Posted on Friday, December 19, 2014

Helpful Health Care Links: December 19, 2014

Our helpful health care links focus on a variety of topics this week — the 5 most affordable cities for assisted living and the affects of high medical costs on Americans. We also include a story from Spectrum Health touching on many American parents who feel their teen and young adult children are unable to manage their own health care. All are worth your time. And, as always, if you ever come across a healthcare story that you think merits more attention, please send it our way!

How the High Cost of Medical Care Is Affecting Americans

The New York Times/CBS News poll found that affording medical care is a hardship for more Americans than a year ago.

The 5 Most Affordable Cities For Assisted Living

Looking for assisted-living facilities for yourself or a loved one? If so, you should probably start by examining a map and your portfolio: Due to a variety of factors, the spot you choose on the former will have a huge impact on the latter.

Report: US Unprepared For Disease Outbreaks Despite Billions Spent

Major gaps exist in the country’s capacity to handle public health crises like Ebola despite massive government spending over the last decade, according to a new report.

Few Parents Think 18-Year-Olds Can Handle Their Health Care

Many American parents don’t think their teen and young adult children are able to manage their own health care.

Managed Care Plans Make Progress In Erasing Racial Disparities

Years of efforts to reduce the racial disparities in health care have so far failed to eliminate them. But progress is being made in the western United States, due largely to efforts by managed care plans to identify patients who were missing out on management of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

♦◊♦

All of this information and more will be explained in MyHealthSpin’s soon-to-be-released book, Easy Healthcare: Choose Your Health Insurance. For more information, go to myhealthspin.com .

Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2014

Can Patients Still Have High Deductible Health Plans?

Surprisingly the answer is “yes.” Due to a loophole in ObamaCare, high deductible plans are still allowed when an employer also offers one health plan to its employees that meets the Affordable Care Act’s requirements.

For patients, this means that it is more important than ever to check to see what your coverage is before assuming that a health insurance will cover all costs.

Many companies are providing its employees with “fixed indemnity” plans which will cover certain services like a doctor’s visit for a set price but will have limits on the amount of visits per year. Thus, many necessary services will not be covered or the patient will max out of coverage before the necessary services are provided.

Starting in 2015, employers with over 50 employees must provider health plans that meet the basic requirements of the Affordable Care Act or face penalties. Many employers are planning on offering 2 plans – one that meets the basic requirements and one that does not. Article

Patients should make sure to:

Check their insurance prior to receiving care.
Educate themselves about ObamaCare.
Become aware of any changes their insurance and relay this to their healthcare practitioner. Communication is “key.”
If you have questions your healthcare provider can’t answer, call your insurance company, employer or 1-800-318-2596 for questions about healthcare.gov

♦◊♦

Posted on Monday, December 8, 2014

What’s a Co-Pay Again? Demystifying Health Insurance

Many people have to choose their health insurance this time of year, and the terms you hear about when looking at plans can be very confusing. But understanding those terms can be the difference between make the right choice and getting it very wrong.

The first term you should know is “co-pay.” A co-pay is your portion of the payment for a healthcare service. For example, your doctor visit may cost $100 and your co-pay may be $10. That means you will pay $10 per visit and your insurance will pay $90 (or whatever price the insurance company agreed to pay).

Many people are confused about the various terms used when they choose which insurance to buy. In addition to a co-pay, you need to know what your “monthly premium” is. For example, you may pay $150 permonth for healthcare coverage (your premium); however, you may still have a co-pay for some healthcare services.

You will also want to know what your “deductible” is. A “deductible” is the amount you have to pay each year before your insurance will begin to pay for your healthcare services. If you have a “high deductible,” you may have to pay $3000-$5000 out-of-pocket before your health insurance will pay for certain services.

When you are evaluating which insurance to buy, you need to know each of these numbers in order to figure out which insurance is best for you. For example, if you are very healthy, you may want to pick a plan with a high deductible since you are unlikely to need many healthcare services. Insurance Plans that have high deductibles normally have a lower monthly premium.