A lot of data have come out recently that people who are appropriately insured are choosing not to go to the doctor and put off medical procedures and cut prescription costs by simply not taking their medications.
So here is my question: Do these individual steps actually lead to a change in health care or do they simply place a bandage on the problem and result in future greater problems? Are physicians and healthcare practices keeping track of health changes in their patients?

A New President’s Healthcare Plan

It has been more than 60 days since the President Obama took office and the focus has turned toward from the auto industry to the health of the overall economy. So where does that leave the Obama-Biden healthcare plan? Will there be some movement in this year to begin to solve this healthcare puzzle and start to help the consumer?  Will a new plan provide relief for many people who are losing their jobs or are underinsured—people who have insurance that does not cover their health needs and costs.

You The Consumer

Maybe it is time to start shopping? Should you look at your deductible and see if you can set it at a higher level to save more money monthly or is it a recipe for disaster? These are good questions and here is another: what do you want out of your monthly budget and what do you want from your healthcare provider or insurance company; start writing them down.

The Plan

In the Obama-Biden healthcare plan they talk about lowering costs for each family, the goal is so that health care is better for individuals and businesses not just the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. It also focuses on management and disease prevention. The plan pays attention to public health issues from covering preventive healthcare services to cancer screenings and being more prepared for natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

More To Come

So you may wonder where does this leave you the consumer? There are steps to take to start lowering your costs, including reading your health insurance plan in detail, listing out questions for your benefits administrator in a company or health insurance company or their representative, and see if there are discounts at specific hospitals and pharmacies. In addition, see if there are insurance discounts if you lose weight….

The underinsured are people who have insurance that does not fully cover their medical needs and will have to pay more out of their own pockets in addition to their insurance or healthcare coverage costs. According to a study in Health Affairs there may be as many as 16 million people (in 2003) who are underinsured. The study also points out that underinsured individuals may be putting off health care because of the cost.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) section for National Center for Injury Prevention and Control has a list of guidelines to help prevent brain injury. There are additional guidelines for when to contact the doctor for children and adults–questions for the doctor are listed on the side.

There are additional resources listed at the bottom of the page. You can access these guidelines by typing in “prevent head injuries” into Google or by going to the CDC Web site.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Medicaid is for people who cannot afford medical insurance. The rules and regulations that govern Medicaid, whether you are eligible, are determined by each state. In other words, states determine what is a “needy” group and who would be eligible for Medicaid assistance. [Type in Medicaid on Google and you will be directed the Department of Health and Human Services.]

In the HHS General Medicaid brochure “Categorically Needy” and “Medically Needy” are defined. However, not all states have the “Medically Needy” category. A list of mandatory services for the “Categorically Needy” is also provided in this brochure.

Getting to the correct page: At the top of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services there is a contact link and the page does not display a  phone number for Medicaid for individual states; scroll down to the bottom where there is the “Related Links Inside CMS” section and select “Medicaid-List of State Health Departments”. Now choose your state and subtopics… under “Contacts Whose Organization Type Is” select “State Medical Assistance Office” and then click “Show Contacts”, leave all other subtopics alone or at the default setting. A state specific set of information (phone number and Web site) will appear and you can then click to go to the specific state’s Web site.

Once at the State Specific Health Department site there will be specific contact instructions and further information on Medicaid. Again, Medicaid is defined by the Department of HHS and the states determine eligibility.

What if you knew what your prescription said and so did your pharmacist? What if they didn’t have to call your doctor to confirm? What if you could have the prescription forwarded to your pharmacy before you even get there and the drug you were actually prescribed was waiting for you or a generic equivalent (the same generic each time) was there for you?
Electronic Prescibing is the next step to possibly reducing medical errors but it can save people time. Time is something that we all seem to wish we had more of and if you don’t have to wait at the pharmacy or if the pharmacy can move faster… why not?
But here is the question: will you miss your note?
Here is my question… can there be some sort of electonic presciption to get you out of gym class? Remember those days?

Can Health Insurance be affordable? Are there ways to keep your costs down? The answer to both of these questions is yes and no.  Sometimes it is as simple as losing weight–not that losing weight is ever simple–and yes you can actually lower your monthly health insurance costs by losing weight and getting closer to or inside the recommended weight range for your height and age. However, sometimes your monthly health insurance costs are also dependent on where you live, how health is your neighborhood, and your age, something that we cannot change.

If we could find the magic diet pill, the best healthy neighborhood and the fountain of youth we may be able to have more affordable health insurance.  Ask your health insurance reperesentative about ways to lower your monthly health insurance costs… they can be your best advocate, just ask the questions.

Today President Obama made federal funds available for embryonic stem cell research. This change overturns former President Bush’s policy that the National Institutes of Health could only provide research funding to the existing 60 cell lines, which were currently available when Bush signed the executive order in 2001.

This could possibly mean both a lot of battles from each side of the debate and the furthering of science.

A New President’s Healthcare Plan

Barack Obama is our new president and he takes office in a little over two months. During the campaign you heard a lot of talk from Obama and Biden about changing health care but will there be change? How will they really change the healthcare system in the United States?

You The Consumer

When, how, and how will it affect you the consumer and if it does affect you, how will you deal with it financially—possibly getting a new healthcare plan (if you choose), navigating through it, and of course actually using it, and how does any change in health care help you? How will your finances dictate the healthcare plan that you will take or keep?

The Plan

If you look at the Obama-Biden Health Care Planto lower healthcare costs there is a lot of information about finances and the three main areas of change. [You can download the entire plan and read it.] Those areas are: improving technology and patient care by providers from prevention to chronic disease management and increasing competition within the health insurance industry. The Obama-Biden plan also focuses on federal reinsurance for employers, helping them with costs for employees who are facing major illnesses.

More To Come

While the United States is trying to cope with the current economic crisis, will a fundamental change in health care be something that will come quickly, will a sound foundation be laid for the future, or will it be tossed to the side?

It is fair to say that with a new president that we may see some changes to health care in this United States. However, you may not see those changes for quite some time. It depends on how the new administration wants to tackle this very demanding and delicate area. So the real question is: Where do you begin?  Start with your insurance plan, health goals, and questions for your healthcare insurance provider and your doctor. In the meantime, we will see who becomes the next president and what their first healthcare move may be….