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Posted
Sep 28 2009, 01:59 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
A new Harvard study estimates that nearly 45,000 Americans die each year because they don't have health insurance -- and that's after other factors like income and unhealthy behaviors are taken into account.
"Deaths associated with lack of health insurance now exceed those caused by many common killers such as kidney disease," an article by the Cambridge Health Alliance reports.
The study says the uninsured have a 40% higher risk of death than people who have private health insurance -- like the insurance you get through your job. Or, to put it another way, a person dies because of a lack of insurance every 12 minutes.
Of course, some people neglect their health. But many, we suspect, don't see a doctor because they're afraid of the cost. Doctor visits and tests can add up to an intimidating amount, even if you're uninsured but have a good income. A CNN story put a human face on some of these avoidable deaths -- a freelance cameraman, a self-employed mother of two, and a 25-year-old woman who worked in a movie theater.
So we had to wonder: Have you put off visits to the doctor because of financial considerations?
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Posted
Sep 18 2009, 01:10 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Here's a statistic that should give us all pause: The average credit card debt of seniors grew by 26% between 2005 and 2008, CreditCards.com reports. For the rest of us, the increase was a comparatively modest 3%.
Also, CreditCards.com says: "According to a study (.pdf file) released in July 2009 by New York City-based Demos, a public policy group, consumers 65 and older carried $10,235 in average card debt last year." That is a lot.
And that's very troubling, considering that so many retirees are living on Social Security and no other savings, and face considerable medical expenses despite government-run Medicare. The dreaded "doughnut hole" is just a drop in the bucket compared with the other potential health care-related demands on their money.
Bing: Do you have to pay your parents' debt?
What's happening here?
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Posted
Sep 14 2009, 02:35 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
When I recently needed an antibiotic eye ointment that costs $50 for a five-day supply (with insurance), I started looking for a discount. There was no generic. I managed to find a CVS coupon for a $25 gift card with a new prescription, but it had expired last month. The cheaper alternatives listed on my insurance company's website contained an ingredient to which I'm allergic, and my doctor didn't have any samples.
I went looking on the Internet, but all I could find was a $25 gift card coupon from CVS for transferred prescriptions.
But I did find something else useful: rebates for prescription medications.
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Posted
Sep 03 2009, 10:22 AM
by
Teresa Mears
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
It's not comprehensive health care reform, but CVS is offering 100,000 free flu shots to the unemployed, and Walgreens will offer free flu shots to the uninsured in some cities.
CVS started giving flu shots this week at some Minute Clinics, at a cost of $30 or your insurance co-pay. Starting Sept 15, the drugstore chain will offer flu shot clinics at many of its stores. The vouchers for free flu shots will be distributed at events at One-Stop Career Centers, which offer job training and counseling.
Walgreens is distributing vouchers for free flu shots to the uninsured during the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour, which offers free screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, bone density and body mass index. Uninsured patients who visit the bus between Sept.17 and Nov. 15 can get a flu slot voucher. Flu shots start at $24.99 at Walgreens Take Care Clinics.
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Posted
Aug 31 2009, 02:30 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
If you still need to schedule a back-to-school or sports physical for your child, Walgreens Take Care Clinics are offering the exams for $30, half-price, until Sept. 30. The deal is only good for patients who pay upfront rather than submitting the claim to an insurance company.
Target Clinics in Maryland and Minnesota are offering the same deal, as are the CVS Minute Clinics, where $30 seems to be the regular price for sports physicals. Sports physicals at The Little Clinic, available at some grocery chains, are $29, also the regular price.
Prices at Wal-Mart clinics vary, so it's worth a call to your local clinic to find out the price in your area. Also check with local urgent care centers. While we were researching this post, an ad popped up with a coupon for a $25 sports or school physical (normally $65) in the next county.
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Posted
Aug 05 2009, 05:49 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Until recently, you didn't need to bring a lot of money when you visited the doctor, at least if you had health insurance. That is changing, The Wall Street Journal reports. More doctors are demanding your full co-pay and co-insurance amount up front, which can be hundreds or thousands of dollars under some high-deductible plans.
Insurance policies with increased co-pays and deductibles are making the patient responsible for a larger share of medical bills. In turns, doctors and hospitals, which used to focus on getting their fees from insurance companies, are also focusing on collecting from their patients.
"The days of coming up with just a $10 co-pay -- that ship sailed a long time ago," Jeff Drasnin, a pediatrician in the Cincinnati area, told The Wall Street Journal. Collecting at time of service has "cut out a tremendous amount of bad debt we used to write off," he says.
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Posted
Aug 05 2009, 01:12 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from James Limbach at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
With the battle over health care reform likely to last well into the fall, a new survey suggests that a lot of consumers are ready for some changes.
People who took part in the latest Consumer Reports survey say median annual out-of-pocket costs for premiums increased by 38% in the past two years, and only 64% of those surveyed were "very" or "completely" satisfied with their current health insurance plan.
"That's a lukewarm response and a slight drop from the 67% in our 2007 report," said Mandy Walker, senior project editor for CR. "In terms of services we rate, that puts satisfaction with health insurance above satisfaction with cable TV, a perennial whipping post, but below pharmacies and real estate agents."
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Posted
Aug 03 2009, 04:13 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
We often plan ahead for health issues when we travel to exotic places, but we don't think about what we'd do if we needed health care while visiting Grandma two states away.
Lesley Alderman of The New York Times, who jammed her toe tripping over a tree root at Disneyland, reminds us that getting sick or hurt can really cut into your vacation budget, especially if you don't follow your insurance company's rules. Getting treatment for a minor injury out of network can cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars.
She advises travelers to carry their insurance cards with them and to call the insurance company before seeking treatment. The company can tell you which doctors and hospitals are part of the network in the place you're visiting.
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Posted
Aug 03 2009, 01:08 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
In recognition of the national debate over health care reform, which is about to move front and center, here are two brief histories of bloggers without health insurance.
One is about David, who decided to go without. The other is the story of Leanne at Mrs. Bankrupt, who recently penned a three-part series called "Sick? No insurance. No doctor. You're screwed."
We'll start with David at Goliath Debt, David Income, who was so focused on paying down his colossal debt that he skimped when he shouldn't have -- his wife and his newborn baby aren't insured and it's proven to be quite costly.
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Posted
Jul 22 2009, 02:33 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
One objective of health care legislation pushed by President Obama is universal coverage -- providing health insurance options for all Americans. The question, of course, is how to do it.
Backers of the so-called government option, in which a Medicare-like policy competes with private insurers, can point to a new study by The Commonwealth Fund. The study found that 73% of people who tried to buy insurance on their own in the last three years did not purchase a policy, primarily because premiums were too high.
In addition, among adults with individual coverage or those who tried to buy coverage in the past three years:
- 57% said it was very difficult or impossible to find coverage they could afford.
- 47% said it was very difficult or impossible to find a plan with the coverage they needed.
- 36% were denied coverage or charged more because of a pre-existing condition, or the condition was excluded from their coverage.
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