You can withdraw money from your Health Savings Account (HSA) to visit an MD, DO or a chiropractor.

Since you will be writing a check or using your debit card to pay for these visits at the time of service, you will really notice how much it costs. Since you have a high-deductible health insurance policy (a must for an HSA), you will be spending HSA money for the first thousand or more dollars every year. It will hurt!

Because of this, you may decide to look around. You might decide that it is cheaper and still effective to visit a naturopath, a type of doctor who specializes in using natural remedies instead of drugs or surgery. These doctors typically charge less and spend much more time with their patients, often more than one hour per appointment.

Or you may still want to stick with an MD. If you do, you may decide to use a particular kind of MD.

Certain MDs have been “opting out” of the health insurance business completely. They refuse to take any patients who want them to process health insurance claims. They focus only on patients who pay “at the time of service.”

If you are using HSA money, that’s you! You are paying at the time of service, using your HSA dollars.

Here’s what’s wonderful about these kinds of doctors. Their fees are much lower. Much, much lower.

Why? Because they don’t have to wrangle with insurance companies day in and day out. They can cut their administrative staff down to just one receptionist and one nurse. All the other paperwork jockies who filled out forms and made phone calls to insurance companies aren’t needed anymore.

You can expect that an “opted-out” doctor might actually charge you only $80 for a half-hour visit. That’s right, I said a half-hour. Once doctors are free from insurance restrictions, they often choose to spend much more time with their patients. They can really ask all the right questions and get down to the true health problems you’re suffering.

Sound great? Good!

The best way to find an “opted-out” doctor is to start calling around to doctors in your area and ask what insurance they take. If they say “We don’t take any insurance” you know you’ve found an opted-out doctor.

Another method might be to call the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine at 202-686-2210 or the American Holistic Medical Association at www.holisticmedicine.org and use their “Doctor Finder.”

Health Savings Accounts will change how we think of health insurance. They are a wonderful tool that almost every American can and should benefit from. And they’re available today!

Daryl Kulak is the author of the book “Health Insurance Off the Grid - A Wonderful Way to Use Alternative Medicine and Save Money on Insurance Using the New Health Savings Account (HSA).” The book provides a nine-step plan to get your individual health insurance costs under control using a unique approach you won’t find anywhere else. The book is available for sale as an e-Book or paperback at the Website http://www.healthoffthegrid.com

Tags: HSA, health savings account, alternative medicine, naturopath, holistic, doctor visit, deductible

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1. Practice breathing from the diaphragm or abdomen instead of the chest. When you are breathing correctly the belly will push outward on breathing in, and contract or tighten when breathing out. The chest and shoulders do not rise up.

2. If you do start wheezing or getting short of breath try to breath slower while relaxing the rest of your body. This reduces the demand for oxygen in the body. If you are exercising slow down or stop.

3. Stop smoking or hanging out in smoky rooms whenever possible. If you live with a smoker who won’t quit or go outside to smoke then encourage the use of an air-filter or devise that sucks up the smoke. Don’t underestimate the dangers of second hand smoke, particularly on children and the elderly.

4. Try swimming as the exercise of choice. The increased moisture seems to lessen the chance of spasm of the bronchial tubes. Starting slowly with walking or a stationary bike can also safely improve cardiovascular stamina.

5. Drink extra glasses of water or liquids. With more rapid breathing it is easier to get dehydrated. Some regular tea is ok as it has a chemical to relax the bronchial tubes called Theo bromide, similar to the asthma medicine theophylline.

6. If you are using a rescue inhaler such as Albuterol more than three times a week you may need a preventive medicine either as another inhaler and/or a pill such as Singulair. Keep ahead of your asthma. At the first sign of worsening, use your medications early. In the end you will require less medicine overall. Make sure you tell your doctor if your symptoms become more frequent. In short, DON’T WAIT.

7. Often people with asthma also have allergies to pollen, animals, and dust. Discuss with your doctor getting allergy testing to see if desensitization shots will cure the problem. Be sure to mention stuffy nose and itchy, watery eyes “sinus problems” during your visit if they occur.

Tags: Osteopathic medicine, osteopathy, family health, D.O., alternative medicine, women

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