Part of Retirement Planning is Designating a Health Care Advocate

Victor M. Sandler, MD’s wrote a recent blog post titled “Two Birds With One Stone: Covering the Uninsured by Fixing Medicare”

He describes our medical system as “a disaster…overly expensive and ineffective.” He mentions three causes of medical waste including “unnecessary tests and overly aggressive treatments, emphasis on procedures rather than prevention, and the conflict of interest that pervades health care in this country.”

The conflicts of interest he describes include the fact that

80 percent of medical research and 70 percent of continuing medical education for physicians is paid for by drug and medical device companies.

Of physicians who author clinical practice guidelines, 80 percent are on the payroll of Big Pharma, and 59 percent have relationships with companies whose drugs were considered in the guidelines they authored.

How do these realities impact my health care today and how will they impact my care when I am retired? How can I insure my interests are met if I am in need of care?

I have performed the role of health care advocate for family members with health issues, and navigating the health care system is an extremely challenging, time consuming, and often frustrating job. It is a job that most patients simply can not do alone.

The time to think about your health care advocate is now, and not when you are in a crisis or laying in an emergency room. You should enlist a family member or friend as your health care advocate. Do this today. Ask your advocate for support in whatever capacity you are most comfortable.

Having a health care advocate will be incredibly valuable to you should you be hospitalized and/or in need of care.