Why would I come and pay you cash when I have health insurance?

If you are happy with your current health care then this talk is likely not applicable to you, but for those who do not feel like they are receiving adequate health care here is an analogy as to why I think it's important to have adjunct Naturopathic care even if you have to pay cash.  

Think of your body/health as your car and your health insurance as car insurance.  Most of us who own our own car pay not only pay for car insurance but in addition also pay for the maintenance needed to keep the car running. An oil change every 3 months or 6,000 miles, a tune-up every so many miles, check the fluids every once in awhile, new breaks, new tires, general car up-keep. If we are willing to do this for our car, why do we not think it's a good idea to do it for our bodies. You pay car insurance every month even if you don't get into a car accident. Honestly you may never get into a car accident and never use your car insurance, but you have it because you would be out of luck if something happened to your car. In this analogy, your body is the car and the doctor is the mechanic. You may be the one driving the car, even changing the oil, but when the transmission starts running rough you go to the mechanic to get a second opinion. 

 

One of the principles of Naturopathic Medicine is prevention. By implementing good foundations of health, such as nutritious food, hydration, sleep, adequate social support, body movement and others (more on the Foundations of Health here) we are working towards the goal of long term health. Relating your personal health maintenance back to the car analogy, a transmission service costs approximately $60.00, a new transmission can cost thousands not to mention the aggravation of a broken down car, missed work or activities, trying to come up with money on the spot for a tow or many other obstacles. These could be preventable with regular maintenance. A tow off the highway can waste a lot of your time and will cost you the price of the repair and a tow. Why not save time and cost of tow with preventative maintenance?

When yielding to insurance companies to control our access to medicine we will end up being sicker than ever. Insurance companies are not looking out for our best interest, they are major corporations working for a profit. The government is already in the pockets of pharmaceutical companies and insurance rules all in medicine. I personally believe it should be between the doctor and the patient together to come up with the best plan for patients. And for this reason I personally feel I am able to serve my patients better without having a third party insurance company tell me what they think is necessary.

So why should you pay out of pocket for my Naturopathic services? You should do it because now is the time to take control of your health; you should do it because you are worth it. You should do it because your health is important. And because you only get one body in this life and it should be valued.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." Ghandi