Did you know... that drug companies give free medicine to people who can't afford medicine? That medical exams and treatment are often free when done as part of an experimental study? That you can get a dental check-up and cleaning at a school of dental hygiene for about $10? That young children can have free immunization at many health departments and immunization drives?
Facts like these can help the cost-conscious consumer save money on medical care. With tips like these Better Health Care for Less helps you sort through medical choices and directs you to new resources. This easy-to-use guide is arranged dictionary-style for quick reference.
Some of the more than 350 topics covered are AIDs, allergies, arthritis, birth control, cancer treatment, diabetes, dermatology, diagnostic tests, emergencies, eye care, high blood pressure, HMOs, insurance, long term care, medications, Parkinson's disease, pregnancy, experimental treatment, surgery, testing, and x-rays.
Similar in aim to Matthew Lesko's What To Do When You Can't Afford Health Care ( LJ 5/1/93), this book offers an alphabetical list of health topics. Under each heading, it gives specific tips for assuring quality care at the best price. The tips are useful, including some ideas that even the most knowledgeable lay reader may not have known, but it would have been easier to use if specific diseases had been listed separately from general topics like "Fitness" and "Hospital Stays." Lesko is much more comprehensive in listing resources for information and financial assistance. Shulman offers some good ideas but makes it rather difficult for the reader to access them. A useful purchase, but not a vital one.
- Susan B. Hagloch, Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, OhioCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
With the cost of health care seemingly beyond control, people need information to plan for the most effective care at the best price.
Better Health Care for Less tells consumers how to obtain the facts that they need to actively participate in their care and spend their money wisely on the best treatment. The book contains specific tips for saving money and obtaining free information and other resources for the treatment of common and rare diseases. It does not provide information about medical disorders but explains how to evaluate the various treatment options available.
Better Health Care for Less is arranged alphabetically from Acne to Yellow Fever. Each entry consists of a tip or series of tips followed by "how it works"--an explanation-- and a "quality check"-- how to evaluate the resource. The book is at its best when dealing with such subjects as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and disability. The authors thoroughly explain the bureaucracies and the best way to deal with them. They also provide excellent information about evaluating adult day care programs, prenatal care, abortion services, pharmacy services, health-insurance programs, and HMOs. The entries for specific diseases and the General Information article are less comprehensive. The latter provides telephone numbers for state and federal health-care agencies and information about newsletters and the National Library of Medicine. It tells readers about MEDLINE and Grateful Med software for end-user access but fails to explain the need for training to search the database effectively.
Better Health Care for Less overlaps to some extent with What to Do When You Can't Afford Health Care [RBB O 1 93]. For instance, both books list experimental studies funded by the government and pharmaceutical companies that provide free medicines for indigent patients. However, What to Do more frequently directs readers to a hotline, book, or video while Better Health Care gives detailed instructions on what to do locally. Better Health Care for Less fills a unique niche in the consumer-health reference collection by providing useful, practical information for personal health-care planning and suggestions for cost-effective treatment. The authors will publish a bimonthly newsletter, "The Better Health Care for Less Newsletter" ($24/year), to update the book.
