Using the table above, or better yet, your own EOBs, you can get an accurate estimate of your future medical expenses. In our next column, we will show you how to use your estimated expenses to find a co-pay, deductible, and co-insurance that fits the most cost effective premium for you, and the health insurance that best fits your needs.
Ask HealthCue
Dear Cue:
I have diabetes and high blood pressure and often need advice from my physician. Each time I need advice, I am forced to make an appointment and go to the doctor’s office. Most of the time his advice is routine, or I need some adjustment to my medications. Is there a way for me to avoid making the appointment and getting advice online or over the phone?
- Dorian in Texas
Dear Dorian:
Many doctors will now “see you” online through the Internet. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, web sites are now available that allow a doctor to take a history, and decide if he can treat you without a visit. Doctors who use this software charge a fee of approximately $30 to process your request for advice. Ask your doctor about adopting this process. Remember—most health insurance does not cover online “virtual visits,” so you will be paying for this service out of pocket. For an example of an online service, see www.relayhealth.com.
Dear Cue:
I have recently been diagnosed with a form of cancer that, although treatable with current protocols, does not have a standard form of treatment. I have been advised to research whether a chemotherapy clinical trial has been established for my disease. I do not know how to begin to research whether a clinical trial is available to me. Any advice?
- Jake in Maine
Dear Jake:
Finding information about clinical trials is extremely difficult. However, a patient information group in Massachusetts is attempting to collect information on all available clinical trials on one website. Go to www.searchclinicaltrials.org. The site is free of charge. Drug companies are also posting the results of clinical trials on their web sites so it would also be worth searching all of those sites as well.
Have a health insurance question? Send it to AskHealthCue@thcn.com and check back here to see if it has been answered.
