10 Ways to Spend Less on Health Care in a Recession

After many months of wondering, we finally have confirmation that we’re in a recession. Unfortunately, that means spending less on necessities and eliminating what we now consider to be luxuries. But during these tough economic times, the Institute for Good Medicine and the physician members of the Pennsylvania Medical Society urge you to protect your greatest asset – your health.

“Taking care of yourself or your family should never be viewed as a luxury, particularly if you have a chronic illness, or if you are unemployed or uninsured. We want to help our patients stay healthy or get healthy, regardless of their personal circumstances,” notes Daniel Glunk, MD, internal medicine physician and president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society.

The society offers these 10 ways to spend less on health care and stay (or get) healthy:

Don’t stop doing the right things
Take good care of yourself to avoid additional costs.

1. Take your medications as prescribed. If you take medications for a chronic condition such as high blood pressure, asthma, arthritis or diabetes, it can be extremely dangerous and ultimately more costly to stop taking them or alter your dose without consulting your doctor. Ask your doctor if a generic drug would be appropriate – the quality, strength and purity are the same as brand-name drugs, but they’re cheaper because the manufacturer didn’t invest millions to develop the drug. Also ask your doctor about prescription drug assistance, or visit www.RxAssist.org to see if you qualify for free and low cost medications.

2. Pay attention to early warning signs of health problems, particularly if it’s a symptom you haven’t experienced before. The longer you wait, the more costly it can be to treat. Visit your nearest clinic or doctor’s office before you head to the emergency room.

3. Keep important medical appointments. If you have a chronic illness or if your child is due for required immunizations, please keep those appointments. Worried about the cost? Visit http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/ for a listing of clinics and federally qualified health centers that provide services free-of-charge or at reduced cost for those who qualify.

4. Continue self-exams and annual screenings. Take advantage of free health screenings at local clinics, hospitals, or health fairs. Sign up for periodic screening reminders from the American Cancer Society here: http://acsremindme.com/register.php?CID=206. The Pennsylvania Department of Health offers free pelvic and breast exams, pap tests, mammograms to women who qualify. Call 1-800-215-7494 for more information.

5. Fill out the online health assessments offered by the Pennsylvania Medical Society. In just a few minutes, you can find out what steps to take to improve your overall health. Visit www.myfamilywellness.org and click on “How’s Your Health?” The assessment’s personalized reports offer valuable suggestions for making positive lifestyle changes.

Do something
Continue or begin healthy habits.

6. If you smoke, quit. Nearly one quarter (23%) of Pennsylvania’s adults smoke and about 20,000 die each year from the effects of smoking. Smokers pay approximately $16,000 to $18,000 more in health care costs over their lifetime than non-smokers. If you smoke, kicking the habit will save you big bucks PLUS, it will dramatically improve your health. Contact your local American Cancer Society, American Lung Association about smoking cessation classes.
Beginning in February, the PA Department of Health is giving away a four-week supply of nicotine patches. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for more information.

7. Get moving. Regular exercise reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and osteoporosis. First, if you haven’t exercised regularly in a long time, consult your doctor. Exercise also helps to control weight; contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints; reduces falls among older adults; helps to relieve the pain of arthritis; reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression; and is associated with fewer hospitalizations, physician visits, and medications. So, whether you take a brisk walk, climb stairs, ride a bike or lift weights, just get moving. You’ll feel better and hopefully need to visit the doctor less. Contact your local hospital about free or low cost exercise and weight-control classes.

8. Eat healthy. Try to make more meals at home. While fast-food value meals may seem like a good deal, they’re not always the healthiest choice. Instead, try cooking at home, including more fruits and vegetables in each meal. For great recipes, cooking tips and shopping lists, visit the American Caner Society’s Great American Eat Right Challenge (http://www.cancer.org/docroot/subsite/greatamericans/eat_right.asp).

9. Be more careful. The riskier your lifestyle, the more likely you are to have health problems. Take simple precautions in daily life: lift with your knees, buckle-up, and don’t take unnecessary risks. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, make sure you know what you’re doing, or enlist the help of someone who does. Maybe now isn’t the best time to try putting on the new roof or re-wiring the house.

10. Be resourceful. If you have health care benefits, check to see if your plan includes lifestyle programs and preventive services. Take advantage of workplace wellness programs or check with your local hospital about free healthy lifestyle classes.

Avoiding Surgery for Low Back Pain

The simplest method for treating low back pain may actually be the best method. A literature study published in the February 2009 issue of The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons finds that in most cases of symptomatic lumbar degenerative disk disease, a common cause of low back pain, the most effective treatment is simply a combination of physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medication.

Symptomatic lumbar degenerative disc disease occurs when a disc weakens, often due to the effects of aging, repetitive strain or injury to the disc space. The result is that the disc cannot hold the vertebrae as well as it used to, and that lack of stability can cause low back pain. In some cases, the pain is great enough that the patient may seek treatment from an orthopaedic surgeon. These treatments can include a range of noninvasive and invasive/surgical options.

According to the review findings:
1 90 percent of patients with low back pain will see their symptoms fade on their own within three months
2 Most of those patients will recover within six weeks.

Therefore, the researchers determined that, barring an emergency, the initial treatment of all patients with low back pain should be noninvasive.

“Recently, disc replacement surgery has been proposed as a cure or treatment for symptomatic lumbar disc disease,” says Luke Madigan, M.D., an attending physician at Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic, Knoxville, TN, and the lead author of the review. “But the FDA studies on lumbar disc replacement have only so far shown equivalence to fusion for discogenic disease. Long-term outcomes are still to be published and caution should be exercised with their use.” Madigan also notes that in the past, surgical fusion was used to treat this condition, and the success rate was 50-60 percent.

Meanwhile, noninvasive treatments have brought about greater success by helping patients strengthen the injured area and prevent further strain:

1 Physical therapy that focuses on strengthening core muscle groups in the abdominal area and the lower back has demonstrated positive effects in patients with disc-related pain.
2 Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen have been found effective for short-term relief of low back pain, and no NSAID was found to be any more effective than the others.
3 Educating patients on better body mechanics—for example, lifting with the legs instead of the back—is found to lessen the strain that is placed on the lumbar region.
4 Another recent literature review advocated mobilization or activity in the treatment of low back pain as opposed to bed rest, and exercise has been shown to improve function and decrease pain in adult patients with chronic low back pain.
5 Braces have not been found to be effective in treating low back pain, although whether patients actually wear the brace in the prescribed manner may be a factor.

Invasive treatment should only be explored if these and other noninvasive treatments have not been effective.

“Surgery should be the last option, but too often patients think of surgery as a cure all and are eager to embark on it,” Madigan says. “Also, surgeons should pay close attention to the list of contraindications, and recommend surgery only for those patients who are truly likely to benefit from it.”