Health Care Reform and Your Joint Health

Health care insurance reform has featured prominently in news stories, but general information about the changes coming in October may not answer all your questions. If you aren't sure how your health insurance situation may change under the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act when the first insurance exchanges start selling plans in the fall, taking a proactive approach to your joint health may help lower future costs.

Depending on its cause, chronic joint pain can worsen over time. The progress of degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis can be slowed or halted with care from an orthopedic doctor, but waiting until a complex new insurance system is established could leave you vulnerable to preventable damage. Early detection and treatment can spare you future knee surgery or shoulder surgery. Physical therapy, medication and joint resurfacing are other possibilities.

While open enrollment begins in October, coverage may not begin until January. Someone who suffers daily joint pain may not need to wait for relief, says Meridian, Idaho, orthopedic surgeo
Dr. Robert Hansen. The shoulder and hand surgeon has treated thousands of patients for joint replacement and has eased some of his patients' conce
s about coverage. "Insurance companies want you to receive treatment early; you and your orthopedic doctor have more flexible treatment strategies, and that can save insurance providers money." He expects insurance exchanges to have a similar philosophy on early treatment, he says.

For more advanced conditions that require joint replacement surgery, new techniques in minimally invasive surgery shorten recovery times and get you on your feet again. In Idaho, hip replacement surgery and other procedures will be a part of insurance plans available through the reform package if the surgery is medically necessary. A Boise, Idaho, orthopedic surgeon can establish your current joint health, make recommendations about your future options and discuss payment methods with you.

If you have been putting off a visit because of conce
s about a pre-existing condition, this Affordable Care Act overview specifically mentions prohibiting insurance providers, including the new insurance exchanges, from discriminating against patients with per-existing medical conditions. Conce
s about not getting coverage after a diagnosis of osteoarthritis or other degenerative conditions should not limit your care, and taking action soon gives you a wider range of treatment options.

How health care reform affects you and your joint health specifically is a question for your doctor, but Boise sports medicine specialists agree that taking action sooner rather than later is preferable. If reading about the Affordable Care Act has left you with more questions than answers, call a sports medicine center that has personnel on hand to discuss insurance with you.