DALLAS - Katie Hoody is a healthy 33 year old, but her doctor is running extensive tests.
"I just wanted to have everything checked out to be sure that I was in good health before going off of the insurance," she said.
Katie is part of a growing number of people who are cramming in medical care while they have insurance.
"What's interesting is I am seeing more and more patients wanting to do that screening colonoscopy before they have their insurance loss, so in some ways, it can be really good in preventative care," Dr. Jane Sadler, a family physician, said.
Dr. Jane Sadler says she's moving some patients to generic drugs, encouraging a healthy lifestyle and talking cash plans.
"Some medical offices do allow significant discounts for cash pay patients and I know that some of these discounts may be 20, 30 percent," she said.
Varicose vein treatments are in high demand now, too.
"People are coming in going, 'I don't want to get to this point, but my insurance runs out in 3 months, 6 months, 2 months," Cindy Brown, who works for Dr. Sadler, said.
With so many uncertainties, doctors say control what you can, and live healthy.
Katie Hoody is. "I eat vegetables everyday, I eat fruit everyday. It's a huge part of my diet now," she said.
Doctors warn -- there's a downside to getting screened for everything.
If anything bad turns up, you'll have a hard time getting reasonably priced health insurance next time around ... because of your "pre-existing condition."
