Inside Marcy's Mind
Having hosted the Aging aint for Sissie's podcast for two years, I wanted to expand what I could discuss. This podcast will touch on the fun of aging and whatever has crossed my mind! Please join me as I walk through life! #retirement #travel #fun #aginggracefully Link in my bio! Listen now!
#insidemarcysmind
#aginggracefully
#retired
#retirementpreperation
#aging
#retirementplanning
www.insidemarcysmind.com
Inside Marcy's Mind
Take Control or Be Controlled: Your Health is Your Responsibility
The healthcare system is a tangled web of paperwork, outdated processes, and frustrating bureaucracy that rarely puts your needs first. But your health is too important to leave in someone else's hands.
Drawing from decades of personal experience navigating serious health challenges—including cancer treatment and complications from a rare genetic disorder—Marci Backus delivers straight talk about why taking control of your healthcare is absolutely essential. With her characteristic blend of sarcasm and hard-won wisdom, she breaks down the practical steps anyone can take to become their own best advocate.
This episode goes beyond surface-level advice, offering actionable strategies for managing medical information, understanding insurance details, and effectively communicating with healthcare providers. Learn why you should know your vital statistics, consolidate your prescriptions, document billing conversations, and trust your instincts when something feels wrong. Discover how technology can serve as a powerful ally through patient portals and medication management apps, making the overwhelming healthcare system more manageable.
Marci also addresses the critical importance of mental healthcare, emphasizing that therapy and psychiatric medication should be approached without shame as legitimate elements of overall wellbeing. With candid personal stories and no-nonsense advice, she demonstrates what true healthcare advocacy looks like—not being combative, but being informed, prepared, and persistent.
Whether you're managing a chronic condition, helping a loved one navigate health challenges, or simply trying to stay healthy in an increasingly complex system, this episode provides the tools and confidence to take meaningful control of your care. Because when you stop being a passive patient and start being an engaged participant, everything changes.
Hello and welcome to Inside Marci's Mind. My name is Marci Backus and I am your host. Hey there, and welcome back to Inside Marci's Mind, the podcast where we say the quiet parts out loud, with a little sass, a little sarcasm and just enough wisdom to keep things interesting. Today we're diving into something that makes most of us want to take a nap or pour a drink health care. I know, I know it's dry, it's frustrating, it's confusing, but you know what? It is also Yours, and if you don't take control of your health care, guess what Someone else will, and chances are they don't know you, don't care about you and definitely aren't trying to save you money. So today we're going to talk about the taking of control of your health care, what it actually means, what it looks like, how to do it and why it just might save your life or at least your sanity. So, speaking of health care, I'm going to give you my update. I have completed all cancer treatment that is safe for me. I am going to move forward as if I'm cancer free and live my best life. So I have. I have always had health issues, so I have been through the ringer with the healthcare system and that's why I felt really strongly about doing this today? Because just just recently I was supposed to be gone yes, for Fourth of July. I didn't go. I was in the emergency room with a complication from my genetic disorder. A week before that, I was in the emergency room because I tripped and fell headfirst into the street, hitting my head, and I ended up with 14 stitches all over. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, whatever. Anyways, I have been through the ringer, I get the bills, I know how to deal with things and I know how to take control of my health care, so I want to share that with you. I want to remind you that you can get all my episodes anywhere you found this podcast or anywhere you get your podcast. You can also go to InsideMarci'sMindcom. All my podcasts are there. There is a link to all of them. Anything that I talk about on here or I want to share with you, I will put on that website. If you want to talk to me or send me an email, give me praise for my podcast or tell me what you hate, insidecy's mind at gmailcom. I also have another podcast called sorry, craig texted me right in the middle of this. Do you want to go to McDonald's for lunch. He likes McDonald's. It's free fry Friday. Anyways, I have another podcast called Aging A for Sissies and this week we talk about the Swedish death claim. So again, you can find that where you found this podcast, or you can find it on my website, agingapeforsissiespodcastcom.
Speaker 1:Enough commercials, let's get into the meat of today. The myth of someone else will handle it. There's a charming little lie. We've been sold, especially as we get older, that we should just trust the system. You know, just listen to your doctor or the insurance will take care of that. Oh God, that just even just saying that gives me the chills.
Speaker 1:Let me ask you this have you met the system? The system is a tangled web of paperwork, old music and people named Debbie who transfer you 14 times before you get someone who maybe, possibly might know what a copay is. And look, I'm not saying doctors don't know what they're doing. Most of them do, but they're not mind readers. They have 10 minutes to figure out what's wrong with you while typing into a computer and pretending to care about your cousin's bunion surgery. If you want good care, you have to be your own advocate, not a jerk, not an asshole, not a hypochondriac, but smart, informed and a squeaky wheel, and I mean all of that.
Speaker 1:What does taking control actually look like? So what does it mean to take control of your healthcare? It's not about becoming a WebMD junkie who thinks every cough is tuberculosis. It's about being engaged. Here are a few real-life ways you can actually take control. Know your numbers, your cholesterol, your blood pressure. What is your average temperature? Mine runs low, so when I have a fever, I run a 97.2, normally low. So when I have a fever, I run a 97.2 normally. When I have a fever of 99, it's more like 100. Catch my drift Ask questions.
Speaker 1:Take a pad and paper with you when you go to the doctor. Ask questions. Keep your records when they ask you what medications you're on, go, I don't know. Aisle of mine is at CVS and on the website I can go to cvscom, I can go to my prescriptions and I can print out a list and I take it every time I go to the doctor. Here's the list of current medications. I'll cross off ones. They now have a hide feature so you can hide ones that you're no longer taking or maybe you had only once, like a volume for taking an MRI or something.
Speaker 1:Second opinions are not betrayal. We are conditioned not to get them. Second opinions are important. Are conditioned not to get them. Second opinions are important. Understand your insurance. I'm going to repeat those words Understand your insurance. So what does understand your insurance mean? Understand you're out of pocket. Understand you're deductible. Understand what coinsurance is. Understand it all. Look at the paperwork they gave you. Read it, know it. Know it. When I changed from a group policy, when I was no longer qualified to be on a group policy and I had to go to individual insurance, my emergency room copay went from $250 to a thousand A thousand. I go to the emergency room a lot. Know what counts towards your deductible and what doesn't count towards your deductible. Know your insurance.
Speaker 1:Dealing with doctors who don't listen. So those of you that know me and those of you that don't are going to know I am a unicorn, not in all the sparkly fun ways, but in the medical ways. I have a very rare genetic disorder that causes me a lot of problems. I have learned emergency room doctors don't understand it, nor do they care to. They're just figuring out what's wrong with you, the fastest route to get you out. Be your best advocate. Okay, doctors that don't listen. They nod politely. They're not listening. We've all had one or six.
Speaker 1:If you feel like your concerns are being brushed off, here's what to do Be firm, not rude. Okay, first of all, I'm going to say that this goes back to the five things I just told you. If you are clear on your insurance, your body, your issues, you are going to be able to stand firmly on your ground. So be firm, not rude. Always take notes, bring someone with you and, if all else fails, switch doctors. I have a fabulous doctor right now. I have had several fabulous doctors. I've had some really bad ones. My unique genetic disorder is rare, so not everybody understands it, but when they do, they understand the unicorn in me. So make sure they understand you.
Speaker 1:When I was in the hospital this time, they tried to pass off what happened to me as something else. I said look, I've lived 64 years in this body, I know it better than anyone. I am telling you that is not it. You can go ahead and treat it for that, but you will see, through the series of tests and stuff, that it is something else which did happen. I was firm. I'm always kind, but I know me. They don't, and most of the time, because I am kind about it. They're very appreciative. They do their best and I win them over in the end. They do their best and I win them over in the end.
Speaker 1:Technology is your friend sort of. Let's talk about patient portals. Yes, it's annoying, yes, the password is impossible, but learn to use them. Your patient portal is important. Download the app. Mine is MyChart. I've connected all my past medical records to that my doctors now, through my chart, have access to. I went in and saw a cardiologist. He said how come you were at Cedars-Sinai? I've been at Cedars-Sinai 15 years ago again for my rare genetic disorder. You can connect your information. Again, being your best advocate means being prepared. Also, your patient portal.
Speaker 1:When I was getting my chemotherapy treatment, I would sit in the waiting room after getting my blood. I would get the results of my blood while I was sitting there before I got into my doctor. I could read things I could know before I even saw her in. You know a half hour, whatever. So download the app that tracks your medication. Remind you to refill them, because nothing says I'm in control of my health, like not running out of medication or not having enough when you're on vacation If you're going to go on vacation and it's not going to refill to the middle. Sometimes they'll give you enough pills just to get you through. Know your health care. Talk to your pharmacist. Know things. Don't just float through thinking everything's going to take care of it for you, because I'm here to tell you, standing on two feet as firmly as I can. That's not how it works anymore.
Speaker 1:Get all of your prescriptions from one place. Don't get some at Costco, some at CVS, some at Walgreens, some at the grocery store. Pick one place and stick to it. Mine is CVS on Ohio in downtown Chicago. When they ask me where do you want your prescription sent, they'll look at my chart. They'll say do you want it to the Ohio CVS? Yes, I do, and it's not the state of Ohio. I live in Chicago. That's the street.
Speaker 1:Nonetheless, understand that your prescriptions need to come from one place so that you can accurately keep track. Set them up for automatic renewal. It's the greatest thing ever. Cvs just texts me and says my pills are ready. Also, on the CVS app, I can add Craig to it. So because I have to control his medication too, because he is not listening to this podcast and you can connect to a person. Or maybe you're taking care of your mom or your dad. What have you? You can connect them. You can connect to a person. Or maybe you're taking care of your mom or your dad what have you? You can connect them. So technology really is your friend in this instance.
Speaker 1:Mental health is health too. Here's the part we often forget Taking control of your health, claire, includes your mental health. Therapy is not a luxury, it's health care. People. It's not a luxury. So is medication for anxiety and depression. Ask your doctor about it. Don't let it shame. Don't let shame you from feeling better. I have had times in my life, on and off, that I have been on antidepressants not on them now. Happy about that, because it means I'm taking control and I'm feeling good. But when my life overwhelms me and things overwhelm me, I am not ashamed to do that.
Speaker 1:Healthcare is important. Healthcare is important. It's important, and when you don't take care of it, it's going to take care of you in the worst ways. The empowerment piece of all of this when you start taking control, something amazing happens. You stop feeling like a patient and you start feeling like a person. It's not about being perfect. It's about showing up for yourself asking questions, read the papers, challenge the status quo and, above all, trust your gut. Quo and, above all, trust your gut. Trust your gut, I can't say that enough. Trust your gut, it will not steer you wrong.
Speaker 1:Understand your healthcare, keep track of your medications. Know, write down a list of things that have happened to you in the past and how they've been dealt with. Know your history, because when you walk into the doctor, he doesn't know or she doesn't know your history. Very few of us have been with doctors since we were babies. The more information they have, the better they can help you. Let me repeat that the more information they have as doctors, as healthcare professionals, they can help you better, and the whole reason you're there is for help. So I'm going to wrap it up. That's what it looks like to take control of your healthcare. It's not always fun, it's rarely easy, but it's yours. You need to do it. I'm also going to tell you when you.
Speaker 1:I have rigorous notes when I get a wrong bill and I call my insurance company. I have a file. For each wrong bill I've had so many I write the date I called, who I talked to, what they told me to or not to do If it ever comes back to me. I pull up that file and I say, look, I talked to Susie on July 9th. She said that they were going to resubmit it. I am telling you now billing is always wrong 90% of the time. They're going to resubmit the bill. I'm just waiting, blah, blah, blah. I have all that information. I don't expect me to remember it. I write it down. I keep a file. So again, now go ahead and schedule that checkup.
Speaker 1:Review your meds, ask your cousin if they still have a great podiatrist. Know your family history. That's another thing I didn't write in here and I should have. It just came to my mind. Know your family history. Who has what, who had what cancer? It's important for your children, it's important for you. I'm sorry, I know that was a lot of information and I just spilled it out, but health care is important. The main thing of all of this rambling I have understand things, write things down, keep track of things. No one else does, no one cares. Just going to tell you now, nobody cares. You need to care about yourself, you need to love yourself. Keep your health, your mental health, all well. So thanks for hanging out my brain for a bit. This has been Inside Marci's Mind. Don't forget to subscribe, share and leave a review if you've laughed, learned or finally figured out how to log into MyChart. Until next time, stay curious, stay sarcastic and, most of all, stay healthy. Go out and do something positive.
