You have heard many others say it, but I will shout it from the rooftops here too: Self Care Matters. As busy parents and caregivers navigating and caring for others during a global pandemic, our mental and physical health are such precious treasures to guard. How else are we going to be able to continue pouring love and care into our families?
This last Holiday season, my gift to myself was to address my physical health concerns. I visited my dentist and my optometrist before Christmas and I had scheduled an appointment to see my primary doctor, but there were no appointments available till after the new year. When I was invited to try HealthTap, an online health care service that promised to be affordable and convenient, I jumped on the opportunity so that I could not only meet my health goal before the end of the year, but so I could address a health concern I was experiencing.
The author received a HealthTap appointment and compensation for this article. All thoughts and opinions expressed are their own.
I do have comprehensive health insurance, however along with 50% of the workforce, I also have a high deductible and high co-pays, which honestly were just one of several reasons why I wasn't getting myself to the doctor. Sitting in waiting rooms for a scheduled appointment, feeling like my visits were rushed so the doctor could see the next patient, and generally being a busy working parent are all factors that have made it challenging for me to seek routine care from a primary care doctor.
Signing up for HealthTap was, as promised, easy and convenient. I set up my account, found a doctor, Dr. Mona Zia, and set up a same-day appointment over my morning coffee, all in less than 15 minutes and two days before Christmas. HealthTap is open to everyone, you can sign up with or without insurance, and you can use your HSA or FSA with your membership. My monthly subscription and payment per visit are still lower than my copay to see a Doctor with my primary insurance.
HealthTap offers one affordable subscription, for only $15 per month. Subscribers pay $39 for their primary care visits. It's free to add kids to your subscription, and they can see your doctor or choose their own. Kid visits are also $39 with a subscriber parent.
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There is so much to like about HealthTap in addition to the affordability and convenience of seeing your Primary Care Doctor from home. Here are my top 3 reasons why I will be keeping my subscription with HealthTap:
- Transparent options: When searching for a Doctor, there is so much information available to help you select the Doctor that is the right fit for you and your family. You will find ratings and reviews from patients, certification information, bilingual and multilingual language access, and Doctor's preferred and available schedules. For me, the defining factor was seeing how doctors answered patient questions. I chose a doctor who was both kind and honest in her response to a patient's health inquiry. The tone felt calm and it definitely matched my personal experience with her when we met later that day.
- Children’s Health options: Membership to HealthTap is only $15 a month and children can be added to your membership at no additional cost. The affordability and the convenience of this is absolutely invaluable to our family.
- Quality of Care: I admit that before my appointment, I was skeptical of the quality of an online visit with a new doctor, but was pleasantly surprised at how much we were able to cover in the short time we talked. I was able to be open enough to share a current health concern and felt like a huge weight was lifted off my chest as I heard possible causes and simple treatments for my issue. My doctor was very patient as I transitioned from my laptop to the HealthTap app on my phone for better video quality, and we were able to continue the discussion with ease. I feel comfortable enough with my chosen HealthTap doctor to return with future health issues and routine checks.
My self care routine usually includes journaling, hiking, eating healthy-ish, and quick lunch-time meditations. This year I have now added one more thing to my self care habits – taking care of my health by seeing my doctor regularly.
With HealthTap it feels like our family has a trusted friend to talk to about our health, but in this case it’s a qualified trusted friend. No more anxiety-producing internet searches. I can now email my doctor questions or set up a quick chat during lunch, keeping me on track to a healthier me in 2022 and beyond.
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