Does your health insurer pay for a trip to a dietitian? What about a gym membership?
That adage about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure may not sit so well with insurance plans--but it's still a good personal strategy.
Although most insurers cover coronary bypass surgery, angioplasty and stent placement, many don't pay for nutrition, fitness and stress management counseling that could help patients avoid or delay such drastic measures in the first place, says
a MarketWatch story by Anya Martin.It points out that patients, even if they have health insurance, wind up paying for a portion of their care. And after a heart attack or surgery, physical limitations may mean abandoning a career that depended on physical labor.
Dr. Timothy Gardner, medical director of the Center for Heart and Vascular Health at Christiana Healthcare System in Newark, Del., told the publication that the best way to forestall a drastic change to one's lifestyle and keep costs down is downright cheap by comparison -- healthy eating habits, modest exercise, weight control and stopping (or, ideally, never starting) smoking. These habits can prevent you from ever developing heart disease or, even if you are diagnosed, dramatically reduce your risk for a heart attack or stroke.
So, maybe a gym membership and/or a consultation with a dietitian is a good investment.
Read
the whole MarketWatch story.
