I
think that health insurance is not needed (and in my opinion should
not be used) to have affordable basic primary health care. Healthcare
reform is only needed in areas involving insurance for the expenses
associated with hospitalizations and procedures.
The
average American spends $65 per month on a cell phone bill, $40 per
month on Internet access and $70 per month on a cable/satellite TV
bill. That is over $2000 per year on (what I would argue is)
discretionary spending.
In
my practice, the average person who has 2 or more chronic conditions
will spend per year about $120 for 2 office visits, $100 on labs and
$160 on prescribed medications. This averages out to a little over
one dollar per day for their basic healthcare.
There
are very few people who cannot afford that amount. It is about
priorities. If your health is important enough you will use your
discretionary spending money on that first even if that means cutting
down on smoking, eating out, cell phone use, Internet access or cable
TV.
If
you're spending more than that on your primary healthcare, you need
to ask yourself why. Is your doctor charging you too much? Can your
medications be changed to cheaper ones? Are you provided with samples
of medications you cannot afford? Are the prices being charged for
lab tests too high? Are all the labs necessary?
I
encourage you to compare prices. Call various doctor's offices and
ask how much a visit is, ask if medicine samples are available and
ask how much a lab test such as a cholesterol screen will cost you.
Don't
assume that you can't afford to care for yourself just because you
don't have health insurance or have a high deductible. Receiving
healthcare now can save your money and health for the future.
