Taking Back Control of Health Insurance: What You Can Easily Control (if you want to)

Your body is a temple for your spirit. Just as you treat temples with respect, you should treat your body with respect. 1 Corinthians 3:16–17

Do you know a business owner who conducts regular safety meetings? What about product knowledge training?  How about role plays of customer interactions or sales calls with prospects?

In each case, you can see how a business is taking steps to prevent physical harm to the employees, to avoid sharing wrong information that could lead to customers’ misuse of a product, and minimize your sales team from being unprepared for objections from prospects.

The January Heatlh Tip shared how you, not your genetics and not your doctor, more than 60% of what determines your health today and what you can prevent from happening tomorrow.

Iron Forums member Yvener Liberal is involved in his second venture to leverage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” (or $1 spent on prevention is worth $100 of cleaning up a mess). Having operated a direct primary care practice (something I use and endorse, and invite your conversation about separately), Yvener is providing access to early detection screenings that leverage the under-utilized benefits of MRI technology.

“Early detection saves lives,” Yvener reminds us. “Detecting diseases in their early stages often leads to more successful treatment outcomes. Many diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular conditions, are more treatable when diagnosed early, allowing for prompt intervention and management.” The benefits to you (and your staff) includes

·       reducing your pain of the symptom and the treatments’ side effects,

·       reducing the time suffering (and possibly not being available for your business OR your family)

·       reducing the cost of care (think cholesterol medication for $10/month vs a $175,000 heart attack)

And knowing the importance of family to each of us, Yvener added, “Early detection of diseases can prompt individuals to become more aware of their family health history and genetic predispositions.  This can prompt other family members to take action that they otherwise would ignore."

Preventative care that is routinely included at $0 cost to you or your employee

Many solutions are pre-paid with your enrollment in a group or individual insurance plan. Others can be purchased directly from the physician or other provider for what many of us refer as the ‘cash price’ or ‘self pay rate.’ It’s often less than the insurance plan’s in network rate.

1)    Annual wellness exams (for men and for women)

a)     Dental check-ups are covered by separate dental insurance plans

b)    Mental health screening coverage varies

2)    Dermatology check-ups (for skin cancer)

3)    Preventive screenings (*See “Bonus” info about Alzheimer’s / dementia)

a)     Mammograms (for breast cancer screening)

b)    Colonoscopies (for colorectal cancer screening)

c)     Bone density scans (for osteoporosis screening)

d)    Vision screenings (for conditions like glaucoma and macular degeneration)

e)    Hearing tests

f)      Blood pressure screenings

g)     Cholesterol screenings

h)    Diabetes screenings (e.g., blood glucose tests)

i)      Prostate cancer screenings (PSA test)

j)      Osteoporosis screenings

k)     Abdominal aortic aneurysm screenings (for men who have smoked)

l)      Lung cancer screenings (for current or former smokers)

m)   Cardiovascular disease risk assessments

4)    Vaccinations and immunizations:

a)     Influenza (flu) vaccine

b)    Pneumococcal vaccine

c)     Shingles vaccine (varicella zoster)

(*) BONUS

Several early-detection screenings are not included. With someone in the US developing Alzheimer’s disease every 66 seconds (3 people in the time you read this article), those in Atlanta are extremely fortunate to have access Emory’s groundbreaking Healthy Brain Study. I started participating in 2022. Start by going to https://healthyaging.emory.edu/ehbs/. 

And as a bonus bonus, there is no cost because the costs are covered by a research grant.

Action Item Checklist

1)  Schedule your annual wellness exam, even if it is months from now.

a.     Follow the advice you AND your doctor agree to

b.     Check with Yvener about early detection not covered by insurance at [email protected]

c.     Consider the no-cost-to-you Healthy Brain Study

d. Ask your broker what’s covered – or you can ask me to do an independent audit. 

2) Maintain an Active Lifestyle: Incorporate regular physical activity into your routine to promote overall health and well-being. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, as recommended by healthcare professionals.

3) Prioritize Stress Management: Practice stress-reducing techniques, such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and mindfulness, to manage stress levels and promote mental and emotional well-being.

....and we're not discussing diet here. Instead, focus on drinking more water. ;-)

While we have much to share, what do you want to know so that we can prioritize that content? It could be about you personally, or about your family or employees. Is it advice from doctors or dealing with the insurance carriers?

You're invited to send a message to [email protected], call me at 770.335.0077 or schedule a conversation because just as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.....and our community sharpens our community. In other words, we need each other to be their healthiest.