In a
new brochure developed for patients, medical student Jessica Jou writes, "Most people can find an estimate to hire a babysitter or fix a car. But what about a chest x-ray? Even in the age of Google, you may be surprised by how difficult it is to learn the cost of your health care."
This has become increasingly important as more patients find themselves with health plans that require the first several thousand dollars of expenses to be paid out of pocket. It doesn't help that talking to your doctor about health costs can be uncomfortable.
Using insights from hundreds of patient anecdotes that Costs of Care received during our last two essay contests, Jessica lists lessons learned and helpful tips, including answers to questions such as "What if my physician refers me to the billing department?" and "What kinds of cost-aware decisions can my physician make for me?
Download Jessica's brochure directly from the Costs of Care website.
Jessica Jou is currently a second year medical student at the Tufts University School of Medicine. She grew up in Taiwan where medical insurance is universally provided by the government. While in college, she lead a team of physicians and students to provide healthcare to rural villages in Nepal. They are now in their fifth year of service. And after working with the uninsured population in Boston at the Sharewood Project, she is inspired to empower patients and physicians alike to start the conversation about healthcare costs
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