General Finance » Healthcare

Medical Flexible Spending

Nagel — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:19:40 +0000

Each year, my wife and I estimate healthcare costs in order to plot out our medical flexible spending. It is perplexing to consider why you have to guess at how much you might spend on health care costs over a year in order to get a tax break, but those are the rules.

So we sit down and look at what we have spent in medical necessities over the past year and try to guesstimate what costs might differ and by how much to try to get an accurate medical flexible spending final amount.

Once we determine the amount for the year 1/26 of that amount is taken from each paycheck, pre-tax. It is a wise choice to make and we always pass the amount we estimated, however, it is a nice little tax break to bring into the fold.

Affordable Healthcare

Nagel — Tue, 08 May 2007 12:14:54 +0000

Is affordable healthcare in America possible? It was just about 5 years ago when healthcare costs in the United States were tolerable, but since then there has been a steady climb in prices. This rise in costs affects almost all Americans and that is why the issue has been pushed to the forefront of politics. If it were not for the Iraq War, healthcare costs would probably lead all issues for candidates attempting to become their party’s nominee for president in 2008.

Until then, we need ideas and tips in order to try to save money on healthcare costs. Try some of the following:

Try negotiating the final price of your medical bill
Search for tax breaks involved in your medical costs
Do your homework and compare costs
Before going to a doctor, ask how much services cost
Ask for generic prescription drugs

These are a few methods to try in order to save some money. Search the web for other ideas. In the meantime, keep the drumbeats of change so healthcare costs remain on the nation and local scene so a change comes.

Health: Medical Care

Nagel — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 13:17:31 +0000

“Health care has to change,” says Steve Case, founder of America Online. He is trying to make health care services and products simple to track. RevolutionHealth.com, is a free, comprehensive consumer health site created for the Average Joe in order to do just that.

This site is more tailored to the consumer. It gives you the nuts and bolts, but it also encourages people to build their own health pages and personal health records. It also puts more control into the hands of the consumer of the health care costs in addition to their own care.

Social networking is essential to this health care brand as well (It has deals with many other brands to help build its own brand). Case is targeting mothers because he sees them as the go-to person in families for their health care needs.

RevolutionHealth is a free service, but by paying a $129 a year subscription fee, it provides an advocacy and assistance service that will do tasks such as fighting insurance claims or finding a pediatrician on members’ behalf.

Competion galore is out there, and getting people to trust a website with their healthcare might not catch on. By Steve Case has vision and the ability to see this through.

To Start Your Revolution:

KnowYourRisk
Build Your Own Health Page
Check Your Symptoms
Find and Rate Your Health Care
Asess and Track Your Health
Organize Your Health Records
Get Free Newsletters

Hospitals: 10 Things They Won’t Tell You

Nagel — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 13:45:18 +0000

Health care costs have gotten outrageously expensive, so you can argue the minimum you get when you visit a hospital for medical reasons is the truth. Not revealing everything can be considered not telling the truth. There has been a real tipping point in America where people are considering realistic for the first time that universal healthcare is an option for America.

Smartmoney has an interisting article and what hospitals will not tell you. We all want all the information we can get when at a hospital, but that is not always the case.
Click here to read this article on Smartmoney.com.

Personal Finance Education Websites

Nagel — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 13:40:35 +0000

Many people want to learn more on personal finance and investing, but do not know where to start. Websites like this one and other personal finance sites are great tools. I also wanted to let you know of other resources available to get you up-to-speed on a wide variety of financial topics.

I would recommend watching Mad Money for investing. He is one of the few who will go step-by-step to help you invest smarter. This can buttress a general investing education you can get from doing some homework. Obviously, there are loads of investing books so look around and see what others have to say about it.

These are from from the only options available. You can easily go to Kiplinger, Money, Smartmoney, Yahoo! Finance, Google Finance, etc. These are all informative and can hold your hand until you get the hang of certain topics you might not have mastered yet.

These are great personal finance education websites to start. Ask around and get people’s opinions on what sources to use. I would recommend using as many reliable sources as possible. It is not easy, but we all want to do better with our money.