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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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I hope this post helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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

Available for download NOW!

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That seems silly, doesn’t it?  But the nurse is right!

This isn’t the doctor’s rule but rather an insurance rule.  Your insurance will normally cover a “preventive” visit once a year.  This “preventive” visit is to check your blood pressure, weight, and other general indicators of how healthy you are.  If you’re a woman, you may get your annual pap smear and mammogram.  If you are a man, you may get your prostate checked along with a colonoscopy.  These “preventive” visits are different than an appointment you make to see the doctor for a specific problem.  If you have a problem, the doctor will bill your insurance as a regular visit.  If you have a co-pay, you will have to pay out-of-pocket for a portion of the visit.  The amount that you pay will depend on your insurance plan.

It’s important to understand this because the doctor can’t just mark down the visit as “preventive” if it’s not.  Many patients call the doctor’s office after the visit to say they want the billing for the visit or service changed to “preventive” so the insurance company will pay for the entire visit or service.  The doctor can’t do this.  If they do change the billing, they are committing “fraud” and can get in trouble.

The best way to handle how you are charged is to call your insurance company beforehand and ask what preventive services are fully paid for by the insurance company.  You can ask your doctor; however, there are a lot of different insurance plans and the doctor’s office might not have the right answer for your plan.

Tell us how you  make sure you know what’s covered for you and your family under preventive services. We’d love to hear from you!

For more information about your health insurance, see HealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Choosing Your Health Insurance.

We hope we’re helping you “Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

The post How to Get a Preventive Doctor’s Visit Paid for by Insurance appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Our helpful health care links

‘Uber for Nurses’: Chicago Startup Sends Healthcare to Your Home

The popularity of Uber is striking a rise in startup companies looking to provide on-demand services to a variety of fields. One such startup is Chicago-based Go2Nurse, an app that provides people in need with a healthcare professional on-demand.

The Extra Cost Of Extra Weight For Older Adults

Obese people are far more likely to become disabled as they age, and researchers say this burgeoning demographic will strain hospitals and nursing homes.

We hope we have helped you SPIN YOUR HEALTHCARE YOUR WAY!

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How do you make the right decision about moving yourself or a loved one into an Assisted Living Facility without being overwhelmed? How do you even begin talking about it? HealthSpin’s “Easy Healthcare: Choosing an Assisted Living Facility” ebook guide gives you all of the practical advice you need to make the right choice.

Available for download, NOW!

The post Helpful Health Care Links: March 6, 2015 appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Our helpful health care links

Early Consumption May Prevent Peanut Allergy, New Study Suggests

A new study suggests that peanut allergy can be prevented at a young age by embracing peanuts, not avoiding them.

Biggest U.S. Health Insurer Tightens Rules on Hysterectomy Coverage

The nation’s largest health insurer is imposing tighter controls on its coverage for hysterectomies after more than a year of debate over a medical device that was found to spread hidden cancer in some women undergoing the procedure.

We hope we have helped you SPIN YOUR HEALTHCARE YOUR WAY!

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How do you make the right decision about moving yourself or a loved one into an Assisted Living Facility without being overwhelmed? How do you even begin talking about it? HealthSpin’s “Easy Healthcare: Choosing an Assisted Living Facility” ebook guide gives you all of the practical advice you need to make the right choice.

Available for download, NOW!

The post Helpful Health Care Links: February 27, 2015 appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

I hope this post helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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

Available for download NOW!

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The post 3 Important Terms You Should Know Before Purchasing Health Insurance Insurance: VIDEO appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

This is what my friend Kelley heard on the other end of the line when, Matt, her husband (boyfriend at the time), called to tell her he was in a motorcycle accident.

In the summer of 2011, Matt was interning at Chrysler and about to start his senior year at Michigan State. Earlier that year, Matt was taken off his parent’s health insurance plan. Because he was still in school and only working part-time, he decided to not sign up for health insurance. Paying for rent and tuition was on his mind more than healthcare.

One day, he went out for an innocent motorcycle ride with a friend and in a split second everything changed. A car pulled out in front of him and clipped the front of his bike throwing him into the median. Matt managed to avoid any broken bones or head trauma. Road rash and a totaled bike were the extent of his injuries. The ambulance came and he was rushed to the hospital.

Once he was treated by a physician, he called Kelley to let her know he was okay. The first thing that came to Kelley’s mind was the fact he did not have health insurance and how would he pay for the medical bills he was likely to incur.

In the state of Michigan, an accident between a motorcycle and another vehicle, auto-insurance of the “party at fault” foots the bill. However, if there is an accident between two motorcycles, auto-insurance does not cover the claim.

In Matt’s case, he “got lucky.” Not only could the accident have been a lot worse, he may have been left with a pile of medical bills with no way of paying them.

I often get a lot of questions from friends and family asking “How do I know what plan is right for me?” or “I’m healthy, do I need to have health insurance?” I can easily list all the reasons why they need healthcare, but at the end of the day, I cannot make the decision for them. We have to think about what our needs are currently and think about where they might be throughout the next year.

Kelley and Matt’s story is a perfect example. You have to be thinking about the “What if’s.”

The post I’m Healthy: I Don’t Need Health Insurance appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

I hope this post helps you Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

P.S.

During the next few weeks I’ll be finalizing my ebook, Easy Healthcare: Choosing an Insurance Plan. If you have any questions about specific coverage options, please let me know!

The post What Does Health Insurance Cover? VIDEO appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

If you’re a high risk patient, your doctor needs to know as much as possible about your health…if  you’re a diabetic, what your insulin levels are throughout the day or if you’re a heart patient, when your blood pressure rise and by how much.  But short of following you around with a clipboard, your doctor can’t know in real time when and how your health changes.

That is until now.

Doctors are currently testing personal data trackers for high-risk patients.  For example, an electrocardiogram is placed in the patient’s smartphone to monitor the patient’s heart as he or she goes about his or her day. That real-time data is then downloaded by the doctor who can then use it to determine the best treatment for the patient.

Information is a doctor’s best friend and these emerging technologies maximize the amount of information a doctor has to make the right decisions about your care  Right now, mobile apps, scales, and activity trackers gather all kinds of data that you can use to live a healthy life.  The next generation of devices will allow healthcare providers to to take that to the next level.

As with all new technology, a few hurdles will have to be overcome before these devices become commonplace:

1)  Patient Ability:  These next-generation devices will have to be “patient friendly.”  If it’s overly complicated or requires too much time or work on the part of the patient, the device won’t be successful.

2)  No FDA Approval:  Many of these new technologies are not approved by the FDA, which  monitors medical devices.

3)  Privacy:  There is always a concern that any device that utilizes the internet may not be secure and meet the necessary privacy standards.

These concerns among others are being addressed as the various technologies are being developed.  What’s more, you may soon be able to automatically download your health-monitoring data directly into your medical record at your doctor’s office.

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Want to avoid unnecessary grief and expense when you get sick? Then you need this essential guide to the business behind your healthcare decisions. MyHealthSpin’s “Easy Healthcare: Before You Get Sick” ebook guide gives you all of the practical advice you need to take charge of your healthcare options!

Available for download NOW!

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