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____________ ___________________________ ___ _______________________________________________ ____________ F ebruary 28, 19(
H e a lt h ©'GCIEflCE
Self Reliance Tips Offered For Health Care Savings
nnie
Brian and C o n
n ie C la flin know all
about medical costs.
W ith seven children, the C laflins
have been through flus, colds and
stitches. A nd because they w ork for
a fa m ily business, they’ ve also sur­
vived high deductibles, lo w re im ­
bursements and periods o f no health
insurance at all.
“ It was really tough at tim es,” said
Brian C la flin . “ But maybe in some
ways this was a blessing in disguise
because now we watch how we spend
our health care dollars very, very
ca re fu lly.”
N a tio n a lly , the average fa m ily
spends $2,321 annually for medical
care- either fo r insurance premiums or
out-of-pocket expenses, according to
Families USA Foundation, a nonprof­
it Washington consumer group.
But health care experts say most
fam ilies can shave their annual ex­
penses i f they leam to become smart
medical consumers.
“ D o n ’ t w a it fo r anyone else to
help you cut your health care costs—
not doctors, not hospitals, not the
governm ent,” said M atthew Lesko,
author o f W hat T o Do When You
C an’t A ffo rd Health Care, a book
that lists national and state resources
fo r getting free treatment and free
research on illnesses.
"T he typ ica l experts can’ t keep up
w ith w hat’ c s Milt
I ¿» I / <
• *>■ z4
out there,” ** Lesko
said
“ So, the in d ivid u a l has to take re­
c
sa
sp o n sibility fo r th e ir own health and
th e ir own medical costs. There are
tons o f ways to save m oney.”
For most fam ilies, a good starting
U
I
■
plan,
leam what _____
procedures
you mus,
m
m m
go through toguarantee coverage. And
then, play by the rules, experts say
“ It requiresa little self-discipline,”
said C la flin , whose children range in
age from 16 to 7. “ But i f you fo llo w
--------
--------------
Don’t wait for anyone else to help you
cut your health care costs — not
doctors, not hospitals, not the
government.
-M atthew Lesko
w
point is to study the health insurance
they plan to buy o r have bought.
For example, when patients con­
sider partic ipating in a managed care
plan — like a health maintenance
organization
they should ca ll lo ­
cal hospitals’ bi I lin g di visions to find
out how q u ic k ly the insurer settles
claim s, said Paul T aylor, A kro n Gen­
eral M edical C enter’ s d ire cto r o f
patient financial services.
W hy? I fa n H M O tends to drag its
feet, the patient may end up paying
b ills out-of-pocket, he said The in ­
form ation also gives the patient an
idea o f whether the company consis­
tently contests claims.
I f you have joined an insurance
the ru le s, the p a p e rw o rk flo w s
through I f you don ’ t, you ’ II enter the
insurance T w ilig h t Zone.”
M ost often, managed care plans
require patients to ge, p rio r approval
from their fa m ily doctor before go­
ing to the emergency room unless i t ’ s
a life-threatening situation. N ot get­
tin g that approval can leave a fa m ily
stuck w ith a b ill not covered. Nurses
are often available any tim e who can
h elp fa m ilie s d e term ine w hether
something calls fo r an emergency
room visit.
“ I f i t sounds lik e you need to go to
the emergency room, they ’ 11 tel I you,”
he said. “ But i f it sounds like it can
w ait u ntil the next m orning, th e y’ ll
•
___
tell you that, too. That can save a
fam ily a b it o f money.”
process.
But there are other options that
can help ease the blow o f a medical
b ill: Ify o u p la n to pay cash, ask fo r a
discount. A nd i f you can, make the
patients should appeal the decision.
In about h a lf o f the cases, insurers
w ill rescind their o riginal rulings i f
Patients should also ask fo r an item ­
Ifa n insurer refuses topay a cla im ,
contested. A nd that means consum­
ers end up paying less o f the b ill.
medical professionals tel I you up front
what your b ill w ill be fo r procedures
o r hospital stays.
ized b ill fo r services i f they suspect
it ’ s too high. The b ill w ill be very
d iffic u lt to read because o f the med­
ical coding and lingo, but patients
can go over the b ill w ith hospital
administrators, T a ylo r said.
Celebrating Life
“ Ask fo r the price ahead o f tim e ,”
said Lesko. "T h a t always makes fo r
an interesting experience because
most (doctors) w o n ’t know .”
Lesko always makes health care
providers te ll him the cost because
he carries a high deductible on his
Sylvia Dunnavant, a graduate o f
the University o f W isconsin-M adi­
son, is a photographer as well as a
writer.
Celebrating Life: A frican A m eri­
can Women Speak Out About Breast
Cancer, is her third book follow ing
The Pastor’ s Pen, which she edited,
insurance and pays much o f his b ills
out-of-pocket.
“ The doctors always say, ‘ W e ll,
uh, d o n ’ t w o rry about that,” ’ he said.
“ But then I say, ‘ W e ll, I do w o rry
about that because I ’ m paying fo r it.
and An A ffa ir o f the heart, her first
book o f poetry.
So give me the p rice .’ I t ’ s im portant
because it allow s you to plan and
budget fo r the cost.”
A lso, experts say people often pay
fo r their medical services too q u ick­
ly. Patients should wait u n til all in ­
Ms. Dunnavant received the 1982
K iz z y Im age and A ch ie ve m e n t
Sylvia D u n n a va n t
Award presented by the Black W om ­
interviewed Michael Jackson fo r
en’ s Hall o f Fame Foundation. She
was listed in the 1982 Outstanding
Young Women o f America.
W H A Radio in Madison, photo­
graphed Emmitt Smith o f the Dallas
Cowboys for his 1995-1996 calen­
dar, written fo r Jet Magazine, and
In June o f 1982, Ms. Dunnavant
was a finalist in the National Miss
Black America Pageant representing
Madison, Wisconsin. Prior to that
she held the Miss Black Teen-W is-
consin title, 1978-1979
surance claim s have been filed and
resolved before putting any money
toward a b ill, T a ylo r said.
Often, statements — not b ills —
go out to consumers to n o tify them o f
the progress. But patients start m ak­
ing payments, which can muck up the
Ms. Dunnavant has been pub­
lished in Ebony Jr. Magazine, has
worked for the Democratic Caucus
for the State o f Wisconsin.
She incorporates the words o f the
late Dr. M artin Luther King, Jr. in
her daily life, “ Reach for the moon
and even i f you fall among the stars,
yo u ’ ll be on high ground.”
When Adults Have A Fever
P o l i c e X e iv s
C r im e S t o p p e r s : Arson
Portland Police Bureau and Port­
land Fire Bureau Arson Investiga­
w itn e s s d is c o v e re d the b u ild in g
tors, in cooperation w ith C rim e
Stoppers, are asking fo r yo u r help
in id e n tifyin g and apprehending
Before firefighters were able to
the suspect o r suspects responsible
fo r in tentionally setting fire to a
com m ercial b u ild in g
O n S a tu rd a y , O c to b e r 28.
1995, at 7 :3 5 in the e v e n in g , a
w itn e ss o b se rv e d a s u b je c t ru n ­
n in g fro m the area o f the f u r n i­
was on fire .
contain the fire, it spread to the apart­
ments a, 418 and 420 SE Grand and
also damaged the vacant restaurant
at 4 14 SE Grand Avenue.
The fire caused approxim ately
$2.5 m illio n in damage and left 139
people homeless.
The subject seen running from the
tu re s to re at 4 0 0 SE G ra n d
scene is described as a w hite male,
unknown age, 5 ’ 8" to 5 ’ 10" tall, 180
A ve n u e . U p o n c h e c k in g , the
to 200 pounds, w ith a stocky b u ild
and shoulder-lengthy black or dark
brown hair. A t the tim e he was
w earing a black o r blue baseball
cap. red waist-length parka-type
jacket, light blue denim pants and
dark shoes.
C rim e Stoppers is o ffe rin g a cash
reward o f up to $ 1,000 fo r inform a­
tion, reported to C rim e Stoppers,
w hich leads to an arrest in this case,
o r any unsolved felony crim e, and
you can remain anonymous.
C all C rim e Stoppers at (503)
823-H E LP
Man Wanted On Assault Charge
Portland Police Bureau Detec­
tives, in cooperation w ith C rim e
Stoppers, are asking fo r yo u r help
in locating W illia m Robert D oem
An arrest warrant is on fi le charg­
ing Doern w ith Revoked Recog on
an original charge o f Assault in the
First Degree.
The charges stem from an in c i­
dent in M ay 1995, in w hich Doern
is alleged to have shot another sub­
je c t w ith a rifle .
Investigators believe Doem may
have fled to the Salem o r Seattle
area, and may be tra ve lin g w ith
Angela K ay G oldthorpe
G o ld -th o rp e , a 3 I- y e a r-o ld
w hite female, is wanted fo r Failure
to Appear on a misdemeanor charge
o f Attempted P rostitution.
W illia m Robert Doern is de­
scribed as a 19-year-old w hite male
D oern, W illia m R o b e rt
G o ld th o rp e , A n g e la Kay
w ith a date o f birth o f September I,
1976. Doern stands 5 ’ 10" ta ll, and
weighs 155 pounds w ith blue eyes
and red hair.
tion, reported to C rim e Stoppers,
w hich leads to an arrest in this case
C rim e Stoppers is o ffe rin g a cash
reward o f up to $ 1,000 fo r inform a-
o r any unsolved felony crim e, and
you can remain anonymous.
C a ll C rim e Stoppers at (503)
823-H E LP .
D IS A S T E R
A S S IS T A N C E
When is it dangerously high?
When should you w orry?
People naturally w o rry when they
develop a fever. But fever isn’t nec­
essarily bad o r dangerous, and may
actually help fig h t an illness says
l o r n S y lte b o , M D , a K a is e r
Permanente physician.
A fever is not a disease, it is a
doing its jo b fig h tin g an in fection.”
vice if:
A rise in temperature increases
the production o f antibodies, which
• A fever over 104 F doesn’ t go
down after tw o hours o f home treat­
help fig h t an invading virus o r bacte­
ria.
ment.
• A fever lasts longer than three
days.
M anaging a fever should be aimed
at reducing discom fort: D rin k more
liquids, especially water.
• There is a fever along w ith any
o f these symptoms - s tiff neck, slug­
Sponge w ith lukewarm water (do
not use cold water, ice, or rubbing
alcohol); and take acetaminophen,
aspirin, o r ibuprofen.
ear pain, skin rash, painful urination,
vo m itin g o r diarrhea, stomach pain,
pain over eyes or cheekbone, short­
symptom. “ Fever is clearly part o f
the body’ s natural defense mecha­
nism,” says Dr. Syltebo. “ A tem per­
ature o f 102 F and higher in adults
may be uncom fortable but the rise in
A sp irin is not recommend fo r any­
one under 20.
temperature really means the body is
Seek professional medical ad-
gishness, rapid or d iffic u lt breathing,
ness o f breath and cough, and any
significant or unusual pain, o r con­
vulsions.
CASH
CpNNECTION
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Month
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