The July 4th weekend is a great time to celebrate health care choices you can make. There are many aspects of health care you don’t have a say in. Things like the cost of drugs or what your plan doesn’t cover. But that doesn’t mean you are powerless. Here are five health care choices you can make to minimize your health care costs and reduce the possibility of surprise bills.
1. Read Your Health Insurance Plan
It’s true, these documents don’t read like the great American novel. They’re written or reviewed by attorneys. And they sound like it, too. But you don’t have to read them cover to cover. You should, however, read and understand the parts that will most likely impact your bills.
Here are six sections you need to read:
- Deductible
- Co-insurance or co-pay for office visits, lab work, tests, hospitalizations, and ER visits
- The difference between in-network and out-of-network costs for these items
- Out-of-pocket maximum
- Excluded benefits
- Emergency room coverage and penalties if you don’t follow the rules
- Drug coverage
You may find unfamiliar terms and words in these sections. My post on surprise bills will explain the most commonly used words and important details buried in your plan document.
2. Carefully Review Your Bills and Explanation of Benefits (EOB)
Whether it’s a hospital bill or office visit, get an itemized bill from your provider. Hospital bills are notorious for having incorrect charges. Check each line item on your bill. Verify you received those services. If you didn’t, call the provider and tell them you need a corrected bill.
Don’t pay a provider’s bill until you’ve received the corresponding EOB from your insurance company. The EOB shows you how much your insurance company paid and what you owe. Providers will sometimes bill patients directly, getting reimbursed from the patient and the insurance company. When that happens, they aren’t too quick about processing your reimbursement. Plus it’s on you to take the time and energy to follow-up with the provider making sure you get your money back. You can avoid all of that if you don’t pay the bill until after you receive the EOB.
Make sure these items on your EOB are correct:
- Dates & Services
- Co-pay or co-insurance amounts
- Year-to-date amounts you’ve paid towards your deductible and out-of-pocket maximum
More Health Care Choices: Diet & Health
The last three health care choices have to do with your diet and health. Having life-saving open-heart surgery when I was four years old has made me appreciate and strive for a healthy lifestyle. There’s nothing quite like almost dying to make you really appreciate life and be willing to do what you can to keep it going.
Now I read quite a bit about remaining as healthy as possible even as my body ages. Here are the three themes that come up over and over again. I share them here because the best way to avoid health care costs is to stay healthy, thereby minimizing the need for health care. This isn’t to say that things can happen beyond your control. In addition, maintaining good health also calls for preventive care and regular treatment for chronic conditions.
But for now let’s focus on three things you can do to have a healthy life style.
3. Maintain a Healthy Diet
We’ve heard it since we were kids: “Eat your vegetables.” “Don’t eat junk food.” “Don’t eat in between meals.” It turns out Mom, or whoever told you that, was right. Read just about any article or book on a healthy diet and you’ll see those basic principles.
Choosing what to put on your plate, and ultimately in your mouth, is one of the important health care choices you get to make. To help you visualize a “healthy plate,” check out The Harvard School of Public Health’s Healthy Eating Plate. This handy little visual shows you how much of your plate should be made up of protein, vegetables, and all the other good things that help keep you healthy.
Maintaining a healthy weight is also important for your health. Studies have documented the positive effect diet can have on lowering blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Medical News Today compiled information from 23 government, non-profit and science sources to create ten benefits of eating healthy. You’ll notice the benefits aren’t just physical. You can increase your quality of life with improved memory and mood.
The National Institutes of Health provide a wide array of diet information like how to make smart food choices, portion sizes, and important facts about nutrients.
4. Exercise
In addition to Mom’s food maxims, she also often said, “Go outside and play.” With today’s technology, moms probably don’t say that too often. And that’s too bad because no matter our age, we could all benefit from more physical play (let’s not call it exercise!).
The Mayo Clinic lists seven benefits of regular activity, including combatting health conditions and disease. “Activity” doesn’t mean running a marathon. Walking can help you in a number of ways. No gym membership or special equipment required. All you need is a comfortable pair of walking shoes. Walk with a friend or loved one and you get the added benefit of socialization. Walk with a dog, and who knows what will happen (I add this from personal experience!).
In his book, Successful Aging, Daniel Levitin tells us that physical activity is the single factor with the largest effect that benefits mental health, body structure, functioning across multiple domains, and longevity. Levitin goes on to say that exercise in varied, natural environments is an important factor in retaining mental vitality later in life. This could be power walking in a park or forest because it gets your heart rate up and oxygenated blood to your brain. That’s good for your mental and physical health.
Please Note: always get your doctor’s approval before starting a new exercise program.
5. Lifelong Learning
Life-long learning might be my personal favorite health care choice. It’s like having a ticket to explore whatever captures my interest while also being good for my cognitive health! It’s a double win with no downside – at least none that I can think of.
This Harvard Business Review article goes one step further citing economic, personal, and professional benefits. The author admits that there are few studies supporting the personal and professional benefits of learning. However, a Pew Research Center survey on lifelong learning and technology found that 64% of personal learners (those who study of something of personal interest to them) say learning helped them make new friends while 58% said it made them feel more connected to their local community.
Whether you choose to learn through travel, books, discussion groups, classes or some other way, keep your mind active. It’s never too late to get started. A 2014 study published by The Journal of the American Medical Association found that higher levels of mid/late-life cognitive activity were associated with higher levels of cognition. In other words, even people who didn’t engage in active learning until mid/late-life experienced improved cognitive health. The study went on to say, “Lifetime intellectual enrichment might delay the onset of cognitive impairment.” Talk about a win-win!
Happy July 4th! Here’s to the freedom to make wise health care choices!
