Emma Grace Brown contributed this post “5 Ways to Become and Advocate for Your Health.” If you too would like to contribute a guest post, please fill out the following form.
When it comes to managing personal health, there is no person better than you. The reason is simple – you know your body and its requirements better than anyone else. By taking charge of your health, not only will you start making informed medical decisions, but also understand how to manage your condition(s) better.
According to research by the CDC, heart disease is the primary cause of death among African American women. Other leading diseases for this demographic include cancer and mental illnesses. While you may or may not have any of these conditions currently, being on top of your health needs will help to stay healthier for longer. In this article by Melanated and Meducated we’ll explore the best strategies to follow for becoming an advocate for your health.
1. Learn How Insurance Works
According to research by CMS, since 2020, Americans, on average, will spend $12,530 a year on healthcare. But, one of the prime ways to reduce healthcare costs is to have health insurance. In this section, we’ll look at all the important points you should understand regarding your insurance coverage:
- Where Can You Use Your Insurance: Each insurance provider has a network of physicians, testing labs, pharmacies, and hospitals where policyholders can use their insurance. Take the time to learn about where these providers are located to avoid scrambling to find a place to go in times of emergency.
- What Does Your Plan Cover: All health insurance policies are not made equal and can vary greatly based on the things they cover. But, since the passing of the Affordable Care Act, coverage provided by insurance companies has been significantly standardized to include emergency services, prescription drugs, hospitalizations, lab tests, rehabilitation services, and more. Those with existing health conditions may need to negotiate with providers to include specific procedures or long-term care costs as part of the insurance.
- What Do You Pay: As a policyholder, you’ll pay premiums monthly, half-yearly, or annually based on the policy. In addition, while accessing care at the hospital or a clinic, you may have to pay a deductible as well. A deductible is the cost covered by the policyholder, which is above and beyond what’s covered by the insurance. For instance, if your policy has a $100 deductible and the bill for your hospitalization comes to $800, your insurance provider will pay $700 while you pay the balance.
Learning about the intricacies of insurance will help you get timely care and avoid being overcharged for services.
2. Understand Your Illnesses
Whether you have a major or minor illness, it’s important to take the time to learn about it rather than depending on your doctor to educate you. While doctors are a great resource, they cannot be by your side 24/7. Learning about your illness, possible treatments, and management techniques can improve your quality of life at home. Reputed blogs and YouTube channels are great places to start. Those interested in research can access a number of studies published about the illness online as well.
If you have a doctor’s visit coming up, create a set of questions to ask during the consultation, which can include learning about your medications, potential side effects, alternative therapies you’d like to try, etc.
When a treatment or therapy is recommended, inquire about:
- Its costs and lower-priced alternatives.
- Whether your insurance will fully cover it or request to be provided a recommendation to a clinic in your insurance provider’s network.
- The duration of the treatment, its success rate, and potential side effects.
3. Safely Store Health Records
While most insurance providers have apps that automatically store details regarding treatments, claims, and payments, it’s always good to have records printed and safely stored in your possession. Having health records handy is integral for receiving timely patient care whether at the hospital or a clinic.
For those who make regular visits to the doctor, having a trail of health records makes it easy to track the effectiveness of the treatment and provides the doctor with a clear idea regarding whether to continue or change medications.
The go-to format to save your health records should be PDF, as it provides the functionality to password-protect documents. Additionally, you can consider saving records as a video if they include recordings of procedures, therapy sessions, X-rays, etc. Saving your records as a video is a relatively straightforward process when using online video-making tools. These tools allow you to upload documents with ease and merge videos online for free.
4. Makes Changes to Your Routine
The best way to keep healthcare costs low is to live a healthy lifestyle. But, while most of us understand the benefits of healthy living, we solemnly put it into practice. Here are a few simple changes you can make to your daily routine to improve your quality of life:
- Get Adequate Sleep: Commit to getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Falling asleep on time will require you to avoid using electronics at least 1-2 hours before bedtime and not eat foods high in sugar and caffeine post-lunch.
- Eat a Healthy Diet: Regularly eating out and consuming processed food, such as ready-to-eat meals, canned meat, etc., are major contributors to obesity and cardiovascular problems. Maintaining a healthy diet requires buying fresh produce and consuming home-cooked meals daily.
- Stay Active: Adults require a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity per week. This can include jogging, cycling, weight training, swimming, or other forms of moderate-intensity exercises that help to keep bones and muscles strong in addition to promoting good mental health.
5. Research Good Nursing Homes
Individuals managing health conditions that require round-the-clock care should consider moving into a reputed nursing home. While moving away from family is understandably difficult, nothing is more important than receiving the care you deserve. Nursing homes are specialized facilities that provide 24/7 care to their residents. In addition to trained medical staff, nursing homes also have the required medical equipment to help residents manage special needs.
Here are the steps you should follow to find the best nursing home:
- Conduct online research regarding reputed nursing homes in your locality.
- Schedule a time to visit the facility in person, get a tour and talk to residents regarding their experience, quality of care, and any other questions you have. Consider making follow-up visits at different times to develop an understanding of how reliable the staff is.
When it comes to paying for a nursing home, there are various options:
- Using Health Insurance: Check the amount of coverage your insurance will provide every month. If you find your policy lacking in coverage, consider purchasing long-term health insurance.
- Medicaid: The requirements for this program vary from state to state and are targeted toward low-income households. But, if you qualify for the program, it may cover the full cost of care or significantly reduce your out-of-pocket burden.
- Savings: This is never the ideal option to pay for long-term care, but it can be used to cover the deficit after you’ve received money from insurance providers or the government.
Main Takeaways
Making health a priority by being an advocate for it will bring about numerous positive changes to your lifestyle. You can start with compiling health documents and saving them as print and video. Prior to your next doctor’s visit, learn all you can about insurance and ask questions regarding your medicines and ongoing treatments.
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