Health Insurance

Travel insurance: What does it cover and when do you need it?

Posted on October 30, 2021 by Melissa Hart

Not all travel insurance is the same. Some policies only cover certain kinds of trip cancellations. Here are some questions to help you decide if you need travel insurance and what kind of policy will work best for your trip.

  1. What does it cover?

Cancellations: Some policies will only cover trips canceled for certain reasons such as weather or illness. And policies may have exclusions for cancellations due to a preexisting medical condition or if an epidemic or pandemic is declared. You can also pay more for “cancel for any reason” coverage.

Medical coverage: You can also buy medical policies that cover emergency medical and dental expenses while you’re traveling that aren’t covered by your regular health policy. Some policies cover medical evacuations, which can be costly depending on where you’re visiting and probably wouldn’t be covered by your regular health plan.

Other coverage: You can also find policies to cover medical evacuations, lost luggage, and many other potential situations.

Make sure you know exactly what a plan covers before buying.

2. What’s your risk?

Cancellation penalties: You may be able to cancel some parts of your trip, including hotels and tours, without financial penalty. Check the cancellation policies for each item you’ve booked in advance and see how much money you’d lose if you had to cancel all or part of your trip.

Medical expenses: Check with your health plan to see if it would cover medical expenses if you got sick or hurt on your trip. This is especially important if you’re traveling abroad because most health plans, including Medicare, won’t cover treatment in another country. Think about how you’d get to a hospital or medical care if you’re traveling to a remote area.

Coronavirus risk: Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for the latest information and guidance related to COVID-19.

3. Am I already covered?

Your homeowners or renters insurance may include travel coverage. Ask your insurer or agent what your policy covers. Some credit cards include travel protections or may offer travel insurance, too, so ask when you use the card for trip expenses.

When you’re planning your trip, consider what you paid and decide if it’s something that makes sense for you. If you decide travel insurance is a good option for you, you can search the internet to compare plans and prices.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students if they or their family members have purchased travel insurance.  If so, what have been their experiences?  If not, why they chose not to purchase travel insurance?
  • Ask students to make a list of travel circumstances when it might be wise to purchase travel insurance.

Discussion Questions

  1. Under what scenarios should you spend more money for “cancel for any reason” travel insurance?
  2. Is it better to buy travel insurance from tour operators, cruise lines representatives or travel agents?  Explain.
  3. Is it essential for an international traveler to consider travel insurance?  Why or why not?
Categories: Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Health Insurance | Tags: , | Leave a comment

COVID-19 Tests: A financial warning for consumers

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Melissa Hart

 

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Acts required health coverage for the COVID-19 test – including the test itself, the related visit, and other services related to the testing – with no cost-sharing for individuals covered by private health plans, Medicare and Medicaid. The CARES Act, passed by Congress in March 2020, includes a provision that states insurers must pay for an out-of-network COVID-19 test at the price the testing facility lists on its website. But it sets no maximum for the cost of the tests.

Although providers are required to post the price for a COVID-19 test on a public website, there is no regulated price for the test. However, Medicare covers the testing without cost-sharing for patients and reimburses providers $51 – $100 per diagnostic test depending on the type of test administered. This price contrasts sharply with the outrageous charges made by certain providers that can run from $2,000 – $5,000 per test.

There is a better way to control the cost of testing. Here are a few reminders to help protect consumers from balance billing, and insurance companies or your employer from a costly claim.

  1. Call your doctor’s office if you are experiencing symptoms like a fever, cough, fatigue or if you think you may have been exposed to the virus. Your primary care physician will schedule and direct you to an in-network testing site.
  2. DO NOT go directly to an emergency room. There are collateral charges for a COVID-19 test at an ER that you will be responsible to pay. Before going to an ER for the test, ask yourself: Would I call an ambulance right now if I suspect exposure to the virus?
  3. For a free COVID-19 test, call your local county health department to schedule a test. If the appointment results in an extended waiting period, call or go to an urgent care facility and request a test.
  4. If you are insured, stay in-network with your health carrier. If you are uninsured, you should utilize the testing resources of your local county health department.
  5. If your symptoms warrant a test, follow the posted CDC guidelines.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students if anyone in their family received a COVID-19 vaccine.  If so, enquire if there was cost-sharing.
  • If the cost of each COVID-19 test, by law, is free to the public with health coverage, how can some providers charge from $2,000 to $5,000 per test?

Discussion Questions

  1. Why is it important to first call your primary care physician if you experience symptoms like fever, cough, fatigue or if you believe you have been exposed to the virus?
  2. If you are uninsured, what are your options to receive free COVID-19 test?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Categories: Chapter 9, Health Insurance, Uncategorized | Tags: | Leave a comment

Health Insurance Coverage in the United States

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Melissa Hart

In September 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau published a report on health insurance coverage in the United States.  The report is based on information collected in The Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement and the American Community Survey.

Here are some of the highlights from the report:

  • In 2018, 8.5 percent of Americans, or 27.5 million people, did not have health insurance at any point during the year.
  • The percentage of people with health insurance coverage for all or part of 2018 was 91.5 percent, lower than the rate in 2017 (92.1 percent).
  • In 2018, private health insurance coverage continued to be more prevalent than public coverage, covering 67.3 percent of the population and 34.4 percent of the population, respectively.
  • Between 2017 and 2018, the percentage of people covered by Medicaid decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 17.9 percent.
  • The percentage of uninsured children under the age of 19 increased by 0.6 percentage points between 2017 and 2018, to 5.5 percent.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students if they have health insurance of their own or through their parents. What are the premiums for their coverage?
  • Ask students to make a list of available sources for private and public health insurance coverage in their states.

Discussion Questions

  1. What might be some reasons why 8.5% of people, or 27.5 million, did not have health insurance in 2018?
  2. While most people have a single type of health insurance, some people may have more than one type of coverage during a calendar year. Why?
Categories: Chapter 9, Health Insurance | Tags: , | Leave a comment

SPREAD THE WORD, NOT THE VIRUS

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Melissa Hart

The infectious disease experts are urging all Americans to do their part to slow the spread of the Coronavirus.  Even if you are young, or otherwise healthy, you are at risk and your activities can increase the risk for others.  It is critical that you do your part to slow the spread of the Coronavirus.

Work or engage in schooling from home whenever possible.  Avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people.  Avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts—use drive-through, pick-up, or delivery options.  Avoid discretionary travel, shopping trips, and social visits.  Do not visit nursing homes or retirement or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance.  Practice good hygiene.  Wash your hands, especially after touching any frequently used item or surface.  Avoid touching your face.  Sneeze or cough into a tissue, or the inside of your elbow.  Finally, disinfect frequently used items and surfaces as much as possible.  Furthermore:

  1. Listen to and follow the directions of your federal, state and local authorities.
  2. If you feel sick, stay home. Do not go to work. Contact your medical provider.
  3. If your children are sick, keep them at home. Contact your medical provider.
  4. If someone in your household has tested positive for the Coronavirus, keep the entire household at home.
  5. If you are an older American, stay home and away from other people.
  6. If you are a person with a serious underlying health condition—such as a significant heart or lung problem—stay home and away from other people.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students if they are practicing social distancing. If not, what are the reasons?
  • Ask students how difficult has it been since the world has almost come to a standstill. What has changed in their life?

Discussion Questions

  1. Are the President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America fair to the citizens? Explain why or why not?
  2. Since older people are particularly at risk from the Coronavirus, why are younger people being quarantined?
Categories: Chapter 9, Health Insurance | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Paying for Long-Term Care

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Melissa Hart

Paying for long-term care (sometimes called “long-term services and supports”) includes non-medical care for people who have a chronic illness or disability. This includes non-skilled personal care assistance, such as like help with everyday activities, including dressing, bathing, using the bathroom, home-delivered meals, adult day health care, and other services. Medicare and most health insurance plans, including Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policies, don’t pay for this type of care, sometimes called “custodial care.” You may be eligible for this type of care through Medicaid, or you can choose to buy private long-term care insurance.

Long-term care can be provided at home, in the community, in an assisted living facility, or in a nursing home. It’s important to start planning for long-term care now to maintain your independence and to make sure you get the care you may need, in the setting you want, now and in the future.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask the students if they have Long Term Care insurance since 40 percent of the 13 million people receiving long term care services are between the ages of 18 and 24.
  • Ask students to prepare a list of services that long term care insurance policy may provide.

Discussion Questions

  1. If majority of Americans will be cared for at home by family members and friends, why should anyone purchase a long-term care insurance policy?
  2. Do younger people need long-term care insurance? If so, why?  If not, why?
  3. Why long- term care insurance is very expensive? Should everyone purchase long term care insurance?
Categories: Chapter 9, Health Insurance | Tags: | Leave a comment

Deceptive Stem Cell Therapy

Posted on March 16, 2019 by Melissa Hart

People spend billions of dollars each year on health-related products and treatments that don’t deliver. People who buy them are cheated out of their money, their time, and even their health.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports  that California-based Regenerative Medical Group, Telehealth Medical Group, and Dr. Bryn Jarald Henderson, the founder of both companies, sold false hope at high prices.

These companies and Dr. Henderson used social media and websites to promote stem cell therapy for all kinds of health issues affecting older adults and children. Supposedly, it could treat and cure diseases and health conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, autism, dementia, depression, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, heart disease, macular degeneration, chronic kidney disease, osteoarthritis, and stroke. Dr. Gunderson  charged up to $15,000 for their initial stem cell therapy and up to $8,000 for follow-up treatments.

But, according to the FTC, these claims were not backed up by any scientific studies and, in fact, no studies have established that stem cells cure, treat, or reduce the severity of diseases or health conditions in humans. With the exception of a few FDA-approved treatments, stem cell therapy is still largely experimental.

Are you — or someone you know — thinking about stem cell therapy?  If so,

  • Be skeptical about amazing health claims.
  • Don’t trust a website just because it looks professional, uses medical terms, or has success stories from “real people.”
  • Talk to your health care professional before you consider any medical treatment.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  •  Help students understand that health information, whether online or in print, should come from a trusted source.
  • Let students make a list of the richest and most reliable sources of health information and share it with the class.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why is it important to seek a second or even third opinion from a qualified health care provider before trying experimental medical procedures?
  2. What can the FTC and other federal/state governmental agencies do to prevent such businesses to make deceptive treatments.
Categories: Chapter 9, Frauds and Scams, Health Insurance | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Fake healthcare plans

Posted on February 16, 2019 by Melissa Hart

If you’re looking online for health insurance, there are lots of results that seem to offer good choices. But dishonest companies are literally counting on you being confused by all those choices. So, before you sign up and pay, take steps to know you’re getting exactly what the plan advertised. Otherwise, fake “coverage” can leave you exposed to substandard benefits and costly payments.

For example, according to the Federal Trade Commission, a Florida-based company, Simple Health Plans, LLC, allegedly tricked consumers into believing its plans offer comprehensive coverage and are compliant with Affordable Care Act (ACA) standards. The company allegedly lured people in through lead-generation sites, using logos of well-known health insurance providers to make itself look credible. Simple Health asked for personal information on the site, followed up with phone calls, and pitched what it said were affordable, comprehensive, ACA-qualified plans with low or no co-pays or deductibles.

But once consumers signed up — often at premiums as high as hundreds of dollars per month — the FTC says they did not get anywhere near the full coverage Simple Health promised, and the benefits were not ACA-qualified.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students if they or any of their friends and relatives have received sham health insurance plans calls. If so, how did they handle such calls?
  • Help students understand that two best-known and legitimate sources of the government health insurance are Medicare and Medicaid.

Discussion Questions

  1. What are some ways to protect yourself against false health care plans?
  2. Why is it important to learn the difference between health insurance and medical insurance discount plans?
Categories: Chapter 9, Frauds and Scams, Health Insurance | Tags: , | Leave a comment

New Medicare cards are on the way

Posted on August 5, 2017 by Melissa Hart

Changes are coming to your Medicare card.  By April 2019, your card will be replaced with one that no longer shows your Social Security number.  Instead, your card will have a new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) that will be used for billing and for checking your eligibility and claim status.

Having your Social Security number removed from your Medicare card helps fight medical identity theft and protects your medical and financial information.

Here are some common Medicare scams relating to the new cards:

  • Someone calling, claiming to be from Medicare, and asking for your Social Security number or bank information.
  • Someone asking you to pay for your new card.
  • Someone threatening to cancel your benefits if you don’t provide information or money?

For more on the new changes to your Medicare card, visit Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  And report scams to the FTC.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  1. How do you think this change will affect patients? You?
  2. Replacing Social Security number with Health Insurance Claim Number will cost millions of taxpayers dollars. Do you think it is worth the expense?

Discussion Questions

  • What is the biggest reason the Social Security is taking the Social Security Number off of Medicare cards?
  • How will the new system affect people with Medicare?
  • Who will be the affected stakeholders?
Categories: Chapter 9, Health Insurance, Retirement Planning, Wise Shopping | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Fighting Against Medicare Fraud and Abuse

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Melissa Hart

Don’t Stand by…..Speak Up!

Have you ever witnessed something that you knew was wrong and wondered if you should report it?  Did you want to say something, but didn’t because you were afraid of negative consequences?  Don’t be afraid, because there are federal laws to protect you.   Indeed, as a bystander, you can play an essential role in preventing violence, wrongdoings, and fraud.

Reporting information or activity that you suspect is illegal, dishonest, or false is your right.  Reportable violations could be abuse of authority, gross waste of funds, a specific danger to public health or safety, or gross mismanagement.

Social Security’s programs were originally created to serve the American public, and 80 years later they still provide critical support to people of all ages.  As good stewards of the tax dollars, Social Security Administration designs its systems to protect against fraud, waste, and abuse.  However, its systems can’t catch everything.  And that’s where you can help.  Report wrongful acts and protect lives as well as taxpayers’ dollars.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students to comment on the statement: “Nearly 70 percent of consumers believe the Medicare program would not go broke if fraud and abuse were eliminated.”
  • What would YOU do if you suspected fraud or other wrongdoings, including wasting taxpayers’ dollars?

Discussion Questions

  1. Social Security Administration (SSA) will pay about $887 billion in Social Security benefits to almost 60 million individuals in 2015. What specific tools the SSA uses to fight fraud and protect taxpayers’ dollars.
  2. How does the SSA investigate people who provide false, incomplete, or inaccurate information to defraud the government?
Categories: Chapter 9, Frauds and Scams, Health Insurance | Tags: , | Leave a comment

I’m Young and Healthy–Is an HDHP Right for Me?

Posted on September 26, 2015 by Melissa Hart

“I’ve been told a high deductible health plan (HDHP) is a good choice for my situation and that it might save me some money.  Can you explain this to me.”

This Forbes article provides answers to the questions that many people–especially younger people–have about high deductible health insurance policies.  At the beginning, the author, Christina LeMontagne, points out that high deductible policies are a great option for healthy people, but may not be right for everyone.  She also describes what a high deductible health plan is, who can benefit  from HDHPs, and how they can save you money.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

You may want to use the information in this blog post and the original article to

  • Reinforce what a high deductible health plan (HDHP) is.
  • Stress the fact that while an HDHP may save you money, there are risk involved if you choose this type of policy.

Discussion Questions

  1. What are the advantages of an HDHP plan?
  2. What are the disadvantages of an HDHP plan?
  3. Under what circumstances would you choose an HDHP plan?
Categories: Chapter 9, Health Insurance | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

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