Shop Around and Save November 10, 2006

Many people know to shop around to save money on most things in life. Yet when it comes to health care and insurance, a lot of people don’t realize the importance of shopping around. According to The Merced Sun-Star the average knee replacement surgery is $73,000. Since most people are choosing 70/30 plans to save money on health insurance, that can mean an out-of-pocket expense of over $20,000.

Choosing insurance can be critical to the care you can afford. Some people only choose a catastrophic care insurance, and others end up choosing treatment that is not covered by their health insurance. Unexpected bills can be disasterous to your finances. So, shopping around for insurance is of the utmost importance.

Still, shopping around for insurance is not the only thing you can do to keep your medical costs down. You can also shop around for care. You have a right to ask your doctor or hospital how much procedures will cost. If you have flexible insurance, you may be able to get the care you need somewhere that costs less.

Also, if you ask your hospital about costs, they may also be able to help you find health programs that can assist in the financial burden of procedures or care. Many hospitals have charity or payment assistance programs, and there are also private organizations that specializing in helping patients receive financial assistance. Discuss your options with your hospital and insurance patient advocate.

Shopping around can be key to not only finding health insurance that saves you from large hospital bills, but so can shopping for medical care and assistance. While there may

Get Rid of the Slang October 16, 2006

According to Kevin, M.D. Medical Weblog a patient advocate is attempting to ban medical slang like “frequent flyer” and other terms that have been deemed offensive to patients. Many of the terms are demeaning labels that shift the blame from the disease or ailment to the patient, and they have no place in a medical setting.

Patient Advocacy Insights October 14, 2006

At Navelgazine Midwife , there is an article on the increasing pressure being put on women to have a C-section. The article goes on to discuss the dilemma facing patient advocates. Can a patient advocate really look out for the best interest of a patient when the person is employed by the hospital itself? This is not a new, but always an interesting question. There are also some great comments by readers at the bottom of the page. Please let us know what you think…

Story: Why You Need a Patient Advocate October 14, 2006

On Living and Laughing with Chronic Illness Blog, there is a great story about why a patient advocate is necessary. Yet is also warns of those that will put themselves forward as patient advocates and not really do anything at all for you. It is a long story, but the story is not all that uncommon.