Category Archives: Healthcare

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Choose Your Hospital Wisely

Ronald Reagan Ucla Medical CenterHave you ever wondered if all hospitals are the same? It turns out, they aren’t. Hospitals vary on the quality of staff and doctors, the services offered and many other factors.

Because a trip to the hospital can change your life forever, it’s important to choose wisely.

Here are some questions to consider:

1. Is the hospital affiliated with a university medical school?
University affiliated hospitals have medical students to teach and research to conduct. This may mean you are able to see specialists who may not be available at other hospitals.

2. Does the hospital have a religious affiliation?
For example, if you are Catholic, you may prefer a Catholic hospital. With these hospitals the religious affiliation may govern what procedures may or may not be performed at the hospital. In such instances, you may be bound to these rules even if you do not agree with them.

3. Are your doctors allowed to practice at the hospital?
It is helpful to have the doctors you see regularly also see you in the hospital because they already have a more robust understanding of your medical history. Ask your doctors which hospitals they cover and, when possible, choose accordingly.

4. Does the hospital have the specialists you need?
For example, if you are going into the hospital for serious heart issues, it is wise to do a bit of homework to research the heart specialists who practice at the hospitals you are considering.

 

When possible, consider these questions BEFORE you pick a hospital. Choosing a hospital simply because you like their advertisements OR because it is closest to home may not always be the best plan.

How have you picked the hospital you go to for healthcare? Are there other questions you would add to this list? I’d love to hear from you!

MyHealthSpin helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

Learn more about what to do when things don’t go as planned with my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. You can get it free right now by subscribing to our blog.

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How to Find Medical Bill Errors

Senior man depressed by a pile of medical bills. Isolated on whMany people get medical bills from a hospital stay and don’t know what to look for to determine if the bill is correct. Here is some of the things you should look for:

  1. No “Balance Billing”: You should make sure that if you went to a doctor who is in your “network,” you should not receive a charge for the visit (other than a possible co-pay). When the doctor charges you the difference between their normal charge and what the insurance company will pay for the service, this is called “balance billing.” You should not get a bill from the doctor if you went to doctor who was “in network.”
  2. Check Quantity: If you were in the hospital, you will want to check the quantity of items and services you are being billed for. For example, look at medications and the amount of days you were in the hospital. Hospital billing departments often make mistakes.
  3. Duplicate Charges: Make sure you were not billed twice for a procedure or a lab test.
  4. Upcoding: Many healthcare services have levels of care. For example, you can go to the ER for something simple – which should be billed at the lowest level of care or for something very complex – which will be billed at the highest level of care. You should look at the bill to see what was charged.

Looking closely at your bill can save you money.

Tell us whether you have had any problems with your medical bills? We’d love to hear from you!

MyHealthSpin helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

Check out how more information on insurance in our new book, Easy Healthcare: Choose Your Health Insurance.

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Going Off to College: Parents’ Insurance or ObamaCare?

Health Insurance Safety Healthcare Protection Office Working ConUsually, the best choice is your parent’s health insurance plan.  

First, you are only eligible for ObamaCare Health Exchange insurance if you have no other health insurance options.

Additionally, it is often better to stay on your parent’s insurance because if they have a big group plan at work the cost of maintaining coverage for you is not very expensive. This is especially true if your parents are already covering other members of the family. You should ask your insurance company how much it will cost to maintain coverage for you while you are in college. Your parents’ plan will also often cover more healthcare items and have a lower deductible than many ObamaCare plans.

If your parents do not have a health plan through work, ObamaCare may be a good option. To find out whether you are eligible, log into the ObamaCare website www.healthcare.gov. After answering several questions, you will be able to see your options. Each state has different insurance companies offering plans in that state.

Are you planning on staying on your parents health insurance plan while in college? I’d love to hear from you!

MyHealthSpin helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

Check out how more information on insurance in our new book, Easy Healthcare: Choose Your Health Insurance.