By LaNita Jo Fox, as told to Stephanie Booth
LaNita Jo Fox, 72, takes great care of herself. The actress and model roller-skates, dances, swims, works out at her gym, and even hula-hoops. She eats plenty of fresh fruit, drinks lots of water, takes vitamins, and sees a therapist to help manage her stress. But like so many Americans, LaNita is worried about health care costs.
Healthcare is exhausting. Medicine is expensive and it’s ridiculous. Here are the steps I take to stay healthy, and what I’m worried about for the future.
Paying for Health Care
Every month, $18.75 is taken out of my Social Security check for my Medicare. I'm in good health, but in 1977, I was diagnosed with CREST syndrome [a form of scleroderma] and I have a cyst on my pancreas that my doctor keeps an eye on.
I'm supposed to come back every six months or year for a CT scan, but sometimes, I delay the test because I don't have the funds to pay for it. Back in the day, you didn't have to pay all that. But now it's ridiculous what they charge people.
I had bronchitis a few months ago and went to urgent care. It was $35 or $40, then I had to pay $90 for a chest X-ray. They asked, "Do you want to come back [for a follow-up]?" No. I don't have another $90 for another X-ray.
It's a sin to drain people out of their money. A lot of people will not go to the doctor because they know the cost of it. Then, you know, you're frustrated and find yourself going to see a therapist because you have anxiety.
I know someone who has a toothache, and he's been taking aspirin and pain medicine for it. He's already had four strokes and one heart attack. He says he can't afford to go to the dentist because he doesn't have any health insurance.
I also know someone who just had a biopsy on her thyroid. It was $350, so she had to make payment arrangements.
Choosing a Health Plan
When I looked at health plans this year, I was on the phone for a whole hour trying to see what doctors each covered, and what medicines.
Some want you to get a referral to doctors, but how do you know that you can trust them? Do they really look at your notes or tests? You just don't know how good of a doctor they are, so you have to do the homework to look them up. And sometimes when you do call them up, they say, "Well, we don't have anything until July."
I ended up renewing my same health plan so I could keep my doctors.
Too Much Worry, Not Enough Benefits
On my social media page, I always get ads from some company that wants me to go take their blood test for hundreds of dollars. I would love to get bloodwork for everything, but who can afford that? I think the insurance companies should give us that.
How are we going to take care of ourselves if we've got a problem and they're not testing us for it? In other countries, they give you everything – and it's less expensive.
Cutting Costs
I used to go to a food pantry, but it closed. The cost of food is expensive. I could spend $300 a week, and I'm not a big eater. Today I had steel-cut oatmeal with blueberries and manuka honey.
You have to buy certain things to be healthy. The amount of vitamins and stuff that I take, they're expensive. And so I go to the Goodwill and shop, because I know that I cannot afford to buy something off of the rack.
I want to be healthy. My health is so important to me.
Self-Care to Stay Healthy
At 72, I can still roller-skate. I have three hula hoops. I've gone to the gym and done 20 to 30 minutes on the elliptical machine or the StairMaster. I'll get on social media and do 30 jumping jacks, or do squats on TikTok. Not to say "Na na na na na!" but to motivate people.
I try to stay away from medicine. Instead, I'm trying to learn each day what nutrition my body needs.
I believe that part of healthy aging is not just exercising and eating right, but strong positive mental health. I have a therapist that I talk to once a month. I wish I could talk to her more. I think everybody needs someone to share their life experience. Because of what's happening in the world today, everybody's under some stress.
I wish that doctors would educate us about how to eat healthy versus, "OK, we're gonna prescribe this pill for you." Before you know it, you've got so much medicine, and you don't know what to do.
Getting Older
I'm single, and a concern for me is when I get real old, who's gonna take care of me? Because we're all going to get old. We're all going to die. Sometimes we don't have our wills and our stuff in order because of the cost. Everything we choose not to do is because of the cost. Money is the main factor of everything.
But I'm a positive person. Yesterday, I went to a young lady's birthday party, and I danced. At 72, I can still move. And I put that to positive thinking.
Show Sources
Photo Credit: E+/Getty Images
SOURCES:
LaNita Jo Fox, Atlanta.
Kaiser Family Foundation: "Americans' Challenges With Healthcare Costs," "Healthcare Costs and Affordability."
