Surviving AmericanSurviving
American Medicine

More Affordable Care Act (ACA, or ObamaCare) changes will take place in January 2014. The most important are changes in insurance policies and in physician networks. Also challenging to everyone are the changes in physician attitudes (anger, confusion, burn out) and practice structure. Many of these are described in my book “Surviving American Medicine” along with tips on how to manage them.

But now you need to take some action to help protect your own healthcare and that of your family. If you do not, healthcare changes could threaten your future medical care and your financial well-being.

Here are my suggestions to help you prepare and protect yourself:

• Be certain you have insurance. Check with your insurance company, employer or union to be certain your current policy will continue, or if it will be cancelled. 
• If your insurance is to be cancelled, check out the exchange in your state to find out what your options are. Consider using an insurance broker to help you if you are confused by what you see on the exchange (most people are confused, and brokers can provide experience and assistance).
• Never go without any insurance, even if you have to choose a plan with high deductible and higher cost than before. Why? If you do not have insurance, an accident or a sudden illness (infection, stroke, heart attack, ulcer, appendicitis, kidney stone, etc.) could result in hospital and physician charges over $100,000, and without insurance there is no insurance discount (you get the discount if you have any insurance even if you  have not yet met your deductible, and this discount can be 80% to 90%). Medical costs often lead to bankruptcy.
• Next, once you know which insurance you will have, check with your doctor to see if he/she is going to continue to accept that insurance plan. Networks are changing, and the doctor may be excluded next year. Never use a doctor or hospital or lab or radiology unit that is out of plan, or expenses will just be too high.
• Find out from your doctor if he/she is going to join a different network or hospital, retire, hire new nurse practitioners, or change his work location or hours. You need to be prepared if your physician is going to have major changes that will modify your medical care.
• If your doctor will not be covered by your insurance next year, start finding a new doctor now. Your current doctor or specialists can suggest other physicians, and also let you know if they are good or average or poor.
• Begin to ask now about preventive care including any x-rays or tests you will need to screen for serious illnesses. You might want to get them this year rather than next year when copays or deductibles may be higher.
• Get any symptom evaluated and treated this year before costs increase.
• Be aware of changes in your physician’s attitudes and demeanor, since it may give you hints that the doctor has become frustrated, depressed, overwhelmed, or just burnt out. Ask the office staff about the doctor to be certain he/she is still fully prepared and enthusiastic about giving you high quality care.
• Questions like “Is the doctor ok with all these changes going on?” or “How are you all in the office going to cope with the changes next year?” can help you and your family determine if you have to consider finding a second opinion about your health and treatments.

Healthcare is restructuring rapidly, and changes will continue every year. You need to take charge of your medical care now more than ever. Doing so, you will have confidence in the future. Letting things just happen around you may lead to

Is this sunrise to better heatlhcare, or sunset with less healthcare?

uncertainty and fear, and can cost you your financial well-being, your quality of life, and even your life itself.

For more information and more tips, refer to my book “Surviving American Medicine” available at bookstores and at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.