As someone who has signed up for ACA on the California exchange more than a few times during gaps in coverage I would applaud anyone who could make this work. The level of coordination not only from The Exchange but from you and the provider on such a tight deadline would not necessarily be possible.
Not everyone can make it work. I am off the Exchange so this helps. But you need to coordinate your doctor and stay on top of things. Here is a real-world example though of my wifeās CT Scan which she needs 4 to 6 months for follow-up.
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this is a great finance hack idea, thanks for sharing.
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I didnāt think you could change an insurance plan in the exchange without a life changing event. Correct me if I am wrong.
Also can you expand on this?
There are 3 important dates for open enrollment in ACA plans whether on or off the exchange.
Dec 15, Jan 15, Jan 31
Since it is open enrollment, you can enroll 3 times in different plans/levels/carriers and cancel the previous one.
The effective date for the plans are:
Enroll by - Effective date
Dec 15 - Jan 1
Jan 15 - Feb 1
Jan 31 - Mar 1
During open enrollment, you are not asked to provide a reason for signing up for a plan so no life-changing event is required.
If it were possible to get actual high deductibles, 10k+, it would effectively be the same.
While you may be correct that there isnāt evidence that links cholesterol to heart disease (Iām not sure), the FDA is more than comfortable with the LDL-C lowering hypothesis that lowering bad cholesterol improves CV outcomes and this has been proven through countless CV outcomes studies in statins, Zetia + Statins (IMPROVE-IT), and PCSK9s + Statins (FOURIER). Statins are cheap, safe, and improve CV outcomes in patients with high-risk patients.
I think the point of your post is to not knock down research and discourage patients from seeking appropriate treatments for conditions - I would agree with you that therapy should be the first stage in psychological treatment and that overuse of antibiotics leads to increased resistance in a hospital setting - but rather to encourage individuals to be cognizant of their medical costs, predictable irrationality, and improper self-diagnoses that cost them real dollars and potential safety.
A great example of a seemingly unnecessary supplement is Omega 3 pills. It is seemingly unquestionable that eating fatty fishes is beneficial to your diet, but unclear that supplements are helpful. Regarding omega 3 specifically, and this is just one study, but it may actually increase risk of the more aggressive prostate cancers in men (Harvard Prostate Knowledge). The three best things anyone can do for their health is to eat good food (mostly fresh produce, nuts, and lean protein), daily exercise, and reduce stress through mindfullness. Supplements generally shouldnāt be taken unless under the supervision of a doctor.
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Dental - we have found Costco Dental Insurance - Delta Dental (not all states) to be decent in terms of coverage for cost. Its like HMO for dentists with low premiums, low co-pays.
Drugs - walmart seems to be ahead in pricing, not in services. You can avoid the service head-aches by using walmart mobile app to manage your refills.
Healthcare - I agree with earlier posts on the best way forward will be to make yourself more healthy. However this is easier said than done, as its a complicated endeavour in current world of information overload. I have found this to be life changing for me and my family - āFat, Sick And Nearly Deadā on Netflix. Some other good resources - rebootwithjoe.com and fmtv.com . Its one thing to know(acquire knowledge) on what is good/bad and entirely another to practice itā¦I am about 4 years into this way of clean eating + some spiritual advances (mid 40s). I am not near to my target health; but am experiencing very good time of my life. This type of perspective can help you get out of serious issues and sustain for long term.
This is an amazing workaround. Has anyone tried taking fish antibiotics for your own illness? It seems like it would work since the ingredients are exactly the same (Penicillin, Amoxicillin, and Cephalexin). Just make sure the dosage is correct.
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I know of one primary care doctor who charges a flat $45 cash per visit. The line is out the door. The cash / uninsured population is huge, and if I were a doctor, I would look into it.
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Durable medical goods can be purchased on craigslist. For example, diabetic supplies.
On that note, itās interesting to me that some might be selling insurer-obtained supplies (illegally). But as a buyer, itās your savings.
Iām not exactly sure how this works, but it goes something like this:
If youāre on ACA and pregnant right now and due in 2018, get a platinum plan. You will pay high premiums, but next to nothing for delivery. Then, after you have the baby, you can switch to a bronze plan. This saves you a lot on delivery costs. If the baby is not completely healthy, you may want to stay on the platinum plan.
Iām not sure this idea is fully baked, but it seems like it should work.
I did a little research on Dental Tourism. Mexico has a few border towns that specialize in dental procedures, some at 10-20% the cost of the USA. Then, there are some companies that make the arrangements for you and supposedly make sure you are matched to a highly qualified dentist for your procedure and assists with any arrangements or guarantee issues.
Anybody have experience with that?
There are many common scenarios requiring antibiotic. Whatās the cheapest way to get an antibiotics prescription vs. a doctor visit which is typically $100+?
For example, if you have any type of cold-like symptoms for over 2 weeks - most likely your doctor is going to prescribe you antibiotics and charge you for a full office visit. Antibiotics themselves are usually cheap - but you just need a prescriber to give you a script.
Any ideas?
Upthread there was a recommendation to buy fish antibiotics.
Yes, but Iām wondering about going to a professional to get the proper prescription.
Maybe a more general question is what type of office vistt is typically cheapest:
CVS Minute Clinic type place (or another retail pharmacy)
Urgent cares (in my experience, this was about 10% less than a full doctorās visit, although they were in different years so the urgent care price may have gone up in the next year)
Doctor visit ($130 in my case)
Itās a nice idea to go with fish antibiotics if you know for sure which antibiotic you want, but Iām not sure itās a good idea to pick it yourself, so itād be good to know the cheapest way to get a professional opinion that is most likely going to result in an antibiotic rx.
I personally canāt say this has ever happened to me.
I donāt know how you can guarantee a doctor will give you an antibiotic prescription. I can count on one hand how often Iāve been given a prescription for antibiotics. Iāve gone in with persistent cough and cold symptoms and have been told to rest and also have been given codine cough syrup but never antibiotics. (At least never since I became an adult)
Iāve heard that some doctors feel pressure to prescribe antibiotics regardless if you need them or not.
Letās say you feel sick and go see a doctor and he says you are probably sick with a viral infection, and doesnāt/wonāt prescribe antibiotics. What would you do? Is that a wasted doctorās visit?
Usual and customary for an in-network Dr. visit is about $70 for me. Iām not sure how to do it cheaper for cash. A cursory call around for cash prices resulted in ridiculous quotes of $100, $150 or more.
Iām not a dr. but most colds/flu resolve on their own without antibiotics. You can usually just call and ask if you should come in or not.
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~2 weeks is the amount of rest time Iāve had every doctor tell me to wait (and also what youāll read online), and if itās not getting better by then, the most common next step has always been antibiotic treatment. I would never go in before 2 weeks of symptoms that arenāt getting better.
[quote=āalchemista, post:38, topic:237ā]
Yes, but Iām wondering about going to a professional to get the proper prescription.
[/quote]Valid point.
To answer your question, have you checked Teladoc? our employer offers this although weāve never tried it yet; according to terms, we pay $20 per consult which is cheaper than our co-pay to see our primary.