Health Care and Insurance + Original Articles

What You Need to Know About the Affordable Care Act: Money-Saving Tips from An Expert

The deadline for the open enrollment through the healthcare marketplace is just around the corner. Here s what you need to get the most for your money under the new law. If you don’t have health insurance, there’s still time to purchase a plan through HealthCare.gov—the official website of the government’s healthcare marketplace, also known as the exchange. Established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the healthcare marketplace will allow you to compare the private insurance options available in your state, and purchase insurance.

Why Cancer Insurance May Not Pay Off

If you were diagnosed tomorrow, would you be prepared financially? If the answer is "no," you may be tempted to invest in cancer insurance. But read this first. Cancer insurance is a type of supplemental insurance policy you can buy to help cover the out-of-pocket costs for specific treatments and related expenses and to replace some of your lost income. But is this really a good investment? Cancer Insurance: Buyer Beware "You have to be very careful of any type of insurance that's specialized in nature," says David Randall, CFP with LPL Financial.

4 Myths About the Affordable Care Act

Healthcare Reform, or the Affordable Care Act, is aimed at increasing the affordability and rate of health insurance coverage for Americans. Here's more of what you need to know. What do you know about healthcare reform? Not much? You're not alone. To help you understand the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and separate fact from fiction, we've gathered some facts from industry experts to clarify some common misconceptions. Myth #1: The ACA cuts Medicare Fact: According to the AARP, the ACA prohibits cuts to guaranteed Medicare Benefits.

Affordable Care Act: What Changes Can You Expect?

In this second installment of a two-part article on healthcare reform, we explore the changes that affect health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid. For the first installment on healthcare reform, click here. Healthcare reform, or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), implements requirements and limitations on health insurance companies to protect patients, especially the ability to drop or deny coverage to individuals due to pre-existing conditions.

Affordable Care Act: An Overview

In this first installment of a two-part article, we provide the highlights of healthcare reform. Perhaps no other single piece of legislation in recent history has caused as much misunderstanding or controversy than the healthcare reform bill, aka Obamacare. Regardless of your position on the law, health care affects every citizen, so it's important to understand the basics.

Safeguard Your Future With Disability Insurance

Yes, you do need disability insurance. Here's why, and here's how to make sure you've got enough coverage if you suddenly find yourself injured and suffering a loss of income. Expecting the unexpected. No one likes contemplating "what ifs," but being prepared for when the clouds roll in is important. Far too many people have found themselves suddenly unable to earn an income due to an illness or injury they did not anticipate.

Are You Covered? The Case for Cancer Insurance

Think you're covered in case of cancer? You might need to think again. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year 12.7 million are diagnosed with cancer and 7.6 million people die from the disease worldwide. Cancer can be devastating, not only to the mind and body but to your finances, too: A 2007 study by researchers at Harvard University found that medical expenses were responsible for 62 percent of personal bankruptcies in this country.

Be Your Own Health Care Advocate

You have not only a right, but a responsibility, to communicate with medical staff about the nature of your care. A hospital stay for you or your loved one can be stressful. You may have unanswered questions or be unsure if you're getting the very best care. But you don't have to sit back and wonder in silence. The Need for Health Care Advocacy The health care field has changed significantly over the past decade, according to Clyde Yancy, MD, chief of Cardiology, Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL, and former president of the American Heart Association.

When You Can't Afford Your Hospital Bills

Many programs and resources are available to help provide financial assistance. An expert discusses some of the options. If you've recently been in the hospital, you may feel overwhelmed by the staggering amount of medical bills for co-pays, co-insurance, and deductibles that you owe after your health insurance pays its part. This is a common situation, according to Nicholas Newsad, MHSA, author of The Medical Bill Survival Guide: Easy, Effective Strategies for People Experiencing Financial Hardship.

Your Intuition and Your Health

Your gut instinct can guide your health decision-making. Here's how to use intuition the right way. Most of us have felt it at least once in our lives-that little voice inside our head that says to us, "Watch out" or "You're on the right path." Or maybe we just knew something though we didn't know why and couldn't  produce evidence.  This feeling is intuition.

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