You’re paying $1,500 a month for your health insurance, giving you a feeling of health security. “Should anything happen, I’m covered.” But what really happens that day when you have a scare and are whisked up to the hospital?
Health insurance went from a risk mitigation service to a carte blanche for the healthcare system. They’ll run the tests they want, make the diagnoses they need, and scare the health consumer into a procedure or treatment without really offering informed consent.
But you might not be too worried because you know that you can always sue your clinical team if something goes wrong. Except, I’ve never had a happy patient who was in a lawsuit. When you are stuck on lifetime dialysis, even $100 million won’t add much to the quality of your life.
Paying for What Matters
In the US you likely won’t die from a mosquito bite, Typhoid, severe diarrhea, or other major public health disasters. The biggest killers are the factors that lead to chronic disease.
I’m 48 and my biggest risks are heart disease, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disease, and dementia. Most of these are preventable according to science.
And since for most adults money is a finite resource, the question is whether the health insurance premium is protecting you. While it doesn’t have to be an either-or, the money you spend on health insurance is the money you’re not spending on prevention.
This Is What Will Keep You Healthy
Here is a breakdown of areas worth spending money so that you can avoid needing to use your health insurance in the first place.
The implication is that relying on the health insurance system is actually a risk to your health. How do we know? Lots of data shows that defensive medicine, profit-motivated health decisions, and medical errors place your health at risk.
1. High-Value Lab Tests - $75
Annual TSH, CBC, and cholesterol? What’s the point if you just keep getting them without taking action?
ApoB
HOMA-IR
Liver function panel
hs-CRP
TG/HDL ratio
These aren’t labs that I just get willy nilly. Before obtaining them, I have a long discussion (my appointments are 1-hour long in my practice) with each patient and we decide what action we’d take based on what the results are.
Waiting for an LDL-C of 160 or an A1C of 6.7 is like waiting for the tornado to hit your home before you evacuate it.
2. Blood Pressure Cuff - $35
I don’t have to say too much about high blood pressure. I’ll just add that waiting for your annual blood pressure reading at your doctor’s office won’t tell you what your cardiovascular system is doing. It’s like taking a random photo at a wedding and hoping the bride/groom are in it.
Know your blood pressure and know what affects it. Ideally, know what it does overnight as well. Make adjustments to keep it in a healthy range. Don’t assume that a blood pressure medication will fix the underlying issue.
Struggling with Brain Fog? Consider enrolling in my Brain Fog Reset program.
3. Glucometer - $40
An A1C is a very crude metric and a CGM is far too granular. But a glucometer is cheap, safe, and effective. It’ll tell you how your body responds to different stimuli.
For some adults it’s stress, poor sleep, something sweet, or being sedentary and they’ll see their blood sugar spike up. Of course, so will exercise. It’s not to say that something that raises your blood sugar is bad for you - that’s where all the longevity gurus miss the mark.
4. Body Composition - $90
Whether you do a DEXA scan, MRI ($500), or InBody ($50), it doesn’t matter. You’ll get a solid idea of your body’s muscle, fat, and bone composition.
If you’re Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, or a woman you’re at far higher risk to have “Normal Weight Obesity.” You may look great in the mirror but a lot could be brewing underneath.
There are lots of other ways to glean this information but what I’ve learned after 2 decades of practice is that nobody wants to bother with a tape measure and a calculator to check their waist-to-height ratio. They want a digital printout. So if a WtHR isn’t convincing enough, start with a DEXA.
5. Fitness Test - $100
You can do a fitness test at home, on a treadmill, on a hill, on a bike, in a pool or you can pay $300 and have a lab test for your VO2Max.
You’ll need a heart rate monitor so I added $100 for the cost. Knowing what your max heart rate, resting heart rate, and oxygen capacity is will help you decide what changes to make with your health.
Using the Information
The list above assumes that you know what to do with the information and that you actually implement the necessary changes. Believe me, this is far more important than you realize.
Most adults have plenty of data to paint a clear picture of their current and future health. Taking action on this data is what makes all the difference. It might seem overwhelming at first but if you break it down it’s quite doable.
Follow this 5-point method to help you achieve better health than most of your peers:
What data do you already have?
What important data points are missing?
What does the data say about your current and future health?
What are the top 3 things you could do today that would have a major impact?
How can you measure your progress?
Frustrated by one-size-fits-all advice? I take on a limited number of 1-on-1 coaching clients to dive deep into your unique health history, identify your physiological triggers, and design a sustainable plan to help you feel your best.
Disclaimer:
Dr. Mohammad Ashori is a U.S.-trained family medicine physician. The content shared here is for education and general guidance. It is not personal medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Humans are complicated and your personal details matter. Your healthcare team is your best resource before making medical decisions, changing medications, or managing symptoms. This information is to help you add more depth to those conversations.
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What a clever article, this is the big switch between sick care (traditional commercial model) and health care (prevention).