This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of forensic science schools . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83@yahoo.com
The proposed healthcare reform has been dominating any serious conversation of late, and Americans are wondering and worrying over how it will affect them, both personally and as a nation at large. The truth however, is that we are responsible for our own healthcare, and the sooner we realize this, the more we can control healthcare related costs. In today’s scenario, hospitalization and its associated costs eat up a large share of the healthcare budget. So our target must be to reduce the number of admissions and re-admissions that drain away healthcare dollars like an unplugged drain.
How do we do this?
· By taking responsibility for our own health: To do this, we must eat sensibly, maintain a healthy weight, work out regularly, and stay away from cigarettes and alcohol. We also need to ensure that we catch disease at the earliest through regular check-ups and routine diagnostic tests, especially if our genes put us at risk. For example, if your parents have diabetes, you are at risk for the disease too. So you must prevent or at least delay its onset by eating the right kind of food, exercising every day, and leading an active lifestyle.
· By ensuring safety in all our acts: Accidents are mostly caused through negligence and stupidity and can easily be prevented with just a little forethought and care. When we practice safe driving habits, when we teach our children to stay safe from oncoming traffic on their way to and from school, when we install the right safety measures in our home, we avoid accidents that lead to hospitalization, or worse, even death. This way, we ensure that we use less of taxpayers’ money in the healthcare system.
· By knowing our medical history: Costs are exacerbated when medical tests are repeated unnecessarily because records are not computerized and doctors do not have all the information that they need. If you are confident and knowledgeable about your medical history, you could save a whole lot of time, effort and money by telling your doctor what you need and what you already just underwent in terms of diagnostic procedures and tests.
When we take our health into our hands and accept responsibility for the same, we save ourselves and the system a lot of money and effort.
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