The Real Cost of Health Care
The key point to know about insurance companies is that they are “for profit” corporations. They exist to make money. Some of the commercials you see may create the impression that insurers are non-profits but it’s not true.
Your employer’s health care plan costs you
Everything has a cost associated with it: if your employer covers your complete health care premium, you can be sure you’re paying for it in the form of a lower salary.
What does insurance cover?
There is no consistency among insurers – it depends on your plan. One thing is certain: very few plans cover alternative medicine and preventive care is barely covered at all.
How do you choose a doctor?
Your health plan will tell you what doctors you can see. If you choose a doctor who is not on your plan, you pay “out of network” fees. However, you still have to pay your monthly premiums to the insurance company.
What about government health care?
It’s not the job of the government to provide health care and besides, private enterprise is more efficient – compare the Post Office with FedEx or UPS! Government health care might appear to be free but we end up paying for it through higher taxes to support the bureaucracy that’s needed to run an inefficient system. Just look at Medicare and Medicaid.
Where do you get the best quality care?
Without a doubt, private insurance companies are better than government run health care because at least you see a doctor more quickly.
What’s the best healthcare option?
Take charge of your health! Choose a doctor you like and pay him yourself. Then get catastrophic insurance for emergencies. If you’re employed, talk to your employer about only having catastrophic insurance, and ask him to pay you the difference in premium as extra salary. Then you can choose where to spend that extra amount.
When someone else pays, they’re in control; when you pay, you’re in control. If you’re paying and you’re not satisfied with your doctor, you can go elsewhere – that’s an added incentive for the doctor to provide the best possible quality of care.
For a more detailed discussion of the points mentioned above, click here to listen to our podcast.
Dr. Brown
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Podcast
We are providing a bi-monthly audio podcast where Dr. Brown addresses health issues that are growing concerns in our society. A podcast is like a radio show, but on the internet. You can listen to it by going to www.NDAMC.com, or by subscribing to it in iTunes HERE. If you have any questions, just contact the NDAMC office.
Newsletter
The email newsletter will be a great resource, not only for you, but for those close to you. It will provide information regarding health issues that you can easily forward on to those that you know that also want to learn. This is a perfect introduction to Dr. Brown and NDAMC.
Website
The new website will continue to grow with both new information that will not only help you as you learn about health, but will also be a place that future patients of Dr. Brown can learn how they can effectively improve their health. Check out our website by clicking HERE.
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