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Trying to figure out health insurance? Get my book Choose Your Best Health Insurance for detailed assistance on how to decide which insurance plan is right for you and your family.

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Then one of my daughters was born with a life-threatening condition. Later, their father and I decided to divorce and I began to care for the children on my own. At that point, I had some hard decisions to make, one of which was how to make sure I was properly insured for my daughter’s health needs.

This is how life is. You often must make tough choices when you are least prepared. Here is what I did.

First, I recognized the importance of health insurance. My daughter was in and out of the hospital a lot. As a single mom, there was no way for me to pay for all of our medical bills or for the supplies we needed.

After reviewing my employer’s health insurance, I changed jobs so that we could have better health coverage. I was lucky to get a job at the hospital where many of my daughter’s doctors were located. Now there is the option of signing up for healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, but at the time, the only way for me to change health insurance was to change jobs.

At that time, I also had to take the risk that my new employer would refuse to pay for my daughter’s care because her condition might be considered pre-existing. Under the Affordable Care Act, you can change jobs and your new employer can’t refuse to cover care due to pre-existing conditions.

Next, I made sure that the doctors and hospitals taking care of my daughter participated in my new insurance plan. It was very important to me that she continue to receive the expert care that she needed with the providers who were already familiar with her case. By making sure those doctors and hospitals participated in my plan, I avoided overwhelming medical bills.

When I first started looking at new insurance plans, I was tempted to just look at the monthly premium cost. I was single mom with a new job, and that monthly cost represented a huge chunk of my paycheck. But my first priority was to keep my daughter’s doctors who had taken such good care of her. If I had gone with a cheaper insurance, I would have had to  to pick new doctors or pay huge bills because those doctors weren’t part of my health plan. By saving $100 a month, I might have been signing up for $1,000s in uncovered expenses.

I’m happy to report that we received amazing care, and both of my daughters are healthy and grown. It was a tough time, but we made it through with great insurance and didn’t get saddled with a ton of medical bills.

When you have tough choices, it can be overwhelming. I know, I’ve been there. But with the right information, you can be have the peace of mind that you’ve made the right decisions for you and your family.

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Trying to figure out health insurance? Get my book Choose Your Best Health Insurance for detailed assistance on how to decide which insurance plan is right for you and your family.

The post How to Choose Health Insurance as a Single Parent appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Insurance costs vary.

Costs are determined by your current health, age and income. If you are young and healthy, you will pay less than someone who is middle aged and has some health issues.

Check the premium costs vs. out-of-pocket costs.

It is important to not only look at the cost of the insurance premiums each month but also the overall costs of care. A $250 per month premium may sound expensive; it totals $3,000 per year. However, if you get sick or break a bone, your out-of-pocket costs associated with the plan or cash fees and penalties for not having insurance could exceed $3,000 cost with one hospital visit.

Compare prices.

The Affordable Care Act made it possible to compare the costs of the various health insurance plans being offered. Prior to the health exchanges, there was no easy way to know what the insurance plans cost and what was included. You had to be a PhD in healthcare in order to compare the various plans. Now, all the plans have to include the same basic services, and the prices for the various plans are listed on the health exchange.

Although, I can’t quote you an exact dollar amount, this information should make it easier for you to assess insurance costs to determine which plan is right for you and your family.

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Trying to figure out health insurance? Get my book Choose Your Best Health Insurance for detailed assistance on how to decide which insurance plan is right for you and your family.

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Here are three questions you should ask yourself as you review the available health plans.

1.  How healthy is my family?

Consider your family’s health needs. Are you typically healthy, only visiting the doctor for routine exams and the occasional illness? Or do you have ongoing health concerns that you need to continue to care for?

One way to assess your family’s needs is to complete the Medical Life List, which you can download for FREE in the MyHealthSpin Toolkit.

Once you have all of your health information organized, you can choose the plan that fits best.

2.  Do I love my doctor?

The next question to ask is how much you love your doctor or specialists. Most health plans will have a preferred network of physicians. Using physicians in that network will be less expensive than using physicians who aren’t on the list. So, if you really want to keep seeing your doctor, make sure they are on the preferred provider list.

3.  Would I rather pay less or more now?

Health plans can range widely in price. But don’t automatically go for the cheapest plans. If you have already answered questions 1 and 2 above, now consider how much you want to be covered in the future. Choosing a lower priced plan may mean that you pay more out of pocket later when you go to the doctor or get sick. Choosing a higher priced plan may mean you pay less at the doctor’s office for routine visits, as well as sicknesses or emergencies. Review what is covered carefully.

By asking these 3 simple questions, you may feel more confident in choosing the health insurance plan that is right for your family. 

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Trying to figure out health insurance? Get my book Choose Your Best Health Insurance for detailed assistance on how to decide which insurance plan is right for you and your family.

The post 3 Questions to Consider When Choosing Health Insurance appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

In this video, I explain these terms and clear up common misconceptions surrounding them. By understanding these terms, you will be able to make an informed decision on which plan is best for you and your family.

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Trying to figure out health insurance? Get my book Choose Your Best Health Insurance for detailed assistance on how to decide which insurance plan is right for you and your family.

The post 3 Terms to Know Before Choosing Health Insurance appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

One essential question to ask your doctor’s office is whether they accept or participate in your insurance. These may sound like the same thing, but if your doctor simply accepts your insurance, you may be surprised by bills later.

This video explains what it means to accept and participate in an insurance plan, and how this can save you money.

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Confused about health insurance? Get my new book Choose Your Best Health Insurance for detailed assistance on how to decide which insurance plan is right for you and your family.

The post This Word Choice that Will Save You Money appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Getting health insurance for your kids isn’t too complicated. Usually, the answer is to talk to your own health insurance company to find out how to add a child to your plan.

If you receive your health insurance through your employer, go to your human resources department. They will be able to tell you how to add a child to your health plan and can give you the forms to fill out.

If you receive health insurance from another carrier, contact that company directly to add your child to your health plan.

If you don’t have insurance (remember: under current regulations, everyone should) or can’t insure your child on your plan, the next place to look is Medicaid. Medicaid offers a Children’s Health Insurance Program, aptly named CHIP. It offers early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment, just as other health plans do.

CHIP has income restrictions, however, so if your income doesn’t qualify you, then you’ll want to go through the health exchange to insure your kids.

One standard that Obamacare brought with it, which now applies to most health plans, is that parents can keep their children on their health plan until the age of 26 if the child is enrolled in school. With the health care discussions happening in the government, check for the latest information about current rules.

As you would for your own health plan, shop around to find the best solution for your family. Make sure your children have a health plan that covers their specific needs. If you know your child will have particular health care needs, review your coverage to make sure it suits those needs.

Want to know more about choosing health plans? Get my ebook set Easy Healthcare: Set Two. It included Choosing Your Health Insurance, and Obamacare, as wells as What You Need First. It is available in all major ebook formats. Get it here.

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Open enrollment is the period of time during which you can enroll in a health insurance plan. Depending on where you get your health insurance, this time period may or may not fall at the end of the year. Generally, it is the only time of year you can enroll in new coverage or change your existing coverage. Exceptions may be made in the case of life changes like marriage, divorce, or childbirth.

If you get your insurance through the Affordable Care Act, you are buying insurance through the health exchange. When you hear the term Obamacare, it refers to this type of insurance. Open enrollment has just begun for Obamacare. To enroll in this health insurance for the 2018 calendar year, you must sign up between November 1, 2017 and December 15, 2017. You can do this through healthcare.gov or through your state marketplace.

If you get your insurance through your employer, ask your employer when open enrollment is. You likely will have enrolled in the insurance plan when you started working for the company. After that, there is usually one month out of the year during which you can re-enroll for another year or make changes to your policy. Ask your employer, typically the human resources department, when the enrollment period is and what forms you will need to complete.

Other health insurance options may not have specific open enrollment periods. For example, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, allow you to apply at any time.

Enrollment for Medicare is based on age. You can enroll for Medicare at age 65 years. The enrollment period begins 3 months before your 65th birthday and ends 3 months after your 65th birthday.

Although the fate of Obamacare is currently in question, as of this writing, open enrollment is open. If you plan to use this health insurance, be sure to sign up during open enrollment. The deadline is December 15.

Do you want more guidance as you choose which health insurance plan is best for you and your family? Get my book Easy Healthcare: Choose Your Health Insurance. In it, I walk through everything you need to know, including what kinds of health plans may be available to you, what information you should gather before choosing a plan, and some of the terms you will want to know.

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Unfortunately, you can’t assume that the physician who is caring for you is in your network. If you’ve ever spent an extended amount of time in the hospital, you know that many different doctors pop in and out of your room all day long. So it’s up to you to ask if they take your insurance; if not, be prepared to pay.

States such as California are making sure patients no longer get bills from out-of-network doctors. As of last month patients will be able to rest easy knowing that if their insurance is in network with the hospital they are in, they will not be treated by any out-of-network doctors. This law is designed to help the patient. So many people are getting hit with out-of-network doctors’ bills, and with the price of insurance already being extremely high, it’s important that we do everything we can to keep costs down.

What do you think about this law? Have you ever had this happen to you? Do they do this in in your state?

To learn more about choosing your insurance pick up my workbook Easy Healthcare: Choose your insurance.

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Did you know that a group of 13 male, Republican Senators is currently working on a draft bill of the repeal/replace Obamacare behind closed doors?

The group of Senators claimed they are close to having a proposal to take to the floor.

The bill has been drafted behind closed doors, with many senators unaware of any details. Some Democrat Senators have expressed outrage at the closed-door approach to the drafting.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R – S.C. stated that the bill is being drafted from a one-party perspective because no Democrat is willing to help with the draft. He said that although this is not the ideal approach, it’s the only way they are able to draft the bill.

In 2017, approximately 12.2 million people were enrolled or automatically re-enrolled in a Affordable Care Act Marketplace plan (“Obamacare Exchange.”)

The changes to the healthcare bill will affect millions of people, yet we know very little about the potential changes.

The Senate Committee has stated that they will submit the draft bill to the Congressional Budget Office prior to releasing to the public, for nonpartisan analysis of things such as the cost, and how many people will gain or lose coverage, if enacted.

Once the bill is drafted, there are still many uncertainties.

Many experts have stated that the chances of it passing is very unlikely. No Democrats are expected to vote to repeal Obamacare. Republicans can’t lose more than two votes to pass the bill, and several Republicans have already expressed concerns.

What are your thoughts on the replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act? Would you like there to be more transparency?

Get involved by contacting your representatives to let them know your opinions!

To learn more about health and women’s health 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.

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