10 Ways to Lower Your Health Care Costs
- Take advantage of the magic of movement. Numerous studies show that not only does exercise lower your risk of contracting almost all chronic medical conditions; it also helps keep you healthier in the near term as well.
- Practice good dental hygiene. Flossing several times a day (particularly after meals and before bedtime) will help reduce your chances of getting cavities and having to make a visit to a dentist.
- Get a good night's sleep. A number of studies have shown that individuals who get an inadequate amount of sleep are at a higher risk for contracting certain medically related problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular complications, and depression.
- Practice healthy eating habits. Consuming a healthy diet and adhering to sound eating habits can not only make you look and feel better, it can also reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, help protect you from osteoporosis, and boost your immune system. Examples are: eat breakfast, add fish and omega-3 fatty acids to your diet, and eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
- Don't be a dope and smoke. Smoking exposes you to a variety of toxins, carcinogens, and suspected carcinogens- all of which can lead to a litany of health-related problems, particularly heart disease, cancer and stroke. It will also diminish your chances of obtaining low-cost quality insurance.
- Keep things in perspective. Don't let stress unduly affect your life or your health. Uncontrolled stress can (and will) evolve into distress, a condition that can disturb your body's internal equilibrium. This will lead to physical symptoms such as high blood pressure and emotional problems like depression. Although you can't always control what events happen to you, you can control how you react to those events.
- Be aware of your family's health profile. Knowing your family's health history can enable you to make appropriate adjustments to how you lead your life (e.g. diet, activity level) when they’re warranted, to give you the best chance to avoid developing a particular medically related condition or disease that runs in your family.
- Buy generic brand medications whenever possible. The less-expensive copies of brand-name medicines offer an easy way to lower your health care costs.
- Pick an insurance company co-pay policy option that fits who you really are. If you're a person who frequently sees a doctor, you will benefit (costwise) from having a policy that features a lower co-pay, even if it involves paying a higher premium. If you seldom visit the doctor, you should probably not select a low co-pay option.
- Stay healthy. Factors such as weight, cholesterol level, blood pressure level, and history of other medical conditions will affect how affordable your health care plan will be.
by James A Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM
— American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal Volume 13