Posted on Thursday, May 4, 2017

Jimmy Kimmel’s Healthcare Scare: What You Should Know

As you may know, on May 1, 2017, Jimmy Kimmel spoke about the birth of his baby boy, Billy.

If you haven’t seen the clip, click here to watch.

Unfortunately, several hours after the birth of his baby, Jimmy and his wife Molly learned that Billy had a heart defect and needed surgery to save his life.

Jimmy thanked Cedars-Sinai Hospital and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for providing Billy with amazing care. Because of the attentive staff and great care, his newborn son is home and doing well.

Jimmy’s message was extremely important and shows how far we have come in healthcare, and how far we have to go.

Friends, family, and readers have asked me some questions about what Jimmy had to say. Here’s my take:

Jimmy spoke about “pre-existing conditions.”

Question: What are pre-existing conditions and how do they affect healthcare coverage?

Answer: Pre-existing conditions are health problems that occur prior to the date new health coverage starts.

Jimmy is correct that prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), pre-existing conditions, such as birth defects, could prevent someone like baby Billy from getting coverage. They also enabled insurance companies to charge individuals more. The ACA now prevents health insurance companies from refusing coverage or charging more for pre-existing conditions.

Question: What is the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”)?

Answer: NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is the nation’s medical research agency. Jimmy is correct that, despite initial plans to cut the budget for NIH, Congress increased its funding by $2 billion.

As a mother of two and a parent of a daughter born with a serious disease, I was touched by Jimmy’s message. It’s important to stay in the know about healthcare and healthcare policies, in case you or a loved one is impacted.

Congratulations to Jimmy Kimmel and his family on their baby boy!

To learn more about health care for your family, check out the Women’s Mind Body Wellness Summit. It contains 6 interviews by top female health professionals plus two workout videos and 3 bonus videos on mind-body wellness with MyHealthSpin founder Lori-Ann Rickard.

Posted on Thursday, February 11, 2016

Helpful Health Care Links:

February 11, 2016

A lot has happened this week in health care and we want to make sure you have all the information you need to make the best health care choices. Our helpful health care links bring you the trending topics in health care news.

The Zika Virus, a virus primarily spread by mosquitos, has become a Global Health Emergency. The virus has spread to 26 countries and territories in the Western Hemisphere, with over 30 cases of the virus here in the United States. Obama is now calling for emergency funding.
- Obama asks for $1.8 billion in Emergency Zika Funding
- Zika Virus – Center for Disease Control and Prevention
An estimated one in seven mothers experience postpartum depression. New research reveals that the depression experienced during pregnancy, if left untreated, can potentially effect the well-being of their children. A panel suggests depression screenings both during and after pregnancy.
- Panel Calls for Depression Screenings During and After Pregnancy
The Flint Water Crisis that began in April of 2014 in Flint, Michigan, has now affected over six thousand children exposed to water with high-levels of lead. Officials in Flint are now being criticized for not taking the appropriate measures to prevent the crisis.
- House Panel Grills Federal, State Officials Over Flint Crisis
- Flint Water Crisis Timeline
The HHS (United States Department of Health & Human Services) looks to expand Medicaid to those that don’t earn enough to get subsidized ACA plans. Approximately, 30 million people in the U.S. remain uninsured.
- Immigration Reform Would Help Reach Universal Health Coverage
Health care is at the forefront of the 2016 election debate for both Democrats and Republicans. Millennials today may actually be able to change the health care system and to improve its customer service.
- Here’s How Millennials Could Change Health Care

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Posted on Monday, June 22, 2015

How to Find Medical Bill Errors

Many 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:

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.”
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.
Duplicate Charges: Make sure you were not billed twice for a procedure or a lab test.
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!

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