Cut your Health Care Costs

May 6th, 2008 | Health Insurance

The tide seems to be turning for consumers strapped with escalating health care costs. Smart consumers realize they must become the engine of change. A consumer driven health care system is the only answer to over inflated health care costs.

Congress is not going to enact meaningful reform. A new incoming administration is not going to enact meaningful health care reform. Both will simply try to sell the American public on another behemoth entitlement program of “Universal Coverage” that will cause even higher costs and taxes, while continuing to subsidize hospitals, doctors and insurance companies with over inflated profits at the expense of the general population.

What Can You Do?

For starters, don’t ask your doctor about the drug you saw on television the other day! Advertised drugs are “high cost drugs” still under patent. In most every case, there is a generic as effective at sometimes a thousandth of the cost.

Take control of your future by having a plan to reduce health care expenses. I dropped my employer funded health coverage, negotiated a raise in pay to compensate for the lower expense to my employer and used the extra money for a catastrophic plan (high deductible) on the open market. I then opened a Health Care Savings Plan. I am actually putting in as much money as before but now I have an account that earns interest. Each year, with good health, I’ll be able to increase my deductible, reduce my costs and dependence on overpaid health insurance companies. By the time I become Medicare eligible, I could be self-insured as long as I remain healthy.

Know What Everything Cost

Now that I don’t rely on insurance paying for all my health care, I know what things cost and can make educated decisions on necessity. If I don’t know the cost of an item, service or procedure, I ask! I also ask if there is a lower cost alternative, always. I am in control. I am an empowered consumer.

Specialists have been paid on the number of procedures for far too long. The more they do, the more they get paid. Decisions sometimes have nothing to do with outcome or medical necessity. Hospitals frequently bill extraordinary amounts for low cost services. I am now in a position to say no to the frivolous and unnecessary or “I won’t pay that much.”

The Best Benefit of All

Now that I have a real financial stake in my health care, I find I am taking better care of my health. I eat better. I exercise more. I am more accountable in every aspect of my health. I didn’t really make a conscious decision to make these changes. I feel they came about because of the new found freedom I have. I am no longer looking to the government or relying on them for future benefits. I have seized control of my health care future. You can too.

Do you support government bureaucrats who promise entitlements? Then you’re not supporting freedom. Do you want the government to fix your problems. Then you’re not supporting freedom. Do you want universal health care coverage? Then you’re not supporting freedom. Freedom means personal responsibility. The more each and every one of us relies on the government to take care of us, the less freedom we ALL have. We must struggle to retain our freedom by doing for ourselves and our neighbors. We must retain our freedom by demanding less government regulation and more citizen independence. We must instill the values in our children that they will receive the fruits of their hard work and not expect everything to be handed to them. They must be held accountable for their actions and accept responsibility if they make mistakes. They will understand the concept of freedom when we teach it to them. We must be leaders to our friends and family, fighting the small battles that help define us as good citizens and strive to inspire people to stand up for freedom, not just meekly accepting what is handed to them, as long as they stand down and shut up. The reason I offer forth these thoughts is because our young men and women soldiers are risking their lives and health every day so we can live in peace. It is our job to maintain freedom for THEM when they come home. They must come home to a free country or we will have failed them.”

Author Unknown