks.
Unfortunately, they don’t make a hydrocortisone shampoo (unless you’re a dog). But I got a valuable clue from RegenceRx.com: both my meds were considered “anti-fungal” (ew!). A Google search showed vinegar has anti-fungal properties. I left some vinegar on my scalp for several minutes before shampooing and voila--that works too!
It was fun to find such easy and cheap solutions, but how come I had to find them myself? No doctor in 15 years of taking those meds offered any alternatives. But then, no vinegar salesmen go to my doctor’s office and buy her staff pizza so she will recommend it.
For about $35 a year, I took myself off two meds and saved $450 in co-pays and $1900 for the health plan -- Unbelievable!! I told my doctor to note I was no longer taking those meds, and that she should pass the word to other patients so they could try it. She just looked kind of bemused. “But those meds are covered,” she said.
“Covered” doesn’t mean “free” – somebody still pays. In fact, everybody pays. That’s why reform can’t stop with health insurance. It will take an attitude adjustment.
My little DIY solution cut almost $10,000 in spending by my health plan – that is, me and my co-workers – in just four years. This didn’t take months of research, settling for less or changing my lifestyle. It just took changing my attitude.
If you’ve had one of those attitude adjustments, maybe you could share it at our Facebook page.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
One word makes a big difference
Have you noticed the change? I'm talking about the change in the debate over health care reform. Lots of Washington politicians, now on their August break, have started focusing on health insurance reform rather than health care system reform. It might look like just a little shift in wording, but there's a big difference. What should the debate be focused on?
The whole point of reform is to control the costs that have sharply increased over the last decade. Can we really resolve this problem by looking only at insurance?
It would be great if that was the case. And focusing just on health insurance reform might be tempting, because that's the bill we get in the mail, so we're super-aware of it. Actually, health insurance reform will be the easiest thing we could do this year, since all the insurers have already agreed on key reforms that everyone wants.
But health insurance doesn't come close to reflecting the total cost of health care.
Unfortunately, there is no one cause for the skyrocketing costs. Rather, several issues have caused our health care system to become overly expensive. It's true that insurers have played their part. But they have plenty of company! Focusing only on health insurance reform won't get the job done.
Drug companies, the government, doctors, hospitals, and even all of us as consumers have also had a hand in creating this situation. Drug companies charge a lot for certain medicines. Politicians make rules about things like Medicare reimbursements. Hospitals and doctors know they'll earn more money by doing costly interventions, while we as patients have almost no control over the amounts that hospitals and doctors charge.
I know it's a big job, but all of these factors need to be addressed -- and that includes each one of us! We can all make an effort to adopt healthier lifestyles. We can research health issues and treatment options on the internet. We can talk to our doctors about the least expensive yet most effective care. We've got to see ourselves as the central actor in our own health care story. And we can economize on medical care the way that we do with our other expenses.
We're all in this together. Keep checking back here for ideas about how to reform the whole health care system.
-- Susan with Regence
The whole point of reform is to control the costs that have sharply increased over the last decade. Can we really resolve this problem by looking only at insurance?
It would be great if that was the case. And focusing just on health insurance reform might be tempting, because that's the bill we get in the mail, so we're super-aware of it. Actually, health insurance reform will be the easiest thing we could do this year, since all the insurers have already agreed on key reforms that everyone wants.
But health insurance doesn't come close to reflecting the total cost of health care.
Unfortunately, there is no one cause for the skyrocketing costs. Rather, several issues have caused our health care system to become overly expensive. It's true that insurers have played their part. But they have plenty of company! Focusing only on health insurance reform won't get the job done.
Drug companies, the government, doctors, hospitals, and even all of us as consumers have also had a hand in creating this situation. Drug companies charge a lot for certain medicines. Politicians make rules about things like Medicare reimbursements. Hospitals and doctors know they'll earn more money by doing costly interventions, while we as patients have almost no control over the amounts that hospitals and doctors charge.
I know it's a big job, but all of these factors need to be addressed -- and that includes each one of us! We can all make an effort to adopt healthier lifestyles. We can research health issues and treatment options on the internet. We can talk to our doctors about the least expensive yet most effective care. We've got to see ourselves as the central actor in our own health care story. And we can economize on medical care the way that we do with our other expenses.
We're all in this together. Keep checking back here for ideas about how to reform the whole health care system.
-- Susan with Regence
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The power of a question, and the answer
This doctor has a couple of great stories about the “medical industrial complex” and why health care reform is hard-- http://tinyurl.com/THCB-lobster-and-lap-choley
After the lobster-salad analogy, he talks about high-tech driving up medical spending, not always for the better. I could relate to his example: gallbladder surgery. Full disclosure–I have gallstones (maybe TMI).
The pain felt like a sword sticking through me right under the rib cage. My doctor said, “Classic gallstone attack, we’ll get CT scan to be sure.” The scan showed a gallbladder that looked like a bag of marbles. The doctor advised removal of the gallbladder: “With laparoscopic surgery, you hardly even have a scar.”
“Doesn’t the gallbladder have a job to do?” I asked. The doctor agreed it did. “Is it necessary to take it out?” She said no, it wasn’t, but I should avoid fats and eating too close to bed time to avert future attacks.
I also went to a licensed naturopathic doctor and he gave me the same dietary advice, plus a pain remedy: peppermint oil pills.
Apparently, peppermint oil soothes spasms, like when a gallstone blocks the bile duct. The pills were about $17 in the grocery store’s health food section. At my next attack: 2 peppermint oil pills, and 10 minutes later – horrendous pain is gone! After 7 years, I’m only on the second bottle of pills. I raved about the peppermint oil -- it helped my friend’s cramps and my brother-in-law’s lower back pain, too.
Guess I could have had the operation, but just I wanted to stop the pain and keep all my working parts. Did you know that gallbladder removal is one of the most common surgeries in the U.S. and the #1 reason is pain. Wonder how many of those people would choose peppermint oil over surgery?
I asked some questions, checked the Internet, got another opinion and found a treatment that worked for me. More disclosure – yes, I had health insurance at the time; no, I did not work for an insurance company then.
It wasn’t about the money, but now I see how each decision impacts the money. We can all ask "Why?" and "How much?", without an act of Congress. You never know what could happen.
Susan with Regence
After the lobster-salad analogy, he talks about high-tech driving up medical spending, not always for the better. I could relate to his example: gallbladder surgery. Full disclosure–I have gallstones (maybe TMI).
The pain felt like a sword sticking through me right under the rib cage. My doctor said, “Classic gallstone attack, we’ll get CT scan to be sure.” The scan showed a gallbladder that looked like a bag of marbles. The doctor advised removal of the gallbladder: “With laparoscopic surgery, you hardly even have a scar.”
“Doesn’t the gallbladder have a job to do?” I asked. The doctor agreed it did. “Is it necessary to take it out?” She said no, it wasn’t, but I should avoid fats and eating too close to bed time to avert future attacks.
I also went to a licensed naturopathic doctor and he gave me the same dietary advice, plus a pain remedy: peppermint oil pills.
Apparently, peppermint oil soothes spasms, like when a gallstone blocks the bile duct. The pills were about $17 in the grocery store’s health food section. At my next attack: 2 peppermint oil pills, and 10 minutes later – horrendous pain is gone! After 7 years, I’m only on the second bottle of pills. I raved about the peppermint oil -- it helped my friend’s cramps and my brother-in-law’s lower back pain, too.
Guess I could have had the operation, but just I wanted to stop the pain and keep all my working parts. Did you know that gallbladder removal is one of the most common surgeries in the U.S. and the #1 reason is pain. Wonder how many of those people would choose peppermint oil over surgery?
I asked some questions, checked the Internet, got another opinion and found a treatment that worked for me. More disclosure – yes, I had health insurance at the time; no, I did not work for an insurance company then.
It wasn’t about the money, but now I see how each decision impacts the money. We can all ask "Why?" and "How much?", without an act of Congress. You never know what could happen.
Susan with Regence
Friday, July 31, 2009
Can one person really make a difference?
It's an understatement to say a lot of people are involved in pushing for health care reform. Trying to follow the progress can feel overwhelming. Even when we do our best to stay informed, it's hard at times not to wonder where each of us fits in as individuals. Are the decision-makers going pay attention to what one person has to say?
The current health care system lets us get away with being quiet, with being poorly informed and being far removed from decisions.
My mind was wandering over these things as I was doing a few chores around the house, rinsing out some aluminum cans to put in the recycling bin. I put the bin out on the sidewalk and looked down the block and saw all the other blue bins in front of the other houses. I imagined all the blue bins across the neighborhood. And it reminded me: my individual actions do matter and together our actions make a difference that affects others.
Recycling used to be a “fringe” idea, now it’s the norm. Some individuals doing what they believed in came to influence groups of people and whole cities and states and countries. This is why each person's voice is needed and our health care system needs every voice. As more people ask questions of the health care system like, "Tell me more," the more the system is going to change the way it reacts to us, change its assumptions about what we want and the way care should be delivered. It could start with each of us sitting in an examining room, asking the doctor, about a prescription being written, “Is there a generic version?” or what about “Tell me about this new procedure. What’s better about it? Are there alternatives? What is the cost, by the way?”
Speaking up is taking charge. Know the options. Ask why. We’re an equal partner in our health care decisions – it’s about our body, our preferences, our money. And, just like recycling, I do this because I believe in it and because it helps more than me, it helps the community. If I take time and do internet research, maybe avoid a few unnecessary doctor visits and procedures, I'm helping to keep costs down for the group of people that together pay for my medical care, and I for theirs.
When it comes to health care reform, I can email my congressmen, write letters to the editor, blog, and go to meetings. I can also speak up when it matters – in my doctor’s office. This is one more way I can contribute to the well-being of the entire community. I hope you will contribute too – if this speaks to your experience, please share this blog with your friends and family.
– Susan with Regence
The current health care system lets us get away with being quiet, with being poorly informed and being far removed from decisions.
My mind was wandering over these things as I was doing a few chores around the house, rinsing out some aluminum cans to put in the recycling bin. I put the bin out on the sidewalk and looked down the block and saw all the other blue bins in front of the other houses. I imagined all the blue bins across the neighborhood. And it reminded me: my individual actions do matter and together our actions make a difference that affects others.
Recycling used to be a “fringe” idea, now it’s the norm. Some individuals doing what they believed in came to influence groups of people and whole cities and states and countries. This is why each person's voice is needed and our health care system needs every voice. As more people ask questions of the health care system like, "Tell me more," the more the system is going to change the way it reacts to us, change its assumptions about what we want and the way care should be delivered. It could start with each of us sitting in an examining room, asking the doctor, about a prescription being written, “Is there a generic version?” or what about “Tell me about this new procedure. What’s better about it? Are there alternatives? What is the cost, by the way?”
Speaking up is taking charge. Know the options. Ask why. We’re an equal partner in our health care decisions – it’s about our body, our preferences, our money. And, just like recycling, I do this because I believe in it and because it helps more than me, it helps the community. If I take time and do internet research, maybe avoid a few unnecessary doctor visits and procedures, I'm helping to keep costs down for the group of people that together pay for my medical care, and I for theirs.
When it comes to health care reform, I can email my congressmen, write letters to the editor, blog, and go to meetings. I can also speak up when it matters – in my doctor’s office. This is one more way I can contribute to the well-being of the entire community. I hope you will contribute too – if this speaks to your experience, please share this blog with your friends and family.
– Susan with Regence
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Why is it so hard to ask the doctor, "how much?"
Does anybody else feel weird asking the cost of a lab test or a screening or even a check-up? I do. I was looking for a new dentist, one in my neighborhood, and I poked my head in the door of a small clinic and asked the woman at the desk, “How much is a routine cleaning?” Then she asked me, “Don’t you have insurance?” “Yes, but how much is a routine cleaning?” “Well, there’s not really such a thing as routine, you might need something else.” “Yeah, but you must have a baseline, what is it?”
At this point, a guy poked his head out from behind a screen, facemask on, tools in hand, and looked out at me through the doorway, like, “Who IS that?” Okay, now I’m getting weirded out – why should I feel bad for asking?
Eventually, I found a dentist through word of mouth – not that one. But the feeling lingers that if I do have insurance, I’m not supposed to ask the cost of treatment. My doctor asks me to sign a paper saying I’m responsible for costs, just in case, and she doesn’t even know what they are.
But when I buy a car or a computer or take a trip, I look up the prices and see what people say about those products or places. Why shouldn’t I do that with a doctor or hospital or treatment? When it’s not an emergency, at least.
The $10 or $20 co-pay has been the norm my whole adult life until I got one of those high-deductible plans last year. I never thought to ask about cost or necessity. And there’s a couple of generations of people who aren’t used to asking these questions. In that time, medical costs have gone crazy and people can’t afford coverage.
Now, the government is telling us we have to “bend the cost curve” so we can afford health coverage for everybody. These researchers from Dartmouth say maybe one-third of all treatment is unneeded. But how do we know when to say “no”? I guess that’s why we have to ask questions. And look things up on the Internet. And ask around.
Maybe if we start asking questions, we could start bending the cost curve ourselves.
What do you think?
Susan with Regence
At this point, a guy poked his head out from behind a screen, facemask on, tools in hand, and looked out at me through the doorway, like, “Who IS that?” Okay, now I’m getting weirded out – why should I feel bad for asking?
Eventually, I found a dentist through word of mouth – not that one. But the feeling lingers that if I do have insurance, I’m not supposed to ask the cost of treatment. My doctor asks me to sign a paper saying I’m responsible for costs, just in case, and she doesn’t even know what they are.
But when I buy a car or a computer or take a trip, I look up the prices and see what people say about those products or places. Why shouldn’t I do that with a doctor or hospital or treatment? When it’s not an emergency, at least.
The $10 or $20 co-pay has been the norm my whole adult life until I got one of those high-deductible plans last year. I never thought to ask about cost or necessity. And there’s a couple of generations of people who aren’t used to asking these questions. In that time, medical costs have gone crazy and people can’t afford coverage.
Now, the government is telling us we have to “bend the cost curve” so we can afford health coverage for everybody. These researchers from Dartmouth say maybe one-third of all treatment is unneeded. But how do we know when to say “no”? I guess that’s why we have to ask questions. And look things up on the Internet. And ask around.
Maybe if we start asking questions, we could start bending the cost curve ourselves.
What do you think?
Susan with Regence
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Doesn't it feel as if everywhere you look these days, people are talking about health care reform? It's there on the daytime talk shows and the nightly news. Maybe you know someone who's worried about changes in their job's health plan. As the summer gets into full swing, and we're getting together at barbecues and the swimming pool, we're all thinking about these discussions and talking to each other. Health care is such a high priority. It's deeply personal. It touches a nerve.
And yet the main debates about health care reform are taking place in Washington, D.C., which feels so far away from most of us. You might have heard about three bills that are floating around Congress. Two of them include proposals for a government-run insurance plan, known as a public plan. The other one seems to be considering the idea of nonprofit health cooperatives, in which members control and own the co-op.
What's not included in any of these proposals? How to take waste and unnecessary costs out of the system.
We've got to take a good look at the cost of reform for each of us right now. Health care reform is a huge undertaking, and it's vital that we get a handle on the costs involved for everyone — taxpayers, insurers, doctors, and each one of us. In his proposal President Obama gives reforms ten years to pay for themselves. But that's what's going on in Washington. What about closer to home?
Because we're all connected in this undertaking, and we've all got to ask: What can I do right now? How can I contribute? Think about it: the last time you went to get a medical test or see a specialist, did you have any idea what the price tag was for the procedure or visit? We need to make that interaction between patient, doctor, and health insurer more transparent and open. And that's just one aspect of the overall health care reform undertaking.
Despite the big challenges — and the little, nagging fears we quietly share with our friends and family about our health and that of our children — we need health care reform that not only covers the uninsured but is mindful about costs in the here and now, when I walk into my doctor's office. This blog is the place where we try to make sense of the cost of health care reform. Keep checking back to stay informed and be part of the discussion.
~Susan with Regence
And yet the main debates about health care reform are taking place in Washington, D.C., which feels so far away from most of us. You might have heard about three bills that are floating around Congress. Two of them include proposals for a government-run insurance plan, known as a public plan. The other one seems to be considering the idea of nonprofit health cooperatives, in which members control and own the co-op.
What's not included in any of these proposals? How to take waste and unnecessary costs out of the system.
We've got to take a good look at the cost of reform for each of us right now. Health care reform is a huge undertaking, and it's vital that we get a handle on the costs involved for everyone — taxpayers, insurers, doctors, and each one of us. In his proposal President Obama gives reforms ten years to pay for themselves. But that's what's going on in Washington. What about closer to home?
Because we're all connected in this undertaking, and we've all got to ask: What can I do right now? How can I contribute? Think about it: the last time you went to get a medical test or see a specialist, did you have any idea what the price tag was for the procedure or visit? We need to make that interaction between patient, doctor, and health insurer more transparent and open. And that's just one aspect of the overall health care reform undertaking.
Despite the big challenges — and the little, nagging fears we quietly share with our friends and family about our health and that of our children — we need health care reform that not only covers the uninsured but is mindful about costs in the here and now, when I walk into my doctor's office. This blog is the place where we try to make sense of the cost of health care reform. Keep checking back to stay informed and be part of the discussion.
~Susan with Regence
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