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    Healthspin

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    My Greece Vacation

    GreeceI just returned from an amazing trip to Greece. On my vacation, I traveled to Athens, Mykonos, Santorini and Crete with several wonderful girlfriends who regularly travel together.

    Although I had a fantastic time once I was in Greece, it was extremely difficult for me to make the decision to go on an extended vacation abroad. It’s always difficult to leave daily life, work and children behind. I struggled with the idea of being away from my business and in a different country than my daughters. My friends convinced me that the trip was a necessity, and now I know they were right! I needed the trip to relax, unwind and enjoy myself.  My daughters were fine and my business was still standing upon my return home.

    Vacations are so important for your personal health and well-being! People forget the importance of getting away from the daily grind. In 2014 in the United States, employees only used 51% of their vacation time and 15% of people didn’t take any time off at all. Recently, some employers have started to encourage their employees to take vacations given the many health and workplace benefits.

    Vacations are good for you — they increase your productivity and they reduce your stress. Vacations allow you to unwind, recuperate, and feel healthier. People even have a reduction in cholesterol after a vacation and feel more satisfied with their lives in general after a vacation.

    Given all the perks of vacations, where are you going this summer?

    For more healthcare tips for you and your family, check out my workbook for dealing with caring for your children, as well as your aging parents: Life in the Sandwich Generation. Life in the Sandwich Generation is a workbook filled with information, tips and tricks for managing the demands needing to care for your aging parents, as well as taking care of your children. It details how you can involve your children in the process and how to learn more about your parents health and finances, while still making time for yourself and your spouse. You can find it here for only $10!

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    Sneak Peek: What doesn’t your health insurance cover?

    Exciting news!Medically Underinsured

    I was recently contacted by the fabulous website Grandparents.com with some questions regarding health insurance and what it doesn’t cover. I have been approached many times with questions about health insurance, as it can be very confusing to navigate.

    Did you know that the average age of a grandparent in the United States is 48? Neither did I. Grandparents, along with many other people, struggle with finding healthcare coverage for themselves and their loved ones.

    We shared a lot of interesting information with Grandparents.com. Here is a glimpse at only a few of the many interesting facts we discussed:

    • Insurance is essential. Make sure to research and compare insurance policies before selecting a plan. Consider if the plan covers your prescriptions, physicians, and services you need or may utilize in the future. Make sure to use your medical life list when evaluating options.
    • If your insurance tells you that alternative therapies, such as massage or acupuncture, are covered services, make sure to find out what is required for them to be covered, how many visits are covered, and what health care providers you can see. Unforeseen costs can be burdensome, so make sure you know before you go!
    • A good rule of thumb to determine whether a service is covered by insurance is to ask yourself whether or not the service is a medical necessity? This can be tricky, but usually insurance companies say services such as travel vaccinations or massages are not a medical necessity, and therefore are not covered.
    • If you are receiving high out-of-pocket costs for services that are not covered, look for a plan that better suits your needs. If that’s not feasible, talk to your doctors and ask if they will put you on a payment plan or offer discounts for paying in cash.

    For more information, check out the article today on Grandparents.com and make sure to let us know what you think!

    For more healthcare tips for you and your family, check out my workbook for dealing with caring for your children, as well as your aging parents: Life in the Sandwich Generation. Life in the Sandwich Generation is a workbook filled with information, tips and tricks for managing the demands needing to care for your aging parents, as well as taking care of your children. It details how you can involve your children in the process and how to learn more about your parents health and finances, while still making time for yourself and your spouse. You can find it here for only $10!

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    How to Choose the Right Health Plan

    Last Friday we held our very first webinar on 4 Insider Tips for Choosing the Right Health Plan. Thank you to everyone who attended. We are thrilled with your interest and participation.

    We received a lot of great questions and, due to time limits, we were not able to answer all of them. So as we promised, here are some of your questions and the answers:

    1. If I signed up for Obamacare and am expecting a baby in May (after enrollment), how do I get my baby coverage?

    ANSWER: Having a baby is a “qualifying event” under Obamacare, so you can add the baby when he or she is born. Generally, you will need to sign your baby up for coverage within 60 days of the birth.

    2. How do I know whether to pick my employer-provided insurance or Obamacare?

    ANSWER: If your employer offers you health insurance, you will not be eligible for Obamacare. You can only buy Obamacare coverage if you cannot get coverage any other way.

    3. I’m turning 65 soon. When can I apply for Medicare?

    ANSWER: You can apply for Medicare 3 months before your 65th birthday. Enrollment will stay open up to 3 months after your 65th birthday. If you do not sign up within that 7 month timeframe (3 months before, the month you turn 65 and 3 months after) you will have to wait until the next Medicare open enrollment period.

    4.  If I change from Obamacare to my new employer’s health plan, can I ever switch back?

    ANSWER: If you lose your job or for some reason your employer no longer offers you health insurance, you can reapply for Obamacare. Losing your job or your health insurance is a qualifying event under Obamacare so you won’t have to wait for open enrollment to apply.

    5.  I currently have Obamacare insurance but I’m almost 65 years old.  Can I apply for Medicare and use my Obamacare as my supplemental insurance?

    ANSWER: No. Once you switch to Medicare, you will not be eligible for Obamacare.

    Please continue to send us your questions. We will be scheduling more webinars soon. I’d love to hear from you!

    To learn more about your healthcare, please subscribe to MyHealthSpin.com and receive a FREE copy of my toolkit which includes 2 free eBooks and lots of great information. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD