Getting health insurance
An insurance trade group today announced a "series of steps" to 
It's not just for the cereal aisle anymore, generic over name brand saves behind the pharmacy counter too. Generic drugs work just as well as name-brands, often at a fraction of the cost. One-size does not fit all and only your doctor can tell you if switching to a cheaper option is right for you.
Condition / generic drug / cost per month
Allergies, hay fever, hives / loratadine / $13
ADHD / Metylphenidate / $40
High LDL / Lovastatin / $34
Depression / Fluoxetine / $42
Diabetes, Type 2 / Metformin / $42
Heartburn, GERD / Prilosec OTC / $26
Insomnia / Zolpidem / $29
Osteoarthirtis / Ibuprofen / $18
Schizophrenia / Perhenazine / $56
Check out Consumer Reports 
He's the guy whom pieces of your body get sent off to when you go to the doctor's office, and he's got some things he'd like to tell you. Like the secret manual covering which tests Medicare will and won't cover, your rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and can you please, please, write legibly and use a standard version of your name when filling out forms...
This is pretty widely known, but I do not think many people understand just how little Medicare actually does until they are covered by it. First of all, with only five exceptions (that I know of; more on them later), Medicare will NOT pay for screening tests. Ever. If you are not sick at the time the doctor orders the tests you will have to pay for them some other way, probably out of your own pocket unless you have other insurance.
Even if you are sick there are tests that Medicare refuses to cover. Now, I wish I could tell you what these are, or when Medicare will not pay for the test, but the fact is that I legally cannot. See, we are given this nice booklet that outlines what tests Medicare will not pay for and when it will pay for them. The problem? It is actually against the law for me to show that book to anyone inside the company who does not need to know what is in it or to anyone outside of our company, including doctors.
Now, in the event that you have had a test ordered for you that Medicare will not, or usually does not, pay for you will be asked to sign a paper (called an ABN, or Advanced Beneficiary Notice). If you are shown this ABN do not immediately freak out because it does not mean that Medicare absolutely WILL refuse to cover the cost, and most doctors try to keep tests ordered for patients to the ones they know Medicare will pay for.
The paper is basically a waiver that says you understand that if Medicare does not cover the cost of the tests you could end up paying up to some amount of money. Something you need to know about this: You can refuse to pay for some or even all of the tests and they will not be run. It is not something I suggest, but it is your right to turn down any test (or all of the tests) if you wish. Second, it is your right to receive a copy of this slip of paper and you must be provided with one if you demand it. Finally, if you did not sign an ABN, or if Medicare does not pay for a test and that test is not indicated on the ABN, than it is against the law for any lab to bill you. Period.
As I said previously, Medicare will not pay for tests for the maintenance of your health; they will only pay for tests if you are sick. There is a slight way you can take advantage of this. If a test result comes back with readings that are considered abnormal than that is a test that can be run under Medicare (assuming it is one of the tests Medicare normally covers) without you having to pay (you will still probably be asked to sign an ABN) until the abnormal results go away. Usually doctors do not order unneeded tests, but you might want to ask your doctor the next time he orders a lot of tests if all of them are really necessary, or if it is just a standard procedure to order the whole battery. If it is simply standard procedure ask him to only order the ones he is sure you need.
I previously mentioned that there are five exceptions to the "No Screenings" rule that Medicare has. These are fairly recent because Medicare apparently recently realized that it is less expensive to screen for conditions and treat them early than to try and cure a problem after it is causing obvious illness. Men may have a prostate exam once every year. Women may have a pap smear once every two years. Medicare will also pay for a Lipid Screening or a Thyroid Test once per year. Finally, once every five years Medicare will pay for an Occult Blood (looks for blood in the stool).
2) HIPAA is Not Just Privacy
While a good chunk of HIPAA does pertain to patient privacy, it does have other provisions in there that I do not think are widely known. Most notably, it gives patients access to their own medical records. For example, you can demand a copy of your records and they must be provided to you.
This extends even further, though. If you are having blood drawn for a test, for example, you can ask that a copy of the test results be sent to you. You may even ask that the test be sent to your other physicians if you like. My lab does not charge for this service, but I cannot speak for other labs.
Personally I suggest that patients make it a habit to keep their own medical records on file in a safe place (stressing SAFE, many records have sensitive information). Also make a habit of requesting a copy of any tests run on you. I suggest this mainly because sometimes it can take time for doctors to transfer records to each other, and if you have your own personal copy it can greatly speed up a transition to a new physician so that duplicate tests that are not necessary do not get ordered (also a reason to send test results to different doctors).
3) Phlebotomists Sometimes Mess Up
Phlebotomists are the people who draw blood, but sometimes they make mistakes. While most Phlebotomists are in the business because they ca
