My best friend, who is 10 years younger than me, recently showed me the scar from the quadruple bypass that he had a few weeks ago. He almost didn’t make it, but now he’s up and doing business, maybe just a little slower. 
Very shortly thereafter, I started having chest pains. I hoped they were in sympathy for him, but I saw my cardiologist anyway. He has been my heart doctor for two decades. We have spoken at the same events, and he was a guest on my radio show a couple of times. 
We like each other, and I believe that we are, at the very least, professional friends.
Turns out, the relationship goes much deeper. His medical group no longer accepts my overpriced medical insurance, but as a professional courtesy, he saw me anyway. I’m sure he did it because we have a relationship and certain things in common (we both hate the insurance companies). He could have told me to see someone else, but I don’t want to change doctors at this point in my life. 
I did have to pay out of pocket for the nuclear stress test (just to cover his costs, but ouch), but he will continue to see me while I get this insurance thing worked out. I’d rather stick with the physicians who know me and my body best. I am, however, changing insurance companies. I guess we don’t have a relationship.
A very similar thing happened with another specialist I’ve been seeing for over 20 years, and he just told me not to worry about the bill. I really don’t want a new urologist. He is a totally brilliant doctor, and besides, when you are having invasive exams done, you want to be with someone who you know is going to take care of you and make the process as easy as possible. Yes, we also have a relationship. 
So until open enrollment comes around next month, I am going to be a cash patient, and I don’t think that’s how it should work.
If you are going through the dilemma of whether you should change doctors or change insurance companies, that kind of stress is not going to help you heal. In fact, it is widely known that long-term stress can kill you, so it is very important to reduce it wherever and whenever you can. 
In my case, the added financial stress is for the short term only, and I’m doing what I can to keep it from bothering me. I have to keep my mind on staying healthy and reinforcing my relationships - and not only with my doctors but also with the people who are most important in my life.
In the past, I have often put my work first, and I hope you won’t make that same mistake. Work and money come and go, but our relationships help us stay emotionally balanced and physically healthy. Yes, I want to keep progressing with my work, but not at the expense of my personal and professional relationships. So I have begun consciously taking more time with the people in my life, and the funny thing is I haven’t had any chest pain since.

*Dr Barton Goldsmith, a psychotherapist in Westlake Village, California, is the author of The Happy Couple: How to Make Happiness a Habit One Little Loving Thing at a Time. Follow his daily insights on Twitter at @BartonGoldsmith, or e-mail him at Barton@bartongoldsmith.com