If you have felt overwhelmed by today’s healthcare system, you are not alone.
Whether you are finding and booking appointments with specialists, filling out endless forms, or looking up the interactions for your medications, it can feel like a second job.
How did taking care of our health become such a burden? When most of us were growing up, our parents typically had “good” health insurance through their employers. Instead of primary care providers (PCPs), we had a family doctor who treated all of us, and our pharmacist knew us. Our doctor had the time to answer our questions, was on call when there was an emergency, and, if we were hospitalized, they often came to see us.
Although there are countless reasons why everything changed, we now have a healthcare system that is far more complicated and costly than it was even a generation ago.
While I cannot offer solutions for dealing with problems like fighting insurance denials or the high cost of care in a short column, here are some resources and practical tips that have helped my clients and me save some time and reduce stress.
Health insurance
Choosing a health insurance plan can feel like gambling, but with possibly catastrophic results. HMO or PPO? Traditional insurance or Kaiser? How about an HSA? Should I pay a higher monthly premium for the security of more comprehensive coverage, or choose a lower premium with a high deductible and hope I do not become seriously ill?
Instead of becoming frustrated spending time trying to figure it all out on your own, here are three free resources that can help you make informed decisions.
If you are on Medicare, your State Health Insurance Assistance Program provides free, unbiased counseling to help you understand your coverage and compare plans. Online at shiphelp.org.
If you purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, certified Navigators provide free and unbiased help with enrollment and determining whether you qualify for premium tax credits. Online at: apply.coveredca.com
Finally, if you already have a life insurance policy with a broker who also offers health insurance, they may be willing to help you understand your options at no additional cost.
Medications
Managing multiple daily medications can become an exhausting daily chore. Plus, there is anxiety over missed doses, confusion over instructions, and sometimes serious side effects.
One of the best ways to make your prescription regimen less overwhelming is to schedule a “Brown Bag Review.” Make an appointment to bring every prescription, over-the-counter medication, and supplements you take and ask your primary care physician or pharmacist to review them together.
At your medication review, ask whether any medication can be safely discontinued and whether a new symptom, such as dizziness or fatigue, could be a side effect of an existing medication rather than a new medical condition.
I keep a list on my computer of all the meds for each family member, and I bring the lists to appointments. I also keep copies in my purse for emergencies. I would much rather hand the medical assistant a list than rely on them to write down what I can recall from memory.
Getting a diagnosis
When you are trying to find a diagnosis or live with a chronic or rare condition, your life can become seemingly endless time-consuming appointments, medical bills, and uncomfortable tests, all while living with painful symptoms.
Years ago, my husband was ill, and we spent almost two years trying to get a diagnosis, meeting what seemed like every specialist at an internationally known university medical center. Each physician had a different theory of what was wrong, followed by rounds of tests, only to discover that he did not have what they thought he had.
One day, while sitting in yet another waiting room, my husband looked over at the table of brochures and said, “The doctor is going to say he thinks I have sleep apnea.” I asked him why, and he replied, “Because that’s what all the pamphlets say.” I laughed but then wondered why we were in that waiting room because we already knew that sleep apnea did not make sense as a cause of his symptoms.
The sleep apnea appointment and some of the other testing seemed like a waste of time as my husband continued to deteriorate. Meanwhile, the doctors were shrugging off, without explanation, blood tests that were coming back as outliers. The result was that my husband’s diagnosis was delayed, and the disease progressed while we hunted for the diagnosis.
What we experienced is quite common. Diagnostic delays account for most of the medical harm in this country. If you or a loved senses that your medical team is stuck and cannot find what is wrong, or you feel that you are being passed from specialist to specialist while your health deteriorates, trust your instincts and take a step back. Push for a full explanation of any abnormal results. Question the purpose of new tests, and if any tests are invasive or painful, ask if there is a less invasive alternative. Please advocate for yourself or your loved one.
Doctors
A little planning before you meet with your doctors can save time and reduce stress at your appointment.
If you are fortunate enough to choose your primary care physician, and they are competent, ask them to address specific concerns, prescribe routine medications, and order basic labs and scans before heading to specialists.
Understand that most physicians want to spend more time with their patients, but their time is rationed. They want to help, but if you think about it, doctors can generally do three things for you: order tests, prescribe treatment, and provide referrals. I go to our appointment with what I call three “asks” that can be questions or something I want them to look at or do, and I write them down and give them the short list. It makes the appointment go much more efficiently with less stress and miscommunication.
If our family has several doctor’s appointments to schedule, I don’t take the first available. Instead, I try to book only one medical appointment per week. I schedule visits for the same day and time over consecutive weeks; the routine becomes much easier to remember and manage. Then I complete all the online intake forms at home in one sitting for several appointments instead of arriving early to fill them out for what seems the hundredth time by hand.
Finally, if you don’t feel comfortable with a physician or believe your concerns are not being taken seriously, move on if you can instead of wasting time. You deserve the best care.
Being less overwhelmed
As I write this, I keep asking myself, how are we expected to do all of this, especially when we or someone we love is sick? I hope a few of these ideas help you spend a little less time managing the healthcare system and a little more time getting and staying healthy.
Michelle C. Herting is a CPA, an accredited business valuation specialist, and an accredited estate planner specializing in succession planning and estate, gift, and trust taxation.