Tame health costs
Some simple lifestyle changes can save lots of money
With the withdrawal from the U.S. House of Representatives of the bill that would have repealed and replaced the Affordable Care Act, a lot of uncertainty was laid to rest.
But health care is still a major source of anxiety, and for good reason. For most of us, it is likely to be a big part of our annual budget and our single biggest expense during retirement. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars for premiums alone in our golden years.
Whatever may happen in the future in the policy realm, it is possible to take concerted steps to lower your spending on health care. I’m guessing you’ve already heard about eating right, quitting smoking and exercising, so this column will focus on some less well-known but still evidence-based tips.
In 2014, Kaiser Health News ranked the 10 least expensive health insurance markets in the United States. Minneapolis and several other parts of Minnesota topped the list. Northwest Pennsylvania and the Salt Lake City area were two more of the cheapest areas. They all have relatively low costs of living in general, combined with plenty of competition among doctors and hospitals.
A pet, especially a dog that needs daily walking, can fight stress, lower blood pressure, get you out exercising regularly, help you make friends and extend social ties.
Altruism lowers the risk of early death. According to one study, it seems to “buffer” the effects of stressful situation and it extends your social circle.
Multiple studies show that for children and adults, the more television they watch, the higher their obesity rate. For adults, TV is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and gallstones. Cutting back on television, conversely, has been shown to help people lose weight.
There is “substantial evidence” that multivitamins with folic acid reduce the risks of many cancers, according to the Disease Control Priorities Network at the University of Washington.
Surprisingly, there is scant evidence that visiting the doctor every year leads to better health outcomes or a longer life. And many professional organizations no longer recommend the practice. It will cost you money and lead to tests that might lead to false positives, unnecessary follow-up tests and even procedures.
Unless you feel ill or have a chronic condition that needs monitoring, going in every two or three years is fine. Unfortunately, lots of research shows that many doctors routinely recommend and perform procedures that cost a lot of money, are painful and invasive, and offer little in return. For example, The New York Times recently reported “relatively modest benefits” from “surgery for many conditions that lead to back pain.” The investigative reporting nonprofit ProPublica concluded that “stents for stable patients prevent zero heart attacks and extend the lives of patients a grand total of not at all.”
Similarly, if a doctor tells you that you need to go on a medication indefinitely, get another opinion and ask if diet or lifestyle changes might be able to help. A good example is the current controversy over the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. There is a lot of debate over whether they actually improve health. But there is no debate over the benefits of lowering your cholesterol naturally through diet and exercise.
These are legal documents that specify what kinds of “life support” you want, the details of your treatment, and who should make decisions for you if you are ill or incapacitated. Studies show that patients with living wills are less likely to die in the hospital and more likely to pass away at home, with family and friends. And it can save your family money.