What's Right for Your Family?

Let's face it, medical coverage is not what it used to be. As insurance agencies raise their prices, employers are asking their employees to contribute more to costs. And, if you have private insurance, prices keep going up while coverage goes down. Your health coverage is a big decision which can be extremely costly and worrisome depending on your age, medical condition, family size, income level, etc. So where do you turn for help? The government? Friends and family members? Private funds? Reduce your coverage? Discontinue your coverage? In times such as these, one must explore all options of assistance. Below are resources to look into to obtain assistance; free or reduced medical services; and pharmaceutical products.

The government:
1. Visit your local public school and inquire about your state's medical program for children.
2. Contact your state's Department of Health and Human Services to inquire about medical assistance available to you and your family, Medicaid, etc. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/ssbg/grantees/Contact_08.html
3. Many states offer prescription drug cards, free to any resident, which may reduce prescription costs by as much as 75%; inquire at your local pharmacy.
4. Seniors, age 60+, should contact their local Area on Aging Agency to inquire about health, nutrition, and/or in-home services 1-800-677-1116.
5. If you are 65+, or under 65 with disabilities, you may qualify for Medicare. http://www.medicare.gov/
6. Veterans may inquire about their health care options http://www.va.gov/health/default.asp

Friends and family members:
1. Create your own online donation page on http://www.gofundme.com/ or http://gogetfunding.com
2. Contact local churches and/or religious organizations, they may have funds set aside for families with emergency need.

Private funds:
1. Patient Advocate Foundation provides case management services, educational materials and live chat services at no charge to patients. http://www.patientadvocate.org/
2. The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) Co-Pay Relief Program (CPR) currently provides direct financial support to insured patients, including Medicare Part D beneficiaries, who must financially and medically qualify to access pharmaceutical co-payment assistance. http://www.copays.org/
3. Browse through a 1,000+ prescription assistance programs designed to help those in need. http://patientassistance.com/

Reduce your coverage:
1. Investigate other medical plans that may offer better coverage, less deductibles and/or cost less.
2. Everything is negotiable; you may be able to get portions of your medical bills reduced. Try talking to your service providers to see if they can reduce fees.
3. If you are able to pay cash for a service or procedure you may be able to reduce your bill by up to 50%.

Discontinue your coverage:
1. A health savings account is a tax-advantaged medical savings account available to taxpayers in the United States who are enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (a health insurance plan with lower premiums and higher deductibles than a traditional health plan). Funds contributed to an account are not subject to federal income tax at the time of deposit and roll over and accumulate year to year if not spent. According to proponents, HSAs encourage saving for future health care expenses, allow the patient to receive needed care without a gate keeper to determine what benefits are allowed and make consumers more responsible for their own health care choices through the required High-Deductible Health Plan. (Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_savings_account)