Chances are You are Unaware of What Healthcare Services Should Be Available to You
Let's Change That
If you are like me, each year your email inbox fills with emails reminding you to renew your healthcare plan. While shopping available plans, there’s a crucial aspect you might be missing — one that could impact you or your loved ones more than you realize.
Critical services, services to which you are entitled, are likely missing. If you do not know what is missing, you do not know what to ask.
Only a few minutes of your time can make all the difference with securing the healthcare services you deserve. The impact can be life-changing for all of us.
A Bill with a 100% Need Factor and 1% Chance of Passing
Daunting, right? But that’s how change often begins. Our government is only as effective as the constituents (you) who shape it. And your voice matters more than you think.
I am sure some of you want to stop here. You are thinking:
My insurance is private, so it doesn't matter what the government does..
Chances are your coverage was determined by following the government's lead. In other words, what the government decides to do directly affects the type of services you will eventually receive via your private insurance.
Understanding Essential Rehabilitation Services
Essential rehabilitation services are more than just a list of therapeutic interventions. They are crucial for recovery from injuries, illnesses, or conditions affecting physical, mental, or cognitive abilities. The catch? Despite being labeled “essential,†you might not be eligible for all of them.
If they are essential, then you must be eligible for them, right?
If only that was true.
Understanding the Three-Hour Rule
Enter the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and their Three-Hour Rule. It determines eligibility for inpatient rehabilitation. But, here’s the catch: respiratory and recreational therapies are often excluded.
Specific to Recreational Therapy, this information begs the question:
“Why deny someone the chance to recover using the activities they enjoy?â€
Imagine a car accident or stroke impacting not just your physical abilities but also your ability to enjoy activities you love. Recreational therapy, a missing link in the Three-Hour Rule, could make all the difference. It is past time to question why we are ignoring something that is not only logical but also beneficial.
Recreational Therapy?
Yes! Recreational Therapy.
Imagine that car accident or stroke means you can no longer participate in the activities you enjoy alone or with the people you care about.
More importantly, imagine how much better your rehabilitation will go if you get to use the activities you enjoy to help you get better.
A critical missing link in the Three-Hour Rule is Recreational Therapy.
I frequently ponder why it is we willingly agree to a rehabilitation plan that excludes essential services?
Two reasons come to mind: 1) We simply do not know the true spectrum of rehabilitation possibilities, and 2) as humans we tend to ignore the things that are arguably logical. Perhaps when we think something is too good to be true, we tend to ignore it. In this case, we are doing so at our own peril.
The Time Has Come
We need to let those in power know that we deserve all available rehabilitation services.
It is easy as first: finding your representative.
Then just sign and send a letter written for this purpose. Sending this letter means your voice will be the catalyst for change.
The Power is in Your Voice
It’s time to bridge the gap in healthcare services. Passing this article along will help. But, more importantly, your signature on a letter can pave the way for essential rehabilitation services that truly make a difference. Join me in this movement for change — for a healthcare system that meets our needs and the needs of those we love.