Using Your Health Savings Account to Become CEO of Your Own Health Care

At his inauguration, Obama declared that "What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility." Not long after that speech, he signed a bill to spend $800 billion in tax-payer money (plus interest that accumulates) that unfortunately the government does not have. Not necessarily the kind of responsibility he was talking about.

It is imperative in the country that we all begin to believe in the importance of personal responsibility. People who have Health Savings Accounts are taking responsibility for some of their own medical expenses. They are taking the responsibility to put aside some money to cover possible medical expenses. They take responsibility for choosing medical services that offer the best price, convenience, and value. It may sound corny, but the whole nation really owes Health Savings Account owners a debt of gratitude for what you do to better society.

Take Personal Responsibility for Your Health

At the National Consumer Driven Healthcare Summit which focused on Health Savings Accounts, Elizabeth Bewley gave a fascinating talk titled "Consumers Need to Become CEOs of Their Own Health and Health Care". She explained how our modern healthcare system is set up to benefit interests other than you. For instance, she spoke of a condition called ICU Psychosis, which affects many patients after spending time in intensive care. This problem manifests as a form of delirium or psychotic episodes, and is caused by the typical conditions in ICU - bright lights, noise, sleep deprivation, confusion about night and day, etc.

The first step in being your own healthcare CEO using your Health Savings Account is to take care of your health. Simply staying out of the hospital could save your life. The Institute of Medicine reports that medical errors cause about 100,000 deaths annually, making this the third leading cause of death. Hospital-contracted infections kill another 100,000 a year. Adverse drug events kill an additional 125,000. Thus, approximately 17% of total deaths in the U.S. may be attributable to medical care.

Up to one half of prescribed drugs do not work for patients as intended, and physicians rarely explain possible adverse side effects or how long the patient should take the drug. Bottom line, the system is built for the needs of the providers, instead of being individual-centric. By using a Health Savings Account to take more control, consumers need to ask more questions; create a personal health record; and realize that they are in charge of their own health, not their doctors.

Healthy Eating

A new study was just published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, titled Metabolic and physiologic improvements from consuming a Paleolithic, hunter-gatherer type diet. Humans evolved over millions of years as hunter-gatherers, and only very recently did humans begin eating dairy, grains, sugar, vegetable oil, and other modern foods. (10,000 years may seem like a lot of time, but it is nothing as far as evolution is concerned).

This was only the 4th human study to be done on the Paleolithic-type diet, and like the others it found dramatic results. Those who ate this way had lower blood pressure, better glucose tolerance, less insulin, greater insulin sensitivity, and better lipid profiles. People lose weight, their digestion works well, their joints stop hurting, they have greater mental energy, and their risk of cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disease plummet. Diet is the single most important factor in your health, and you really are what you eat.

If you are looking for ways to cut your expenses, and the current economy is affecting you, get a Health Savings Account to become CEO of your own health care. If you're in good health, you can always check to see if there is a less expensive HSA insurance plan that you can switch to. Always explore all your options and find the best HSA Plan that will work with your Health Savings Account.