HEALTH
Hidden truth
ho pi al . bill
remaining itemized charges against
the medical records for your stay.
OR U OWN 0,
the pro tate often enlarges as men
age. This condition, known as
benign pro tatic hypertrophy (BPH),
affects more than half of all men over
age 50. BPH and other conditions,
abou
Every year, hospital patients
across the nation are overcharged for
services. Excesses that pop up most
often include ghost services, duplica
tion of services, multiple billings, in
flated services and human error,
reports Reader's Digest.
Since a single hos pi tal can have as
many as 12,000 line items in its bill
ing system, familiarizing yourself
with the terminology is no small un
dertaking.
Here are some cost-controlling
strategies to reduce your risk ofbeing
overcharged.
: -. Keep a log: Keep a record of
services, medl 0 and supplies
your receive each day.
- Don't assume anything's free:
Ask "How much?" before accepting
optional supplies - even tissues.
That includes anything you're of
fered on the way out of the hospital,
particularly drugs. They'll cost less
atyourlocalphannacy.
-Insist on an itemized bill: Ask
the billing office to itemize your
charges. Under many state laws, you
have a rigfit to an itemized account
ing. In states without such legisla
tion, some hospitals may be
uncooperative. If so, call the state
consumer protection agency, your
state attorney general's office or the
state health department.
- Take your time. Don't payor
sign any agreements until you've had
time to look over your bill. If the
hospital tries to rush you, remind
them of the American Hospital
Association's Patient's Bill of
Rights: "The patient bas the right to
examine and receive an explanation
or' his bill, regardless of source of
payment."
Check the room rate and number
of days, plus charges for major pro
cedures, operating room, recovery
room and so on. Then compare the
world:
re in
i
While pro t te c ncer
predominantly trike older m n (the
e e t di gno i 0 t n-
cer · bout 70), 20 percent of tho e
affiicted are 65 and younger.
Unli e other malign de, uch
lung, liver an colon cancers, no
causal rei tionship h been found
between pro tate cancer and diet,
viral infections or other environmen
tal ri k factors.
Symptoms C n B V e
Pro t te cancer often develop
and pread with no symptom.
Howev r, there may be om gen ral
warning signs including:
- difficulty or inability to
urinate;
YOU'LL HAVE to get copie of
your records.
Hospitals or doctors may tell you
they're under no obligation to pro
vide copies, but a number of states
have laws guaranteeing you that
right. If your hospital refuses, ask
your personal physician to make the
request. If tha fails. you may want
to switch to a more cooperative doc
tor.
- Examine all bills. Mter you're I
me, you'll undoubtedly receive
more ho pital paper work. Read
everything carefully. Sometimes I
what looks like a duplicate bill is
really an amended bill with added
charges.
- Clarify questionable charges.
If your insurance is picking up a sub
stantial chunk of the bill and the total
is over $10,000, it may conduct its
own audit. If the bill is smaller, the
insurance company's review depart
ment may help you. If you're unin
sured, start with the hospital's billing
office.
- If proof isn't forthcoming, ask
to have the charges removed. Should
the hospital refuse, tum to your state
consumer protection agency, or, if
you suspect fraud, the health-care
. fraud division of the state attorney
general's office. If a provider
threatens to ,sue or turns your bill
over to a collection agency, ask your
consumer protection agency for ad
vice.
For a free reprint of "Hidden
Truths About Hospital BIDs, " send
a self-addressed stamped en
veloped to Reader's Digest,
Reprint Manager, Dept. D791,
Pleasantville, N.Y. 10570.
:Risk factors for AIDS in
adolescents identified
. Tenth grade students who lacked'
parental support, who used illicit
drugs or alcohol, or had academic
difficulties, participated more often
in activities that placed them at an
elevated risk for acquiring the AIDS
virus, significantly higher than teens
without these characteristics.
Surprisingly, higher than teens
without these characteristics.
Surprisingly, having high self-es
teem was also linked to engaging in
such risky behaviors according to a
tudy supported by NIDA and
NIMH.
DR.HEATHERJ.WALTER
and associates from Col umbia
University and the New-York State
Psychiatric Institute surveyed nearly
1,100 10th grade students, primarily
middle-class boys and girls (average
age 15.3) who lived near a region
where -the incidence of AIDS was
relatively high. The teens filled out
questionnaires about their past-year
involvement in AIDS risk behaviors,
including use of intravenous drugs
and sexual activities. Students also
answered questions relevant to ad
verse life circumstances, as well as
individual personal behaviors (do
y u smoke, drink alcohol, take
drugs, etc). �
FINDINGS SHOWED that stu
dents who ranked at or near the top
for the occurrence of adverse life
circumstance, including little sup
port from parents, substance use, or
doing poorly in school: were four
times more likely to have taken pan
in high-risk behaviors (i.e. un
protected sex) than others. Overall,
one-fourth of the tudents reported
they participated in uch activities.
- frequent uri tion peel 11
t ni ht;
or interrupted urine
p tient's rectum nd feels the pro -
te through the rectal 11. The pro-
cedure imple, p . ole nd
bout one minute.
I the ph ician de c
growth, dditional te t,
y , blood te and urine te re
needed to de rmine whether the
growth i cancero .
Other creening protocol may
e Pro tate Speciflc Antigen
t (PSA) or ultrasound. 8 ult
of pro tate cancer and other pro tate
rel ted di es, blo d ub t nee
may ri e to abnormal levels. The
PSA measure th ub tance level.
A blood ample i taken and ent to
the laboratory for analysis.
hi tory, a
mo t common treatm n for p
te cancer include: urgery, di
tion treatment nd hormon therapy.
Some p tien undergo combined
tre tm n .
In early tages (A and B), the
di e e i confined to the pro te
and i treated with the intent to cure.
Of all pro tate cancers, 64 percent
arc discovered durin the tage.
In th e case , the mo t common
therapy i urgery to remove the
pro tate (prostatectomy) or diation
treatment to prevent further cancer
cell growth.
During later tages (C and D),
prostate cancer h pread to nearby
tissues nd eventually to oth r or
gans, including lymph node and
bone. At thi stage, treatments
focus on controlling and lowing the
spread of the disease.
in the
believe that early
tate cancer i criti
mpt diagno i can
I ex mination of
the gland' n effective and imple
way to detect abnormalitie. The
Pro tate Cancer Education Council
nd the American Urological As
ociation recommend that all men
over age 40 have a rectal exam an
nually to help detect cancer.
During th exam, a phy ician in
serts a gloved finger into the
ULTRA OU D I painless
procedure that identifies and e -
timat the ize of both cancerous
and non-cancerous conditions. A
tube-like instrument inserted into the
rectum use oundwaves to create a
picture of the pro tate and immediate
organs. The picture can also help
guide the needle during a biopsy ..
Questions on quitting?
Call u . The call is free.
WHATTOLOO
ORI
ALO
G- TERM CARE POLICY
In the last five year , private insurance companies
have begun to offer long-term care policie . Long-term
care is the kind of care you need if you can no longer
care for yourself due to a prolonged illnes or disability.
These policies cover a variety of different types of care
ranging from skilled nursing care to cu todial or home
care (help with bathing, dressing, eating and preparing
special diets).
For orne, private insurance is an attractive option.
For others, the costs are too high and the benefits
, - insufficient. If you decide to purchase private insur
ance, make sure the policy:
• docs not require prior ho pitalization or prior
level or iIIed care before covering nursing
home care at any level.
• does not have pre-existing condition exclu ion
period 'of Ion cr than six months. If possible,
I . fh 00 nrc-existing condition
�or.fJl.:.�' '<1 "" , �. ''1., 1
ottO .... 'a y 'ftJee look" period during
which the policy can be canceled or returned for
a full refund.
• offers guaranteed renewability. This means
the company can't cancel or refuse to renew due
to age or diminishing health. TIle only valid
reason for cancellation is non-payment.
• covers Alzheimer' di and other organi-
cally caused mental disorders.
• offers hom care benefit without prior hospi
talization.
• offers the option of "innation protection."
In order to control deceptive enrollment practices,
the National Association of Insurance Commissioners
(NAIC), an association of state insurance officials,
drafted model regulations to provide consumer protec
tion as well as flexibility for innovation within th
insurance industry. Thirty-five states have adopted
statutes and 20 states have adopted regulations based on
the N AIC model standards.
When shopping for a policy, make sure a detailed
outline of coverage is presented a "yo�, f.i#t:St meeting ...
with tht agent. Compare �e ,qf CQYC(J. � •
benefits of veral policies, then choose which one is
right for you. If you need helptJe'etdjft,'ort\� , ask
a family member. friend or your personal physician for
advice. Before you buy. check the company out with
your state insurance department and local Better
Business Bureau.
""
"Since I got HIY,
all I want to do is
tell women that' love
alone won't protect
them. You have to
protect yourself."
AIDS is a leading cause of death among women.
. "I used to think that having a man who loved me
would keep me safe ... until I got HIV.
"But )lOu know som�thing� Most women still
don't protect themselves. And I think it's for the
same reason.
"Please listen to me. A man can tell you he loves
you and that he'll never hurt you. But if he has
HIV and doesn't know it, how will your'
,To find out how you can prevent HIY. call the
CDC National AIDS Hodine at I-SOO-342-AIDS.
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(�U.S.DEPA
ENT OF HEALTH. HU AN SERVICES
Public H h Service
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