Also, Universal Health Care is not the way to go. Doctors should be the ones making medical decisions, not the government.

That being said… Optometry is one of the very few medical professions that are retail as well. Because of the recession, many employers are cutting health benefits. Eye and dental are the first to go.
I have a very wide variety of glasses to choose from (inexpensive to super expensive). My staff does not bully anyone into getting something they cannot afford. But my staff does educate my patients with all of the options that are available and which options would suit their lifestyle needs. (Computer work, nighttime driving).

Because people usually have one pair of glasses for approx 2+ years, most people will spend a fair amount to look good.
And because of the cuts in benefits, more of my patients are using credit.

The best thing one can do is take charge of one’s health:- eat sensibly, exercise, avoid excessive alcohol or smoking.

While I agree prescription drugs save many lives, there are items that you can do to change your lifestyle so you don’t need them.

A good example is rather than taking expensive cholestral prescription medicine, I swithed to eating oatmeal in the morning along with a daily walk. It dropped enough so I don’t need the medicine.

As suggested ask your doctor and be a good consumer of medical care.

However, you can save every penny you ever made and plan out every expense you have, but if you find yourself out of work or underemployed with no health benefits and you injure yourself, you can be financially ruined. Emergency medical care bills get so big so fast even the most well-to-do can’t manage them. Now, how to handle this is well beyond the scope of this article and probably even this website, but it’s something that is deeply concerning to me.