As it stands now, the government pays a private insurance company for your healthcare if you are on medicaid. Private health insurance companies are therefore growing from expanded medicaid programs. Many are increasing profits at higher rates than expected. This is allowing big insurance companies to buy out smaller companies, and this is where your choice in plans will decrease. Forbes reported that five insurance companies are reaping huge financial rewards from the Affordable Care Act, as they are getting money allocated for healthcare through Medicaid. It will become easier for the big five to deny coverage for a drug or treatment and patients will not be able to find another choice in coverage that does cover a needed benefit. This means the likelihood that appealing healthcare denials will be the only recourse. I wrote an article, not too long ago, on how this process thwarts patient care, and why this is not a great solution to coverage denials.
Choosing Joy
Today I want to share a healing note card that a seriously ill patient made in the Healing Notes Outreach Program. Each card has a place for patients to share their story or any other information that they would like to share with the patient who receives the card. Look what this patient shared:
An amazing lesson that no matter how hard our day gets, we can choose joy!
Healing Notes Outreach Program Update
Several years ago I laid in a hospital bed knowing that patients needed more inspiration and connection with others that had experienced similar struggles than they needed flowers or other gifts. Today my dream of having a way to say something meaningful during difficult times came to fruition. Bridges to Patient Empowerment started the Healing Notes Outreach program at Presbyterian St. Luke’s hospital. It was a great beginning and I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this program in regards to time, money, or vision. I would like to make a special shout out to the program’s biggest supporters who have been essential to making this this program a reality.Continue reading “Healing Notes Outreach Program Update”
Mystic Meister Eckhart
A great article on Eckhart that explores identity issues. When you have a disability, you are often forced to renounce identity and this article shows why this may be healing.
Stop a Bug Cold in One Easy Step by Lynsie Buteyn
It is getting to be the time of year when viruses spread faster than good cheer. When you have a chronic illness, a virus can easily land you in the hospital for months or worse… while the relatively healthy are able to roam about, spreading their infection everywhere they go. If the relatively healthy won’t stay home when they are sick, the health compromised need to take extra precautions to protect themselves like the thieves of the plague era did. Thieves, during this time, used a combination of herbs that they wore to protect themselves while robing people that might have the plague. This inspired an essential oil that combines Clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary to ward off germs. They work in the following ways:
Clove has antibacterial and antiviral properties, as well as causing an anti-inflammatory response inside your body. It will help clear your sinuses and that nasty headache that comes with congestion.
Lemon oil will boost your white blood cell count, helping you to fight bugs and destroy them before they can take over your body. It is full of an antioxidant called d-limonene helps fight free radical damage within your body. Research has shown that it helps your immune system stay activated after a stressor and can even help your mood; thereby reducing your stress level.
Cinnamon also has antibacterial and antiviral properties. It helps decrease inflammation, pain, and as an added bonus helps your memory and alertness.
Eucalyptus oil is antibacterial, anti-fungal, antibacterial and will help decongest. It helps to allow more air into your lungs and deeper breaths mean less chance of lung infections, stress response becoming activated within your body, and has even been used to calm an asthma attack.
Rosemary oil can help cleanse the respiratory system and has a large amount of antioxidants that help the immune system and reduce free radicals that lead to inflammation and other disease processes.
Aromatherapy Resources
- To learn more about how aromatherapy can help you, check out this educational infographic
- The original thieves oil by young living can be a bit pricey, but many would say the quality of the oil is well worth the price. However, if you can’t afford Young living, I suggest trying another brand that combines the same oils. To see more on different brands check out the hippy homemaker. Then simply mix with a vegetable oil and dab behind the ears.
Detriments to Care Collaboration
When chronically ill, you need a care team that is interdisciplinary and works together. However, getting this is no small feat. Some of the blockades found by Zwarentein and colleagues are as follows:
Having respect for other disciplines
Believing in the need to collaborate rather than total autonomy
A leader of the team
Time that is allocated for the different specialists to talk with one another and funding for this endeavor.
It seems like respect, collaboration, and time to talk are not just factors that would make a successful healthcare team, but qualities that will help patients and doctors to be successful in all aspects of their lives.
Confused about your ACA subsidies….
Here is a great article by Bloomberg buisnessweek that will help you understand what subsidies you may qualify for and why premiums in certain places are increasing while in others they are staying the same.
Doctor’s survey of Health Insurance Companies
Health insurance does not just affect the lives of patients, but it affects physician’s lives as well. An informed patient will understand the ways in which insurance affects their physicians to get the best care possible. A survey was performed where doctors were asked a series of questions about how they rate health insurance companies on various tasks. Some of the highlights of this survey are as follows:
Note that insurance companies are listed in the order of how they were ranked. For specific numbers, please see study.
- Aetna, United Health, blue plans, Cigna, Humana are the insurances that doctors accept the most in this order.
- The health insurance companies that were voted as being the easiest to work with are as follows: Blue plans, Aetna, Cigna, and Medicare
- The health insurance companies that formed the least number of denials are: Medicare, Blue plans, Aetna, Cigna. It may be surprising to many that Medicare is the top performer for the least amount of denials.
- The best insurance companies for their speed in paperwork is Blue plans, Medicare, Aetna, Cigna.
- For fast and accurate responses to questions, the top performers are: Blue plan, Aetna, Cigna
- The top performers for precertifying and prequalifying patients are: Medicare, Blue plans, Aetna, Cigna
Check out full study Doctor’s survey of Health Insurance companies survey from July 9th to Sept. 21, 2014 on medscape
Don’t let Yourself Just Be a Patient
We all are tempted, especially when not feeling well, to let others take charge of our lives and healthcare, but by doing this we don’t get the best care or life. Here is a story of a woman who took charge of her care, researched her problems to find a correct diagnosis, and bettered her life and health as a result.
A Victory for Patient Empowerment!
Patients have had more trouble lately being able to get their medical records. This is often blamed on HIPPA regulations, but as Lynsie Mae points out in her article on getting medical records , this is more of a problem with how HIPPA is interpreted by health care facilities. Now, patients will, hopefully, not have as many issues getting their test results, as the HHS announced that patients can get their lab results directly from the lab! Check out this article in USA Today on this important topic, so you can become a more empowered patient.
However, many doctors are weary about this change. In an article in the Washington Post, The American Association of Family Physicians is concerned that patients will interpret their results without a physician, and this could lead to more harm than good. We believe that patients can be educated to know to always work with a physicain to interpret blood tests, but that patients can learn to pick up on patterns in their lab results that could act as health flags to know when they should seek help and make an appointment to see their doctor. Bridges for Patient Empowerment will work to educate patients on how to look for patterns within their lab results, contact their doctor about results, and to have better control over their symptoms. Let us know your opinion about this change.
Have Affordable Care Act Questions?
Check out this link if you are self employed and have questions about getting health insurance.
Behind Healthcare Reform: An Insider’s View by Stan Hupfeld
A Ted Talk that is being reposted here as a resource for learning more about opinions and ideas held by experts within the medical system. This video has been featured by this orginization as a potential resource that patients may find valuable, but the author’s viewpoint is independent of this organization, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion or beliefs of Bridges to Patient Empowerment.
Bridges to Empowerment 