October 26, 2016 The Skanner Page 9
Health & Wellness: Senior Health
How to Prepare for a Doctor’s Appointment: A Guide for Seniors
your appointment and
leave space so you can
write down anything you
learn.
By Joseph Badolato, DO,
Medical Director,
FamilyCare Health
E
veryone’s
been
there: You spend
days thinking about
your appointment
with your doctor. But
when the day finally ar-
rives, you feel rushed
and leave with unan-
swered questions. Hav-
ing a basic plan for a doc-
tor’s appointment can
help reduce any feelings
of anxiety and also make
sure you get the most out
of your visit.
Here are four sugges-
tions to help your op-
timize your time with
your doctor. By following
these basic tips, you’ll get
the most out of your vis-
it and have less anxiety
Tip 2: Bring Important
Info
When you see your
doctor, bring all of your
prescription
medica-
tions, over-the-counter
drugs, and supplements.
Also, remember your
insurance card and any
medical records from the
past year. These should
Dr. Joseph Badolato
about it leading up to the
appointment.
Tip 1: Make a List
Write down all the
things you’d like to dis-
cuss with your doctor.
Prioritize your list from
most important to least
so you make sure to cov-
er the things that are
most pressing to you.
Bring the list with you to
Health Care cont’d from pg 8
with consumers.
CLINTON: She has pro-
posed a new tax credit of
up to $5,000 per family,
or $2,500 for an individ-
ual, for households that
face “excessive” out-of-
pocket costs. The credit
would be refundable,
meaning that people
who don’t owe income
tax could still get money
back. An independent
analysis of her plan de-
fined “excessive” costs as
AP PHOTO/ EVAN VUCCI
AP PHOTO/ANDREW HARNIK
DRUGS
More than half of U.S.
adults take prescription
drugs, and according to
a recent Kaiser Family
Foundation poll most of
those patients report no
major problems afford-
ing their own medica-
tions.
But consumers have
been alarmed by the
introduction of break-
through drugs costing
tens of thousands of dol-
Republican
presidential
candidate Donald Trump speaks
during an campaign event with
employees at Trump National
Doral, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, in
Miami.
exceeding 5 percent of
household income.
Clinton would also re-
quire insurers to cover
three sick visits to the
doctor each year without
patients needing first to
meet their plan’s deduct-
ible, the annual amount
patients pay before their
insurance kicks in.
TRUMP: He has no
similar proposals on out-
of-pocket expenses but
has called for requiring
hospitals, clinics and
doctors to disclose pric-
es so patients can shop
around to reduce costs.
And he would expand
the use of tax-sheltered
health savings accounts,
used to pay for medical
expenses not covered by
insurance.
PRESCRIPTION
Democratic
presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton speaks
at a rally at Broward College in
Coconut Creek, Fla., Tuesday,
Oct. 25, 2016.
lars a year, along with a
spate of seemingly ran-
dom price hikes for older
medications. More than
3 out of 4 say the cost of
prescription drugs is un-
reasonable. A majority
favors government ac-
tion to curb costs.
CLINTON: She has sev-
eral proposals, includ-
ing a new government
board with the power
to penalize drug com-
panies for “unjustified,
outlier price increases,”
a monthly limit of $250
on patients’ copayments
for prescription drugs,
lowering the period of
protection from generic
competition for biologic
drugs from 12 years to
7 years, and requiring
drug companies to pro-
vide rebates for medica-
tions used by low-income
Medicare recipients.
include any notes about
any recent illness, oper-
ation, or condition plus
contact information for
the doctors who treated
you.
Tip 3: Check Your
Understanding
It’s not only important
that you get to ask your
questions. You also need
to really understand the
answers you receive. If
you don’t fully compre-
hend what your doctor
is saying, ask for clarifi-
cation. If you regularly
use glasses or hearing
aids, make sure you
bring these with you. If
you want, you can always
ask your doctor to speak
more slowly or explain
something further.
friend who will be join-
ing you, letting them
know what you want to
get out of the visit. Your
friend can remind you
if you forget something
and can take notes about
what the doctor says.
Tip 4: Invite a Friend
Two sets of ears and
eyes are better than one!
Discuss your appoint-
ment ahead of time with
the family member or
Dr. Joseph Badolato is
medical director for Fam-
ilyCare Health, a Port-
land-based Coordinated
Care Organization. Learn
more at www.familycare-
inc.org.