A Quick Guide to Healthcare Plans in 2015

Best Insurance Plan for a Family - low deductible or copay plan ideal
check out Lifewise Essential Silver 2000, Lifewise Essential Silver 3000, MODA Standard Silver

If you have a family, especially with 2 or more young children, you can bet your bottom dollar that you’re going to go to the doctor a few times. You’ll likely end up in urgent care and maybe even in the ER for the highly active child.  With a family you want to choose the lowest premium plan you can that still reasonably controls out of pocket costs for doctors visits.  This means you either want a low deductible (preferrably $500 per person or less, but $1k is still reasonable) OR you want a plan with a reasonable deductible ($3,000 or less per person) that allows you a copay for doctor visits, urgent care and ideally ER visits.  A copay is not subject to deductible while a coinsurance percentage is - so even with a “reasonable” deductible instead of a low one, your out of pocket costs will be low for unexpected doctor visits if you have a copay instead of a coinsurance option.

Best Insurance Plan for a Healthy Individual - HSA or catastrophic
check out Bronze level plans such as Lifewise 5250 HSA, PacificSource Smarthealth Value Bronze HSA or MODA Be Smart

All insurance plans cover annual exams now, so if you are healthy and young you don’t need much more than that.  You’re better off with a low premium and little coverage.  You’ll save so much on premiums over time that you can afford to pay for care when you need it instead of paying (through high premiums) all the time.

Best Insurance Plan for Complementary and Alternative Medicine(CAM) - included CAM benefits or HSA
check out MODA Be Smart, All Lifewise Plans - can add dental/vision/CAM service, most Oregon Health Co-Op Plans also cover on a copay

Ideally, you will find a plan with a reasonable premium that includes coverage for CAM services on a copay not subject to deductible. If you can’t find a plan with a reasonable premium that covers this, however, an HSA is your best way to go.  With an HSA you get a low premium and high deductible, but all the funds you run through your self funded Health Savings Account are fully tax deductible and completely at your discretion - meaning CAM friendly!

Best Insurance Plan for Chronic Illness - HSA or low max out of pocket with good pharmacy benefits
check out Oregon’s Health Co-Op Simple Silver HSA Select, Lifewise Essential Silver $3,000 and MODA Be Prepared

If you have a chronic illness, you are probably taking or can expect to take medication and go to the doctor often.  It might seem like you want the most expensive cadillac of plans, but what you really need to balance is your premium compared to your maximum out of pocket and pharmacy expenses.   If your illness makes you likely to max out your benefits for the year, getting the lowest out of pocket max possible is your priority.  This is likely an HSA. If you go to the doctor often but don’t end up the hospital much, a copay plan or a plan with a low deductible and coinsurance is a good bet.

Stay Tuned for a Step by Step Guide and Glossary of Terms

The Inflammatory Cycle and Where Acupuncture Fits In

ACUTE PHASE 
This phase lasts from injury onset to 72 hours post. During this phase, even if you only have a micro-tear (overstretching) as opposed to a major injury such as a car accident, you have active bleeding causing pain, swelling and redness. These help to improve blood flow and nutrition to the site of injury and are an effort by your body to immobilize the area. This phase can also be characterized by muscle spasm and pain as your body further seeks to immobilize damaged tissues.

TREATMENT - rest, hydrate, nourish. 
Feel free to move within a pain-free range of motion, but do not do anything that causes pain or strain - including bearing weight in the case of ankles and knees if bearing weight is painful. Drink plenty of water (minimum ½ your body weight in oz. per day) and increase Vitamin C - take at least 2,000mg per day.

HOW ACUPUNCTURE CAN HELP WITH THE ACUTE PHASE OF INFLAMMATION 
This is an important time for your body to mount its healing response, but also a time when it can begin the cycle that leads to chronic inflammation by mounting too strong a response relative to the injury. Runners work on their start out of the blocks incessantly because that initial burst of speed can determine the race.  Acupuncture during the first 72 hours after an injury can help reduce pain and help your body set the stage for balanced recovery.  Acupuncture will not stop the inflammatory process from happening, but it can reduce the inflammation to encourage the acute phase to end cleanly encouraging efficient recovery. It can also relax muscle spasm and change your bodies’ neurological perception of pain thereby naturally decreasing pain.

REPAIR PHASE 
This phase lasts from 72 hours to 6 weeks after the injury and this is when the body is actually repairing the injured tissues.  Collagen fibers are being created and laid down to knit and repair every tear no matter how big or small.  Depending on the severity of the injury, muscle spasms and pain can still be foremost during this time.

TREATMENT - hydrate, nourish, move. 
During this time continuing to hydrate and well and supplement Vitamin C in particular (essential for collagen production!) is very important. Bone broths are another good addition to this phase since there is collagen in the bone marrow itself, or even a Chinese Herbal Soup (usually made with chicken but can be made vegetarian) to encourage healing. Movement still within a PAIN FREE RANGE OF MOTION ONLY is important to encourage the new collagen fibers to grow, but this is still a delicate time for re-injury so returning to sport may not be wise - seeing a Physical Therapist is recommended to guide you through safe physical activity.

HOW ACUPUNCTURE CAN HELP WITH THE REPAIR PHASE OF INFLAMMATION
As in the Acute Phase, Acupuncture can help decrease inflammation and reduce pain and muscle spasm.  Acupuncture has also been proven to cause endorphin release which can naturally fight pain and stress.  Acupuncture can therefore reduce reliance on pain medications, improve sleep that is disturbed by pain, reduce pain associated with recovery and encourage return to activity, therefore speeding recovery on many fronts.

REMODELING PHASE 
This phase overlaps with the Repair Phase, lasting from 3 weeks to 12 months.  When the body lays down collagen in response to injury, it is not quite as “neat” as the body’s original connective tissue fibers. As you heal, repair and return to activity, you start using your body and stressing the new collagen fibers.  If they aren’t up to the task because they have been laid down in a really messy fashion, your body will break some of them down and remodel them into a more functional arrangement. During this phase you should experience reduced pain and increased range of motion, but you have to be moderate to avoid re-injuring yourself.

TREATMENT - move, nourish, hydrate. 
During this phase movement is key. Again, you will be prone to re-injury if you aren’t careful and working with a Physical Therapist is highly recommended, but you have to show your body what you want it to do - within SAFE LIMITS - if you want your tissue to be remodeled correctly. This is a time when you are beginning to test your limits, however, and some pain is expected as you recover.  To support your body in laying down collagen, keeping up with good hydration and nutrition is a must.

HOW ACUPUNCTURE CAN HELP WITH THE REMODELING PHASE OF INFLAMMATION
In the remodeling phase Acupuncture truly shines.  By this phase after a car accident in particular, you are starting to wean off medications (if you were on them in the first place), your PT is becoming more rigorous and you are chomping at the bit to get back to the life you want! Acupuncture can help with all of it - Acupuncture can reduce lingering inflammation towards preventing a chronic inflammatory response, reduce pain to allow you more pain free range of motion, reduce muscle spasm and tension associated with guarding patterns that may have been adopted during the Acute and Repair phases, AND it can encourage collagen production!

Acupuncture Reduces Inflammation and Promotes Long Term Healing After Injury

Patient Testimonial - "The Best At What She Does!"

This past summer I had a car accident, which left me with painful muscle injuries. Rebecca was the most knowledgeable and gentle practitioner, and I very much appreciated her extensive acupuncture and cupping skills. She always does a thorough analysis before each session and I feel extremely confident in her care. I will be returning to her for maintenance treatments in the future" ---B.S. December 2013

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