Spending money to save money

I would imagine that most of us look for ways to cut our health care costs.

My husband recently found himself in need of a trip to a hospital emergency room in Oregon, due to a serious outbreak of poison oak. After receiving a bill of over $700 for the hour and a half consultation, we were amazed that anyone can afford a lengthy hospital stay.

When we really analyzed the situation, it was not such a big deal, since the $700 we had to spend was the only health care cost he has accumulated in the past six years.

Some would say he is lucky in that way, but in reality, he has cut his health care costs by spending extra money living a healthier lifestyle, taking better care of himself, and receiving chiropractic care on a regular basis.

Now, not everyone has a spouse who is a chiropractor, I know, but the ability to cut your health care costs in this manner remains the same.

You have probably heard the term, "you have to spend money to make money."

The same idea is also true when it comes to maintaining your health. You have to spend money taking care of yourself in order to avoid the monetary pitfalls of sudden illnesses and disease.

In the end, the money spent living an active, healthy lifestyle will be far less then the money spent reacting to health problems, once they occur.

In the arena of back and neck pain, this point has been proven by Mercer Health and Benefits, LLC, in a recently published report:

The report, "Do Chiropractic Physician Services for Treatment of Low Back and Neck Pain Improve the Value of Health Benefit Plans?" was conducted by Mercer Health & Benefits, LLC, and was prepared for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress.

Mercer analyzed peer-reviewed scientific literature that valued the effectiveness of chiropractic treatments for U.S. patients with back and neck pain. The analysis found that chiropractic care is more effective than other modalities for treating low back and neck pain - and costs less than other care.

The analysts reported that the data shows insurance coverage of chiropractic physician care, for low back and neck pain for conditions other than fracture and malignancy, would likely reduce total U.S. healthcare costs.

While this study concentrated on back and neck pain, these results are also consistent in other areas of our healthcare system.

It is important to remember that we will all, at some point, spend a sum of money on our health. Whether it is an unexpected illness, injury, or disease, spending the time to maintain our health and vitality in the here and now is the only way to avoid costly procedures in the future.

We can hope that we will be one of the "lucky" ones, or we can spend the time and money today to ensure we don't have to rely on luck tomorrow!

To learn more about how chiropractic care can help you reduce your overall healthcare costs, please give us a call at (208) 762-1414 or find us on the Web at www.CDAHealth.com www.CDAHealth.com.

You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook by searching for "Spoelstra Family Chiropractic."