Experiences within the health care system

¶ … care I receive is delivered in a managed care style. The options of going to different care providers are limited so as to keep costs low, and my insurance company takes care of giving me a list of options. The doctors are designated along with the healthcare facilities -- and this goes to make up the provider network.

Much of the care that I receive also focuses on preventive medicine, so I am always told to take precautions and adopt healthy habits that will keep me from becoming sick down the line. Quitting smoking is one example of preventive care, and so I have adopted this approach.

The pros of managed care are that there is more emphasis placed on reducing costs and it is a streamlined program that is designed to help everyone in the long-term. The con is that there is not as much freedom of choice about where to go when health care becomes necessary.

The pros of traditional care are that the individual can pursue any type of care he or she desires because there is more freedom to choose and less stringent standards; however, the con of this is that it can sometimes end up being much more expensive over time.

My preference is for managed care as it allows me to concentrate on what is available and I know that I will be saving money too through this process; so there is no need for me to look for something on my own or to have to try to find a provider that is affordable.

Discussion Question 2

Disease management is used in part of my health care delivery system in that we are encouraged to share what we learn with others and to pick up information about staying healthy from a lot of different individuals. My perceived implications of a health care system that takes a strong visible position on disease management are that it is a good system that understands how by having everyone join together and form a sharing network of information and practices that are helpful for fighting disease, a better front can be established that protects everyone. Even just by opening up lines of communication and enabling persons to interact with more consistency and openness is an effective means of supporting disease management, and a health care provider that does this is leaps and bounds above those who do not.

Discussion Question 3

Disease management has affected me in one example by my health care provider using text messaging to alert me of important communications regarding meetings, appointments, confirmations, and dates, etc. This is one way in which I was actually impacted by a strategy of disease management; the ability to receive messages on my phone was a valuable tool that kept me from forgetting important dates or from feeling as though my health care provider had forgotten about me or did not care.