Stewardship of Health and Healthcare Resources

In the Christian community, we often talk about the biblical principle of stewardship related to how we use our gifts and resources.  But have you ever thought about stewardship as it relates to your health and healthcare resources?  After all, health is a resource - like time, money, or any other resource that God gives us to survive, thrive, and do the good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

The purpose of stewardship is to honor God by leveraging our resources for maximum value in serving others and expanding the kingdom of God.  At Reliant, we encourage all employees and missionaries to make the most of their personal health and healthcare resources so that we can stay well to serve well!

Here are a few tips for the effective stewardship of personal health and health resources:

Understand your health benefits – carefully review open enrollment materials and take some time to really read through all the services and options that have been made available to help you stay healthy. Also, become familiar with how and when to access services and what services require preauthorization by the insurance company.

Schedule preventive care screening visit/tests – preventive care is a hallmark of both personal health management and wise stewardship of healthcare resources. Participating in recommended annual screening visits/tests is important as health conditions that are caught and acted upon early have a greater likelihood of treatment success at lower cost.  It is a good idea to pull out a 2021 calendar and identify target dates for recommended screening visits/tests (by gender, age, and health history), such as blood pressure, well child visits, mammography, colonoscopy, etc…

Don’t neglect your mental/emotional health – when we think of our health, we often only think of the physical. But the connection between mental/emotional and physical health has been well documented.  Don’t ignore mental/emotional health struggles or hesitate to seek help.  The EAP program is available to help employees and missionaries talk through short-term mental/emotional health struggles and find resources to help. 

Don’t ignore symptoms – attending to the messages our bodies send us by the experience of symptoms should not be ignored. If you are unsure about a non-urgent symptom, contacting your healthcare provider by email or a telehealth visit is an easy, convenient, and low-cost way to discuss your symptoms and obtain guidance on how to manage them.

Make cost-effective healthcare decisions - using healthcare providers that are “in network” and using generic medications results in significant healthcare cost savings. Appropriate use of emergency services is another important cost-effective strategy. Emergency services are best used for life threatening situations or for times when standard medical services are not available for urgent issues.   

Take responsibility for your own health and healthcare expenditures - in addition to living a healthy lifestyle, here are few other important ways to be a good health manager:

• Keep a file with all of your health records. This will help you to manage your overall health and avoid unnecessary tests and procedures
• Make the most of each medical visit by creating a list of concerns and questions to address with the healthcare provider
• Review all of your medical bills and appeal any errors

Don’t go it alone – trying to understand and properly utilize the healthcare system is not easy, especially when overseas. The Global Emergency Assistance Program is a great resource for help and guidance when trying to manage an urgent or difficult medical situation. 

Reliant encourages all employees and missionaries to proactively attend to their physical, mental, and emotional health as we work within our God-given assignment to advance God’s kingdom.