It Would Help to Know the Real Cost of Illinois Health Care

If we knew the real price of going to the doctor for a cold or to the ER for a broken leg, how would it make a difference? It would make an enormous difference in one very significant way. If you knew precisely what the cost of a particular medical "service" was versus being clueless about the price because someone else pays the bill, you would really watch your spending. You'd budget wisely to get the best and most affordable Illinois heath insurance.

Being smart with money, and in particular those funds earmarked for health care expenses, saves money and prevents us from overloading the health system. How does that work? If we realized the steep bill we'd get for going to the doctor for a cold, we'd be thinking twice about going as often as we do.

We run to the doctor to ask about trying some new medication we saw on TV, not thinking that one visit may run us up to $150 depending on what the doctor does. Seeing a doctor is not cheap, nor should it be given their level of expertise. We just need to learn to use Illinois health insurance to its best advantage and be covered for things we "really" need.

If you have children who tend to pick up every cough, cold and flu that rages through their school, you might want to wait on running to the doctor if you are able to successfully treat it at home. This is not applicable if your child has something really serious or a history of a weakened immune system.

If you have four kids and they all go to see the doctor for a cold and you use your nice low co-pay benefits, you have no idea what it really cost to have the doctor look in their ears, down their throat and say, "It's a cold, drink plenty of fluids, and rest." On the other hand, if you knew the cost is $100 per child and you had to pay for it out of your own pocket, you'd think twice about a trip to the clinic.

The thought of spending $400 for something that may have been treated at home would certainly make people think twice about overusing the health system. After all, the health system was initially created to deal exclusively with life's major accidents, like a broken leg or a heart attack. It was not intended to cater to colds and other minor ailments.

Our health system is limited in what it is able to offer when trying to cover everything for everyone. The more the system is overused for things that we could handle on our own, the worse the system gets. Think medical practitioner burn-out, more medical errors, and ever increasing medical costs. We seriously have to take responsibility for our own health care.

Randy Gillespie is with Illinois health insurance agency, Focus Insurance Group. To learn more about Illinois Medicare, health insurance, group health insurance or to get an Illinois health insurance quote, visit Focusinsgroup.com