One of the best ways to control the cost of healthcare for you and for the employer that sponsors
your plan is to become a better “consumer” of health care. By better, I mean more informed about
the impact of your health care decisions. You see, the decisions you make affect more than just you,
they affect your family, your employer and your fellow employees. Consumer Driven Health Care is a
movement intended to make people more aware of the need to make responsible and appropriate health
care decisions. It puts YOU in control over how your health care dollars are spent.
Little things like completing a Health Assessment (HA), or participating in employer sponsored
health screenings or Wellness Programs, and getting regular preventive check-ups can reduce the cost
of your health care expenses in the long run. Catching things early or being made aware of potential
problems can reduce the amount of health care dollars you spend to treat them. Many consumer driven
health plans have a higher level of benefits for preventive services. If the HRA or the health screening
does identify a potential problem, many plans have disease management programs available to their members.
By participating in these programs, you have a health care advocate that makes sure you are receiving the
right care when and where you should be receiving it. There are also things like the Mayo Nurse Help line
that give you access to health care professionals that are able to help you make informed health care decisions.
There are things that we can all do, regardless of our health care knowledge to make sure that we are utilizing
a responsible and appropriate amount of health care. Limiting the amount of unhealthy behaviors we take part in,
such as smoking, can lower the level of health care that we need. Exercising on a regular basis or participating
in Wellness initiatives through your employer can also reduce the need for health care services. Visiting an
Urgent Care Center is generally less expensive than a visit to the Emergency Room, but you still have access to
quality health care. Trying an over the counter medication or a generic is much more cost effective than starting
out with the most expensive name brand drug to treat a sickness, and many times just as effective! You can also
ask HCMTI about the opportunity to split your pills – this could save you 50% on your prescription drugs!! These
are simple ideas that can have a tremendous impact on expenses.
A good consumer does their homework ahead of time. For non-emergent services, you can research the cost and quality
of a provider before you incur any expenses with them. You may find that the cost of an outpatient surgical procedure
is much less at a surgery center than it is at a hospital. There are many tools available on the internet that let
you research cost and quality issues for providers. We have included links to several different sites to help you.
|
|