beniebuzz blog

Recently, I was diagnosed with astigmatism and needed a simple pair of glasses. When I received the bill from my optometrist, I noticed 6 different codes. There was a code for the exam, the frame, polycarb (something that protects the lens), material copay, fundus photography (not sure what that is), and something else with lots of numbers and letters that needed deciphering.

The U.S. healthcare industry is weird. Virtually every American has health insurance in some form or another, and yet the vast majority of us don’t actually know what it does or how to use it wisely.

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of money being wasted!

 Unless you were living under a rock (or just didn’t turn on the TV, listen to the radio, browse the Internet, or talk to another living soul), you’ve probably heard that the Supreme Court finally issued its long-awaited decision yesterday in the King v. Burwell case. 

Click here to review an article posted last week where we discussed this case and the possible ramifications. 

Have you heard the news?

The Supreme Court will soon have a decision in the King v. Burwell case, which will determine whether government subsidies for individual health insurance plans are legal. This impacts 37 states that chose not to create their own online insurance marketplace, deciding instead to use the federal government’s Healthcare.gov website.

Picture this. You’re at your favorite restaurant with the whole family and they hand you the check. What do you do next? Do you just hand over your credit card without bothering to look it over? Of course not. You carefully review the list to make sure you’re paying for what you ate (and how many glasses of wine Uncle Leo drank). If there’s an entrée on the bill you didn’t order, you wouldn’t pay for it, right?

Same thing when your EOB (Explanation of Benefits) comes in the mail. It’s your insurance company’s snapshot of how a medical bill from your provider was processed.  

The Texas Medical Board (TMB) has ruled to severely restrict telehealth/telemedicine in the state of TX. In short, there is a contingent of doctors who say telehealth is unsafe – they want to enact a rule to allow telephone visits ONLY after an in-person visit (even for the simplest issues).

It’s guest post day here at freshbenies and we’re sharing some great advice from our friend and insurance expert, Tanya Boyd!

You have 2 days to save on your healthcare! Are you one of the 13.5 million Americans with a Health Savings Account (HSA)-eligible insurance plan? Do you have one? 

Perhaps you need to be reminded of the advantages! 

Consider this a quick "hey, don't forget" reminder that you have until April 15, 2015 to fund your 2014 HSA.