QUALITY
How do you decide which doctor to go to? Who decides the criteria for choosing a doctor? Does your insurance decide? Do you know if they're qualified to do the procedure you need? How experienced are they? How well are they able to communicate what's wrong with me in a way I can understand? Do they make me feel comfortable enough that I can ask questions? Do I know if they've hurt anybody? And how do I know that it's worth going to see a specialist, and how do I know who is the best one? How do you judge the quality of the care you're getting? In an emergency most of us aren't going to be able to shop around. Does there have to be a trade-off between quality and cost? Who determines standards for healthcare?
ACCESS
OK, you know you need to get care and you think you've found the best person to go to. Well then, how do you know how long it's going to take to get an appointment? If you think you have a problem today, why do you have to wait two weeks? What if you have pick up a family member after work, or bring your kids with you, how do you know what the waiting time is going to be? If you need lab work is it close to the doctor or do you need to make another trip? What if the doctor you need to see difficult to get to or far away? What if your insurance plan doesn't cover or discontinues a medicine or procedure that your doctor says you need?
CHOICE
How involved are you in making health care decisions for yourself & your family? Who decides who your doctor, dentist, etc. is? And so some of the cost decisions are the consumer's- are yours. And some of them are already made. Who decides what health care & coverage you get? Do you have choice in the doctors, medicines, and treatments you get? Can you choose where you go? Can you get a second opinion, and will it be paid for? Can you get good information about your healthcare choices from your doctor, provider or health insurance plan? Say you get sick or have an emergency, how do you know what your choices are? Do you trust the emergency room or the doctor without further information?
COST
Is cost a major factor in your health care decisions? Do you know if you have a co-pay and what it is? Do you pay for health care upfront or after the fact? Does your insurance pay at the point of service, or reimburse you later? And how do you know that the choice that you make is not only the best quality, but the best for me as a consumer? Can you find out in advance how much your care is going to cost and if you can afford it? What if you have to make the decision for a family member? Can you arrange a payment schedule? What are the options if you can't afford it? Is there a sliding scale based on income if you don't have insurance? Do you have to specifically ask for a reduced rate? How do you know if surgery or other expensive procedures are the necessary course of action, or could the problem be resolved in a less costly way? And how do you know if new medical technologies are covered under your insurance? Will your prescriptions be covered?
And not only that, but what about parking? Do I have to park in a garage and pay for it? Or do I have to hire babysitters? Do I have to take time off from work? This is all part of the cost.
