Regardless of which side of the political fence you sit on, it is obvious that the affordable care act is not everything it was promised to be. It won’t be fully in effect in 2014, very few people will save money, and many existing plans won’t work under the new rules. But the fact is, it is the law and now we have to figure out how to deal with it.
If you have insurance and have been putting off a procedure, you may want to go ahead and get that done. If you have been putting off that knee replacement, colonoscopy or other procedure, you may want to get it done now, before a big line starts forming. Several MILLION people that have not been under physician care for a number of years are now going to have insurance, as soon as they get examined a number of them are going to have an immediate need for various procedures. Lots more people, same number of doctors, it is obvious that there will be more of these moderate level procedures will be done, and schedules will tighten up.
Don’t get sick! New plans under the act, have to have specific wellness visits covered, you need to utilize these and helpful tools to make sure you are doing everything you can do to get healthy, be healthy and stay healthy. The HealthStatus.com health risk assessments, quizzes and calculators can help you understand your habits and risks. If you aren’t sick, you won’t have to deal with waiting rooms, scheduling procedures and appointments.
Be a smart consumer. With more patients, doctors will have even less time to spend with you. Make sure you go to your visit prepared and if the doctor says something you are not clear on, ask them to explain it better. I hate it when my doctor says, “that test was negative”, I always follow that comment with, “is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Usually, it is a good thing when tests are “negative”, but not always, don’t be afraid to ask.
