insurance

Managing Difficult Health Situations Within your Family

Abby H.

Note: This is a lot different from my usual content, however, I feel this type of information is important. A lot of us are starting to deal with aging family members. It can be difficult. There isn’t a lot of readily available information out there. As someone who has spent the past 13 years advocating for my kids, I feel that I have a unique perspective and insight into how we as healthy, able-minded folks can help our ill and infirm relatives navigate tough health issues to receive care.

A lot of us Gen X and older Millenials are starting to reach the age where family members are having age-related illnesses, and or passing away. My dad passed away about 2 years ago, and he was sick for almost a year. Managing and navigating illness in the 21st century is very different than it was even 40 years ago. Here are a few things that I’ve learned on this journey:

The doctor/specialist who is dealing with or managing health issues (like cancer, mental health, or cognitive issues) may not be equipped to deal with all aspects of the patient’s health.  This is especially true if the patient is seeing a specialist.

Part of the Team: Make sure to loop in your family member’s primary care physician. The primary care physician may not communicate with other doctors in your care team otherwise. They may not know that you have a long-term illness if they did not diagnose you. Your primary care physician can also help you with any side effects or additional issues that may arise from the treatment of your new condition. For example, some medication can cause G.I. issues, and your primary care physician may suggest prebiotics and probiotics, or changing vitamins and supplements to be a little more gentle on the stomach.

Getting help from an Expert: All hospitals and medical centers have social workers. The social worker is your best resource for help navigating the healthcare system. They are an incredible resource, they have so many ideas and suggestions, ways to help your family, and they have access to help you obtain services that you may not otherwise be aware of. They can refer you to services within the health care system, and frequently they have connections externally as well for other resources to help the patient and the family.

If you have a family member who is ill at home and requires constant care or attention, you may qualify for respite services. Respite is for the caregiver of the sick individual. It pays for someone to come into your home and provide care, so the usual familial caregiver can rest or spend time out of the home alone, doing errands, etc.

Some insurance companies provide respite for their patients. Many states offer respite services for specific groups of individuals (such as people with developmental disabilities, dementia patients, or those on in-home hospice). Contacting the medical group social worker or insurance company is a start to finding out if respite is available to you.

Some insurance companies also offer assistance with pick up or drop off if your family member is at home and needs to visit the doctor or hospital frequently.

Medication: Make sure that all of the medication the patient is taking goes to the same pharmacy. Pharmacists are trained to look and make sure that medications are safe to be taken together. Especially when dealing with a long-term illness or something that affects several parts of the body, it’s good to know that all of the medication being dispensed is appropriate and safe for your loved one. You can also ask if over-the-counter medications (such as NSAIDs, single-letter vitamins, or herbal supplements) can still be taken with new medications.

Medication delivery is sometimes available either through the hospital pharmacy, or chain pharmacies like CVS. CVS Care Pass Members can get most of their medications delivered for free.

Other changes and getting help: Are you worried about your ill family member eating properly now that their life has changed, and their nutritional needs may have also changed? Ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist. Also if your family member is insistent on maintaining their pre-illness/condition way of life, they may need to see a physical therapist, or an occupational therapist to make sure that their body is strong and able to maintain independence.

It’s not all in your head: In addition to physical health mental health is important as well. Getting a psychiatric or psychological consult to meet with a psychologist or psychiatrist may be beneficial. A lot changes when you receive a diagnosis. And it can be hard on the entire family. Not just the patient. Having resources and an impartial person to talk to and help you is definitely something that everyone involved should seek out.

If your family member isn’t sleeping well, or they have started developing nightmares or are not getting restful sleep, see if you can see a sleep consultant. They can check for sleep apnea or help with strategies (beyond just medication) that will help the patient get restful sleep. Sleep is definitely important when your body is dealing with an illness.

You are not alone: Many specific illnesses (types of cancers, specific neurological illnesses/disorders) have support groups, and nonprofits that can help family members too. So if you are dealing with a specific issue, a quick Google search can help find a community of caregivers and patients in your area that have gone through what you and your family are going through, and they can provide a wealth of specific helpful resources in your area.

Free Covid-19 Tests Delivered to Your Door!

Abby H.

I don’t know about you, but we’re still using Covid-19 tests on the regular. After visits to busy places, after traveling, and when the kids’ and I have someone in their class test positive.

Running out to the drugstore at the last minute- No Thanks!

With this offer, Request your COVID-19 Tests NOW, and don’t pay last-minute prices at the Store. They verify your insurance, and you receive Covid-19 Test Kits automatically each month at NO COST to you!

I did it this morning, and the test kits are on their way!

To get started, click here.

Getting Ready for Back to School: Health Edition

Abby H.

The Back to school shopping crazies will start in a few weeks with sales and deals, but one thing we’ve done this summer to help with Back to school is getting everyone in tip-top health!

I made sure the kids are seeing all the doctors/specialists over the summer to minimize appointments during the school year.

Here in California vision and dental insurance is included under health insurance plans for kids 18 and under. To learn more, check the back of your kid’s health insurance card for phone numbers.

The kids saw the dentist and had eye exams. New glasses were ordered through the optometrist that are part of the vision insurance (one pair every 2 years from a list of specific frames), and we get the paper prescription for our family binder. 

I order extra pairs of glasses through online discount retailers such as EYEBUYDIRECT. A lot of online discount retailers have inexpensive kid’s glasses that can be less than $20 a pair, which is great to have on hand because we all know, kids tend to break stuff.

EYEBUYDIRECT prices start at $6 for select frames!

I also had the kids see any specialists that they needed to, in our case they needed to go to the podiatrist.

And of course, we took care of behavioral/mental health appointments and medication checks over the summer as well. And all future mental/behavioral health appointments are after school or on weekends.

The next health component that I am working on is getting our family first aid kit up to snuff, and that will be a separate post over the weekend.

AO Opinions: Upcoming Auto Insurance Project

Abby H.

AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the subject of Auto Insurance.

To be considered, please complete the pre-screener here.

Compensation: $100 (if chosen)

Open to: Military Personnel and Military Family (By U.S. Military we mean all branches, including Reserves and the National Guard.)

Project: Answer questions on video and upload the videos to the client platform. Should only take about 45-minutes.

Looking to Build Credit History? Check out Self!

Abby H.

It’s important to have a good credit score. 

So many things depend on your credit score: Car insurance (really), renting or buying a home, even getting a job.

If you’ve never given your credit score a second thought, or maybe you don’t have credit, check out Self.  Self offers an accessible and responsible way for consumers to establish payment history and build credit, while saving money, through a credit-builder account.

  • Apply for a loan that is held by our bank partners. Your money is secured and protected in a bank account
  • Pay off the loan in 12-24 months^. You can choose a repayment plan that fits your budget.
  • Each payment builds credit history and adds to your savings. Your payments are reported to all three credit bureaus.
  • Get money back at the end after building credit history. Your paid off loan unlocks and you get the money back, minus fees and interest.

If that sounds like something that interests you, check out Self here.

I’ll have more posts coming up about credit and credit scores.

A Practical Guide to Setting A Budget (Part Three)

Abby H.

The first two parts (Part One, Part Two) of this series talked about the essentials of how to budget. This third part is for those of you who are having a difficult time making the ends meet to get your needs met.

I’m talking about when cutting cable and going cash only for groceries isn’t enough. When you need help. When there isn’t much (or anything) to eat. When the power might be shut off. When there isn’t money to put gas in your car to get to work or job interviews.

This is the most important thing to remember: It is ok to ask for help. It is ok to seek out services and take advantage of programs. Do not worry about what others will think- This pandemic and all of the fallout that has happened has affected so many of us. So many hardworking families and individuals need a hand up right now. 

A lot of the services and programs listed below are specifically for San Diego County. If you live outside San Diego County, I recommend that you call 211 anywhere in the US. They can help you find resources- all judgment free!

So when I talk about needs being met, I mean:

  • Shelter (Rent/mortgage assistance/utilities)
  • Food (Healthy food for you/your family and pets)
  • Comfort (Clothing, healthcare, medication)

Shelter:

  • If you have a mortgage, contact your lender for a forbearance. You may have to provide them with proof that you are unable to pay.
  • If you are a renter in San Diego, here is the County Rental Assistance site.
  • If you require assistance with your utilities, SDG&E has many programs and assistance available.
  • For your water/sewer bills, you will need to contact them directly. There are so many water municipalities in San Diego County.

Food: Food insecurity is a cause near and dear to my heart, so I have all kinds of resources to share!

Many food banks give out pet food as well- don’t forget to mention your furry friends when you complete your intake paperwork (which is oftentimes to find out demographic information to obtain additional funding from the government or private grants). Some do not require any paperwork at all.

Comfort: Being housed and fed is important, in addition to this I’ve added the comfort category. This includes clean, well fitting clothes, access to health care, and prescription medicines.

  • There are many resources for no and low cost clothing (besides thrift stores, which have become increasingly higher in cost in the past year). Naomi’s Closet, Closet on 54th, Charity’s Closet at Sonrise Church, Sharia’s Closet are all San Diego resources. I’ve been told that some Salvation Army churches offer free clothing vouchers to be redeemed at their thrift shops. Don’t forget your local Buy Nothing Group too! So many of your local neighbors are cleaning out their clothes and purging while they are stuck at home, you’d be surprised what your neighbors are will to share with you.
  • If you are in need of healthcare, there are several options. Medicaid/Medi-cal may be available for some. If you have had a “life event” (job separation, birth of a child, death of a spouse, marriage, etc.) you can look for health insurance in your state’s Health Insurance Exchange. Here is a link to California’s Exchange. There are frequently lower rates or discounts for those with certain income limits.
  • If you or family members take prescription medicines, look into discount programs like Singlecare (which you can access via the Fetch Rewards App and earn cashback/points), or GoodRX. Some pharmacies have their own discount programs too. Make sure to ask the pharmacy staff. Another option is to ask your doctor for medication samples when you are visiting them. Many doctors have medication samples in their offices, and most doctors are willing to help you when you tell them you need assistance with medication costs.

 

 

 

A Practical Guide to Setting A Budget (Part Two)

Abby H.1 Comment

In our last post, I talked about the basics of starting a budget (you can read it here).

We ended with… What happens if you spend more money than you bring home? Don’t feel bad, It happens more than you would think. Living in a credit-based world, it’s easy to swipe, swipe, swipe your card and have it seem like it’s not real money.

How do you stop spending willy nilly and start saving money?

First of all, I went through our family budget line by line looking for ways to cut down on costs. This will take a little work, but it’s worth the savings. Here are a few ways that you may be able to save.

  • Cell Phones- I called and negotiated a new contract, and they were able to give us a small discount ($15/month).
  • Auto/Home Insurance- Called our insurance carrier (it’s the same for both). We went through both policies, and were able to adjust our annual mileage to lower mileage, and adjust a few things with our homeowner’s insurance to save some money too. (About $50/year)
  • Gas & Electric (power company)-Because of the big kids’ diagnosis, we were able to qualify for a discount. SDG&E (Our utility provider) offers several discounts. You can learn more about our experience and how we saved money here.  We also take part in OhmConnect, and that saves us money and gives us cashback. You can learn more about OhmConnect here. We save about a thousand dollars a year between the programs SDG&E offers and using Ohmconnect.
  • Internet- We ended up changing internet providers to save money. I know that not everyone has this ability, but it’s worth a call to see if you can get a better deal. We don’t have cable or a home phone, so there are no bundling deals that can save our family money. ($5/month)
  • Cable- We don’t have it, but if you are thinking of cutting the cable, it’s not all static and bunny ears like in the old days. Between Apple TV (ours is really old and it works great), Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and over the air TV, we aren’t suffering. (No savings for us, but maybe some for you?)

Secondly, I take cash out for Groceries ($100/week), gas ($60/week), and fun money (funds for the kids and I to do something fun during the week- usually a snack or treat at the zoo, admission to a museum, or renting a Redbox movie. $40/week). When the money’s gone, it’s gone. For our budget/spending- this has been the game-changer. Due to quarantine/lockdown the only fun we could have was ordering take out or expensive trips to the craft supply store/Amazon to keep us entertained. Now that we have parameters for spending money, I am taking a harder look at groceries and meal planning and low-cost to no-cost ways to have fun with the kiddos.

In addition to that, I didn’t set up Apple Pay on my phone. I don’t have a credit card attached to the app store on my phone. I don’t have any credit cards set up on my Amazon Account, or my Target App, or any of the purchasing apps on my phone. If I want to buy something I have to either go to a store or sit down at my computer and enter my credit card/debit card information. Taking that extra step to purchase stuff really helps me think about what I am buying and how much I am spending.

And I’m always looking for ways to make a little extra money. Side Hustles are a real way to make money. You can invest as little or as much time as you want.

You can still have fun and live on a budget. Don’t feel like having takeout? Spend some of your fun money on a couple steaks and have a BBQ at home one week. Rent a movie on Amazon Prime, and add some dollar movie candy to your grocery list (or hit up Dollar Tree). Close the curtains/ blinds and throw some pillows and blankets on the living room floor. We call that “Movie theatre night” and the kids love it.

Living during a global pandemic you have to think outside of the box.

My next (and last) post about setting a practical budget will be ready tomorrow and it’s going to be a little more serious. What to do/where to turn when you need help with the basics: Food, Shelter, and Comfort. And what you should cut out if you are struggling. For those who are struggling right now, this is written with you in my mind and heart.

Moms To Be: Free Breast Pump Resource!

Abby H.

I came across this yesterday, and thought I would share. Most (if not all) insurance companies provide free breast pumps to mom to be, but navigating the insurance system to get one can be daunting.

Aeroflow Breast Pumps is here to help! Sign up and receive FREE Aerohead Breast Pump through your insurance.

It’s super easy:

  • Provide your insurance information to discover breast pump coverage.
  • Aeroflow verifies coverage and submits required paperwork.
  • Pick a Top of the Line Breast Pump.

That’s it! Pretty Sweet, right?

To get started, click here.  And if you know any mamas to be, please share this post with them!

Tips to Reign In and Out Of Control Family Budget: Taking Advantage of Discounts

Abby H.1 Comment

959b176d7a237c76fc19ff89cdfc6904.jpgPreviously we talked about shopping your Cell Phone service, Internet service, even your Auto/Home/Health insurance.

Sometimes switching companies doesn’t yield you any savings. At that point, turn to your current providers and see if there are any additional discounts or perks that you could be taking advantage of and are not currently receiving?

Example: Some cell phone providers (Like T-Mobile) offer perks or freebies weekly. Free tacos, backpacks, free Netflix subscriptions, and other swag are some of the other cool things that they have offered in the past. AT&T has a program called AT&T Thanks where customers can score varying freebies and deals depending on what type(s) of service they have with AT&T.

Some Auto Insurance companies offer discounts for good students (High school and/or college), safe driving/accident-free, defensive driving courses, and low mileage discounts. It’s worth a call in to see if you can score any extra discounts!

What about services that you can’t shop around?

Utilities are a big one- We can’t shop utilities here in San Diego. SDG&E is the only name in the game here.

BUT- there are ways you can save and even earn money!

Did you know that most local utilities (in San Diego county that means SDG&E) will come out and inspect your AC/furnace for free at the beginning of each season? They can let you know if your furnace or AC is running in tiptop condition, and they can also check to see if your pilot light is lit and safe to run your furnace.

If you are in a lower income or you have a medical condition that requires continue with usage of electricity, SDG&E and other utilities frequently have a medical baseline or low-income program that you can apply for to save money on your utilities.

Other ways that you can save money on your utilities include signing up for services like Ohmconnect, which help you conserve electricity during peak demand hours, which not only helps you save money, but you’ll be saving extra electricity as well.

We’ve been members of them connect for upwards of five years, and we earn about $100 a year cashback from home connect, in addition to the money that we save on our SDG&E bill. You can learn more about Ohm Connect Here.

 

 

 

Tips to Reign In and Out Of Control Family Budget: Shopping Around to Save!

Abby H.

683459ee810703fe032903d2443bf58d.jpgToday I’ll be sharing some ways to save money that takes a little more work but can definitely pay off in the end.

For some of us, this may seem like too much work, and that’s ok. Just because it’s something that my family does, doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone.

Insurance: Most companies offer a discount if you have more than one kind of policy. Example: State Farm offers a Multi-line discount. If you have your cars and another type of insurance (homeowners/renters/condo insurance, or a life insurance policy).

Some insurance companies serve a specific audience- for example, USAA is an insurance company for active duty or retired military. Because they serve a specific audience, they offer very competitive rates.

When you shop for insurance, have copies of all of the policies that you want to compare. That will help you see apples to apples. You can’t compare and try to save money if you don’t know what you’ve got. This is also a great time to go over all of your coverages and see if you need to increase or decrease coverages.

Due to state and federal regulations, you usually can’t shop for health insurance unless it’s open enrollment or you’ve had a qualifying life event (married, divorced, had a baby, retired, lost your job, etc.). Luckily, Tis the Season for open enrollment! We purchased insurance through the state exchange a few years back, before we had employer-sponsored insurance. It was not too difficult to navigate, and there are discounts available for a lot of people!

Cell Phones: This is my least favorite activity, but it can a money saver. Once again- have a copy of your contract or a copy of a recent bill that outlines everything your plan covers before you get started. If you are looking for a pre-paid plan, Tello has some great money-saving plans!

Internet: I hate dealing with our internet service provider. I always feel like they are trying to upsell me, no matter why I am calling in. We’re looking at changing our plan soon. The big kids school recently sent home information regarding a program that Cox offers called Connect2Compete. For those families that have qualifying social service(s), Cox can provide internet service for $9.95/month! That’s a great deal.

 

Talk Back: I’d love to hear your success story! Share how much you’ve saved by shopping around for your insurance, cell phone service, or internet service.