怎樣為家庭減少醫(yī)療費用

How Your Family Can Reduce Health Care Costs

怎樣為家庭減少醫(yī)療費用

The fact that health care costs are rising is undeniable. It can make you feel rather helpless, in fact, as you consider how pricey everything is, from a check-up to cancer treatments. But there are ways you can reduce health care costs, both in your own family and in general society. Here are some tips.

醫(yī)療成本一直在上升是一件不可否認的事實。想想檢查癌癥需要的治療費用，每一項都是那么昂貴，讓人感覺到很無助。但也有一下辦法可以降低醫(yī)療保健成本，它既適用于個別家庭也適用于社會大眾。以下是一些小建議。

Emergency Room Is for Emergencies

急診室是為緊急情況準備的

Some families do not have a “family doctor” or physician whom they turn to when a family member is sick with a non-life-threatening illness. So when someone in the family has a cold, or vague symptoms of any sort, or even a mild accident, they go to the emergency room. ERs across the country are clogged with non-emergency demands of this nature. Repetitive use of the ER has become such a bad problem that some areas of the country have enacted laws to crack down on the practice.

當家庭成員得了沒有生命危險的疾病時，有一些家庭沒有可以直接求助的家庭醫(yī)生或內科醫(yī)師。所以當家里有人感冒了，或有了任何形式的模糊癥狀，甚至輕微的事故，他們都會去急診室。全國各地急診室都被這種性質的非緊急需求塞滿了。重復使用急診室已成為了一個非常糟糕的問題，致使國家某些地區(qū)已經通過制定法律來打擊這種行為。

The ER is for a situation where it’s a true emergency or suspected emergency, such as difficulty breathing, signs of a stroke, or a severe accident. Going to a local clinic or doctor is a more effective way to treat non-emergency illnesses in the family. It saves costs for everyone.

急診室是為真的需要急診或疑似急診(的情況)準備的，如呼吸困難、有中風的跡象或嚴重的事故。家庭成員去找當地的小診所或醫(yī)生，對治療非緊急疾病來說更有效率。它能為大家都節(jié)省成本。

Cost Compare

成本對比

Do you actually know what a doctor or hospital charges for a particular procedure? Many of us have forgotten the consumer role we have in purchasing our own health care. Before you have a procedure done, call around and find out what various hospitals and/or doctors charge for it. Even something like x-rays can vary significantly in cost, as can more advanced procedures like CAT scans.

你真的知道醫(yī)生或醫(yī)院為什么對某個特定的程序收費?許多人已經忘記了，我們在購買醫(yī)療保健時應該扮演的消費者角色。在完成一個治療之前，四處打打電話找出不同醫(yī)院或醫(yī)生收費的不同之處。即使像x射線這樣的治療在成本上也會有很大差距，而像CAT掃描這些高級的治療差距則可能更大。

Take Care of Yourself

要自己照顧好自己

It’s amazing how often we overlook the connection between our personal lifestyle practices and our health, and then further overlook the connection between our lifestyle practices and the costs of health care. But the simple truth is, if your family takes care of themselves by eating right and exercising, the chances of a severe illness setting in are greatly reduced.

令人驚訝的是我們常常忽視我們個人的生活行為和我們的健康之間的聯(lián)系，然后進一步忽視我們的生活行為和醫(yī)療保健成本之間的聯(lián)系。不過一個很簡單的事實是，如果你的家庭能通過適當的飲食和鍛煉照顧好自己，那你們得嚴重疾病的可能性將大大減少。

Taking vitamins may also help keep illnesses at bay, from the common cold to depression. Eating healthy fats and focusing mainly on vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean proteins can go a long way toward keeping your family healthy. Embark on a family fitness program to boost everyone’s health and reduce costs even more.

服用維生素也可以幫助阻止疾病的發(fā)生，小到普通感冒大到抑郁癥。健康食用脂肪，主食蔬菜、水果、全谷物和瘦蛋白等食物對保持你和家人的長久健康意義遠大。著手設立一個家庭健身計劃來提高每個人的健康會降低更多成本。

Don’t Smoke

不要吸煙

If you do smoke, quitting is a victory both for you and for the overburdened, economically-strapped health care system. Even better, don’t start!

如果你吸煙，戒煙對你和不堪重負、經濟拮據的健康系統(tǒng)來說，都是一個的巨大成功。當然最好是一開始就不要吸煙!