Americans are terrible healthcare consumers. We spend more time researching new appliances and cars before purchasing them than we do our healthcare plans.
That’s why the American Institute for Preventive Medicine designated February as National Wise Healthcare Consumer Month.
Helping Americans become better healthcare consumers can not only save people money, but it can save their lives, too. That’s why we want to help.
How to Be a Wise Healthcare Consumer
Here are some tips on how to be a wise healthcare consumer to help you save money and live better.
Shop Around
In a recent study, more than half of all Americans said they didn’t feel confident that they could save money by shopping around for healthcare.
The reality is that technology in general and telemedicine, in particular, is making healthcare cheaper and more affordable than ever, regardless of whether you have health insurance or not.
One way that people can be wise about their healthcare is to check for reviews about doctors on Yelp or Google. Zocdoc is another handy place to search for good doctors that are covered by your insurance plan. Don’t let your insurance company assign you a primary care provider at random – do your research to find one who will best meet your needs. Also, you should carefully review your insurance coverage options every time you change or renew policies. Think about how much you use your insurance to find the plan that’s the most valuable for your healthcare needs, not just the one with the lowest premium or deductible.
Get an Annual Physical
Even if you feel healthy, you could be battling a hidden health condition. Getting a physical once a year can help find and treat health conditions before they become more serious.
Bring a List of Your Medications and Questions to Your Appointment
It’s crucial for your doctor to know about every medication you take, including over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and supplements. That’s because medications can interact with each other, sometimes with fatal consequences.
When you’re talking to the doctor, it can be easy to forget things, so having everything written down is the best way to stay safe and get the most advantage of your appointment.
Don’t Ignore Symptoms
Health conditions tend to get worse over time. Ignoring symptoms can cause minor problems to become major issues.
It’s better to get checked out over something that turns out to be nothing rather than ignoring something potentially serious or life-threatening.
Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions
Whether it’s taking the entire course of antibiotics, skipping unnecessary testing, or taking over-the-counter or generic medications, trust that your doctor has your best interests in mind.
It’s OK to get a second or third opinion, but it isn’t OK to ignore every doctor’s suggestions for treating your problem.
Ask Questions
Stand up for your health. It’s OK to keep asking questions. Ask about a medication’s side effects. Ask about your prognosis and the full treatment plan. Ask why your symptoms aren’t being managed by your current medication.
Asking questions could save your life. Be persistent when you need to be.
A great question to ask your doctor is "is there anything I should be asking that I'm not?" We don't always know what the right questions to ask are, this question invites the doctor to cover anything that may not be on your radar.
Don’t Neglect Your Mental Health
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. It might even be more important since poor mental health can actually contribute to poor physical health.
Here are just a few examples of how poor mental health can negatively impact physical health:
Depression increases a person’s risk of dying from cancer by 50%
Depression is linked to a 67% increase in dying from heart disease
Schizophrenia is associated with a doubled risk of dying from heart disease and a tripled risk of dying from a respiratory disease
Wise Healthcare Consumers Know the Benefits of Telehealth
Telehealth (also called telemedicine) has a lot of benefits that can save you time and money.
For example, many ailments you would go to an urgent care clinic for can be managed with an online video appointment instead.
Online appointments often have the same copay as a regular doctor appointment (which is usually a lower copay than what you pay at an urgent care clinic) and save you a lot of time.
Here are a few ways you can take advantage of telehealth:
Video appointments for many conditions
Online prescriptions (with a video appointment)
Mental healthcare online (therapy appointments and online prescriptions)
PlushCare Is a Win for Wise Healthcare Consumers
We can handle many of your health needs with online appointments. With a typical out-of-pocket cost of just $30 (or $129 without in-network insurance), you can get treatment for your urgent and primary care needs, including:
Sinus infections
Cold and flu symptoms
Sore throat
Rashes
Pink Eye
UTI
Headaches
STD/STI
Asthma
Diabetes
Hypertension
Anxiety
Depression
Thyroid disorders
Insomnia
PrEP
Hair loss
Birth control
Prescription renewals
Mental health
Sources
Healthylife.com. February is National Wise Healthcare Consumer Month. Accessed February 28, 2020, at https://healthylife.com/wise/
Premeirmedicalhv.com. February is National Wise Healthcare Consumer Month. Accessed February 28, 2020, at https://www.premiermedicalhv.com/news/february-national-wise-health-consumer-month/
