Young adults take ‘risky’ actions to save on health care costs: Forbes

Jeanne Pinder September 23, 2019

Young adults take ‘risky’ actions to save on health care costs: Forbes

“Much of the news about health care costs focuses on the assets required to cover health care costs in retirement,” Janet Berry-Johnson writes at Forbes. “HealthView Services 2018 Retirement Healthcare Costs Data Report estimates that a 65-year-old couple in good health will need $363,946 to pay for health-care costs for the remainder of their lives, […]

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Some things I have observed by using our shitshow of a healthcare system (US): Reddit

Jeanne Pinder September 2, 2019

Some things I have observed by using our shitshow of a healthcare system (US): Reddit

This interesting piece of writing comes to us courtesy of Reddit, which calls itself “the front page of the internet.” She posted it on the subreddit channel r/self.povertyfinance. I saw it and reached out to her to ask if we could re-post on our blog because we are interested in her perspective. She agreed. She […]

Umpteen rounds with Aliera Healthcare: How to argue a bill with a sharing ministry

Jeanne Pinder August 29, 2019

Umpteen rounds with Aliera Healthcare: How to argue a bill with a sharing ministry

A Facebook friend commented on one of our posts that Aliera Healthcare, one of the healthcare sharing ministries, had denied a claim, saying that while the doctor was in-network, the billing entity was not. It seemed wacky, so I asked for more detail. Here is his story. We’re not using his name because that’s not […]

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What happens if you don’t pay a hospital bill? – The Atlantic

Jeanne Pinder August 28, 2019

What happens if you don’t pay a hospital bill? – The Atlantic

“On March 8, 2011, Joclyn Krevat, an occupational therapist in New York, was sitting at her computer when she received a most unusual LinkedIn request,” Olga Khazan writes over at The Atlantic. “The wording was the familiar: ‘I’d like to add you to my professional network.’ The sender was familiar, too, but not for the […]

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Here’s why your patients disregard prescriptions: KevinMD

Jeanne Pinder August 27, 2019

Here’s why your patients disregard prescriptions: KevinMD

“Take one-half tablet three times per day with meals, increasing by half each week until reaching a maximum of three tablets three times per day,” Kevin R.R. Williams writes over at KevinMD. “Did you get a new prescription from your doctor? If so, there is a 50 percent chance you will not adhere to label […]

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Buying health insurance: A handbook

Jeanne Pinder August 26, 2019

(Posted August 2019; updates planned) How do you buy health insurance? We are frequently asked to help people buy health insurance. Our specialty is the cost of health care, not buying insurance. We don’t do individual consultations on what insurance to buy. We’re not really qualified for that, and also people must be certified and […]

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In Montana, a tough negotiator proved employers don’t have to pay so much for health care: ProPublica

Jeanne Pinder August 20, 2019

In Montana, a tough negotiator proved employers don’t have to pay so much for health care: ProPublica

“Marilyn Bartlett took a deep breath, drew herself up to her full 5 feet and a smidge, and told the handful of Montana officials that she had a radical strategy to bail out the state’s foundering benefit plan for its 30,000 employees and their families,” Marshall Allen writes over at ProPublica. “The officials were listening. […]

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Price estimates at the doctor’s office: Yes, it can be true

Jeanne Pinder August 12, 2019

Price estimates at the doctor’s office: Yes, it can be true

Epic, the giant electronic medical records company, is offering a price estimate button that doctors can use in the office. Kristin Cain, a reproductive endocrinologist in North Dakota, posted this on Twitter: “EPIC has a button I just discovered: Patient Estimate. After you place an order, it estimates the out of pocket cost. Except if […]

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Opinion | Democrats are having the wrong health care debate: The New York Times

Jeanne Pinder August 3, 2019

Opinion | Democrats are having the wrong health care debate: The New York Times

“As this week’s Democratic debates made clear, the party is divided on how to improve health care for Americans,” Ezekiel J. Emanuel wrote over at The New York Times. “Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and others are for a single-payer Medicare for All system. Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and others want an incremental approach […]

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Moral injury and burnout in medicine, a year of lessons learned: STAT

Jeanne Pinder July 28, 2019

Moral injury and burnout in medicine, a year of lessons learned: STAT

“When we began exploring the concept of moral injury to explain the deep distress that U.S. health care professionals feel today, it was something of a thought experiment aimed at erasing the preconceived notions of what was driving the disillusionment of so many of our colleagues in a field they had worked so hard to […]

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Category: Health reform