If you are in good health...where does one start?
 

I'm glad I am healthy and don't have a need for a medical facility. At least so far. ;)

Is there a primer for the beginner on how to get the proper health care from a medical facility or practitioner? Maybe I should be proactive and research it just like I do when I buy new tires or a new appliance.

Are there eBay ratings/Amazon reviews for medical facilities that a potential client could look at to consider when choosing one to interview?

What about insurance? How does one figure out if they need it or not? Is Obamacare available yet? I've heard it is very expensive nowadays to get treated by any medical facility. To the point where it is almost unaffordable for the average Bazza.

Where is this information without sifting through endless pages and pages of "stuff"?

Is there an advocate I should talk to with my questions?

How old are you?

you are not insured? it not all about good health..accidents happen. like your propane tank on your BBQ could blow up..or you put your thumb into the table saw..

Just turned a young 58, Paul. Never been hospitalized. Got 5 stitches in the arm from the Navy doctor when I was a pre-teen though, while living in Norfolk. That's it for medical stuff except for flu, colds, etc....

Cliff - I hear ya about the emergency stuff. I'm pretty careful though...;)

Do you own the company (I think landscaping) you have posted about?

Insurance through a company, I own one, may be cheaper than an individual account.

Get covered Baz. Don't wait for OBCare or AHC...far too much roil in the politics.

58 is young but you need to plan and be smart.

And get covered before you get a medical checkup. That way you have no outstanding conditions.

After you sign up get a blood test and get them to tick most of the boxes on the form.

I know what you mean. I don't have a regular doctor either.

some other things to think about with insurance plans.

If you have a good, solid money foundation (big emergency fund, little debt, investments, etc), then you probably want to look at high-deductible plans.
These are cheaper on a monthly basis, but when things happen, you go out of pocket first to a set limit (usually 5-10k) before insurance kicks in.

Then if nothing happens you are only out a little bit, but if something big happens you have cash to cover it and then insurance takes up the rest.

If you don't have any real savings, then go for the lower deductible, but higher monthly premium plans.

You are basically one bad car accident away from bankruptcy!
You could be the healthiest person around until that teenager texting on the phone doesn't see the red light and crashes into you.

You can get health insurance from many companies. Blue Cross / Blue Shield is one place to start.

Having insurance helps in two ways. First is that you are not going to have to pay the entire bill unless the total is less than your deductible. Second is that the insurers contract for lower rates. An emergency operation for an appendix (could happen to you) will bill at say $40,000. Blue Shield contracts down to $10,000 and you pay $5400 deductible and the insurance pays the rest. Then you arrange for any semi-elective surgery you might need before the end of the calender year when your deductible resets.

Find an insurance broker. Call a few anD find one that you get along with and seems to know their stuff. They are the resource you are looking for. Then it is time to find a primary care physician - ask around with people that you relate well to.

Donate blood - Blood Banks ask all sorts of screening questions to evaluate a focused aspect of your health, that is - infectious disease. But they will check your blood pressure etc. Some will provide lab results for cholesterol etc. Celebrate your health and build karma.

How about Kaiser's if it is available in your area? I have been with them for a long time after going through various for profit companies. Those individual policies always sucked. They got you started on a low ball premium for one year and then socked it to you on renewal. Usually raising premiums by a factor of 2! And then the endless exclusions, exemptions, and maximum payouts? What I liked about non- profit Kaiser on the other hand was a simple contract wth hardly any of the exclusions and payout limitations. Plus, the premiums for everybody in your age group are always the same. No big surprises at premium renewal time. Then, their main advantage is that they operate their own hospitals and medical centers. They have complete control over the whole health care process from A to Z. To be fair, their services are not luxurious but fair and basic. That is all I ever needed.

Yes I own my own landscaping business.....I will keep that in mind when I get further into the process, Paul - thanks for the tip.

I'm pretty sure I should be looking into some type of coverage - like the one that covers you for over $10K - what's that called catastrophic? For folks like me who never need a doc?

But going back to my original post - how do you know what medical facility to pick from? Word-of mouth is how folks find out about me and my skill set. Does it work that way with medical facilities....do folks say "Wow - that place is incredible! You will love what they do for you - they know exactly what they are doing - you cannot go wrong - and at a very economical price too!"

Is that how it works? Or is their some kind of feedback system that patients submit so others can decide which place does good work?

That's of great interest to me - where do I go?

I know where to take my truck. I know where to take my furkids.

Where do I go? I want the doctor with a 100% eBay rating! :D

Porwolf:

Thanks for the reply and info!

They are not in my area (Florida).

According to their website: https://businessnet.kp.org/health/plans/national/home


.....they are only here:
California
Colorado
Georgia
Hawaii
Maryland/Virginia/D.C.
Ohio
Oregon/Washington

Perhaps this info might help someone else on PPOT...... :)

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the input! Glad I am not the only 'freak of nature' who doesn't go to a medical facility regularly :)

I always thought a checkup was mandatory before a health care policy was offered. If I am(hopefully) in perfect health - wouldn't that parlay into my benefit?

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for your input!

I would love to get hit by a texting teenager! I have some very good PI lawyers! Hmmm....now you have me thinking......

And yes - the high deductible is me for sure. ;)

There is a hospital chain that has very bad word of mouth around here, they tried to shut down a competing hospital from building in the same town. The bad hospital chain made a huge "only one" campaign, about how it'd be better to have only one hospital. Public opinion was, well, maybe only one, but not yours. Ended up being a big vote on it, bad hospital lost out, good hospital got approved, bad hospital appealed it, on and on...neither of them building their hospitals.(good hospital gets approved, bad hospital gets no business).

I'll go over to the next town, rather than be treated by bad hospital company. Just plain terrible. If a place is bad, yes, you'll hear about it word of mouth.

Hello NMT,

Thanks for these 3 tips......good info I will apply going forward.

I have to tell you though - when I start asking questions of my friends about who they would endorse for various things - I probably drive them crazy with questions they are not prepared to answer. I find many humans do not really analyze service providers no matter what the industry.

I'm extremely analytical - maybe even too much at times! I guess it's s starting point however and I appreciate the time you took to scribe your comments, sir. SmileWavy

For some reason that story reminds me of why Crimson Tiders (Bama fans) actually hate the Volunteers (UT) more than Barners (Auburn).....back when Phil Fulmer was HC at UT - they tried to do a sting and entrap Bama to get them in hot water with the NCAA. It didn't work and Bama has never forgotten (nor forgiven obviously). I never understood way certain parties feel they have to resort to underhanded methods to get ahead. It's all Karma you know - everything in the universe is tied to Karma. Ugh - the stories I could share about Karma that I have witnessed in my brief stint on the planet thus far.....never never never ever do anything the little voice tells you not to do and you'll be OK. If you don't have that voice.....gulp! :eek:

Gah! There are THREE competing hospitals. Yikes! One is good, one is ok, one is BAD BAD BAD, like, 50% of the locals request to be taken across the state line to Charlotte rather than bad one.

Fort Mill hospital decision delayed to 2013 | Local News | Rock Hill Herald Online

A google search for Fort Mill Hopsital Decision is VERY confusing, with multiple headlines with different winners. :D

Then You'll see the winner of one headline, appealing the decision in another headline. Politics a its best...

I was thinking along the lines of an absolutely minimum checkup. The reason I say this is I had a very nice girl from San Jose living next door and she had been on a medical plan provided by her uni then the degree course finished and so did her cover. She felt a bit weird and payed for and got a medical checkup, and they found she has MS. So no one wants to insure her and she pays a bomb for her MS drugs :( . Ummm, I think I've just figured out why she is living here LOL.

Same age, likewise never go to Drs could write a book but haven't yet. My buddy wrote one with some worthwhile perspectives Amazon.com: Dr. Marvin Kunikiyo: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle The deaths of my grandparents motivated me to learn about nutrition & lifestyle choices without being a vegan food nazi. Enjoy what you eat & have fun.