beniebuzz blog

Who doesn’t love the thrill of saving money? Getting deals is like a professional sport to many Americans and Groupon has proven that we love discounts on just about anything: massages, carpet cleaning, guitar lessons, hot air balloon rides, vacations, etc., etc. 

But, what about healthcare? Gone are the days when our insurance plans cover every need in our family – even with good insurance coverage, some things just slip through the cracks. However, most Americans don’t think about getting discounts on health care stuff. 

Five years ago, Debbie felt like something wasn’t right. It took 18 months (and many painful tests) before she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). 

With tongue firmly planted in cheek, Debbie cites many benefits of her disease – short lines at Disneyland, better parking spaces and it justifies her house cleaning service. But, she reveals another side of her disease when she says, “You have to choose to give up or get up. Don't be sad - be pissed and keep going! Being pissed lets me keep fighting back.”

“Oops, sorry.” That was the billing rep for the surgeon’s response when she realized they had used the wrong code for my son’s surgery. Their “oops” was a mistake for which I was being billed $2,000! 

Did you know it’s estimated that 40% to 80% of medical bills contain errors? In 2010, Kaiser Health News estimated that nearly $68 billion is lost to fraud and billing mistakes each year.

If you were to die tomorrow, who would care for your kids? Your pets? Who would inherit your grandmother’s wedding ring?  

Recent surveys show that 50% of Americans with kids don’t have a will. What? And what are their excuses? 1) too stressed about today to think about tomorrow, 2) concerned about the expense, 3) too complicated, and 4) general procrastination (I’m gonna’ get to that someday). 

Have you combed through your health insurance plan to find the 2 deductible amounts? Yeah, me neither (I, for one, have other more exciting things to do…like clean toilets). But trust me, they’re both there!

As a refresher, the deductible is the amount you pay out of pocket before your insurance starts to help pay your medical bills. Most insurance plans have an “In-Network” deductible and an “Out-of-Network” deductible. The “Out-of-Network” deductible can be double the amount of the “In-Network” deductible. For instance…

$2,500 “In-Network” deductible 

Have you heard the word on the street? If not, it’s Juice Cleansing (OK, that’s two words). I keep reading about people who are doing the juice fast and feel terrific with promises of higher energy levels, clearer skin, a sharper mind, fast weight loss (and when it’s all over, you’ll look like Jennifer Aniston). I thought, “Really? How hard can it be?”

Happy Valentine’s Day! You’re probably going to die from heart disease.

WOW, that’s harsh. Kind of, but it’s also true.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there are about 2.5 million deaths each year in the US. About 600,000 (24%) will die from Heart Disease this year (Cancer is a close second at 575,000 or 23%).

Have you noticed less providers in your new health insurance plan?  This is a trend many Americans are starting to experience with their new insurance plans.

We’re writing a series of articles to explain this trend: what networks are, why they matter to you and why they’re shrinking.