One of the most frequently asked questions in my office is: “How much will this cost and why doesn’t my insurance cover these services?
Unfortunately, insurance does not cover many services, and as time marches forward, insurance will cover less and most likely cost more. Get ready to pay higher insurance premiums and get less coverage.
From a sociological perspective, I find it interesting that most people invest more in the care of their car than they do in themselves. Some patients don’t realize this fact of life until I show them the cost-benefit analysis of owning and maintaining a vehicle. When I do show them, they are often shocked.
Here’s the cost breakdown:
Monthly car payment: $200-450/month (average $325/month, $3900/year)
Automobile insurance: $300/month ($3600/year)
Yearly maintenance: $1000/year (inspection, maintenance, parts and labor, etc.)
The total cost for owning your automobile is approximately $8500/year, and this is most likely on the low end of automobile care requirements.
Do you invest $8500/year in your health?
Before you say: “Dr. Kaye, I pay health insurance every month and that costs $300-500/month not including the cost of co-insurance, co-pays and deductibles, so isn’t that my investment?” I hear you, and if you are a sole business owner that cost is easily three times more for a family. However, the health insurance premiums you pay are not an investment. Those premiums serve as asset protection. As with investments of any kind, both are needed; protection and return on investment. Grow it, protect it.
Having health insurance is NOT investing in your health. It is protecting your health in case there is an emergency or an accident. With health insurance, you have the opportunity to utilize your insurance so that you don’t lose your savings or your house. Therefore, it’s important to have health insurance but there is no return on your investment.
How can you invest in your health?
Eat right. The more you cook at home and choose non-processed foods, the healthier you will be. If you can eat organic and avoid genetically modified foods, so much the better.
Exercise three to five days a week emphasizing strength, flexibility, balance, core and cardio. Move often and avoid extended periods of static positions. In other words, do not sit for longer than 20 minutes at a time.
Seek treatment with a functional medicine doctor. The difference between a functional medicine doctor and a general practitioner is that a functional medicine doctor “looks upstream” to determine the “cause and why” of your complaints, and not just prescribe medication for your complaint. Functional medicine looks for the “root cause” of the condition.
Invest in high quality supplements that are tailored specifically for you as a bio-individual. Not every vitamin and supplement is of high-quality and/or needed, regardless of the marketing and advertising or the nice nutritionist/sales person at your local health food store.
Make an appointment with your primary care doctor at least once a year for a complete physical. Yes, I know there are co-pays and deductibles to see your doc, however, keep in mind you are investing in yourself. So, when your doc recommends a colonoscopy or a mammogram, please schedule it. Early prevention still “rules the day”.
Invest in functional lab testing, which may involve a stool analysis for gut issues, organic acid testing for a metabolic analysis involving gut issues, cellular metabolism, etc., or other lab testing involving greater detail than routine blood work.
What does your return on investment yield?
Hopefully, you will be able to live longer with less pain, less dysfunction and fewer medical conditions. However, if you don’t take care of yourself, you may live longer, but suffer from medical conditions that will use and may even drain your savings to pay for medications, surgeries, hospital stays, etc.
By investing in oneself, hopefully, you can avoid chronic conditions such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, etc. (the list is long) and in the process you may be able to avoid paying for the previously mentioned medications, therefore saving you money.
By staying healthy, you save yourself time by not having to travel to multiple doctors’ offices and then sitting in their waiting room for an average of thirty minutes or so, and then being seen for 5-7 minutes (by the way, it’s not their fault.
If you are willing to invest a small amount of time in yourself, please register for your FREE Discovery call and let’s discuss how I may be able to help you lead a healthier life: a life with less financial cost, a life full of optimal living and improved energy.
To Your Health and More!
Dr. Michael J. Kaye
Intention + Action = True Change
P.S. To schedule your FREE Discovery call, click here
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