In hockey, cross-checking means a player with both hands on his raised hockey stick slams into an opposing player. That&rsquo;s against NHL rules and earns at least a two-minute penalty.

Now, checking into the hospital isn&rsquo;t as dangerous as that hockey check, but there are a few rules you should follow to stay safe. True, you won&rsquo;t face time in a penalty box for not following them, but the negative results could be worse.

Rule #1 &ndash; <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/parenting/article/hospital-etiquette-tips">Don&rsquo;t lie</a> on your medical questionnaire. 
Whether you&rsquo;re embarrassed by the truth (you smoke or drink) or don&rsquo;t want to make a big deal of that pain in your gut, keeping info to yourself could lead to a medical mistake. One, according to a Rutgers University study, that tough guys&mdash;and gals&mdash;are most likely to make; seems they hate to admit they&rsquo;re hurt or in pain. So remember, fessing up is smart&mdash;and confidential. And when asked what meds you&rsquo;re taking, mention all supplements and herbs.

Rule #2 &ndash; Bring a <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/managing-your-health-care/how-can-find-patient-advocate">patient advocate</a> with you. 
Everyone needs another set of eyes and ears to remember medical information and ask questions. (If you don&rsquo;t have anyone available, most hospitals provide free Patient Advocates.) Tip: Record the sessions.

Rule&nbsp; #3 &ndash; <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-care-basics/article/5-things-nurse-wants-you-to-know">Rely on the nurses</a>. 
When your doc isn&rsquo;t around, the nursing staff can provide information and assistance. If they don&rsquo;t know the answer or aren&rsquo;t authorized to make a medical decision, they&rsquo;ll find someone who is.

That&rsquo;s how you keep your hospital stay in check and skate right through.

Medically reviewed in September 2018.

3 Rules for Checking Into the Hospital

New Year&rsquo;s resolutions can lift you up with a rush of optimism and determination (&ldquo;I WILL lose 25 pounds and exercise regularly!&rdquo;). But too often they&rsquo;re followed six to eight weeks later by the self-defeating thought, &ldquo;I just can&rsquo;t do it!&rdquo;

But still you resolve, year after year, to become as healthy as possible. As Oprah once said: &ldquo;Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.&rdquo; Now, that&rsquo;s a lot better than Gwyneth Paltrow&rsquo;s attitude toward resolutions. She reportedly said she doesn&rsquo;t make big resolutions because she&rsquo;s afraid of breaking a promise to herself and failing.

To help you (and Gwyneth) succeed, here are oh-so-easy ways to stick to your &ldquo;get healthier&rdquo; resolutions.

1. Caffeinate. A study in Sports Medicine suggests a little <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/user/roshana-golstani/blog/post/8de14771-c11e-489c-a15c-111757d573e6">caffeine before exercise</a> can make it easier to stick to the routine, because the exercise seems to take less effort. 
2. Add mini-movement to your day. Amp up your calorie burn by using an <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/benefits-regular-exercise/exercise-ball">exercise-ball</a> chair at your desk (you&rsquo;ll burn 6 percent more calories than in a desk chair), get a standing desk (you&rsquo;ll use 20 to 50 additional calories per hour). 
3. Cut calories OCCASIONALLY. You don&rsquo;t have to slash calories every day! Four or five days a month <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/weight-loss/quizzes/portion-control">restrict your diet</a> to 1,000 calories and you&rsquo;ll reset your metabolism and reduce inflammation.

These are easy and powerful ways to shed pounds, get healthier, raise your spirits and make your RealAge younger. Happy New You!

Medically reviewed in September 2018.

3 Surprising Ways to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

You may have heard a lot lately about why you can skip certain visits to your <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/live-to-one-hundred/article/the-one-doctor-everyone-needs">doctor</a>. Some groups say women don&rsquo;t need a mammogram every year, and for many men, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests may fall in the category of &ldquo;not necessary, don&rsquo;t bother.&rdquo;

So why&nbsp;should&nbsp;you see your doctor?

There are a million reasons, of course, including the obvious ones&mdash;you&#39;re hacking up blood, you have the worst headache of your life (which, by the way, could be a <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/stroke-signs-symptoms/symptoms-of-a-stroke">sign of a&nbsp;stroke</a>), your spouse ran over your foot with the car, it hurts when you do&nbsp;this. But here are four other reasons that should make you think twice before breaking up with the man (or woman) in the white coat.

1. You&rsquo;re not a doctor. 
Watching&nbsp;medical shows&nbsp;on TV doesn&rsquo;t make you an MD. And while googling your health complaints on the web&mdash;even on&nbsp;Sharecare&mdash;may help you become more informed, it won&rsquo;t get you a definitive diagnosis or the right treatment plan. There&rsquo;s a reason it takes so long to become a physician.

2. You can&rsquo;t feel every problem. 
You can&rsquo;t feel if your blood pressure or cholesterol is too high. You can&rsquo;t feel&nbsp;you have <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/type-2-diabetes/slideshow/what-you-need-to-know-type-2-diabetes">diabetes</a> if you&rsquo;re not having symptoms, which many people in the early stages don&rsquo;t. You can&rsquo;t feel if a medication&mdash;maybe even an over-the-counter one&mdash;is slowly destroying your liver. And in each of these cases, the sooner you treat what&rsquo;s silently affecting you, the better.

3. Symptoms show up where you&rsquo;re not looking. 
Did you know that ophthalmologists are often the first doctors to&nbsp;detect diabetes?&nbsp;That skin cancer can appear between your toes or underneath your fingernails? That&nbsp;herpes&nbsp;can appear in strange places, like your nose? Your doctor knows where to look and what to look for.

4. Someday, the stuff might hit the fan. 
And if it does, having a relationship with a doctor you know and trust can be a tremendous help. Being comfortable with your doctor also makes it easier to talk about those embarrassing symptoms&mdash;like problems in the bathroom or pain &ldquo;down there&rdquo;&mdash;that might be nothing, or might signal a serious health problem.

If you can&rsquo;t remember that last time you saw a doctor, you&rsquo;re probably due. Don&rsquo;t have a doctor? <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-care-basics/article/choosing-a-new-doctor-five-questions-you-must-ask">Get one</a>. (Let&rsquo;s face it, if you didn&rsquo;t have someone to cut your hair, you&rsquo;d find someone long before it got embarrassing. And your health is a touch more important.) Don&rsquo;t like your doctor?&nbsp;Find a new one.&nbsp;And no, your favorite TV doctor doesn&rsquo;t count.

4 Reasons to See Your Doctor Now

Let&rsquo;s face it, stuff happens. You take a tumble from a curb and hit your head. The neighbor&rsquo;s normally friendly cat bites your child. You suddenly feel a heavy pain in your chest. Often it can be difficult to know what to do. Should you &ldquo;wait and see?&rdquo; Call your doctor? Make a beeline to the ER? Here&rsquo;s your cheat sheet for four common scenarios:

Do you need a local doctor that accepts your insurance? <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/find-a-doctor" target="_blank">Click here.</a>

1. Chest pain 
In the ER, we have the mantra that &ldquo;time is heart muscle&rdquo; &ndash;- meaning that if someone is <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/heart-attack/what-is-a-heart-attack">having a heart attack</a>, the sooner we can open the blocked blood vessel, less the permanent heart damage. That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s so crucial for people having a heart attack to get to the ER as quickly as possible. But how do you know it&rsquo;s a heart attack and not just a bad case of acid reflux? One of the commonly described symptoms is chest pressure &ndash;- &ldquo;an elephant is sitting on my chest&rdquo; is classic, although it can also be a sharp pain or feel like an ache. I start to worry if a patient describes this pressure, especially if it&#39;s lasted over five to 10 minutes and is accompanied by shortness of breath, breaking out in a cold sweat, spreading to your arm or back or vomiting. If you have these symptoms, call 911 or go to the ER immediately.

2. Cut with a foreign object in it 
I often treat patients who cut their hand on a wine glass that broke while they were doing dishes, a sharp, dirty tool or a kitchen knife slipped, or they had some similar mishap that cut the skin. When this happens, it&rsquo;s crucial to thoroughly clean the wound and remove all of the foreign material. Otherwise, the cut won&rsquo;t likely heal optimally -- and it has a high chance of becoming infected. If you&rsquo;re not sure it&rsquo;s clean enough or if you know pieces are still inside the skin, a doctor will need to irrigate it and wash out the pieces and bacteria. <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/first-aid-for-wounds/how-know-wound-needs-stitches">You may also need stitches</a> if the cut won&rsquo;t stop bleeding or if the skin gapes apart. An urgent care center may be able to handle this (call before you go) if your regular doctor isn&rsquo;t available. If they&nbsp;can&rsquo;t, head to your nearest ER.

3. Dog or cat bite 
I love dogs and cats, but their mouths are breeding grounds for bacteria and their bites come with a high chance of infection. Cats are especially a problem because their sharp teeth can deposit bacteria deep into the skin, even if the puncture wound appears to be small. If a cat or a dog has bitten you, you need to see a doctor. The cut needs to be thoroughly irrigated and you&rsquo;ll likely start antibiotics. You may also need a series of rabies shots if you don&rsquo;t know if the dog or cat was immunized for <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/rabies/symptoms-of-rabies">rabies</a>.

4. Fall and hit head 
After a head injury there are a few symptoms for which you should definitely see a doctor -- and you may even need the ER. <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/head-injury/what-symptoms-head-injury">Worrisome symptoms</a> include vomiting (especially if it&rsquo;s at least two or three times); a severe headache that&rsquo;s the worst you&rsquo;ve ever had; you have difficulty walking or talking; or you lose consciousness or have trouble staying awake.

If you do need emergency room treatment, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/managing-your-health-care/article/6-emergency-room-secrets">use these six tips </a>to make the experience more bearable and -- depending on your condition -- speed you on your way.

4 Signs You Need a Doctor—or the ER

In the past, your health history was tracked on paper only, but that&#39;s no longer the case. Doctors and hospitals across the country are making things easier for you, turning those paper medical records of yesteryear into something more practical in the 21st century: the electronic health record. Here are five facts to help you understand more about it.

Electronic health records are the future. That&#39;s right. Many hospitals and doctors&rsquo; offices have already implemented electronic health records (EHRs) into their administrative systems. EHRs go beyond standard clinical data collected in a provider&rsquo;s office and can offer a broader view of your care:

<ul>
	<li>Syncs your health history, diagnoses, medicines, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and lab and test results within an online portal</li>
	<li>Allows all your doctors to access your record, making it easier for them to share information and coordinate your care</li>
	<li>Helps you create a personal, secure account to review all of your health information</li>
	<li>Gives providers evidence-based tools to help them make smarter decisions about your care</li>
</ul>

And the federal government encourages these changes by incentivizing healthcare practitioners and facilities to go electronic with their recordkeeping.

They&rsquo;re different than your personal health record (PHR). You control and maintain what&#39;s in your PHR. You can use it to collect, track and share past and current information about your health or the health of someone you&#39;re caring for. Whether you track this health information on paper -- or online -- is completely up to you, but it&#39;s becoming more popular in the form of an electronic health data application, which may be linked to your EHR. With an EHR, your doctor (or hospital) controls the information. They may be stored at a doctor&#39;s office, a hospital, an insurance company, or an employer.

You get better care. With all your medical information in one place, your doctor has a more complete and organized view of your health. EHRs help your doctors stay current with your conditions and treatments and track your progress over time. It also alerts them when you&rsquo;re due for preventive care. They even help prevent prescription errors, guarding you against incorrect dosages and harmful interactions with other medicines you may be taking. Ultimately, it&rsquo;s a more effective way to help your doctor help you.

EHRs save you money. EHRs can help you save cash. They make it less likely that doctors will order duplicate or unnecessary tests. They also make practices more efficienct, reducing administrative costs involved with transcribing notes, handling charts and billing. Those savings reduce overall healthcare spending&mdash;and the costs passed on to you.

You&rsquo;re not left out of your care. EHRs are designed to be accessed by everyone involved in your care, including you. Forgot something your doctor said during your visit? Your doctor can share notes from your visit with you, give you self-care or follow-up instructions and point you to web resources. An EHR can even help you schedule an appointment, send questions to your doctor via email and much more.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

5 Facts About Electronic Health Records

If you don&rsquo;t think you have time for exercise, healthy meals or stress-busting techniques, you&rsquo;re not alone. Surveys report that crazy-busy schedules keep around 42% of North Americans from exercising and 21% from cooking and relaxing. One survey of time-starved people even reported that 58% of them said they&rsquo;d happily shell out $2,725 to fit an extra hour into their day!

But smart folks like you don&rsquo;t have to shell out big bucks to find time to do what you know is good for you. Research reveals amazing ways you can attain your health goals in tiny tidbits of time:&nbsp;

Get a great cardio work-out in 12 minutes. In an exciting study from Canada&rsquo;s McMaster University, overweight people who normally didn&rsquo;t exercise boosted their fitness with this speedy routine: A two-minute warm-up, followed by 3, two-minute interval work-outs. For each interval, exercise as hard as you safely can for 20 seconds, followed by two minutes of recovery at a slow pace. Do it two more times. End with a 3-minute cool-down.

Study volunteers used exercise bikes, but you could try doing it while walking on a treadmill or even marching or jogging in place in your living room. Study volunteers did it three times a week. After six weeks, their endurance and blood pressure had improved. &nbsp;

Weigh in for weight loss.&nbsp; The more often you weigh yourself, the more weight you&rsquo;ll lose, finds a study from Cornell University and Finland&rsquo;s Tempere University of Technology. If you don&rsquo;t want to step on the scale every day, once a week works, the researchers found. They analyzed a year&rsquo;s worth of weigh-ins from 40 dieters. Weight began to creep up in those who hadn&rsquo;t weighed themselves for about six days. Seems when you know the truth about your weight you can&rsquo;t as easily rationalize eating extra calories or acting like a couch-potato.

Get a handle on your health and banish isolation using health-boosting apps. In one new survey, just 18% of Canadians over age 50 used computer apps to manage their diabetes and just 5% used <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-care-basics/article/6-clever-ways-your-smartphone-can-make-you-healthy" target="_blank">smartphone</a> apps -- even though most owned the technology to run them. These tools can help improve blood sugar significantly without spending hardly any time messing with them. And some put you in touch with other folks working toward the same blood sugar control goals as you are -- and that support makes everyone more successful!

Plenty of other apps also exist that are designed to help you manage your weight, fitness, blood pressure and more. Step counters and fitness trackers are like a friendly good conscience sitting on your shoulder. There are even apps to make grocery store shopping purchases more healthy. And there&rsquo;s a bonus: In another study, older adults who got trained to use social media felt less isolated, because they could connect with friends and loved ones without leaving home.

Take a 15-minute stroll after lunch for better blood sugar, weight and mood. A 15-minute stroll after meals can help control your blood sugar, says a study from George Washington University. That&rsquo;s big news for the 29 million Americans with diabetes and the 83 million more with prediabetes. And you know how we feel about the cardio <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/benefits-of-walking" target="_blank">benefits of walking</a> 10,000 steps a day -- they&rsquo;re huge! Getting outdoors in the sunshine can also help reset your body clock for better sleep and a brighter mood, too.

Make the healthy dessert decision: Go for fruit. Added sugars may be more dangerous than too much salt for high blood pressure. The worst sources are commercial desserts packed with the known food felons: added sugars and sugar syrups, saturated fat and artery-clogging trans fats. Keeping your favorite fruit on hand is a great way to get more fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidant-boosting phytochemicals. They&rsquo;ll satisfy your sweet tooth, give you more energy and a sunnier outlook on your day.

Medically reviewed in March 2020.

5 Health Upgrades for Busy People

I consider myself lucky to be one of the 3.1 million registered nurses (RN) in the US, an amazing profession full of passionate, kind, brilliant women and men with years of education and experience in caring for sick and injured folks. Nurses are the heartbeat inside not just hospitals, but urgent care centers, doctor&#39;s offices, labs and much more. It&rsquo;s little wonder, then, that according to Gallup&#39;s annual Honesty and Ethics survey, nurses have been rated as the most trusted profession over the past 13 years. Here are five reasons why:

1. Nurses are leaders for better healthcare. 
Nurses advocate for patients and help shape public health policy by serving on city councils, in government agencies and on state advisory boards. Nurses can also be found in the halls of Congress, educating, informing and working closely with legislators to improve your health and safety. Nurses also contribute to groundbreaking medical research to improve the future of healthcare services.

2. Nurses are your medical confidantes. 
Nurses spend more time with patients than any other caregiver. They&rsquo;re educated to detect subtle changes in your appearance and behavior, keep a constant watch over your progress and anticipate problems. But even with such finely honed analytical and decision-making skills, your nurse can&rsquo;t pick up on those symptoms that only you know. Things you might not think worth mentioning&mdash;like feeling especially thirsty or lightheaded&mdash;could signal a more serious symptom that needs attention.

If you&#39;re being admitted to the hospital, bring any notes you&#39;ve kept about your symptoms and your top questions. Nurses don&#39;t mind if you come prepared with a list&mdash;in fact, they welcome it. Be sure to bring a list of all your current medications, including dose amounts and any supplements you take.

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/askmd/get-started">Related: Track All of Your Symptoms and Medications with AskMD&trade;</a>

3. Nurses are your personal advocates. 
Nurses coordinate every aspect of your care to help keep the physician, pharmacy, lab and other caregivers informed and working together in your best interest. They&rsquo;ll help you to understand a difficult diagnosis by answering questions you may have forgotten to ask your doctor and help you make informed decisions.

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/nursing/how-nurses-difference-health-patients">Related:&nbsp;How Nurses Make a Difference in Patients&#39; Health</a>

4. Nurses help you navigate a complicated system. 
You may find yourself flooded with information regarding your diagnosis and treatment that may be difficult to absorb even in the best of times. Your nurse can be a trusted go-between in communications with the larger healthcare team, including family members. She plays a key role in coordinating care when it&rsquo;s time for you to be discharged from the hospital. She makes sure that follow-up appointments are made, medications are ordered and anything else required for your recovery is in place.

5. Nurses see you as a whole person. 
When it&rsquo;s time for you to go home or to another healthcare facility, your nurse considers every aspect of your well-being&mdash;your physical, emotional and psycho-social needs. And she&rsquo;ll provide you with the information you need to live a healthier life that extends beyond the illness that initially brought you under her care.

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/nursing/why-nurses-important">Related: What Dr. Oz Says About Nurses</a>

5 Things Your Nurse Wants You to Know

For many Americans, controlling healthcare costs is continually top of mind. But, health experts warn that you should never skip doses of prescription medication or take a smaller dose than prescribed in order to save money.

Unfortunately, not everyone follows that advice. A 2019 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that over 11 percent of Americans aged 18 to 64 have admitted to not taking their medicine as prescribed in order to save money. Among uninsured adults, almost 34 percent said they were less likely to take their medications as prescribed due to cost concerns.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re not taking your prescription, it can&rsquo;t work for you. And if you&rsquo;re taking it at less than the prescribed dose, it could be working for you less,&rdquo; says Keith Roach, MD, associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. &ldquo;If you are taking an antibiotic or antiviral medicine&mdash;when it is at the right dose in your body, it keeps the bugs from growing. But once that level gets too low, then they have a chance of learning how to defeat the medicine you&rsquo;re taking.&rdquo;

In addition, skipping doses or only taking a partial dose can have other negative consequences, including increased visits to the emergency room and hospitalizations.

Strategies for reducing costs 
The next time you&rsquo;re thinking about how to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/financial-planning-health-care/slideshow/worst-case-scenario-cant-afford-meds">reduce your drug costs</a>, use one or more of these strategies&mdash;before your health ends up paying the price.

Be informed. Your doctor may not be aware of your medication coverage. Look at your health insurance plan website or ask your pharmacist about preferred tier medications. Then share that information with your doctor. &ldquo;Your doctor wants to help you and work with you to figure out a way of using your benefits to the maximum,&rdquo; Dr. Roach says.

Use generics. Ask your doctor to write a prescription for a generic substitute, if possible. Keep in mind that there are a few instances where a brand-name medication is necessary. If you have a concern about the medication prescribed to you, talk to your health care provider.

Shop around. Drug prices vary by pharmacy, so do your homework and call around before getting your prescription filled. Use an app or website, such as <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/prescription-drug-medication-adherence/article/track-meds-save-money-sharecare">Sharecare</a>, to search and compare prices for your medications. And don&rsquo;t just think of pharmacies as sources. Many big box and grocery stores fill prescriptions at a lower cost. Consider mail-order as well. Many pharmacies and insurance providers will discount a drug if you order a 90-day supply. If you need medication for longer than three months, ask your doctor for an extended prescription. Do not rely on internet or foreign pharmacies, as they may sell counterfeit or dangerous drugs.

Seek help from the drug company. Contact the drug manufacturer to see if you qualify for an assistance plan for either low-cost or zero-cost medication. Many manufacturers also feature coupons on their website for brand-name medications. However, keep in mind that a manufacturer can stop issuing coupons without notice, so this may not be a long-term solution.

Ask, &ldquo;Do I still need this?&rdquo; Sometimes a person&rsquo;s medication profile needs a good cleaning, especially if you are prescribed medication by multiple doctors. Don&rsquo;t be afraid to speak up and ask your healthcare provider if you still need to take a certain medication.

Consider lifestyle changes 
In addition to prescribing the right medications, healthcare providers will often suggest lifestyle modifications to help with certain conditions and their symptoms. Suggested changes may include:

<ul>
	<li>Maintaining a healthy weight</li>
	<li>Eating a wholesome diet</li>
	<li>Beginning an exercise routine</li>
	<li>Practicing stress-relieving tactics</li>
	<li>Quitting smoking</li>
	<li>Getting enough sleep</li>
	<li>Reducing or eliminating alcohol</li>
</ul>

Taking the time to make your health a priority can also have a positive impact your wallet.

&ldquo;Treating any underlying condition through lifestyle can sometimes eliminate the need for medications and has so many other benefits,&rdquo; says Roach. &ldquo;Not only can it you save money, you can save side effects.&rdquo;

Even if you practice healthy habits, it may not eliminate the need for certain medications. Do not stop taking any prescriptions unless directed by your healthcare provider.

Keep an open dialogue 
If you are worried about the cost of a medication, don&rsquo;t feel embarrassed about speaking up. Your healthcare provider may not realize your financial limitations. They also may not know if you have poor coverage or no insurance at all.

&ldquo;Your physician can&rsquo;t help you if they don&rsquo;t understand what your situation is. They can help find a regimen for you that is something you&rsquo;re going to be able to afford,&rdquo; says Roach. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s much better to have a regimen you can afford and take every day than it is to be on a more expensive medication that you can&rsquo;t afford to take or that you take only intermittently.&rdquo;

Medically reviewed in July 2019.

Sources 
QuickStats:&nbsp;Percentage of Adults Aged &ge;18 Years Who Did Not Take Their Medication as Prescribed or Asked for Lower-Cost Medication to Save Money Among Those Prescribed Medication in the Past 12 Months, by Number of Chronic Conditions &mdash; National Health Interview Survey, 2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019;68:990. 
Cohen RA, Boersma P, Vahratian A. Strategies used by adults aged 18&ndash;64 to reduce their prescription drug costs, 2017. NCHS Data Brief, no 333. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2019. 
Medicare. &ldquo;Lower Prescription Costs&rdquo; 
UpToDate. &ldquo;Coping with high drug prices (Beyond the Basics)&rdquo;Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. &ldquo;How You Can Prevent Chronic Diseases&rdquo;

5 Ways to Pay Less for Medications

No one looks forward to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/managing-your-health-care/article/what-to-expect-in-the-er">trip to the ER</a>. And as an ER doctor, there&rsquo;s nothing better than making a patient&rsquo;s diagnosis and seeing her feel better after treatment. But you may be surprised to learn there are a few little things you can do to make the experience a little more bearable and, depending on your condition, speed you on your way:

1. Don&rsquo;t be shy about your problem. 
You will not embarrass an ER doctor or nurse. We have literally seen it all and heard it all, so&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/managing-your-health-care/slideshow/7-white-lies-can-harm-health">don&rsquo;t be afraid to open up</a>. Knowing all the details of your symptoms, when the condition started and what may have brought it on helps us give you the very best care.

2. Ask before you pee.&nbsp; 
If you have to urinate,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-care-basics/slideshow/10-things-nurses-wish-their-patients-knew">check with the nurse</a>&nbsp;first to see if we&rsquo;ll need a sample. I frequently have patients on whom I want to check a urine test for infection, pregnancy or some other reason, but then find out they just urinated. This means we (including you) spend another two hours waiting until you have to go again. Save yourself the time. When you feel the urge, ask a nurse or wait until you&rsquo;ve seen the doctor.

3. Do not eat before you come to the ER.&nbsp; 
Some procedures require sedation&mdash;and that means not eating four to six hours prior. Obviously this can&rsquo;t always be controlled, but if you suspect you may need the ER, don&rsquo;t have a snack before you head out the door. And once you get there, skip the vending machine. I have literally had patients sit there waiting for time to pass just so I can sedate them and treat their condition or injury.

4. Bring your medication list.&nbsp; 
Some drugs cannot be combined, so before we begin treatment we need to know what you take, including any supplements. Time spent tracking down your meds can also delay your care.

5. If you&rsquo;d like privacy with your doctor, just ask.&nbsp; 
You can always ask family to leave the room. But if you don&rsquo;t feel comfortable doing so, here&rsquo;s your exit strategy: go to the bathroom (ask the nurse to take you) and tell him or her that you want them out but are afraid to say anything. Whenever a patient makes this request (the nurse will discreetly let me know), I ask family to leave and I&rsquo;ll take the blame. That way, patients get the privacy they need without blowback.

6. Being nice will get you everywhere. 
It&rsquo;s hard to be kept waiting, especially if you&rsquo;re physically uncomfortable and worried about your health. Understandably, you may have a short fuse. Which is why a patient who is nice and appreciative can be the exception to the rule&mdash;and inspire staff to go the extra&nbsp;extra&nbsp;mile.

Medically reviewed in June 2019.

6 Emergency Room Secrets

Whether you&rsquo;ve been in an accident, gotten injured at the gym, or simply have a pain you can&rsquo;t explain, you never know when you&rsquo;ll end up in the emergency room. If it happens to you, you&rsquo;ll probably want to get in and out fast&mdash;especially given the COVID-19 pandemic. Use these tips to stay healthy and safe the next time you have to go to the ER.

Get your ID checked 
The emergency room is a busy place. And even though you may be dealing with the same hospital staff or assigned to the same bed for your entire stay, it&rsquo;s important that your nurse or healthcare provider (HCP) checks your ID multiple times by asking your name and date of birth, and/or scanning your hospital wristband before giving you any treatment. The wristband itself should include your name and date of birth, as well as your date of admission and hospital identification number.

Wash your hands and ask your HCP to wash theirs 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 25 patients develop an infection related to hospital care. Protect yourself against infections by wearing a mask and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/coronavirus/article/how-to-wash-hands">washing your hands</a> for at least 20 seconds using soap and water whenever possible. You can also use an alcohol-based sanitizer; rub your hands with it until they&rsquo;re dry. Don&rsquo;t be afraid to ask your HCP to wash their hands before treating you, too, just to be safe.

Speak up 
Tell your ER provider about all your symptoms and what&rsquo;s worrying you. If you&rsquo;ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or believe you may have it, make sure to let them know. This will help your healthcare team properly diagnose and treat you. If you&rsquo;re in pain or sick, it&rsquo;s easy to forget to raise your questions and concerns, so bring along a friend or family member if you can, and if the ER allows it. Your crew can help you oversee your healthcare needs if you forget anything or if you&rsquo;re unable to speak for yourself. And when it comes to treatment, don&rsquo;t be afraid to ask about all of your options.

Bring a list of your current medications 
You&rsquo;ll want to tell your HCP about any medications, vitamins, herbals, and/or supplements you take. This will help prevent you from getting medications that could interfere with them.

You shouldn&rsquo;t take any medication when you&rsquo;re in the ER unless your HCP prescribes it. If you are prescribed a drug, ask why. And if the meds make you feel worse, tell an HCP immediately.

Make friends with the nurses 
Shift changes are the most likely times for medical mistakes to happen. Before your current nurse leaves for the day, review your chart with them and ask about treatments you should expect to receive. Remember: Your new nurse needs to double-check your wristband before administering any medication.

Get vaccinated 
While you may be in the emergency room for a sprained ankle, the person sitting to your right could be there for a contagious disease like the <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/coronavirus/article/coronavirus-not-just-a-cold">flu or COVID-19</a>. That means you could leave the hospital only to return in a couple of days because you&rsquo;re infected. While you can&rsquo;t predict trips to the emergency room, you can protect yourself against certain infections by being up-to-date on <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/adult-vaccination/slideshow/5-vaccines-adults-need">your vaccinations</a>&mdash;including your COVID-19 shot.

Sources:

John T. James, PhD.&nbsp;&ldquo;A New, Evidence-based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated with Hospital Care.&rdquo; Journal of Patient Safety. September 2013 - Volume 9 - Issue 3 - p 122-128. 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. &ldquo;Healthcare-associated Infections: HAI Data.&rdquo; October 5, 2018. Accessed April 20, 2021.

6 Tips for Navigating the ER

When preparing for the future, many people automatically think about covering the basics, such as food and housing, and maybe travel plans or other pleasurable activities to enjoy after decades of hard work. But there is another important cost to consider when planning ahead: medical expenses.

Unexpected health care costs can drain your nest egg. But a health savings account (HSA) is an investment tool that can help you manage your medical expenditures now and in the years to come.

What is an HSA exactly? 
An HSA is a savings account specifically for medical expenses. It allows you to stash money away for costs related to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of health issues&mdash;everything from eyeglasses and Band-Aids to co-pays, prescriptions and medical procedures.

Even better news: HSAs can be funded with pre-tax dollars. That means you can set aside a certain percentage of your paycheck to be allocated to an HSA, reducing your taxable income.

And like company-sponsored 401(k) retirement plans, employers can make contributions to your HSA for additional savings. You can also claim a tax deduction for any contributions you make.

Some HSAs also pay interest or enable your contributions to be invested in mutual funds, allowing them to grow over time. Any interest or earnings on HSA funds are also tax-free. So, the money goes in tax-free, grows tax-free and comes out tax free&mdash;as long as it&rsquo;s used for qualified medical expenses.

Another major advantage of having an HSA is that your contributions remain in your account indefinitely&mdash;or until you need them.

Unlike flexible spending accounts (FSAs), which typically require people to use funds within a certain period of time or limit the amount of funds that can carry over from one year to the next (usually no more than $500 per year), the money you put in an HSA doesn&rsquo;t need to be spent within a specific timeframe. So, even if you leave your job or retire, any unused money will remain in your account year after year.

Who is eligible? 
In order to open an HSA, you must meet certain requirements. First, you must have a high-deductible insurance plan that is HSA-eligible.

For these plans, people typically pay lower monthly premiums but must pay more out of pocket than a traditional plan before medical costs&mdash;other than preventive care&mdash;are covered by their insurance.

For the year 2020, the minimum deductible for an individual high-deductible plan is $1,400 and jumps to $2,800 for a family.

You only qualify for an HSA if this is your only health insurance and you have no additional coverage, including Medicare. Keep in mind you can still have an HSA if you have separate dental, vision, disability or long-term care insurance.

Other requirements to be eligible for an HSA:

<ul>
	<li>You must be younger than 65 years old</li>
	<li>You cannot be claimed as a dependent on someone else&rsquo;s tax return</li>
	<li>You cannot also have an FSA unless it&rsquo;s a limited purpose, or &ldquo;HSA-compatible&rdquo; FSA that can only be used for vision care and dental expenses</li>
</ul>

Are there possible downsides? 
Similar to other investment tools, there are consequences for using HSA funds for anything other than qualified medical expenses. If you use HSA funds on anything that doesn&rsquo;t qualify, you will face a 20 percent tax penalty. An unqualified withdrawal is also considered taxable income so it&rsquo;s a double whammy.

By the age of 65, however, you can use your HSA dollars any way you see fit without this 20 percent penalty. But if you use them on nonmedical expenses, your withdrawals will still be taxed as ordinary income.

It&rsquo;s important to track HSA expenditures and to keep your receipts with your tax records. Also to note: HSA funds can&rsquo;t be used to pay your health insurance premiums unless you&rsquo;re older than 65. You can also be penalized for contributing more to your HSA account on a yearly basis than is allowed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

For 2020, individuals with a high-deductible health care plan can contribute up to $3,550. Those with a high-deductible family plan can set aside up to $7,100 for an HSA. This total includes both individual and employer contributions.

Those between 55 and 65 years old are allowed to set aside an additional $1,000 annually in &ldquo;catch up&rdquo; HSA contributions to help cover their medical costs in retirement. Once enrolled in Medicare, however, people are no longer able to contribute to their HSA.

Should you get one? 
Saving money to cover your health care expenses is wise, particularly if you&rsquo;re nearing retirement. If you&rsquo;re eligible for an HSA and wondering if this investment tool is right for you, it&rsquo;s a good idea to consider your monthly expenses.

Planning for your future is rarely a bad thing, unless it places undue financial strain on your current budget.

If you&rsquo;re unsure of what&rsquo;s right for you and your family, consult with a certified financial advisor who can walk you through your options and help you determine the most effective way to secure your financial future and protect your long-term health.

Medically reviewed in June 2020.

Sources: 
Congressional Research Service. &ldquo;Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).&rdquo; 
U.S. Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services. &ldquo;Health Savings Account (HSA).&rdquo; 
AARP. &ldquo;Your Secret Retirement Investment.&rdquo; 
Internal Revenue Service. &ldquo;Publication 969 (2019), Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans.&rdquo; 
U.S. Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services. &ldquo;Using a Flexible Spending Account (FSA).&rdquo; 
Consumer Reports. &ldquo;How to Choose a Health Savings Account.&rdquo;

What is an HSA and Should You Have One?

Calm your mind and improve your bottom line.

4 Quick Ways to Reduce Money Stress

When I ask clients to list categories of spending, they&rsquo;re real quick to offer food, shelter, clothing, transportation, education, travel, entertainment, and a few others. But there are two categories no one ever mentions, and I think this helps explain why you&rsquo;re in debt.

Unexpected Expense #1: Repairs 
When I see that people have credit card debts, I ask why. And they often reply with something to the effect of, &ldquo;Well, the car broke down. It cost $800 to fix. As soon as I get out from under that, I&rsquo;ll be okay.&rdquo; And they work real hard and they pay off $100 a month until they get rid of that bill, and guess what happens next? The roof leaks. Or their son falls on the playground and breaks his arm. Or the washing machine dies. Let&rsquo;s face it: Life happens. Yet when things happen, people feel shocked, as though they didn&rsquo;t know things happen.

If you think occurrences like these are unexpected, you&rsquo;re deceiving yourself. Things are great until the car breaks down. Things are great except you owe $500 in taxes. Things are great until the basement floods. Things are great until the next thing happens. Time, a great physicist once said, is just one damn thing after another.

You just bounce from one crisis to another, like the guy who&rsquo;s always losing 10 pounds. He loses 10 pounds but then it&rsquo;s Thanksgiving. So in January he loses 10 pounds again, then it&rsquo;s Easter. Afterward, he loses 10 pounds, and it&rsquo;s Father&rsquo;s Day. He loses 10 pounds and goes on vacation. It&rsquo;s just a vicious circle, and we find our debt clients running round and round all the time. They&rsquo;re constantly going from &ldquo;I paid off my credit cards&rdquo; to &ldquo;I owe $2,000&rdquo; because they don&rsquo;t recognize that expenses in the unexpected category occur all the time. While it&rsquo;s true we don&rsquo;t know what the expense is, when it will occur, or how much it will cost, we should acknowledge that something will occur&mdash;and it&rsquo;s going to cost us money.

This is why you can&rsquo;t track your expenses for just one month. You must do it for six months because you might go several months without an incident. And if you have a crisis that costs you several hundred dollars every four or five months&mdash;and you do, as tracking your expenses will reveal&mdash;you&rsquo;ll learn that you must set aside enough money on a monthly basis to prepare for it. So set a new category for yourself called UNEXPECTED.

Unexpected Expense #2: Gifts 
Haven&rsquo;t you heard of Christmas or Hanukkah? Every December, people are overwhelmed by the money they spend on presents. Then they get to January and say, &ldquo;Thank goodness that&rsquo;s over,&rdquo; and they spend the next six months paying off the bills. Come November, they get shocked all over again.

It&rsquo;s easy to prepare for the costs of gift-giving: Just look at last January&rsquo;s credit card bills and checkbook&mdash;because you&rsquo;re going to do it again this year! And while we&rsquo;re on the subject, does anybody you know have a birthday? If you&rsquo;re not anticipating birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, confirmations, weddings, births and other milestones in the lives of those you love, you&rsquo;re just adding to the &ldquo;repair bill crisis&rdquo; that is certain to hit you.

Control Yourself 
After completing their six-month review, many people show me their results and lament all the money they spend on gifts. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;ve got no choice,&rdquo; they say. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got a large family and we&rsquo;re very close,&rdquo; implying they are forced to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars every year.

Nonsense. If you are deep in debt, you have no business spending money you don&rsquo;t have on gifts that people don&rsquo;t need. You can bake cookies or rely on a hobby to make them a gift. Write a check to the American Cancer Society and tell the family that you&rsquo;ve done so in their name.

Do you think I&rsquo;m being cheap? Hey, I&rsquo;m talking about survival here. If you were rich, yes, I&rsquo;d say you were cheap. But since you&rsquo;re broke, I&rsquo;d say you are prudent. And if your family&mdash;the people who know you best and love you most&mdash;can&rsquo;t support you in your efforts to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/financial-planning-health-care">improve yourself financially</a>, then shame on them. &nbsp;

Have you ever heard the phrase &ldquo;the rich get richer and the poor get poorer?&rdquo; It&rsquo;s true, because the rich keep doing the things that got them rich, while the poor keep doing the things that got them poor. But you&rsquo;re not poor, you&rsquo;re just broke. And although you&rsquo;re broke at the moment, that will change because of your desire and your effort to change.

Ric Edelman is Founder and Executive Chairman of Edelman Financial Services, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor, and an Investment Advisor Representative who offers advisory services through EFS and is a Registered Representative and Registered Principal of, and offers securities through, EF Legacy Securities, LLC, an affiliated broker/dealer, member FINRA/SIPC.

From the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062006487/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=sharecare-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=0062006487&amp;linkId=59220c99712c0980100187cfd5f5117d">The Truth About Money (Fourth Edition)</a> by Ric Edelman. Copyright &copy;1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2010 by Ric Edelman, Edelman Financial Services LLC Reprinted by permission of Harper Business, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Medically reviewed in August 2018.

2 “Unexpected” Expenses That Keep You in Debt

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/health-topics-a-z/energy-boosters/want-to-have-more-energy-baby-your-mitochondria">Mitochondria</a> is the power source in every cell in your body. These dynamic organelles convert oxygen and nutrients into a chemical called ATP (adenosine triphosphate) that fuel a cell&rsquo;s metabolic activity.

If these mighty mitos can&rsquo;t deliver the energy your body needs, various organ systems suffer&mdash;your heart most of all. That&rsquo;s because it&rsquo;s a huge consumer of energy. It beats around three billion times by the time you hit age 80.

So what prevents mitochondria from doing their job? Often, obesity and diabetes. A study in Circulation Research found that mitochondria becomes misshapen and causes heart cells to overuse fat as fuel in people with diabetes. This lipid overload increases your risk of heart failure two- to five-fold.

If you want to age well and prevent disease, protect your mighty mitos by embracing a diabetes-preventing or diabetes-reversing lifestyle. That means eating seven to nine servings of vegetables and fruits daily and walking 10,000 steps or the equivalent every day. You can track your steps with <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/static/meet-the-healthier-you">Sharecare</a>, an app for <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sharecare/id964313779?mt=8" target="_blank">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sharecare.realgreen&amp;hl=en_US" target="_blank">Android</a>. Be sure to also avoid all trans fats and most saturated fats, added sugar and highly processed foods.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

What You Need to Know About Your Body’s Natural Energy Booster

If you are currently enrolled in an eligible high-deductible health insurance plan, contributing money to a <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-insurance/article/what-is-hsa-should-you-have-one">health savings account (HSA)</a> is a great way to save on medical costs. Any money in these funds can be used for medical expenses that your health insurance does not cover and can be applied to costs that you, your partner or your dependents incur.

Another bonus: These accounts are funded directly from your paycheck with pre-tax dollars. Employers and family members can also make contributions to your HSA.

So how exactly can you use your HSA funds? From co-pays to preventive care to alternative treatments, there may be much more covered than you realize. Here are some of the ways you can plan to use your saved money.

To remember, though: This is not an exhaustive list and rules around HSA eligibility change frequently. Before tapping your HSA to pay for medical expenses, it&rsquo;s always a good idea to check with your insurance provider or the administrator of your savings account.

Medical costs: You can use your HSA funds on charges like co-pays, deductibles, co-insurance and lab fees. You can also pay for ambulance rides, diagnostic scans, hospital services and surgical procedures that are not cosmetic. In addition, HSAs can also be used to pay for preventive care costs including medical exams, check-ups, well visits, vaccinations and screenings.

Medications: Prescription medications have always been covered by HSA money, along with some over-the-counter (OTC) meds that had a doctor&rsquo;s prescription. Now, with the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act&nbsp;in March 2020, that coverage has been enhanced: OTC medications are now HSA-eligible. Most vitamins and supplements cannot be purchased using HSA dollars, however, although there are some exceptions, such as prenatal vitamins.

Dental: You can use your HSA to help with dental expenses. This includes preventive care&mdash;exams and cleanings&mdash;as well as certain treatments like fillings, X-rays, braces and dental surgeries. Don&rsquo;t try to buy your toothpaste, floss, mouthwash and other oral care products with your HSA card, however. These items are not covered. The same goes for any teeth-whitening procedures.

Vision: Eye exams, glasses, contacts, prescription sunglasses and surgeries can all be paid for with your HSA account. Even procedures like LASIK vision correction are often covered.

Maternal and women&rsquo;s health: Your HSA money covers a wide variety of procedures and items for women, including:

<ul>
	<li>Breast pumps and other lactation supplies</li>
	<li>Birth control</li>
	<li>Menstrual care products</li>
	<li>Pregnancy tests</li>
	<li>Fertility treatments, including in-vitro fertilization</li>
	<li>Midwife and doula services</li>
	<li>Costs associated with childbirth</li>
</ul>

Hearing assistance: Hearing aids as well as telephone and television equipment for the hearing impaired can be purchased with money from your HSA. You can also get reimbursed for the cost difference between braille books or magazines and a normally priced item.

Medical equipment: This may include testing equipment, thermometers, crutches, wheelchairs and medical alert bracelets.

Mental health: You can use your HSA to help pay for psychiatric care, including visits to a psychologist, therapy sessions and prescription medication.

Alternative therapies: Some of the covered therapies include acupuncture and chiropractic services. Massage may be covered under your HSA benefits but only if it&rsquo;s medically necessary.

Cessation programs: These can include drug and alcohol addiction programs, as well as smoking cessation therapies.

Expenses to assist with disabilities or special needs: Some eligible expenses include the cost of guide dogs, special education for disabled dependents and any modifications you might need to make to your home or car to accommodate family members with disabilities.

Additional expenses: If deemed medically necessary, other purchases that you may be able to cover through your HSA include sunscreen, lodging while you or family members seek medical care, various nursing home expenses, in-patient care meals, transportation to medical services, wigs, lead-based paint removal and weight loss programs that are medically necessary.

What can&rsquo;t you purchase using HSA funds? 
Some expenditures, even though related to health, may not necessarily be considered qualified medical expenses. Options that are not covered under your HSA can include but are not limited to:

<ul>
	<li>Cosmetic surgeries</li>
	<li>Gym and exercise services</li>
	<li>Protein powder</li>
	<li>Baby formula</li>
	<li>Diapers</li>
	<li>Baby-sitting for healthy babies</li>
	<li>Many personal care items</li>
</ul>

Unfortunately, most items used to help prevent COVID-19 transmission are also not eligible, including hand sanitizer, face masks and cleaning supplies.

What to know before you spend your HSA money 
Keep these tips in mind as you plan out your medical expenditures:

Some expenses may require a letter of medical necessity (LMN). This is proof from a doctor that the expense you are seeking reimbursement for is medically necessary. For example, certain HSA funds will cover massage therapy if it is deemed essential by your doctor.

Every HSA is different. Some insurance providers will need an LMN for certain expenses, while others may not. But covered expenses should generally be consistent, since those expenses are determined by the IRS. Also keep in mind that HSAs offer different options and benefits than other, often similarly-named accounts, such as medical savings accounts, flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs). Talk to your employer&rsquo;s benefits department or your health insurance provider to learn about your options, and be certain you understand the parameters of the type of account you are enrolled in.

Rules frequently change. It&rsquo;s important to keep tabs on the guidelines. OTC medication, for example, was not covered until earlier this year. Likewise, some eligible expenses could be removed in future years. Always check in with your insurance provider or the company that manages your HSA before planning your medical spending.

Medically reviewed in June 2020.

Sources: 
Congressional Research Service. &ldquo;Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).&rdquo; 
U.S. Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services. &ldquo;Health Savings Account (HSA).&rdquo; 
AARP. &ldquo;Your Secret Retirement Investment.&rdquo; 
Internal Revenue Service. &ldquo;Publication 969 (2019), Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans.&rdquo; 
HSAStore. &ldquo;HSA Eligibility List.&rdquo; 
Alicia Adamczyk. &ldquo;You can now use your FSA or HSA funds for over-the-counter medications and feminine care products.&rdquo; CNBC. April 23, 2020. 
HealthEquity. &ldquo;Letter of medical necessity.&rdquo; 
HSAStore. &ldquo;Your HSA COVID-19 Prep Cheat Sheet: What We Carry and Why.&rdquo; 
HSABank. &ldquo;HSA, HRA, Healthcare FSA and Dependent Care Eligibility List.&rdquo; 
Discovery Benefits. &ldquo;The CARES Act and What It Means For Your Benefits.&rdquo;

How Can I Use My HSA Funds?

We&rsquo;re all familiar with the American Dream: a college education, a safe and comfortable house for the family, enough cash to afford monthly expenses and maybe even a little bit left over to put into savings or towards a vacation. Unfortunately, for many of us, achieving the American Dream means taking on a lot of debt, too. Investing in your education or a home is a great way to build personal and financial equity, of course, but if you rack up too much debt doing so, you put your finances, property and even your health at risk.

The sources of Americans&rsquo; debt 
So, what&rsquo;s causing our debt? There are a few obvious sources, like college loans, but some other common expenses might surprise you.

Your home: It may come as no shock that housing is the largest monthly expense for many people. Like we said, investing in a house is a great way to build financial equity. But if you can&rsquo;t afford your mortgage, home insurance and taxes each month, you&rsquo;re not just hurting your credit score&mdash;you risk losing your home, too. As a rule of thumb&mdash;whether you own or rent&mdash;try to spend no more than 30 percent of your income on housing. This should leave you with plenty of cash for other expenses, like food, utilities, transportation, child care and savings for your emergency fund at the end of each month.

Your education (or your kids&rsquo;): Reports have shown that, on average, those with college degrees will earn approximately $1 million more over their lifetime than those without a college degree. Many graduates, however, have to take out student loans to earn those degrees. That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s so important to consider how borrowing will affect future finances&mdash;for both parents saving up for their kids&rsquo; college funds and students taking on loans. Before taking out a loan, be sure to assess the type of school you&rsquo;ll be paying for (public vs. private) and the planned area of study (a high-paying degree vs. a lower-paying degree). These two factors will help you determine how much student loan debt is just too much, and whether or not you&rsquo;ll be able to pay it back comfortably.

Your medical expenses: Even for those with health insurance, planned and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/health-topics-a-z/financial-health/5-ways-to-cut-down-on-medical-bills">unplanned medical expenses</a> can be extremely expensive&mdash;and the costs are climbing. In fact, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the national spending on healthcare reached $3.3 trillion in 2016, or about $10,348 per person in the United States. Plus, benefit coverage and the cost of care can be confusing or unclear to many people&mdash;especially in emergency situations&mdash;resulting in substantial, unplanned expenses. So, how should you handle a major medical bill? Having an &ldquo;emergency fund,&rdquo; or at least three to six months&rsquo; worth of living expenses saved, can help offset surprise medical costs. Alternately, many hospitals and doctors&rsquo; offices will work with you to develop a monthly payment plan based on your income.

Your kids: Did you know it runs a middle class family approximately $250,000 to raise a child in the United States, not including the price of college? Between housing, food, education, child care and other everyday expenses, the cost of raising a child can seriously add up&mdash;and many people aren&rsquo;t prepared to take on that expense. Plus, unexpected expenses or having multiple children can raise that figure exponentially. The solution? You can try to develop a family plan and stick to it, but of course, not every child can be planned (hey, it happens!). That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s important to have a solid savings base and adhere to your monthly budget.

Your home improvements: Those weekend trips to the hardware store can certainly add up&mdash;to the tune of about $340 billion each year in the US. Home improvements are one of the largest sources of debt for Americans simply because it&rsquo;s easier and more affordable to improve and repair current housing than it is to find new housing all together. Unexpected expenses like a broken air conditioning unit or hot water heater don&rsquo;t help, either. Even if substantial home improvements aren&rsquo;t in your short-term (or even long-term) financial plans, setting aside a few dollars each month towards them can help offset the costs.

Debt doesn&rsquo;t just hurt your credit score 
You may know taking on too much debt can result in a lower credit score, home foreclosures and the repossession of cars and other belongings. But did you know poor finances can seriously <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/financial-planning-health-care/slideshow/how-financial-stress-hurts-health">affect your health</a>, too?

According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, 72 percent of Americans feel stressed about money from month to month. Financial concerns like excess debt can affect one&rsquo;s general health by:

<ul>
	<li>Increasing daily stress: Everyday stress can have seriously detrimental effects on your mental, emotional and physical health. Not only can stress contribute to depression and anxiety, but it&rsquo;s also been linked to cardiovascular issues (such as heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure), as well as problems with the gastrointestinal, endocrine, respiratory, nervous and reproductive systems.</li>
	<li>Impacting treatment for health issues: With the rising cost of healthcare, it&rsquo;s no surprise that many Americans are avoiding doctor&rsquo;s offices. In fact, 12 percent of Americans report skipping doctor&rsquo;s appointments simply because they could not afford it. Because these patients aren&rsquo;t seeing their doctors, their health conditions may be going untreated&mdash;or undetected entirely.</li>
	<li>Affecting relationships: Money is a common cause of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/financial-planning-health-care/article/ways-stop-fighting-about-money">conflict in relationships</a>, and 31 percent of Americans report it being a major cause of conflict. A poor relationship can increase stress levels, which may strain the cardiovascular, nervous, digestive and endocrine systems.</li>
</ul>

The bottom line? Avoiding too much debt can set you up for a solid financial future&mdash;and help protect your mental, emotional and physical health. The key is to develop an attainable, sustainable financial plan that can help you keep your money goals on track.

Medically reviewed in July 2018.

What's Causing Your Debt—and Why You Need to Get It Under Control Now

Learn tricks from the savviest savers to buy the things you really want&mdash;and still build your nest egg.

11 Simple Ways to Spend Less, Save More

Stand-up legend Rodney Dangerfield became famous for his quips about how he got no respect from anyone. &ldquo;My psychiatrist told me I&rsquo;m going crazy,&rdquo; went one of his jokes. &ldquo;I told him, &lsquo;If you don&rsquo;t mind, I&rsquo;d like a second opinion.&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;Alright. You&rsquo;re ugly too!&rsquo;&rdquo;

A study from the Mayo Clinic shows that getting a second opinion is no joke. The researchers looked at records for nearly 300 patients who had been referred to a specialist by their primary care docs. They found that in 21 percent of cases the initial diagnosis was completely changed, while a full 66 percent of second opinions led to a more specific diagnosis. Only 12 percent of diagnoses stayed the same. In this study, the conditions that were most commonly misdiagnosed were respiratory problems, mental illnesses and problems in the genital area and urinary tract.

Wondering whether to get a second opinion? Here&rsquo;s a good rule of thumb: If your diagnosis means you need intensive therapy or treatment, such as surgery or chemotherapy, or you&#39;re taking a drug for more than seven days, or if you&rsquo;re having ongoing unexplained symptoms, such as weight loss or a persistent cough that you don&rsquo;t feel your doc has explained, get a second opinion.&nbsp;

And ask your doc to refer you to a physician in your network to keep costs down. Even though another visit might seem like a big hassle, you&rsquo;ll save more serious hassles if it keeps you from an insufficient or missed diagnosis.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

Why You Should Always Seek Second Opinions

Actress Rita Wilson, wife of actor Tom Hanks, recently revealed a very personal decision. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, she had a double <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breast-cancer/what-is-a-mastectomy">mastectomy</a> and reconstructive surgery. What&rsquo;s really making headlines, however, is that her cancer was detected only after she sought a second -- and then third -- opinion on her biopsy results.

Given the value of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/cancer-diagnosis/why-is-early-detection-of-cancer-important">early detection in cancer</a> and other conditions, you may be wondering: When should I get a <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/managing-your-health-care/do-have-get-second-opinion">second opinion</a>?

Many experts recommend getting a second opinion when the stakes are high. &quot;And that doesn&rsquo;t have to be cancer,&rdquo; says <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/user/dr-keith-roach">Keith Roach, MD</a>, chief medical officer of Sharecare and associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. You may want to get a second opinion before undergoing routine surgery or taking a course of powerful medications.

&ldquo;The importance of a second opinion is two-fold. The more important reason is to avoid an error in diagnosis and to ensure proper treatment. The second reason is to provide a level of comfort and certainty to the person who is looking at the upcoming medical procedure.&rdquo;

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/lab-tests/what-is-pathologist">Pathologists</a> and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/diagnostic-imaging/what-is-radiologist">radiologists</a> are experts at interpreting the results of cancer tests, but they&rsquo;re not infallible. That&rsquo;s why most doctors agree that getting a second opinion is reasonable and do not get upset by a cautious person seeking them. &ldquo;Double checking the pathology in the very first place before treatment starts can make a significant difference in terms of the outcome,&rdquo; says Dr. Roach.

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/user/dr-michael-roizen">Michael Roizen, MD</a>, Sharecare advisory board member and chief wellness officer at Cleveland Clinic, agrees. He says whether you&rsquo;re looking at a mammogram, a pathology specimen or the need for antibiotics, 30 percent of the time the diagnosis and/or treatment changes with a second opinion.

In cases where the first and second medical opinions are at odds, &ldquo;keep on going until you get consistency,&rdquo; Dr. Roizen says. &ldquo;We get very difficult cases here [at the Cleveland Clinic]. In fact sometimes we get patients seeking fourth and fifth opinions. And if we still don&rsquo;t know what&rsquo;s wrong, we&rsquo;ll say, look, we don&rsquo;t know, but this is what treatment we&rsquo;re going to try at first. If it doesn&rsquo;t work, we&rsquo;ll go another way.&rdquo;

Medically reviewed in June 2019.

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