When you're familiar with your benefits and what your coverages are, it definitely empowers you to have the conversations that you need to have. 

–Kyana Brathwaite

Be empowered with your healthcare! I’m talking with Kyana Brathwaite of KB CALS. She provides caring advocacy and liaison services to help people find their way in the often confusing and not warm and fuzzy healthcare system. 

Most of us learned not to question doctors and not to trust our bodies, and it’s time to get past both of those things. We talk about finding healthcare providers you trust and can work with (and why that might not look the same in every situation). We also talk about advocating for yourself. 

But beyond the actual practitioners, there’s the cost and how insurance works. Most of us don’t know what’s covered or what’s not. And when we’re in a health crisis, we may not slow down to ask the questions we need to ask. Kyana wants to change all that.

We talk about: 

• Logging in and playing with your insurance website or your patient portal so that you know how to navigate it
• Being the expert in your own body, giving input into your healthcare, and expecting a doctor to work with you
• Researching providers before you ask for a referral
• Exploring ancillary benefits, like gym memberships
• Why you should read your summary of benefits
• Interviewing providers and knowing what you need in a provider

BIO

Kyana Brathwaite is a registered nurse, wife, mom of two wonderful kids, and CEO & Founder of KB CALS – Caring Advocacy & Liaison Services. She has worked in the medical field for over twenty years and knows that healthcare interactions can be a deeply personal experience. KB CALS partners with clients to assist in wayfinding, provider matching, benefit utilization, insurance research, and health and wellness planning by coordinating a community of support, including medical practitioners, health systems and insurance providers to best fit your needs. 

LINKS

• https://www.resourceinhealthcare.com

Doable Changes from this episode:

• PLAY FOR 15 MINUTES. So often we need to learn about how our health benefits work when we are under duress. Taking time to learn how to navigate the system and find information before you need it can take a lot of pressure off. Learn how to log in to your health insurance site or your healthcare portal. Play in there for 15 minutes a week (put it on your calendar). Look around at what’s available.
• SET UP YOUR TEAM. Know what you need from each provider. Take time to research providers you may need. You can read reviews, talk to people you know, call the office and ask questions. Look at your insurance for coverage. If you can do this before you need it, even better. Think about your providers now. Do you trust them? Work well with them? If not, start looking at new options. 
• SLOW DOWN. When faced with a health crisis, many of us rush into action or just say yes to whatever is suggested to us. In most cases, it’s okay to slow down. Ask questions: What are my other options? Is the procedure covered by my insurance and what will my costs be? Could we try …? What are the risks of this action / of not taking this action? Who else does this work? Make a list of questions you might need to ask next time you are faced with a health issue.