Navigating the Healthcare System

Good health is important to everyone. And our Healthcare Center is just the tool you need to make better informed decisions about your own care and coverage.

You can navigate the system—and we can help!

The Basics

Review the basics of healthcare here:

• HIPAA: Your right to Health Insurance and Privacy
• The Patient Bill of Rights: Your Right to Respect and Good Care
• Managed Care: A Choice of Plans
• Medicare 101
• Medicaid: When You Can't Afford Healthcare

Evaluating Your Options

To make smart choices, become knowledgeable about each aspect of your care:

Choices in Care:

• Getting to Know Your Healthcare Providers
• How to Choose a Primary Care Doctor
• Beyond Primary Care: Choosing a Medical Specialist
• Boutique Options Offer Greater Choice in Medical Care
• When and How to Get a Second Opinion
• How to Choose a Surgeon and Hospital for Major Surgery
• Elective Surgery: Weighing the Risks and Benefits

Choices in Coverage:

• Health Insurance: Choosing the Plan That's Right for You
• Medicare Part D: How to Choose a Medicare Drug Plan
• Beyond Medicare Part D: Internet Prescription Drug Programs Helping the Low-income and Elderly
• Health Spending Accounts: A Complement to Regular Health Insurance
• Long-term Care Insurance: In Case of a Prolonged Illness or Injury

Mental Health Options

• How to Choose a Therapist or Counselor
• Group Therapy: Can It Help You?
• Support Groups: How Do They Help?
• Marriage and Family Therapy

Especially for Seniors

Here we discuss some of the special healthcare options available to seniors:

• Adult Day Care: Good for Caregivers and the People They Care For
• End of Life Care
• Getting Help to Pay for Prescriptions
• Home Healthcare—Helping Older Adults Live at Home Longer
• Long-term Care Facilities: You Have Options
• Learning About Assisted Living

The Proactive Patient

Go out there and be your own best advocate. Enhance your medical care and save money doing it.

Planning Ahead

• Get Organized: Manage Your Medical Bills and Doctor Visits
• Making the Most of a Doctors Visit
• Adolescent Doctor Visits
• Surgery at the Doctor's Office: What You Need to Know
• Hospital Stays: What You Need to Know
• Unconventional Treatment: Who Pays for ‘Other Kinds’ of Care?

Doing It for Yourself

• Health Information: Separating Fact From Fiction
• Using Online Medical Consults
• Tips For Safely Buying Medications Online
• Ordering Your Own Lab Tests
• The Benefits and Drawbacks of Home Test Kits

Special Circumstances

Everyone has unique healthcare needs; explore your circumstances below:

• When You’re Self-Employed
• COBRA: When You’re Between Jobs
• When You’re Uninsured
• When You’re a Senior (65+)
• When You’re Disabled
• Applying for Healthcare if You Are a Veteran
• Teaching Teens to Navigate the Healthcare System

Prevention

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

For Parents

• Prenatal Screenings
• Immunization Guidelines for Children

For Adults

• Preventing Medical Errors
• Immunization Guidelines for Older Adults
• Protective Isolation: What Is It and Why Do I Need It?

Medication-related

Review some key dos and don'ts of drug treatment:

• Taking Prescription Medications
• Medication Questions? Ask the Pharmacist
• Should You Take Part in a Clinical Research Trial?
• Interpreting Prescription Drug Advertising
• "Off-label" Drug Use: Is It Safe?
• Beware When Buying Medications Abroad
• Are You Taking Drugs You Don’t Need?