Health care navigators are here to aid consumers

As a licensed health care navigator, I was disheartened to hear of Richard Sankovich’s struggle with out-ofpocket costs on his bronzelevel health insurance plan (“The Sometimes High Cost of a Low-Cost Health Plan,” July 20). The article highlights that consumers need to be educated and proactive in their health care — knowing their rights and speaking up to ask questions about their coverage.

The Affordable Care Act created navigators, unbiased educators who provide free assistance to consumers and clearly explain in understandable terms one’s choices. Consumers whom I assist often have a limited budget for medical spending and may not be savvy with health care terminology. Making sure doctors are covered and understanding prescription costs and how much an ER visit will likely cost are really important. The benefits of sitting down with a navigator are that all of these important details are explained.

However, receiving health insurance is only the first step. Next, one must understand how to be activated and educated in one’s health care. Through our agency’s Proactive Patient training, we educate consumers to come prepared with questions, to ask why and to be engaged in a team approach with their medical providers.

Creating an affordable, accessible and quality health care system is the heart of our mission at the Consumer Health Coalition. Rising costs and soaring deductibles that create barriers that cause an individual not to seek coverage or needed care is an injustice that together we must work to improve and ultimately to solve.

The Consumer Health Coalition is here to help at 412456-1877. LESLIE BACHURSKI Director of Consumer

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