In December 2011, the Supreme Court announced that it will listen to arguments about the law, which affects the way health insurance is purchased in the United States, in March of 2012. A ruling on the constitutionality of the law is expected in June 2012. The PPACA is expected to have an effect on consumers, since it requires everyone to purchase health insurance by 2014 — or be fined.

What If You Can’t Afford Health Insurance?

One of the issues that many have with PPACA is that it forces the purchase of health insurance. The question that naturally arises from this state of affairs is: What if you can’t afford health insurance?

The law actually has some measures built in to address that issue. First of all, there is a limit on the premium dollars that can be used for items other than health care. That means that at least 80% of the dollars collected in insurance premiums must be used for health care purposes. This measure is meant to help rein in health care costs.

Another way that health insurance is supposed to be made affordable by the new law is through subsidies. Low income families will receive help paying their premiums, on a sliding scale based on needs. That way, those who can’t afford premiums will now be able to make premiums, and many of the nearly 50 million Americans without health insurance now will be covered.

Costs of the Health Care Law

The Congressional Budget Office said that PPACA would not cost anything in the long run, with the costs being offset, over 10 years, by certain increases in taxes and budget cuts in other areas. However, some point believe that the health care law will add other costs as states set up insurance exchanges and as enforcement is required. Additionally, some believe that, no matter what the CBO said of the health care law when it was passed, the reality is that the costs of insisting those with pre-existing be covered, along with subsidies to those with low income, will lead to a greater budget deficit.

Costs of Being Uninsured

If the PPACA is struck down by the Supreme Court, and if the law does not take effect, there will be some different costs. Caring for the uninsured, whether it’s through emergency care when things get bad enough, or through the societal costs of a system that discourages prevention, actually costs everyone. Some estimates are that families that do pay for insurance have premiums that are, on average, $1,100 higher each year due to the costs of the uninsured. Those costs are still paid by someone, regardless.

For those who are actually uninsured, even the simplest health care treatments can be quite costly. Investopedia points out that two out of five adults were struggling with medical debt in 2007 — and it’s hard to believe that statistic has improved during the recession. Without insurance to help offset some costs, the uninsured continue to struggle with debt.

Bottom Line

Whether or not PPACA is upheld by the Supreme Court, health insurance costs are going to rise. Our entire system is inefficient, whether or not PPACA is in effect. PPACA might slow cost increases (as some claim), but it doesn’t make fundamental changes to a system that is already terribly inefficient.

What would you do to improve health insurance system in the country and rein in costs?

(Photo: Truthout.org)

What are Some of the Effects of PPACA? from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

When we go to our doctor’s office the same thing happens. It’s a business and their goal is to downplay the negatives and advertise the positives and as a result you may not know everything about your doctor that you would like.

“You Better Call Early”

Only one third of all doctors are primary care physicians according to an article by Smartmoney yet doctors’ offices are flooded with people who have common ailments that don’t need the care of a specialist. If you’re pretty sure that you’re going to need a prescription for something, make your appointment now because they aren’t going to fit you in when you’re really hating life. They don’t want to tell you that and appear customer unfriendly but when you’re really sick, don’t expect to get in that day.

“We Know You Have to Work!”

They realize you have a day job because they have one too. Complaining about the fact that you have to miss work to see the doctor isn’t going to get you anywhere. Not only have they heard that for years, you were the one who called them.

“I’m a Slave to the Insurance Companies”

Since you don’t have the money to pay for your medical care out of your own pocket, your doctor has to keep your insurance company happy in order to make you better. Your insurance company may keep you from seeing a certain specialist, getting a certain test, or allowing you an adequate amount of hospital care. That’s not your doctor’s fault.

“I’m not Telling you My History”

If you want to see if your doctor has been sued or has any disciplinary actions against him, be prepared to do some digging. Try the National Practitioner Data Bank or county court records.

“If you’re over 65, I don’t know if I can Help”

Current statistics indicate that there is only one geriatrician for every 5,000 elderly patients. This is largely because elderly patients who have more problems that need treated pay the least because of Medicare. As one doctor put it, “its fiscal suicide” to treat elderly patients.

“What’s With the Computers?”

With everything becoming digital, you would think that your doctor would harness the power of technology to make their life and yours easier but that’s not the case. Although electronic records are slowing catching on, the cost of the technology is expensive. For now, expect the same old thick files for your medical records especially if you have a doctor not accustomed to using modern technology.

“It Ain’t What it Used to Be”

Although the median salary for primary care physicians is just over $200,000, new doctors are coming out of college with an average of $130,000 of debt. Dealing with insurance companies is becoming more difficult while also paying out less money. Doctors are facing new challenges to their business models that they haven’t seen in the past causing many to become part of healthcare networks instead of running their business the way they would like.

The business of medicine is changing rapidly as new regulations are enacted. If your doctor’s office seems a little more like a business than an old time country doctor, it’s because the business of medicine is becoming more challenging.

7 Facts Your Doctor Won’t Tell You from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Many people just keep everything the same (except health insurance premiums usually go up). However, before you just stick with the same old plan, stop and evaluate your current coverage. You might find yourself deciding to change things up a bit. Here are some things to consider as you evaluate your health care plan, and decide what to do next:

Do You Need That Coverage?

Go through your current plan. Do you have coverage you don’t need? I recently dropped a plan that included maternity coverage, since it’s not something I’m going to need. There might be other types of coverage that you don’t really need, but that you are paying for. You can speak with a representative to see if dropping some coverage will make a difference in your premium. If it will, and you don’t need the coverage, get rid of it and save some money.

Do You Have the Coverage You Need?

The flip side, of course, is making sure that you have all the coverage you need to effectively meet your needs. If you are concerned that you might need mental health services for yourself or a dependent, make sure your plan covers these services. Some people like to know that they have the option of seeking alternative and complementary therapies, in addition to “traditional” remedies, and seek plans that cover these treatments. Consider your needs, and make sure that your plan is covering them. If it isn’t, it might be time to choose a plan that does what you need it to. (But prepared to pay more if you are adding coverage.)

Flexible Spending Options

A flexible spending account is “use it or lose it.” This means that if you don’t use the money, you will lose it. Evaluate your needs, and evaluate whether or not you have been using the money in your account. There is a tax break that comes with your contributions, so you can consider that as well. Understand that new rules make it harder to get over the counter medications with your FSA (you need a prescription from your doctor), but it is still possible to use up your money, if you plan well. However, if you find yourself in a desperate attempt to use up your money at the end of each year, you might consider adjusting your contributions to the FSA to something lower. If, however, you keep using your money, consider changing your contributions so that more is set aside — as long as you haven’t reached your limit.

Consider a Health Savings Account

Another options is the Health Savings Account (HSA). If you are willing to increase your deductible, paying more out of pocket, you can reduce what you pay in premiums, and divert some of the savings to a HSA. The money rolls over year to year (so you don’t lose it), and there are tax advantages. However, if you have a chronic condition, or a family that makes heavy use of health care services, a HSA might not work best for you, since paying the deductible can get too expensive.

Now is a great time to review all your options, and do what you can to make sure that your health insurance is affordable, and covers your needs.

(Photo: a.drian)

Open Enrollment: Evaluating Your Health Care Coverage from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Brief Overview of the HSA

Before we tackle the question of whether or not a HSA is right for you, let’s take a brief look at how it works. A HSA works a lot like a traditional IRA. You put pre-tax dollars into the account (there are yearly contribution limits), and it grows on your behalf (although you usually don’t get to choose investments, and the interest earned is more on par with a high yield savings account in many cases). In fact, once you reach the age of 59 1/2 you can withdraw money from the HSA with the same rules, paying income taxes on money that isn’t used for health related expenses.

As long as you withdraw money for health care related expenses, the money in your HSA grows tax free, and you can withdraw it at any time. If you withdraw the money for something else, you will have to pay income tax, and a 10% penalty if you aren’t 59 1/2.

The main caveat to the HSA is that you have to be enrolled in a qualified high deductible health plan. This means that you will see lower monthly premiums, but you will have to pay more of your expenses out of pocket, until the higher deductible is met.

Is a HSA Right For You?

The fact of the matter is that a HSA isn’t right for everyone. Before you decide to enroll in the high deductible plan, take 55 seconds to think over your situation:

1. Consider your current health care needs: The first think you need to do is think about how often you use health care services. If you only make a couple doctor visits a year, and have limited prescription needs, a HSA might be just the thing. However, if you use a lot of health care services each year, paying the higher deductible out of your pocket might not be practical. (13 seconds)
2. Look at costs of high deductible plans: Go to an aggregate site, and look up information on high deductible plans in your area. Often, these are labeled as “HSA plans” even though you will have to open the HSA on your own. (10 seconds)
3. Compare possible savings: You should have an idea of what you pay in health care now. Quickly add up what it would cost to pay more out of your pocket, plus your new, lower premiums. Do your potential savings outweigh your current spending? (32 seconds)

My family of three rarely sees the doctor beyond yearly preventative visits, and our prescriptions are limited. As a result, paying out of pocket isn’t that onerous to use — we never met our deductible anyway. With a HSA, we pay half what we did before in premiums, and put the difference in the HSA each month. Our costs haven’t gone down, but because the money in the HSA is ours, it is under our control, and we can use it for co-pays and out of pocket expenses — and it grows on our behalf.

A HSA has worked well for us, but it might not be the best for you. If you regularly meet your deductible, and if you have a chronic condition or make a lot of health care visits, you might be better off with the plan you already have.

(Photo: Cliph)

Finances in 55: Is an HSA Right for You from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Medical discount plans can be helpful in some cases, but you do need to be careful. A medical discount plan is not health/medical insurance, and you may not get what you pay for.

How Medical Discount Plans Work

Here’s how it works: You pay a fee, and you get a discount card. You also get a list of providers that are part of the program, and when you use those providers you get a discount on medical services. A lot of the ads for medical discount plans market them as “health care plans” without co-pays and deductibles. A lot of them also use “PPO” (preferred provider organization), a common health insurance term that doesn’t have to apply exclusively to health insurance.

Your discount card can get you prescriptions, some services, and other health care related products for up to 60% off. For those who have a hard time affording health insurance, this can seem like a great deal. And it can be — if you sign up for a legitimate plan. But you do have to be aware of the limitations.

Remember: Medical Discount Plans ARE NOT the Same as Health Insurance

As you determine whether or not to sign up for a medical discount plan, remember that it is not insurance — no matter how much like insurance the “health care plan” sounds like. While you can get discounts on some products and services, a medical discount plan will not offer the same protection that health insurance will if you end up with a major medical problem and wind up in the hospital. Legitimate medical discount plans can help you defray out of pocket expenses related to dental visits, eye doctor visits, some prescriptions and even some doctor visits (check to see if your health care providers are included in the program before signing up), but they are no substitute for health insurance for the big stuff.

Some people get major medical insurance for the big stuff, for the lower premiums, and then get a medical discount plan to help reduce out of pocket expenses. (A HSA can help as well.) As long as your health care expenses are relatively low, this can be a reasonable solution for some.

Looking for a Legitimate Medical Discount Plan

If you do decide to look into medical discount plans, make sure to run the numbers and ensure that it makes sense for you, and that there are enough participating providers in your area. Then double check to make sure that the plan is legitimate. Some of the things you should do include:

• Check with the Better Business Bureau for complaints against the company.
• Check with your state’s Attorney General’s office for local complaints.
• Ask for providers and discounts before paying money. Don’t sign up with a company that won’t give you this information quickly and up front.

These plans aren’t for everyone, and you could end up wasting your money, so plan carefully.

(Photo: workerspartyireland)

Medical Discount Plan vs. Health Insurance from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

If you think your employer is paying for your health care, think again. You’re the one not receiving up to $10,000 per year so your employer can pay your monthly premiums. And the situation will only get worse, with higher deductibles, co-pays, employee contributions, prescription costs, etc. What will you do to stretch your health care dollar?

As a family physician I witness these problems every day. Patients worry about the cost of drugs, office visits, lab texts, X-rays, and hospitalizations. Every physician knows ways to decrease costs, but what doctor has time to explain, when we’re expected to see a patient every 10 minutes?

It’s much easier – and faster – to spend money than to think of ways to save. But if your doctor had time to discuss the situation with you, here are a few of the tips he or she would share:

1. Do you want the most affordable drug the first time? Bring your formulary to every doctor visit. A formulary is a list of drugs your insurance covers. No way can your doctor know what’s on every formulary. If the information is not readily available, he’ll just have to guess.
2. Do you want to avoid expensive testing? It’s much quicker for a doctor to order an X-ray or blood work than to explain what to watch for, and whether it’s safe to wait a few days. Although longer visits with your doctor cost more than shorter visits, another fifty bucks of discussion time may save you $500 on testing.
3. Wondering if you even need to see a doctor in the first place? Doctors love acute illnesses. They’re so much easier to treat than chronic conditions. So easy, in fact, that often you could treat yourself at home with a little know-how. Don’t call to schedule a visit. Call to ask if you need to schedule a visit. Many problems resolve on their own within a few days. Although this deprives a doctor of “easy income,” it’s money in your pocket you could use for groceries.
4. Should you spend $2000 on colon cancer screening? That’s how much a colonoscopy will run you. But for 1/100 of that amount you can do a test looking for blood in your stool. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force states both are equally effective.
5. Is an annual mammogram necessary? Recent analysis suggests that for women age 50-74, every two years is sufficient. And unless you’re at high risk, the benefit of a mammogram at an earlier age (less than 50) is so low that you needn’t bother.
6. Do you qualify for a hospital discount? Many hospitals offer discounts for income levels up to 4 times the Federal Poverty Guidelines. That’s $88,200 for a family of 4. At an income of $44,100 a similar family may quality for a 100% discount on hospital fees. This usually includes both inpatient and outpatient treatment.
7. Would you like to go to Hawaii? Quit smoking. $5 a day amounts to $1500 a year. The same patches that were by prescription a few years ago are over-the-counter today, at less than the cost of cigarettes.

These are just a few of the tips in the best-selling book, 101 Ways to Save Money on Health Care, Tips to Help You Spent Smart and Stay Healthy, recommended in the current issue of Reader’s Digest. Would you spend $13 to save hundreds or thousands? Sounds like a deal!

Medical Bargaineering: 7 Tips to Save Money on Medical Expenses from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Some companies offer a few choices, some offer only one, some offer none. Regardless of your options, it’s important that you review them carefully because this will likely be one of the more importance decisions you’ll make this month.

No Employer Health Insurance

If your employer does not offer health insurance, you will need to procure it on the open market. Recent legislation will make this easier for you but my previous post on finding affordable health insurance should put you on the right track.

You may be tempted to go without health insurance, this would be a mistake. Health insurance is affordable, especially if you are young and have no pre-existing conditions, and it’s something that you should budget for. If you feel like you can’t afford it, try to find a way to squeeze it into your budget. Going without insurance is like driving without a seatbelt. 99.9% of the time you’ll be OK, but that 0.1% time will be catastrophic.

HMO vs. PPO vs. …

Health insurance is a lot like a group buying program. The insurance company negotiates rates with various health care providers, like doctors and hospitals, and collects premiums from you. They can negotiate better rates because of the volume of customers they bring. If you’ve ever looked at a hospital bill, you may have noticed that the amount the hospital charges and the amount paid by the insurance company are never the same. In fact, the insurance company gets a huge discount.

The basic idea with insurance is that you have two types of plans. An HMO, which stands for health maintenance organization, is a type of insurance plan where you have a Primary Care Physician, who acts as a gatekeeper for medical services. If you need to see a specialist, you get a referral from your Primary Care Physician. They try to keep you in-network, which is where they have negotiated rates.

A PPO, which stands for preferred provider organization, is different in that you have no primary care physician and there is no need for a referral in seeking care. There is still a network, so there can be negotiated rates, but you don’t need a referral with everything.

There are other different types of health care types but those are the big two. Others are simply versions of those two.

Picking a Plan

How do you pick the right plan if you have two several to choose from? It comes down to what you think you’ll need it for. I would choose it based on your regular behavior with an eye towards how that plan will protect you in case of a major calamity. If you never go to the doctor, you might want to pick a plan with a higher deductible and save yourself a little money each month. If you go often, you may want to find one with a lower co-pay. If you’re sticking in the same area and have doctors your comfortable with, make sure they accept the plan you choose.

It’s difficult for anyone else to give you advice on which plan to choose without knowing your situation but you may find it helpful to talk to co-workers, especially ones who have been there a while. They will probably have discussed the plans with each other and come to a fairly good understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

(Photo: DioMakr)

How to Choose the Right Health Insurance Plan from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

This is a guest post from Vic Magary of GymJunkies.com . Vic does some pretty crazy workouts and shows you how to lose fat with high intensity circuit training.

I’m fond of saying “getting in shape is simple, but simple doesn’t always mean easy”…

While most trainers and diet pill companies are promising you an overnight fix or a magic bullet, I prescribe a different medication – short, but intense workouts coupled with a straightforward nutrition plan (none of that calorie counting bullshit). You’ll start to see results in seven days. By the end of 31 days, family members might not even recognize you

How to Get in Shape Without a Gym

Globo-gyms across the world have lulled us into believing we need their fancy machines and treadmills to get in shape. Most of us end up spending the $49 per month membership fee only to never step foot in the gym. So I’m proposing an easier home and outdoor solution anyone can use to get a great workout.

These workouts are all designed to jack your heart rate through the roof. This accomplishes two things – it increases the amount of calories you burn while you’re working out and your body continues to burn calories the next 18-48 hours after your workout. This is something long slow runs on the treadmill and elliptical machines just don’t do.

How to Workout Outdoors

If you love the outdoors, or just need to get out of the office more often, outdoor workouts will really amp you up.

Here’s an intense workout you can do in the park:

Workout 1

• Bodyweight Squat – Do as many squats as possible in 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat this cycle for 2 minutes.
• Find a tree or pull up bar and do a pull up ladder. This means you do 1 pull up in the first minute, 2 pullups in the 2nd minute, 3 pullups in the 3rd minute and so on. See how many minutes you can go on for. If you can get in the 8-9 minute range you’re in pretty good shape.

Workout 2

• Picnic Table Jumps – Find a picnic table at your park and jump onto it as many times as you can in 20 seconds – take a 10 second rest after each 20 seconds and repeat this for 2 minutes. If you can’t jump onto the picnic table, try making it easier by jumping on to the seat part. Or just find a wooden stump or bench that you can jump on to.
• Push Ups / Plank Superset – Crank out as many pushups as you can in 30 seconds and then follow that by doing a regular plank for as long as you can. Do 3 sets of these.

Workout 3

• Do 100 burpees for time. Bring your stopwatch or your cellphone and time how long it takes you to complete 100 burpees. If you are out of shape, start with 30 burpees. Return 2-3 weeks later and try the workout again, you’ll see that your time will have improved (if you have been keeping up with your workouts).
• You can probably complete the 100 burpees in under 20 minutes. It’ll make you wonder why you thought your 20 minute treadmill run was hard

You can get 8 more videos of home workouts on my site here.

How to Make Your Own Equipment

Remember in Rocky IV when Rocky trains for a fight against Ivan Drago by running in the snow, pulling a sled, sawing a log, moving rocks, and doing pullups in the barn? (if you forget, here’s a video montage to remind you of American ingenuity) Well, you can use that same creativity to supplement your workout.

If you want to throw some equipment into the mix, I highly recommend making your own. You can make a sandbag for under $20, and you’ll be able to do every worthwhile exercise known to man.

Plus this “underground” style training is a lot of fun and just flat out makes you feel manly.

Here’s a workout I did with some home equipment. This will give you some ideas…

What You Need To Do Now

Whether you have open space to workout in, or you are cramped up in your tiny one bedrooom apartment, there’s NO EXCUSE for not getting in shape. I just gave you three workouts that can be done in under twenty minutes at your park.

Getting in shape doesn’t have to be fifty minutes of boring cardio. Try something new, and keep your budget inline while doing it!

If you want more workout advice, come read my blog or follow me on Twitter @gymjunkies.

How to Get Ripped for Free Without a Gym from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

• It never hurts to ask. I never thought to do this because I was always covered by health insurance, but millions of people aren’t or are covered by minimal benefits and they negotiate all the time. Hospitals are more like street bazaars than retail stores.
• Medicine is business. It may feel personal to you, since it deals with your body, but it’s still a business. A doctor is like any other freelance profession, they need business and they are willing to work with you to get your business.
• Relationships matter. Doctors don’t do it just for the money, otherwise they’d be lawyers (just kidding!). They need to earn money to pay for insurance and to maintain their practice but they aren’t about to turn someone away because they’re financially strapped.
• They are people too. If you’re experience financial hardship, because you lost a job or lost your medical insurance, explain that to the doctor or hospital. They are likely to give you a break on their standard rates because they’ve already given discounts to faceless insurance companies, it’s not a huge leap to offer it to an individual.
• Insurance is a pain. It’s generally accepted that insurance companies hate to pay out claims, the same goes for benefits. Their systems are usually esoteric, control codes are cryptic, and hospitals spend millions a year submitting claims and maintaining the computer systems to support that process. If they can go outside the system, preferably with cash, then they are willing to help you out.

Here are some ideas on how to negotiate:

• Use Medicare as a starting point. Research how much the procedure would cost to a Medicare patient using the HHS.gov’s Hospital Compare tool and negotiate from there. You know they are willing to perform the procedure at those rates so it’s not an unreasonable starting point.
• Explain your financial situation. If you can’t afford the procedure, tell them. It’s better to swallow your pride and get a procedure your body needs, plus it’s nothing new to the doctors, especially in these economic times.
• Pay cash. As I mentioned before, dealing with insurance is a pain for doctors and hospital administrators too. If you can pay cash, it can cut down on that expense and they won’t have to worry about collecting on the backend.
• Consider a payment plan. If you can’t pay the entire fee at once, consider a payment plan to spread the cost over several months.
• Make sure the procedure or test is necessary. A lot of doctors recommend diagnostic tests or certain treatments without them being absolutely necessary (potentially for insurance and CYA reasons), be sure to confirm how important the test is.
• Going during the slow season (if you can). If it’s a procedure that you can put off, try negotiating an off-peak rate as you would a vacation. There are slow seasons in any business and you can take advantage of it by getting your procedure done then for a discount. Also, if your schedule allows, offer to fill in last minute cancellations.

Finally, where you go for treatment can have a significant impact on your costs. Most people intuitively know that you don’t go to the emergency room if you have pinkeye, but a doctor’s visit may be overkill too. If you have a common ailment, consider going to a clinic rather than a doctor to reduce your costs.

Bargaining Down the Medical Bills [ New York Times]
5 Ways to Lower Your Medical Bills [ US News & World Report ]

(Photo: brykmantra)

Negotiating Your Medical Bills from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Procedures

First and foremost, consider getting a general medical check-up or eye exam or dental check-up. All the out of pocket expenses related to these are covered and if you haven’t done it this year there’s certainly no reason not to. So, when you get a dental cleaning and you pay a few bucks for the co-pay, that’s covered. This should be idea #1 when spending down your FSA (as long as you haven’t procrastinated like me, but I’ve gotten all checked up earlier this year).

Nice To Have Items

These are expensive items that don’t have a daily purpose but might be nice to have around the house such as a blood pressure monitor, ear infection monitor, and other personal test kits. Some items that aren’t explicitly listed under an OTC item are heating pads and ACE bandages, but I’ve claimed them before and they had been reimbursed.

This category of items I’d look into last after stocking up on stock-up-able items.

Stock-up-able Items

This category is exactly what it sounds like, all those OTC drugs you can stock up and use for the next year. These are your pain killers, allergy medicines (antihistamines), decongestants, anti-arthritics, antacids/acid-reducers, band-aids and bandages, contact lens solutions (I stock up on this stuff, I probably have around 20 bottles!), denture adhesive, ear and eye car products, eye drops, hearing aid batteries, lactaid/lactose intolerance, hemorrhoidal products, motion sickness pills, throat pain medications, condoms (whoo hooo party!) and wart removal.

This list can go on and on with tons of products you use and is always my first bucket. The warning I have is that you shouldn’t ever buy more than a year’s worth of any one product because you’re likely going to go through the exercise against at the end of next year. It was a mistake for me to stock up on 20 bottles of contact lens solutions before I thought about it because now I have enough solution for far too long (don’t worry, I checked the expiration date and I’m safe).

Useless (And Perhaps Funny) Items

Now, these are useless to me but they may not be useless for you. What fits into this bucket will depend on your situation but all the products that need a doctor’s note or handle a situation such as obesity or smoking addiction don’t apply to me. The ones that require a doctor’s note cover very specific conditions such as joint pain, dental flouride, OTC hormone therapy, snoring cessation, and other such conditions. The ones that don’t require a note but must be “medically necessary” are weight loss pills and smoking cessation products (patches, gum, etc.)

So, check out the stock-up-ables and stock up, then consider something “extravagant” like some blood pressure monitor or a an ear infection monitor; when thinking about how to spend down your FSA. I’m going to stock up on loratadine, the good stuff inside Claritin’s allergy medicine, some OTC drugs, and perhaps something extravagant to finish off that list little bit of cash. If you’re looking for ideas, drugstore.com has an FSA store that I sometimes search through when trying to figure out ideas.

Flexible Spending Account Ideas from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Preliminary Eye Exam

This was conducted by someone in a blue scrubs (in other words, not a doctor) and consisted of your typical eye exam things, checking for prescription, eye pressure, eye health. They also added two additional tests such as a cornea mapping, cornea thickness measure, and a night vision test, which are tests they need to tell how difficult it would be to perform Lasik on you or whether it was a good fit for you. The end of this exam consisted of taking the pupil dilating drops and waiting to see the doctor, which included watching an informative FAQ-type video about Lasik.

Doctor Directed Eye Exam

This was conducted by someone in a white lab coat who introduced himself as doctor so-and-so (I’ll be honest, at this point I had the pupil dilating drops in, I couldn’t see and so I was a little disconcerted). He checked out my prescription again and went into whether or not I was a good candidate for Lasik. Apparently my pupil is slightly larger than average but that was fine and my cornea was thicker than average, which is a good thing; there was a 5-6% chance I would need corrective surgery after the first surgery, but that was all included in the price.

I asked him whether I’d get a prescription of some kind, say for glasses or contacts, and he said that they didn’t do that, all their tests were geared towards assessing the candidacy of a patient. So if you wanted a free prescription out of it, you’re out of luck. If you wanted a thumbs up or thumbs down for eye health, you did get that.

Pricing and Scheduling Consultation

This was with someone at the front desk and this was a little hard for me because my pupil’s were dilated. They gave a 15% discount with my vision insurance provider, I assume they give this with practically all vision insurance providers, so the price was around $1400 an eye for a grand total price of $2800. Since I haven’t talked to any other providers, I have no idea where that is in the grand scheme of things (that’s just regular Lasik with a Bausch & Lomb laser).

As for payment, there were several financing options that including a 18 month 0% financing offer through Carecredit, but I haven’t had a chance to look at that.

Oh, one last thing, there wasn’t a hard sell at the Columbia location, which was something I appreciated. I hate going to a place and having them try their hardest to sell their service or product, even after I’ve told them I’m currently in a research gathering mode and not looking to make a decision at the moment.

There you have it, my LasikPlus eye exam and consultation experience, please feel free to ask any questions or share your own experiences.

LasikPlus Review: Eye Exam and Consultation from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

All kidding aside, the study looked at 32 factors ranging from percentage insured to number of adults who receive preventative care; even in the best states, the performance fell “far short of optimal standards.”

Maryland came in 19th with an average rank of 24.4, 16.6 behind the leader Hawaii with an average rank of 7.8. My state of birth, New York, came in 22nd with an average rank of 25, only 17.2 behind the pace. Poor Mississipi and Oklahoma scored an average rank of 47.8, a whopping 40 off the leader. A huge chunk of states fell within the 22 to 32 range, so there isn’t much of a difference with a lot of the states in terms of average.

Source: Yahoo Finance

State Healthcare Rankings Released from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

I recently read an article dated May 10, 2005 about Flexible Spending Accounts. You stated that “If you leave the company at any time.., you aren’t required to pay back the amount you’ve already spent and your employer foots the bill.” Where did you get that information? My husband is leaving his job after 6 months and we have already used the money from his account. His company is trying to tell him that he has to pay this money back. Do you know if there is an official IRS regulation or anything else that we can site? We are afraid that they are going to take it out of his last paycheck. Can they do that? How can we stop them?

When I scoured the IRS.gov site about Flexible Spending Arrangements, I could only find the “use-it-or-lose-it” provision but not anything about paying back an FSA overspend. I could only recall from my own experience and those of people I’ve talked to about this as my backup but didn’t know if there was some codified rule out there I was just missing. The reader’s husband is leaving this Friday and was hoping to have some good ammunition to fight the company so if you know of anything, please do share either via email or in the comments below.

Thanks!

Employer Trying To Get FSA Overspend from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Making tax breaks permanent

President Bush would like to make permanent those tax breaks currently set to expire in 2010 such as the lower rates on income tax, capital gains, and dividends. I think that some of those breaks unnecessarily benefit the wealthy (not many low income earners find themselves investing in stocks, they’re investing more in groceries).

Social security shortfall… your poor ugly stepsister/brother

While there were no hints as to what they were going to do, apparently the President will ask Congress to work with him to try to solve the shortfall issue – though Democrats have called his individual accounts plan a “non-starter.”

Source: CNN Money

State of the Union: Health insurance, tax breaks & Social Security from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Source: CNN Money

Cut Health Care Costs: Check Who Takes What Insurance from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.