Tag Archives: affordable-care-act

posts about health care reform

What is short-term health insurance?

Frugal Nurse Posted on by 1

short-term health insuranceShort-term health insurance plans are coming back

Is there anything about our healthcare system, especially the insurance market, that isn’t confusing?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) finally phased out most short-term health insurance plans last year, but the current administration wants to bring them back.

The cost of health insurance is really expensive for anyone who doesn’t have an employer-provided plan or doesn’t qualify for a subsidy. Short-term health … read on

3 advocates for a better healthcare system

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

better healthcare systemIf you are one of the millions of people suffering under our broken healthcare system, take heart.

Industry leaders who recognize your pain actually exist, and are trying to help.

Changing the system is a huge and thankless task, because the bulk of the industry is profit-driven and resistant to giving up the status quo.

But these individuals and groups are using different ways to connect with increasing numbers of … read on

Take time to understand your new health insurance policy

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

Happy New (Calendar) Year!

It’s a new calendar year, and that means many people will have a new health insurance plan. Or last year’s insurance will have been tweaked with a slightly higher deductible or copays, or an updated list of “in-network” providers.

This is a good time to sit down and become familiar with your health insurance benefits, so you aren’t taken by surprise when you actually need to … read on

Alternatives to traditional health insurance

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

alternatives to traditional health insuranceTraditional and expensive

This week I received a letter from my health insurance company. My plan’s benefits will remain the same, but the monthly premium will be 21% higher.

That means health insurance for me and my husband now officially costs more than our mortgage. And it’s just a bronze-level plan with a $7,000 deductible (each)!

I really feel for other families receiving similar letters about similar rate hikes. Some … read on

Is health care a right or a privilege?

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

The health care debate rages on.

Atul Gawande, one of my favorite physician-authors, wrote an article on this topic last week in The New Yorker magazine.

He spoke to residents in his home state of Ohio and posed the question, “Is health care a right or a privilege?” He listened to their stories of unexpected illness, lost jobs and medical bankruptcy. Yet none of them thought their health insurance should … read on

Premium increases for 2018. Ouch.

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

My peek into the future

Health insurance companies in my state finally submitted their requests for 2018 rate hikes.

Usually I can look up this info online by mid-May, but all the partisan and intra-party bickering over the future of healthcare in this country has left insurance companies scratching their figurative heads over how to price next year’s policies.

I remember a time when I never gave my health insurance … read on

3 tips to prevent surprise medical bills

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

surprise medical billsMy guest post today is from Matthew Bahr, a healthcare finance specialist.

I’ve posted about surprise medical bills before. Sadly, they are becoming more common as healthcare costs continue to rise and provider networks shrink.

Consumer Reports estimates about one third of patients with health insurance receive these unexpectedly high medical bills.

Thank you, Matthew, for sharing your tips and expertise with my readers! FN

Although we know healthcare … read on

Annual exams vs. annual wellness visits

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

Happy New (Calendar) Year!

It’s the start of a new year or, in health insurance lingo, the start of a new calendar year deductible. I’m reposting this from last January, because this month is the best time to start trying to schedule that annual exam or annual wellness visit (it could take weeks, after all, to get an appointment!).

I usually advise people to get any screening tests or annual … read on

Choosing Wisely – Use less healthcare

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

My goal for 2017? Use as little healthcare as possible

How will healthcare change under a new president and political party?

That’s a question I can’t answer. As I wrote in my last post, both candidates had multiple-point plans to tweak/improve/repeal/replace the Affordable Care Act, aka the ACA or Obamacare.

But I don’t know what will change or when.

What I know for sure is that for 2017 my … read on

Election day and healthcare 2016

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

american-flagI started this blog four years ago, the day after President Obama won the general election. I needed an instrument to give voice to my frustrations and fears about the direction of our country’s health and healthcare policy.

I just re-read what I wrote back then:

So, the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare, as it’s commonly known), having survived its precipitous birth and a few close-calls with death, is

… read on