Health and Living Blog

This blog is about how informed healthcare consumers can reduce their individual out-of-pocket healthcare costs, and as a group create a movement that champions affordable care.

Bureaucrats Making Medical Decisions

February 01, 2012 09:03 PM
Desperate for surgery to relieve his sinus condition, patient waits 10-30 days for insurance pre-authorization.

Obesity Costing U.S. $147b Per Year

January 17, 2012 09:13 PM
Some days it seems as though everyone is mad at the American consumer. Everyone that has to treat them, employ them or insure them that is. How many times a week do you hear that we don’t take care of ourselves? Want the most expensive treatment? And don’t care how much it costs? I often [...]

New Year, New Health Care Changes

January 05, 2012 09:44 PM
Every year since 2010 new parts of the Patient Protection and Accountability Care Act (PPACA) are implemented. This year most of the focus is on preparing for state health exchanges, accountable care organizations (ACO’s) and new pilot programs designed to reduce the cost of care while improving quality. There are a few changes, however, that [...]

Point of Care Costs Go Up

October 25, 2011 04:09 PM
2012 enrollment is upon all employees, and it’s time to start planning for next year. Experts all agree that the major changes in your insurance plan will come when you check out at your provider’s office or facility. Although employee premium contributions have gone up slightly (to about 22%) and deductibles are higher (around $1,000 [...]

Is The Problem Convenience or Cost?

August 08, 2011 07:59 PM
I just got off the phone with a new business owner who is convinced that people don’t care about health care costs yet, but they do care about convenience and efficiency in our delivery system. He’s building an online doctor service like MD Live Care that we partner with on My Health and Money. His [...]

Medicare Safety Net About to Get Holes

August 03, 2011 08:43 PM
Well, now that Congress bloodied itself on the debt ceiling, they’re suppose to take on federal cuts starting with Medicare and Medicaid. This should be interesting. I recently read a policy paper from the Kaiser Foundation that looked at how much we actually spend of federal revenues on health care. Supposedly, less than 50% of [...]

Talking About Affordable Care

July 19, 2011 04:14 PM
For many years, patient care and medical expenses have been separate discussions: medical care discussions were between doctors and patients while cost conversations were between providers and insurance companies. But now that a new paradigm in health insurance has emerged that shifts more of the financial responsibility for care to patients and families, consumers are [...]

Costs Changing Physician/Patient Relationship

June 27, 2011 06:12 PM
Now that costs are driving more of our healthcare decisions, one issue that keeps coming up is whose responsibility is it to initiate the cost conversation — the patient or the provider? Recently, I heard a patient story about a prescription for acne that was $400. She didn’t know the cost until she went to [...]

Health Management Co.’s Break Ground

May 17, 2011 05:19 PM
I’m not sure if I missed the memo, but all of a sudden I’m hearing brokers and benefit companies talk about becoming health management organizations. This new-breed of organization brings together wellness, case management in the form of nurse lines, disease management to help us all keep the lid on costs relating to our chronic [...]

Employers Expect to Keep Offering Insurance

April 20, 2011 04:51 PM
I just finished reading a report on how health care reform is going to affect employer-sponsored health insurance. Basically, it said it won’t. The consultants believe that we’ll continue being offered insurance the same way we are today because many employers feel a moral obligation to do so. The biggest changes the authors see based [...]

The Unresolved Health Care Debate

April 12, 2011 08:22 PM
And here we go again — another year of battling about health care costs and who pays. The Republicans want last year’s health care reform law repealed, and to move Medicare to a voucher system and Medicaid to block grants. Democrats want the hard-won health care law to stay, and for Medicare and Medicare to [...]

Negative Media Stories Impact Wellness

March 28, 2011 08:16 PM
On Friday evening my husband and I sat down to watch PBS News Hour after a long week. By the time it was over, we sat looking at each in stunned silence — so much bad news! So many tragedies unfolding around the world that it left us sad, and feeling hopeless. You sit there [...]

Health Care Costs Overburden Consumers

March 24, 2011 08:24 PM
The consulting firm Deloitte just reported on a new study called “The Hidden Costs of U.S. Health Care for Consumers: A Comprehensive Analysis.” (http://bit.ly/gni89u) It’s not a pretty picture. In fact, it details how much more we’re actually spending on out-of-pocket health care costs when you factor in alternative health treatments, nutritional products, care giving, [...]

Pregnant Women At Risk in U.S.

March 22, 2011 08:11 PM
I saw an article today by documentary filmmaker, Christy Turlington (http://huff.to/e4dgmm), about women who die while giving birth. Did you know that the U.S. ranks 50th globally in maternal health? And that 90 percent of the deaths due to giving birth are preventable. It makes you wonder how we can ever say that the U.S. [...]

Weekend in the Emergency Room

March 21, 2011 07:26 PM
I tried not to use the ER for my mother, but she was having an acute asthma attack and I couldn’t find an urgent care center nearby. I made the decision not to go to a trauma center, but chose a nearby hospital that specializes in geriatric patients. My mother is 80 years old. She [...]

Employers Interested in How Much You Weigh

March 17, 2011 08:27 PM
Employers are trying just about everything to get employers on the wellness track: rewards and punishments abound, depending on how much you weigh, whether you smoke or not, and how well your biometric readings are for cholesterol. When you accepted your job, did you really think you and your employer would be having this conversation? [...]

Health Care Costing Americans 10% of Their Incomes

March 16, 2011 07:56 PM
The Commonwealth Fund does a biennial health insurance survey that tracks how many Americans are uninsured and the effect rising health care costs are having on the public. What we learned today was that 52 million Americans are now uninsured, up from 48 million before the recession. In addition, of the people who are insured [...]

Hospitals Posting Prices

March 15, 2011 10:03 PM
When you think about the fact that you have no idea how much a medical procedure is going to cost until after the fact, it’s even more appalling that financial responsibility is falling more and more to patients. Everyone else knows pricing ahead of time: providers, insurance companies, government agencies. Only you, the patient, are [...]

New Medical Services Give Us Choices and Savings

March 11, 2011 04:00 PM
In reviewing what My Health and Money members need to save money and make better decisions, we began looking for new developments in the way medical care is delivered. As a result of our research, we decided to partner with several companies that have innovative online services to help patients get answers to questions about [...]

Mental Health Cuts Cause Anxiety

March 10, 2011 09:46 PM
Today’s news reported that $1.8b has been cut from state budgets for mental health services since 2009. Deeper cuts are expected in 2011 and 2012. http://usat.ly/hxRljt Many of you probably don’t remember, but it all started under President Regan when he pushed through severe cuts in mental health services that started the flood of psychiatric [...]

Disappointed in Health Insurance Again

February 28, 2011 06:59 PM
So let’s be honest…reading your health insurance policy or Explanation of Benefits (EOB) is a lot like reading the tax code. Insurance companies seem to have figured out every scenario that may cost them money (explains industry’s hefty bonuses), resulting in a large number of benefit exclusions. Unfortunately, this seems to occur most often when [...]

Health News Kicks Up Dust in New Year

January 03, 2011 11:25 PM
Happy New Year! We’ve just entered 2011 and already there’s lots of healthcare news to ponder: a Republican House that wants to repeal healthcare reform; new health plans coming into the market that ask employees to consider getting free services in exchange for huge penalties if they have an overused procedure, and; rising deductibles and [...]

Women Win Big With Healthcare Reform

August 02, 2010 04:18 PM
So 30 million more women will now have access to healthcare because of healthcare reform.  This is a big number, and an important one.  Women have been paying higher insurance premiums than men for some time, and have a difficult time even qualifying for individual insurance.  Insurance carriers rate women as a higher risk than [...]

Understanding What Physicians and Nurses Are Telling Us

July 23, 2010 04:41 PM
Recently there’s been a lot of press about a new study of back pain patients who had varying degrees of understanding about their treatment plans.  The study looked at health literacy rates by differences in cultural, economic and types of diagnoses.  According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, health literacy is: “The [...]

3 Things to Consider Before Enrolling in an HSA

July 08, 2010 09:02 PM
Healthcare consumerism can be tricky for newcomers, which is why we recently added an HSA Education section on myhealthandmoney.com. If you haven’t heard of HSAs yet, you should probably take the time to familiarize yourself because employers are trending toward full replacement benefits, meaning offering only high-deductible health plans in order to save on their [...]

Are $250 Rebates for Seniors in Medicare’s Donut Hole Useful?

June 08, 2010 04:20 PM
I suppose the approximately 8 million seniors who enter the Medicare Part D drug coverage donut hole every year will appreciate a check from the U.S. Government for $250 for 2010 expenses.  I do wonder, however, how useful this gesture is in reality.  The donut hole is valued at about $2,800 in out-of-pocket costs for [...]

Reform Rules Let Young Adults Stay on Parents’ Insurance

May 11, 2010 06:52 PM
Now that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPAC) has been signed into law, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and her team are pushing for some fast wins.  Most of the consumer benefits don’t kick in until September 23, 2010, but one group of early winners includes young adults up to 26 years old. Students and [...]

Let Healthcare Consumerism Reign

April 16, 2010 08:24 PM
Healthcare consumerism is a term being used to describe people who make the effort to shop for healthcare.  We all know what consumerism means when we’re shopping for cars:  go online and read reports about the type of car we’re looking for so we can compare features, quality ratings and buyer reviews; compare prices, and [...]

Next Up for Health Reform: Efficient Delivery

March 30, 2010 05:21 PM
Now that healthcare reform has passed in this country, and we have joined the ranks of other western industrialized nations that take care of their sick and poor the hard work begins – putting the legislation into action.  Today, the Reconciliation Bill was passed in the Senate and insurance companies agreed to implement one of [...]

Waiting for Healthcare Reform

March 16, 2010 09:23 PM
While the mudslingers go at it in Washington, most of us are waiting on the sidelines for healthcare reform.  It’s amusing that some say we shouldn’t rush since I’ve watched the politicians jockey for position on the issue of healthcare costs for more than 20 years.  Just the other day a friend called to tell [...]

Illinois’ Senator Durbin Explains Healthcare Reform

January 25, 2010 04:04 PM
As a small business owner, and founder of myhealthandmoney.com, I was curious how Senator Durbin would explain the benefits of the Senate healthcare reform bill, and the likelihood that a bill will make it to the President’s office.  He kicked off his speech saying that healthcare is a very personal matter, which is why it’s [...]

Free Basic Membership – Start Saving On Healthcare Now

January 12, 2010 09:06 PM
So what can you do with a FREE Basic Membership? Here’s what you can do right now to start saving money on your out-of-pocket healthcare costs: Save on your prescriptions Find lower prices on over 12,000 prescription drugs including Lipitor, Abilify, Avodart, Cymbalta, and more. Risk Free Medical Bill Evaluation and Negotiation If you have a medical bill over [...]

How to Stretch Your HSA Dollars

December 14, 2009 10:58 PM
More and more individuals and companies are moving to consumer-driven health plans – HSAs + qualified high deductible health plans. With this type of health plan, you may be responsible for thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. The problem is, consumers are not used to “shopping” for healthcare and don’t now how to stretch their [...]

Health Insurance Was Never Meant to Cover Preventive Care

November 17, 2009 10:04 PM
Insurance is a business built on managing risk. What this means is that consumers pay monthly fees to hedge catastrophic expenses. We do this for automobiles, houses, life, disability, and for other types of coverage. She brought up the point that health insurance was never meant to cover preventive care or usual and customary medical expenses. The point being that insurance has gone beyond its main calling. So in essence, we’re using insurance for the wrong things.

Transparent Healthcare Pricing is Here – Start Comparing Prices at Facilities in Your Area

November 10, 2009 07:12 PM
How many times have you been shocked to find out how much a procedure costs after you’ve been treated and received the bill? For me, it’s been every time because there haven’t been tools available to help me understand the cost of the procedure ahead of time. Two questions I never thought to ask: Should I [...]

Keeping Up With Reform while Healthcare Costs Rise

October 28, 2009 08:39 PM
The bottom line is that consumers need options for care and insurance coverage, which means we need to understand what we’re buying. The entire industry is built around keeping us out of the financial discussions, and financially vulnerable when we require care. Of course, this isn’t true for everyone. Some employees have tremendous coverage and very little out-of-pockets costs. But too many Americans don’t.

MyHealthandMoney.com Launches to Help Consumers Become Healthcare Purchasers

October 08, 2009 03:29 PM
When we set out last May to build My Health and Money, we thought for sure we’d be celebrating our launch alongside healthcare reform.  But here we are, October 8th and My Health and Money is ready for action while Congress is still arguing about what to do. Well, we’re not sure why it’s taking them [...]

Building A Healthcare Consumer Group for Change

September 23, 2009 09:01 PM
Just a few more weeks before we launch MyHealthandMoney.com, and begin working for our subscribers to reduce their healthcare costs, show them how to purchase healthcare, and bring companies in to solve problems. It’s been a long road creating our online organization from scratch – a white paper idea that has taken shape and form [...]

I Have Health Insurance and Feel So Poor

August 25, 2009 08:32 PM
I place a high value on my health insurance.  In fact, it’s a Gold Card to health for my family and me because it provides access to care whenever I need it.  I don’t think twice about calling the pediatrician, internist, or specialist.  If we need a prescription refill we go to the pharmacy.  If [...]

Healthcare Reform Produces Shock and Awe

August 13, 2009 04:40 PM
If you read the House's healthcare reform bill — H.R. 3200 America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 — it does not promote euthanasia. What Section 1233 of the healthcare reform bill does do is ask seniors to plan their end of life care, which is just plain common sense.

Managing Your Care and Costs Takes Discipline

July 30, 2009 06:56 PM
In a recent newspaper article the chief of the Congressional Budget Office was quoted as saying that 20% of all healthcare services are unnecessary, and contribute significantly to our inability to control costs.  This figure represents more than $500mm in annual expenses that aren’t helping make us healthier or have better outcomes – ouch! So we [...]

4 Questions That Can Save You Thousands on Diagnostic Tests

July 21, 2009 08:23 PM
Over dinner this weekend, I asked two physician friends why they order so many tests.  This question stemmed from the frustrations I’ve heard from patients about the mounting bills from unnecessary tests, and the urban myth that doctors are covering themselves against malpractice claims.  While it may be true that some doctors practice defensive medicine, [...]

Why Can’t I Find Out How Much My Healthcare Really Costs?

July 14, 2009 03:40 PM
Health service companies, including hospitals and clinics, were built to care for patients, not to do business with them.

Listening to Uninsured and Underinsured Patients

July 07, 2009 11:48 PM
Early this spring, we decided to conduct a national online research survey to find out exactly what everyone needs us to do, and whether or not a membership website would fly.  The reality is that we have to figure out how to pay the bills while we’re doing something to help patients.  Investors want to [...]

A Website to Help the Uninsured & Underinsured Save Money

July 02, 2009 03:19 PM
Last year, I was working at one of the largest patient social network sites as the Chief Marketing Officer, thinking about how little we’d done in the past three decades to help people afford healthcare.  The discussion forums were filled with patients and families looking for ways to raise money to cover medical expenses so [...]