How To Get The Best Health Insurance And Avoid Paying Out-Of-Pocket

Health insurance is necessary for all people in all age groups. With the proper health insurance plan, you are going to be able to benefit from it, no matter what your age. It can be a difficult task to figure out the best insurance plan for you. Read on for some tips to help you find affordable health insurance that meets all of your healthcare needs.

If your health is not very good or if you have young children, you should definitely subscribe to a health insurance. Many people do not have a health insurance or are not satisfied with the coverage that comes as a benefit of their job. You could save a lot of money on hospital bills and avoid stress in case of illness with a health insurance.

In order to lower the cost of your health insurance, consider establishing a savings account for your health care expenses. Use this account to pay for prescriptions and various medical expenses. Contributions to such a plan can be deducted from pretax income, which can save you a large amount of money.

If you have multiple prescriptions, lower the cost of your health insurance by signing up for a plan that covers the largest number of your medications. Also, ask your health insurance company to check for generic brand medication, which can significantly reduce your prescription costs. Receiving your prescriptions by mail can sometimes lower costs as well.

If you and your partner have been riding on a single health insurance policy and one of you is nearing retirement, sit down and have an open discussion about how that transition will occur. Coverages will change for the retired person and several alternatives are available. They can continue for a while through COBRA and afterwards, they can apply for a standalone policy if the premiums are not prohibitively high, but the important thing is to walk into those decisions proactively.

Expect health insurance policies to have hidden loopholes within the fine print. Read and comprehend every word of your health insurance policy. Learn exactly what is and is not covered. Resign yourself to the fact that certain procedures or medications will not be covered if that is the case.

If you fear being laid off from your job, you may consider enrolling in a plan with a low premium. Since the government program that offset much of the cost of COBRA has ended, continuing your insurance coverage in the event of a layoff would come entirely from your own pocket, which could prove very difficult if your premium is high.

A cheaper alternative to comprehensive insurance is catastrophic coverage. Prescriptions and doctor's visits are covered by a comprehensive plan, while hospital and emergency care is covered by catastrophic health insurance.

Even if you have a PPO, if you're considering any kind of procedure, you should definitely contact your health insurance company to be sure the procedure you want to have is covered. All too often, people have procedures done without checking with their health insurance company, only to find after the fact that the procedure was not covered and they are now 100% telemedicine consultation financially responsible for it. Know before you go!

Even if you think you have found the perfect health insurance company, it does not hurt to look around for others. By shopping around, you may find that there is an even better health insurance company for you and your specific needs. You may even save money by looking around.

You need to take money with you when you go to see a doctor because you may have to pay a co-pay. A lot of insurance companies require customers to pay a small co-pay when they visit the doctor. It is typically not more than $50, but it must be paid at the time of the visit and most doctors require it to be paid before they will even see the patient.

When choosing between catastrophic and comprehensive health insurance, remember that comprehensive health insurance costs more and covers everyday health care requirements, and preventative health care. Catastrophic health insurance is much cheaper, but it only covers catastrophes, as the name indicates. If you have an ongoing medical condition that requires frequent attention, choose comprehensive insurance. If you are generally healthy but want a safety net, choose catastrophic insurance.

If you are self-employed, you can deduct what you pay for health insurance from your taxes. Keep this in mind when you are comparing quotes. You are going to pay money towards you taxes anyway, so why not subscribe to an expensive plan that could benefit you in case of medical problems?

In preparation for changing health insurance policies, you need to take into account all of your medical care costs. This is especially true if you have a medical problem that requires renting or purchasing medical equipment such as oxygen tanks or wheel chairs. Figure out these expenses, both with coverage and without.

If you're self employed and looking for health insurance, you may find that an individual health plan is cheaper than a group plan. Group plans often cost twice as much as individual plans, since they have to cover everyone, regardless of health status. If you're in good health, an individual plan may save you money.

When moving to a new state you need to find out if there are any laws where you now reside that might affect your health insurance coverage. For example, the age of your dependents may cause them to lose coverage on your insurance. Also, whether or not your child is enrolled in school could affect their coverage as well.

When it comes to your health insurance coverage, make sure you keep your insurance card available. Not only does this make the check-in process at the doctor's office or hospital easier, it also can simplify things if you are in an unexpected accident and are unable to provide your information. Your insurance card includes key information such as the policy number and contact information, making it easier for health care providers to reach your carrier if needed.

When the monthly costs of an individual insurance policy and a group insurance insurance policy are compared, the group insurance policy is likely to be cheaper. However, an individual insurance policy is likely to give you more choices. Remember that any type of health insurance is better than nothing. If you do not have health insurance today, you could be headed for a calamity. It is too easy for something unexpected to happen that could leave you penniless. Be smart, and research all of the health insurance choices available today.

 

Is seeing your doctor online working?

 

Telemedicine peaked at around 37% of all medical encounters in early May, decreased to 22% in early July, and remained steady at 15% since mid-August. But that's still far above the pre-pandemic rate of less than 1%, according to Press Ganey.

A key reason behind this rise was the removal of regulatory hurdles. Before the pandemic hit, Medicare, the US programme for elderly Americans, limited how providers were paid for telemedicine appointments.

Most remote visits would not necessarily be reimbursed at the same rate as if they were happening in-person, says Dr Jessica Dudley, chief clinical officer at Press Ganey and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

Patients wait in the waiting room to see physician

IMAGE SOURCE,PORTLAND PRESS HERALD VIA GETTY IMAGES

Image caption,

People don't seem to miss waiting to see the doctor

Another limit was that providers also had to be licensed in the state their patients lived in.

But after state mandates shut down in-person health visits, emergency Covid-19 legislation eased these Medicare payment restrictions and allowed doctors to practice across state lines, driving the massive spike in telehealth.

"Covid-19 forced us to finally recognise the value of telemedicine in order to keep both patients and doctors safe," says Dr Eric Singman, a neuro-ophthalmologist and associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Patients began to appreciate the ability to connect with providers without putting themselves at risk during the pandemic and doctors have also embraced the switch, many trying telehealth for the first time.

Dr Singman's virtual visits have been so successful that an organisation in Texas recently began working with John Hopkins to allow him to their see local patients remotely.

 

 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZiSk2MOF17UdugnGNqOAojsLDrM0Qu-pLwshdGqch_M/edit?usp=sharing

 

Los Angeles clinic puts underprivileged community at greater risk of contracting coronavirus, health care workers say

 

The clinics serve an area where the proportion of people living below the poverty line is more than double the national average, according to census data. Many patients live in multifamily homes or homeless shelters and have chronic medical conditions, compounding their chances of contracting and spreading the coronavirus, the eight professionals said. African Americans and Latinos have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"My fear is that once it hits this patient population, it will be the epicenter of L.A.," one of the professionals said.

When the coronavirus broke out, some of the professionals called patients to reschedule routine visits and refill prescriptions over the phone, but they were quickly reprimanded by management and told not to call their own patients, they said.

"This is the first place I've worked that as a provider I'm not given the autonomy to care for them [my patients] medically," one of them said after having encountered resistance to suggesting that patients with non-urgent needs be moved to telehealth visits.

"When you're suppressing the expertise, the knowledge, the morals, the morale of providers who are here to take care of an underserved people, you're almost just kind of re-oppressing them," the professional said.

 

 

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Finding The Right Health Insurance Policy For You

For many Americans choosing the right health insurance to purchase often boils down to the most affordable policy they can get. In this day and age, that is a critical consideration. However, there are other factors that all health insurance purchasers should consider based on their individual needs. Some of those considerations are discussed below.

Consider high deductible health insurance policies. If you are young and healthly with no family history of serious health problems, a high deductible health insurance policy could be suitable for you. These policies make health insurance coverage much more affordable, but make should that you are aware of medical problems which aren't covered by the policy.

Unless you are actually suffering an emergency, you should always avoid the emergency room unless you want huge charges on your health insurance bill. A doctor's visit is far more affordable. If you plan it in advance and do not waste the hospital's resources and time, you will not have to pay a lot of money for your visit via deductibles.

Look for a health insurance plan with broad coverage. This is especially important if you like to travel. Insurance companies with smaller coverage can make it difficult to find a doctor should you be outside of your normal living area. Broad coverage includes many more doctors and hospitals, so it is a must for travelers.

To save money on health insurance, one strategy is to pool your resources with a group of people. Doing so lets employers offer cheaper insurance to their employees. If you're on your own, you may be able to take advantage of these savings by forming your own group or joining an existing one.

Unless you are actually suffering an emergency, you should always avoid the emergency room unless you want huge charges on your health insurance bill. A doctor's visit is far more affordable. If you plan it in advance and do not waste the hospital's resources and time, you will not have to pay a lot of money for your visit via deductibles.

Buy copies of your own medical records when searching for health insurance. There are facilities available that allow you to purchase valid, legal copies of your own medical records, and having these will allow you to accurately confirm or deny what the insurance company asks of you. It will also let you check for mistakes in your records.

If your health insurance comes via your employer, you clearly don't have much choice about who insures you and your family. You do, however, have some choices about what options you want. Be as active a consumer of your healthcare insurance, as possible. Take the time to understand the philosophical and actual differences between HMOs and PPOs and the attendant differences in cost structure. You need to be armed with this information, in order to make smart decisions about your healthcare insurance.

When trying to search for a new health insurance plan that suits your needs, try to shop around a bit. Like other major purchases, it makes a great deal of sense to shop and get quotes from multiple policies. It doesn't matter if you are looking for supplemental, primary, or short term policies, you can at least get some quotes and information from possible providers now.

Use online calculators to calculate the final cost of health care insurance prior to signing up for the policy. It will factor in the co-pays and deductibles that you are going to be responsible. Just because you are going to save money in premiums does not mean that it website is going to be cheaper for your family.

If you have any firm reason to believe that the health insurance you applied is not going to accept you, you should cancel your application before you are denied. Health insurance companies ask you if you have ever been denied insurance, and this raises a red flag. Avoid being denied by researching the conditions for being accepted.

Even if you have a job, as long as you are a low income family you can qualify for Medicaid. This can help by lowering the amount of money you pay out of pocket for medical care, and therefore you can sign up for a non-comprehensive insurance plan to cover the bills you do pay.

If you are generally healthy, but need health insurance that will cover you in case of an accident or sudden hospitalization, consider getting catastrophic health insurance. It has very low payments. Even though the deductible is usually quite high, the limit of payout is also high - sometimes as much as $3,000,000.

If your health insurance doesn't pay for your prescriptions in full, you need to do some shopping around. Pharmacies will charge different rates for prescriptions, and also different dispensing fees. Some pharmacies even mix their own medicines and charge far less for the resulting prescription, or will give you the medicine in forms other than hard to swallow pills.

When moving states, check with the state's insurance website to see what the rules are there and which companies are offering health insurance. You should also find out if the state offers a discount insurance option to low-income families, if you qualify. Don't forget to ask your current insurer if your coverage will go with you if you move!

When moving to a new state you need to find out if there are any laws where you now reside that might affect your health insurance coverage. For example, the age of your dependents may cause them to lose coverage on your insurance. Also, whether or not your child is enrolled in school could affect their coverage as well.

Make your insurance policies overlap. If you are leaving one health insurance company for another, you will want to make sure you do not end up in a period of not being covered by anyone. Have the date of the new policy start before the end of the old policy.

Take notes whenever you are talking with your insurer or with your provider. Having a written document of who, what, when, where, and why may be what saves your skin if you have to appeal a claims decision. If talking with your insurance company, you can also ask them to have the call recorded for additional backup.

If you are dissatisfied with your health insurance company, and the customer service office gave you no satisfaction, bring your complaint to the consumer affairs division of your state's insurance department. This division can investigate the problem and can offer help in finding a resolution for your complaint. Sometimes getting a state agency involved can get the insurance company to cooperate.

As you have read, the general consensus regarding health insurance is that it is hard to understand. It's not that hard to make the correct decisions, provided that you are forearmed with a little knowledge. The information in this article has provided the first step in gaining a great knowledge base about different, important facets of health insurance.

 

People with disabilities left behind by telemedicine and other pandemic medical innovations

 

Divya Goel, a 35-year-old deaf-blind woman in Orlando, Florida, has had two telemedicine doctors' appointments during the pandemic. Each time, she was denied an interpreter.

Her doctors told her she would have to get insurance to pay for an interpreter, which is incorrect: Under federal law, it is the physician's responsibility to provide one.

Goel's mother stepped in to interpret instead. But her signing is limited, so Goel, who has only some vision, is not sure her mother fully conveyed what the doctors said. Goel worries about the medical ramifications — a wrong medicine or treatment — if something got lost in translation.

"It's really, really hard to get real information, and so I feel very stuck in my situation," she signed through an interpreter.

Pandemic-fueled shortages of home health aides strand patients without care

Pandemic-fueled shortages of home health aides strand patients without care

Telemedicine, teleworking, rapid tests, virtual school, and vaccine drive-throughs have become part of Americans' routines as they enter Year 3 of life amid Covid-19. But as innovators have raced to make living in a pandemic world safer, some people with disabilities have been left behind.

Those with a physical disability may find the at-home Covid tests that allow reentry into society hard to perform. Those with limited vision may not be able to read the small print on the instructions, while blind people cannot see the results. The American Council of the Blind is engaged in litigation against the two dominant medical testing companies, Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics, over touch-screen check-in kiosks at their testing locations.

Sometimes the obstacles are basic logistics. "If you're blind or low-vision and you live alone, you don't have a car," said Sheila Young, president of the Florida Council of the Blind, pointing to the long lines of cars at drive-through testing and vaccination sites. "Who can afford an Uber or Lyft to sit in line for three hours?"

One in 4 adults in the US have some sort of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though barriers for the disabled have long existed, the pandemic brings life-or-death stakes to such long-running inequities.

 

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Safety for Essential Providers Using Telemedicine and Telehealth

 

It is no longer necessary for patients to drive or commute to an appointment, which can be difficult for some patients with no immediate access to transportation. Thus, healthcare workers have more time on-site for appointments with patients who require a physical checkup in-office.

Patients often visit providers when feeling sick, so it can be a risk to everyone at a healthcare provider’s office, including staff and the other patients. Implementing telehealth means providers can limit the spread of infection of not just COVID-19 but other infectious diseases as well.

Telehealth technology can also be utilized for the prescreening of patients prior to their appointment and visitation to the office. With a prescreen, providers can ascertain as to whether it is necessary to conduct an on-site checkup, thereby reducing patient numbers attending the office.

Enabling providers to see the patient’s home environment can also help facilitate diagnosis. For example, a patient with certain allergies could be suffering from a chronic condition due to unknown variables within the home environment.

Providers can determine the issues within the home that could be exacerbating patient symptoms. Patients can also better explain to doctors their daily routine using their home environment and, therefore, acquire a more accurate diagnosis.

Telehealth saves healthcare provider costs while also saving patients money. Patients no longer need to travel, thereby reducing money spent on transportation, and the ability to take a consultation from home or even at work, limits the sick days or amount of time patients need to be absent from work.

 

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Become A Health Insurance Guru By Following These Vital Insurance Tips

Having quality health insurance is an absolute must in today's world. The cost of medical care just keeps rising and rising. The results of having to take care of a medical issue when you are uninsured can be deadly to your finances. Take control and learn how to manage your health insurance.

When evaluating health insurance coverage, take the time to compare quotes on the type of plan you need. The costs associated with insurance will range widely between companies. Doing some homework on what is covered vs. cost of coverage can save a lot of money and time, should the need arise.

Check into individual coverage, as you may get a better rate than with going with a group plan. The downside to group coverage is that everyone is accepted. This means that the premiums must be higher to help account for those who may become ill or need emergency care.

One great way that you can help drop your monthly insurance premiums is to opt to pay a higher deductible rate. By paying a higher rate, this means that you are putting up more money on your end when you get sick. The health insurance company will reward you by making sure to lower your monthly payments.

If a health insurance company representative asks you a question to which you do not know the answer, tell them so. There is no shame in telling them that you are unsure of what they are asking, and they should call your physician to get the proper answer. They may seem frustrated, but that's okay. Don't let it bother you.

Do not mix your politics with your health coverage. While you might believe that people are entitled to receive free health care in a civilized nation, you should not abstain from coverage simply to prove a point. Illness doesn't care about your political views, so always make sure you're covered.

Take advantage of any wellness programs offered by both your workplace and your health insurance company. Both of these may reward you in different ways, such as your workplace offering a cash-incentive for completing an exercise program, or your insurance company lowering your premiums if you follow a quit-smoking one. These offers are rare, but helpful.

Consider opening a savings account to use as an expense account that you can use to make payments on your co-pays and deductibles that apply to your health insurance. It can be used to pay for things that are not covered under many policies like prescriptions, eye glasses and contact lenses.

The high cost of health insurance has caused many people to reconsider having coverage. But responsible families realize they don't know when sickness/illness is going to occur, so to protect themselves in the event this happens, they choose to purchase health insurance.

Your employer may provide you with a list of health insurance providers to choose from. It is a good idea to ask your co-workers, but also doctors and nurses you know, which one they have had the best experience with. It's not just what is written in your policy, but how it is implemented that matters!

When you've decided on a plan, be very careful filling out your application. If you write anything that is dishonest, or if you make simple mistakes, the policy could become null and void or it could be denied. Slowly and carefully fill out your application. Don't wind up paying for silly mistakes.

Whether you pay all or just a portion of your prescriptions, click here or you have a Health Spending Account to cover those purchases, you want to look for a deal when buying your pills. Check out pharmacies at either major discount retailers, or membership club stores, as their prices will often be very low.

Buy health insurance that cannot be canceled by the insurance provider. You never know how your health situation will change, either by illness or by a catastrophic event. Having health insurance that cannot be canceled will give you peace of mind that you will be covered for as long as you choose to be covered.

Prepare an itemized list of medical expenses if you are preparing to switch or renew your health insurance. Gauge the amount you can afford to pay in deductibles and coverage for yourself and your family.

You should avoid policies that look like health insurance but are only after your money. For instance, you can find policies that will cover you only for cancer or a particular disease. In most cases, the definition of the disease is so limited that the odds of you getting the exact disease are very slim.

Completing a health insurance enrollment form can take you ages! If you want so skip the hassle, find an independent insurance broker who can not only save you all that time applying, but also can help you find the company and policy which are best for your needs. He'll also be there for you when you need an answer to your question, or to assist you file your first claim.

You need to belong to some kind of group or association to have access to cheap health insurance. Perhaps you can join a union related to your occupation, or an alumni association. Ask a representative from the group of association you are considering joining about the benefits. Make sure the health insurance they are affiliated with meets your needs.

Don't assume that the insurance offered by your employer is the cheapest option, especially if you require a policy that covers your entire family. While this is the easiest option, there are often significant savings available if you are willing to shop around and obtain quotes on individual plans for each family member.

Look out for health insurance polices that also offer eye and dental care converge. Some health plans now include this extra converge and these plans could save you a lot of money. Paying separately for dental procedures, lens, glasses, annual eye and dental checkups, etc. can really add up.

It's really not hard to see how the tips in this article will help you stop worrying about your health insurance, and get started using this practical advice to find the right plan that fills your health insurance needs. Using these common sense tips will make the process a lot easier.

 

How a medical university's Telehealth Service Implementation Model can help you

 

Wellpath is one of the largest correctional healthcare organizations in the country. With nearly 15,000 clinicians and professionals in 34 states across the U.S. and Australia, Wellpath delivers medical and behavioral healthcare services to nearly 300,000 patients located in inpatient and residential treatment facilities, civil commitment centers, and local, state and federal correctional facilities.

In 2021, Wellpath leveraged TSIM, the Telehealth Service Implementation Model that was developed at the Medical University of South Carolina's Center for Telehealth, an HRSA-designated National Telehealth Center of Excellence.

Wellpath used the telehealth framework to create and scale an emergency medicine telehealth service to local government county jails and state prisons across the country. Wellpath utilized TSIM to develop, implement and optimize the emergency medicine telehealth service to more than 100 facilities across the U.S.

Shawn Valenta is vice president for healthcare cloud in clinical services at Wellpath. In Valenta's previous administrator of telehealth role at the Medical University of South Carolina, he oversaw the strategic initiatives and operations of the MUSC Center for Telehealth.

Next month at HIMSS22, Valenta will deliver a presentation entitled "Scaling a National Emergency Medicine Telehealth Service." This presentation will review the Wellpath initiative and how the TSIM logic can be applied to any telehealth service.

Healthcare IT News interviewed Valenta to offer readers a sneak peek at his educational session.

 

 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QgeK7rJ6U0f66uVa86DUMnAFLjW3g40jFmTFcYD563w/edit?usp=sharing

 

Good Advice To Know When Purchasing Health Insurance

Do not approach health insurance with fear. It is true the field is complex and your options are many, but the more you learn, the safer you will feel. Health insurance is similar to healthcare itself. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By making smart choices when you select health insurance, you can avoid difficulties in the future.

When evaluating health insurance coverage, take the time to compare quotes on the type of plan you need. The costs associated with insurance will range widely between companies. Doing some homework on what is covered vs. cost of coverage can save a lot of money and time, should the need arise.

To lower the deductible costs of your health insurance, choose a plan whose network includes your primary care doctor as well as your preferred specialists. This will save you from paying a fee to continue to visit your primary care doctor and from paying fees to see your preferred specialists.

If there is a chance that you are going to be laid off from the company that you work for, consider a health insurance plan with a lower premium cost. The government has changed things so that those who are laid off will have to pay their own premiums through the COBRA plan.

It is important that you take price into consideration when looking for medical insurance. Although having health insurance is very important, you do not want to end up losing it because you cannot afford the premiums. If a potential insurance company's premiums seem too high, shop around for another one. You can even try to negotiate a lower price with your preferred company.

Find out what the pre-existing condition limitations are before you cancel your current health insurance policy to enroll in another. You may find that any illnesses or disabilities that you have may not be covered if you change to a new provider. Check with your State Insurance Department to find additional information on insurances that will cover those pre-existing conditions.

When shopping around for a great healthcare policy, always make sure that you're comparing policies online. You can receive multiple quotes from multiple providers, so take your time and compare them all to see where you can save money without losing out on great coverage options. A few minutes to compare, can save you some big money.

If you are applying for new health insurance, make sure you do not let your old health insurance expire. This does not look good at all. You can turn to COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) if for some reason your old insurance is to be cancelled before you are able to find new insurance.

Know which hospitals are accepted in your health care plan and let your loved ones know where to take you, in case of an emergency. Planning ahead for these events can help to save you and your family money. You can even carry a wallet card that tells emergency workers what hospital to take you to.

Although larger insurance companies are more likely to be reputable, smaller companies will offer lower premiums. Ask your family and friends if they have ever dealt with the small company you are considering to see if they can recommend it. Also check online for reviews to make sure the company is living up to its claims.

If you are employed at any job in the country, take full advantage of your employer's insurance policy. Because of the recently passed healthcare legislation, every employer read more now has to offer insurance to employees. It might be a bit costly, but it's far more affordable to go through your employer for coverage.

Whether you pay all or just a portion of your prescriptions, or you have a Health Spending Account to cover those purchases, you want to look for a deal when buying your pills. Check out pharmacies at either major discount retailers, or membership club stores, as their prices will often be very low.

If you don't have a large amount of time to call many different agencies and you don't want to work with a brokerage, it is possible to find websites that help to aggregate many different agencies for you. While they can't give a completely accurate price, they will give you many ballpark figures to help get you started.

Ask if your insurance company offers a "money back guarantee". Many companies are trying this route out in order to stay competitive. They will allow you to take a policy out and if you aren't satisfied in a set period of time (usually about thirty days), you get a full refund.

When it comes to preparing to change your health insurance policy, be sure to make a list of all the medications that you or your dependents are taking. Add the annual total. If they're covered by your current plan, add your co-pay separately and view the cost of what it'd be without your policy.

When it comes to selecting a health insurance plan you should be sure to check the plans you are considering to determine if a doctor or other health provider you are happy with is available under them in order to keep that relationship covered. Some health plans restrict you to specific providers, so make sure your doctor or provider is in your health plan's network.

Always make sure to have a new health insurance plan lined up before your previous one expires. It can take months to put a new plan into effect, and if your old plan is out of service, you will be completely uninsured while dealing with starting up your new plan.

Before purchasing a health insurance plan it is essential to get a copy of what the plan will and will not provide, and review it thoroughly. Do this before committing to make sure that you're really getting exactly what you think you are, and make sure that the plan isn't missing something that is provided by another company for a comparable price.

Look out for health insurance polices that also offer eye and dental care converge. Some health plans now include this extra converge and these plans could save you a lot of money. Paying separately for dental procedures, lens, glasses, annual eye and dental checkups, etc. can really add up.

As mentioned above, health insurance doesn't only protect your health, it protects your wallet, too. Health insurance gives you the freedom to take care of yourself when you need to. With the advice from this article, you should be more informed about health insurance and ready to make decisions regarding your status.

 

People with disabilities left behind by telemedicine and other pandemic medical innovations

 

Divya Goel, a 35-year-old deaf-blind woman in Orlando, Florida, has had two telemedicine doctors' appointments during the pandemic. Each time, she was denied an interpreter.

Her doctors told her she would have to get insurance to pay for an interpreter, which is incorrect: Under federal law, it is the physician's responsibility to provide one.

Goel's mother stepped in to interpret instead. But her signing is limited, so Goel, who has only some vision, is not sure her mother fully conveyed what the doctors said. Goel worries about the medical ramifications — a wrong medicine or treatment — if something got lost in translation.

"It's really, really hard to get real information, and so I feel very stuck in my situation," she signed through an interpreter.

Pandemic-fueled shortages of home health aides strand patients without care

Pandemic-fueled shortages of home health aides strand patients without care

Telemedicine, teleworking, rapid tests, virtual school, and vaccine drive-throughs have become part of Americans' routines as they enter Year 3 of life amid Covid-19. But as innovators have raced to make living in a pandemic world safer, some people with disabilities have been left behind.

Those with a physical disability may find the at-home Covid tests that allow reentry into society hard to perform. Those with limited vision may not be able to read the small print on the instructions, while blind people cannot see the results. The American Council of the Blind is engaged in litigation against the two dominant medical testing companies, Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics, over touch-screen check-in kiosks at their testing locations.

Sometimes the obstacles are basic logistics. "If you're blind or low-vision and you live alone, you don't have a car," said Sheila Young, president of the Florida Council of the Blind, pointing to the long lines of cars at drive-through testing and vaccination sites. "Who can afford an Uber or Lyft to sit in line for three hours?"

One in 4 adults in the US have some sort of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though barriers for the disabled have long existed, the pandemic brings life-or-death stakes to such long-running inequities.

 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QgeK7rJ6U0f66uVa86DUMnAFLjW3g40jFmTFcYD563w/edit?usp=sharing