March is National Disaster Preparedness Month.  This year I was reminded how important it is to be prepared for a disaster like a tornado.  At the beginning of March, we were warned by weather forecasters that we were in the high risk area of a possible tornado.  On the day of the storms people were taking it seriously.  Schools let out early so children would not be on buses and even some businesses were closing early.  The tornadoes ended up touching down in at least five states and at least 39 people were killed as a result of the tornado outbreak.  A town about an hour’s drive from my home was hit and so many people were hurt that even the hospitals were asking only people with life threatening injuries to come to the emergency room because it was over filled.  One town about a two hour drive from me was devastated.  Many lost homes and the entire downtown area is in ruins.  Tornadoes, and other disasters, need to be taken seriously.  We should prepare our family in case of a disaster and have the needed items on hand if one happens to occur.  Believe it or not this can be done without a great deal of money and, over time, we can collect the needed items.

Planning

Planning is one thing we can do with our family that is free and only takes a little of our time.  This time spent could save the lives of your family.  Set aside a time each year, or more frequently if needed, and help your family understand what they should do in case of an emergency.  You many need to go over several different types of emergencies.  While I was growing up, my father worked as a firefighter.  He made sure we all knew what to do in case our house caught on fire.  Like this we can also review other disasters that could possibly hit your home.  Take time and make sure you answer all your children’s questions.

Make a List

If a disaster were to happen that you needed to evacuate and you had 15 minutes to gather your things to take would you be able to get your entire family out within 15 minutes?  If you answer no then you need to start making a list of items you would need.  There are several items you will need if you are asked to evacuate.  Here are some items you should consider:

• A tank of gas
• 3 days of food
• Medicines
• Items for small children like diapers, formula etc.
• Water
• Clothes and bedding
• Money
• Important documents
• First aid kit
• Flashlight
• Comfort items for your children

This is just a list to get you started.  You may find you need other items so take the time and plan as a family what you want to have ready, but only take things you will actually need.  Keep these items in a place that they can be easily accessed so you can leave quickly if needed. Also check the food at least once a year in your evacuation kit for freshness. Don’t forget to check clothes too as sizes may have changed, especially in children. FEMA has a great document, Build A Kit, that you can use to get ideas for more items you may need.

Buying Disaster Supplies

Spending extra money on items to be prepared for a disaster may seem hard on a tight budget, but we never know when a disaster is going to hit and we need to be prepared.  Here are a few ideas that may help you.

1. Plan to set aside a certain amount of money each week.  This might only be $5.  Even that little amount of money will eventually get you the items you need.  It may take you awhile, but at least you are doing something to prepare.

2. Check thrift stores.  Sometimes you can find great deals on needed items in these stores.  I have found tents in good shape at great prices.  You can also find some change of clothes there too.

3. Ask for items as gifts.  Preparedness items make great Christmas and Birthday gifts, so why not ask for them and then you will not have to worry about buying those items.  A first aid kit makes a great gift, one that could even save your life.

4. Use coupons.  Many times you can get items for free or greatly reduced when using coupons.  This is a great way to stock up on items you need for an evacuation kit.  Personal hygiene items are usually great items to find coupons for.

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Halloween is a very exciting time for kids and often very stressful for parents. And in that stressed state you may send your child out Trick-or-Treating without going over all of safety to-do” list items.

1. Make sure that your child’s costume fits them as it should. Tuck the bottoms of the pants into the tops of their shoes. If they are wearing a mask, be sure they can both see and breathe easily. Layer your child under their costumes, so that they are warm enough outside. It’s a smart idea to put their pajamas underneath, as you can then just put them to bed once you get home.
2. If you have time earlier in the day – drive the route you intend to take while walking. You want to be aware of any road work or other hazards that you might not have known was there, so that you can plan accordingly.
3. Each child should have their own light source. It’s best to put a flashing light around their next as well as a handheld source to light the ground in front of them.
4. Discuss the route you will take with all of the adults and older kids in your route. You want everyone to know what direction you will be headed for the evening.
5. Designate a meet up spot – especially if you will be allowing older children to run ahead.
6. If you have small children – make sure that your each adult is specifically responsible for one little one, and knowing what they are dressed up as.
7. Decide on a code word for the child to yell if they get separated from you and/or your group. A child yelling “Mommy” or “Daddy” into a crowded street is not likely to help the situation. Try something really random like “Alligator” or “Mathematics”.
8. Do not let your child to enter someone’s home alone – for any reason!! Your child should go up to the door with a buddy every time. This includes haunted garages, spooky enclosed porches and decorated backyards.
9. Bring along a mini first aid kit – especially band-aids – just in case someone trips and scraps a knee.

Halloween is supposed to  be fun evening – so you really don’t want it to end in injury or worse.

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Whether it’s a sports injury or just an accident while playing around, there are some keys to making a broken bone more manageable. One of the most important things to do is not to have an overly dramatic response to it.

Your child looks to you for guidance in unfamiliar situations – and not just your words but your actions – so maintain a positive and reassuring attitude while staying realistic about what lies ahead will do wonders for your child. Here are some more things you should know when dealing with a broken bone and the subsequent casting process:

At The Time of the Break

1. If they have broken skin in addition to the broken bone, try to move the limb as little as possible and get them to the emergency room as soon as possible.
2. If they have rapid swelling – especially around a joint – they need medical attention immediately. Swelling can cause a break that didn’t separate to separate after the fact.
3. If you are simply unsure if it’s broken – as some kids make it hard to gauge how much it really hurts – take them home for a hour and observe them. If they are protecting the limb and/or not using it, even when they think you are not looking, take them in for x-rays. It’s better to be safe than sorry. An untreated break can mean more pain later when it essentially has to be “re-broken” to properly set it.

During the Medical Intervention

1. You have to pay close attention to what the doctor is telling you regarding the break. There are lots of different types of break – hairline fractures, compound fractures – and each require different treatment from simple casting to surgery to pin the bone back together.
2. Ask your doctor how the break relates to your child’s growth plates (these are the parts of a child’s bone that allows for the growth in stature by producing new bone and providing a place for the growth to stem from and be evenly distributed). This will determine the long term impact of how this break will affect your child.
3. Make sure that your child is paying attention as best they can for their age level as well. They need to know what is and isn’t okay and often times being told by the doctor will have more impact on them.

Caring for a Cast

1. Your top priority when caring for a cast is keeping it clean and DRY! The cast must stay just as it is molded by the technician in order to aid the healing process. If it gets wet it may “reshape” itself and cause more harm than good. Additionally if moisture gets into it can start to mold and/or bring infection to the skin underneath. This means wrapping it in plastic for bathing, keeping it out of the rain and away from pools and lakes.
2. Never ever under any circumstances stick anything down the cast – for play, to relieve an itch or anything else! If the skin is scratched but you don’t see the injury, it can become infected and maybe even abscess. If they have an itch have then tap on the cast over the itch – it will help!
3. The area around the cast – like the fingers or toes – should look exactly as they do on the other limb. If you notice significant swelling, color changes or temperature differences, contact your doctor immediately. If your child complains that it suddenly “feels funny” or “feels tingly” you need to get to the urgent care or emergency room as it can indicate nerve damage.
4. When the child is resting, try to prop the casted limb so that it sits above the heart. This will help relieve swelling and reduce pain in the area.

Having a broken bone is no fun for the child or the parent. But it is something that will get better pretty quickly – most kids only need their casts for 4-6 weeks. It’s important to try to go on with your normal activities. A special note for sports injuries: You should still take your child to practices and games if it’s possible. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about what it really means to be a team, as well as sticking with your obligations. Additionally, you do not want your child to be come “scared” of the sport – sort of going with the theory of getting back on the horse.

Photo by RaGardner4

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If your kids play any sort of contact sport, especially soccer or football, you need to know the basics of concussions. Recently the CDC started pushing the mantra “When in doubt sit them out” whenever a kid has experienced a particularly hard hit, blow, bump or jolt to the head or neck.

While most coaches of organized contact sports are required to take a class – a webinar at the very least – on Concussion, as a parent you too should educate yourself. If a concussion goes unnoticed or unacknowledged, your child could suffer from permanent brain damage, most frequently seen as memory issues.

One of the most important things to remember about possible concsussion is to not allow the child to go to sleep for several hours after the injury (if they show signs of severe lethargy – they cannot keep their eyes open even if they try – get to the emergency room immediately).

My Child Says…

When your child makes any of the following complaints shortly after suffering a considerable collision on the field, you want to remove them from the game, and seek appropriate medical attention. Furthermore you want to make sure that the child does not return to play before that medical professional releases them. These are symptoms see in or reported by your child.

1. Balance problems or feeling dizzy. If your, normally nimble, kid is tripping over his/her own feet, you want have it checked.

2. Headache and nausea/vomiting of any type following the injury occurs, get your child to the emergency room, as this might be a sign of bleeding in the brain.

3. Confusion, concentration and/or memory problems – whether short or long term – are also a sign of a concussion.

4. Sensitivity to sound, light and/or blurry vision

5. If your kid just doesn’t feel right or seems unusually “blue” you might want to have them checked just to be safe.

What You See…

In younger children, or even especially competitive children, you cannot rely on them to tell you something is “off” or not right. You need to keep an eye out for a few red flags that might indicate a concussion.

1. Immediately following the injury ask the child a question that they definitely can answer but not something so simple as their name or yours. There is a fine line between cognition and memory recall reflex. When you ask a person their name, it’s a reflex of the mind to answer. When you ask a person the date, they have to think – if even for a split second – since this changes everyday. However, a very young child might not know the answer, so ask something that they can answer, like who came to the game with them or what color is your shirt. If they struggle to answer or answer very slowly, seek medical attention.

2. If your child seems to suddenly be forgetful – either of events prior to the injury or since the injury – seek medical attention.

3. If you child becomes clumsy or lacks serious hand-eye coordination – seek medical attention.

Head and brain injuries are ones that when addressed quickly can be treated fairly easily. However, if you let things go to long you may miss that wind of opportunity. If and when your child is diagnosed with a concussion, listen very carefully to the doctor’s orders. Two of the most effective ways to avoid concussions it to make sure your child has properly fitted safety equipment – worn correctly – and that they have received adequate instruction on proper form.

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The weather this month has really been frightening.  We’ve seen earthquakes, tornadoes, and even a Hurricane in the United States alone.  When natural disasters like these occur, we need to be ready.  We need to have an Emergency Evacuation Kit for our family so we can quickly get the things we need and get to safer ground.  Other names for these kits are 3 day kits and 72 hour kits.  These kits help us to be prepared for the unexpected.  If we don’t take the time to get some stuff together, we may forget to take important things like medicines when we are given a short amount of time to evacuate.  You may think this will never happen to you, but these types of storms can come when we least expect.  It will give you peace of mind to be prepared.  For a list of items to place in your kits see Ready America. This list can get you started but every family will have different needs.  Make a list of the items you could not live without and go from there.  Don’t forget to include things small children need like diapers and formula and items for pets.  It is best to have one kit for each family member.  Backpacks work great to store these items.  Some of the items you will need for your kits can be really expensive and you may not be able to buy them all at once.  Here are a few ideas to get your kits made on a budget.

Shop at Home

This is one of the cheapest ways to start gathering items for your emergency kit.  Take the list of items you made of the things you need and go searching in your house.  You will probably save yourself a lot of money just by shopping at your house.

Set Aside Money

Another way to get your kits together when you do not have a lot of money to spend on it is to set aside a set amount of money you can spend each month or week.  This money can be used to add items to your kit.  After awhile your family’s kit will start to grow.

Ask for Gifts

We often get asked by family what we want for our birthday or Christmas.  Why not ask for items to place in your kit?  This is a great way to get the more expensive items you will need like a first aid kit or hand cranked radio.  You could even ask for a backpack that will be used for storing all of the items.

Free Samples

Samples are usually smaller and easier to pack in an emergency evacuation kit.   One great place to find samples online is Wal-Mart.  They have a ton of great samples and lots of items that would be perfect for your kit.  Another site I like to get samples from is StartSampling.

Store Reward Cards/Coupons

Store reward cards from places like CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid can help you save money.  If you match some of these store sales with coupons, you can even score some free products like shampoo, toothpaste, and other personal care items.   Coupons can also be matched at stores without reward cards for free and low priced items.   You can also find food items for your kits that you could use a coupon to match with a store sale.  Keep an eye out for coupons for items on your list.

End of Season Clearance

I like to look for backpacks at the end of the back to school sale.  You can find backpack for 50%-75% off, or more.  I have found some great backpacks by waiting until these items get marked down.  You can also find a lot of camping items on clearance at the end of summer.  Look around for end of season clearances to find great deals on needed items for your kits.

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I grew up in the D.C. area so when the earthquake hit earlier this week, I was shocked. We’d never had an earthquake when I lived there.

Since living in San Diego we’re now fairly unfazed by earthquakes but you never know when a natural disaster is going to affect you or how bad it will be. Earthquakes can hit the east coast and, as we found out a few years ago, tornadoes can hit Utah.

With Hurricane Irene now closing in on the east coast, many are scrambling to prepare for another crisis.

Emergency preparedness is something most of us have on our to-do list — but it gets bumped way, way down the list by things that seem more urgent. With recent events in mind, it may be time to reevaluate how prepared your family is for an emergency situation.

Have a Supply of Food

During a crisis, one of the first things that happens is supplies are cut off to an area. It doesn’t take long for the grocery store shelves to empty out when they aren’t being restocked, especially when there is a rush on the stores during a crisis. It’s a good idea (not to mention more frugal) to stock up on food items that your family eats on a regular basis.

If you are storing food that is designed to keep for an extended period of time it’s important that you know how to prepare it. We try and incorporate our long-term food storage into our dinner menu at least once a month so we know how to cook with it and we can all get used to eating it.

I like the quality of the Thrive products from Shelf Reliance. We incorporate a lot of it into our weekly menu plan because it’s convenient. My kids throw a handful of the freeze dried fruits into their cereal each morning for some extra nutrition and I know that they won’t turn their nose up at the foods if they ever have to eat it in a survival situation.

Keep a Well-Stocked First Aid Kit

With 3 boys in our home, a well-stocked first aid kit is essential but in an emergency situation it could save your life. Include the basics such as Band-Aids, Neosporin, pain killers and other over-the-counter medications, but don’t items you may need in a more serious emergency such as latex gloves, gauze, and scissors. Ready America has a great list of what you should include in a first aid kit.

If anyone in the family regularly takes medication, be sure and keep extra on hand as well. My son has asthma so in our case, it’s important that we make sure that we have extra inhalers on hand. Depending on your prescription, most doctors will allow you to pick up extra medication if you tell them you want to keep extra on hand in case of an emergency.

A small first aid book can be useful in your first aid kit. Even if you have first aid and CPR training, often in the midst of a crisis it’s easy to forget the basics.

Keep Gas in the Car

I have a horrible habit of waiting until the very last minute to fill my car up with gas. We primarily drive an all-electric car so we’ve gotten a bit out of the habit of hitting the gas station. A good rule of thumb though, is to always keep your gas tank at least half full. During an emergency, it can be difficult to transport gas so the gas stations often run dry. If you need to use your car to get out of the area, you’re going to need some gas to do it.

Create a 72 Hour Kit

In some emergency situations, you may be required to leave your home (or survive on your own without outside help until the situation is under control). You can prepare for this scenario ahead of time by creating a 72 hour kit for each member of your family.

We keep our 72 hour kits in backpacks, larger ones for the adults and smaller ones that the kids can carry themselves, and fill each one with supplies that would sustain life for 72 hours.

In your 72 hour kit, you could include:

• 3 days worth of non-perishable food
• water, at least 1 gallon of water per person per day
• flashlight
• first aid kit, including any prescription medications
• a comfort item
• diapers/wipes, if you have young kids
• a change of clothes
• extra glasses or contacts
• sleeping bag
• feminine hygiene products (consider including something like the Keeper in order to conserve space)
• cash
• a radio
• local maps
• matches

You’ll want to adapt your 72 hour kits to fit the needs of each member of your family and go through it every 3-6 months to be sure your supplies are still fresh.

What do you do to prepare for an emergency?

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A jump in the number of bee stings tends to occur in the spring and summer months. This is usually a result of the increased amount of time spent outdoor and the increased activity of bees working to pollinate the blooming plants. The effect of a bee sting varies widely from person to person and the level of severity, unfortunately, cannot be known until someone is stung. Being prepared for a sting – bee, wasp, and yellow jacket – is the best way to lessen the effects, as speedy response is the most crucial aspect of bee sting first aid.

Why Can an Insect Sting Be Fatal

For a majority of people, who are not allergic to bee stings, all that is required is minor first aid done at home. However for people with allergies, anaphylactic shock is a very real possibility that must be addressed quickly. Anaphylactic shock is the rapid and over reactive response of your immune system to some substance it deems as dangerous to your well-being. It usually results in massive swelling of the affected area first and then as the toxin spread through the blood stream, it can lead to swelling of the tongue and/or throat, resulting closure of the airways and suffocation. It might also be accompanied by hives – large, red welts, that are often itchy, that show up all over the body.

Come Prepared

If you are going to be going out into nature, you should always bring a well stocked first aid kit, and in that kit you should have some sort of allergy medication with an anti-histamine (EpiPen, Zyrtec, Allegra, Benedryl,etc). You should also have tweezers for removal of the stinger; however a credit card – or other plastic card – can be very effective. It is important to remove the stinger quickly to lessen the amount of toxin absorbed into your skin.

Speedy Response

After the stinger is removed, it is important keep a close eye out for swelling and/or hives as these are signs of possible anaphylactic shock. If the person already suffers from seasonal allergies, it is wise to give a dose of anti-histamine, just in case. For most people, the pain is the only real symptom, for which an anti-inflammatory medication can be used. You can also make a paste of baking soda and water and apply it to the sting for a more localized treatment. If the person has not developed hives, fever/chills or massive swelling within approximately 30 minutes, it is very unlikely that they will.

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There are a number of summer specific health concerns that every mom should address at the beginning of summer. One of these concerns involves contact with poison oak, poison ivy and/or poison sumac. Since we spend so many more hours outside, we need to get a refresher each year on what these plants look like, as well as how to care for the resulting rashes.

Know Your Environment

You should take the time to know what grows in and around your home as well as any outdoor areas you frequent in the summer month – like the park, lake, ocean, forest, etc. If you are going camping, you want o make sure that you know what could be in and around your camp site. You also want to make sure that your whole family knows how to identify the plants. One of the oldest tricks in identifying poisonous plants is to memorize the rhyme: “Leaves of Three let them be.” The three most common varieties of poisons plants – ivy, oak and sumac – all have groupings of three leaves on their bushes. If you are ever not sure you should always just stay away. To look at photos of poison ivy/oak/sumac visit: http://poison-ivy.org/. In general poison ivy and oak like open spaces in wooded area while sumac can be found in swamps. If you will be camping or hiking in areas like this, you may consider wearing long pants as the plants are generally low to the ground, or using some sort of protective lotion on exposed skin.

How You Get The Rash

It is not the plant directly that causes most people to break out in rashes of varying severity. It is actually the oil on the leaves, called urushiol, which will cause the skin to break out into bumpy, itchy, red patches when it comes into contact. These bumps can stay small and mildly irritable or they may grow into large nasty blisters. It all depends on the level to which your body reacts to the oils. And since you have no way of knowing if you will not have a reaction prior to your first contact, you should simply avoid it all together. There is no concrete evidence that immunity to these plants is hereditary so do not risk your children because you don’t have reactions to it. Additionally it is possible to spread the oil from one spot on your skin to another, so if you have come in contact, do not touch the area with anything except special soap that will thoroughly remove the oils.

Treatment Options

The most important – but hardest – remedy is to not scratch. This is especially hard for young children. You can resort to taping oven mitts to their hands so that they cannot scratch with their nails. There are a number of topical lotions –most of which are calamine based – that will provide some relief as well. Additionally you should also give an oral anti-histamine, such as Zytrec, Claritin or Bendaryl. This will actually provide relief the fastest and most effectively.

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Temperatures are climbing, which means you are probably about ready to plan some trips to the pool! With young children it is so important to have a pool safety pow-wow before you venture out to the pool. It is even more important if you have a pool on your property. The most important concept to keep in mind when it comes to water safety is that it only takes a second for a child to go under. Here are some tips that will help you keep your children safe around the crystal blue waters. (Keep in mind that these tips are also true for ocean, lake and river play, in addition to the safety concerns of playing in a “live” water environment)

General Pool Safety

1. Unless your child has demonstrated a solid ability to swim on their own, they should be wearing a life vest. It is also important that you have the right size and fit for your child, and that it is properly fastened. If you are “teaching” your child to swim, you should remove the vest only when you are in the water with them, and within arms reach.
2. Never multi-task while you are the person watching the children in the pool. Don’t read a book, don’t cook dinner, and don’t talk on your phone. Again it only takes a moment for a child to go under silently and if you are not alert and paying attention your few second window to save them might pass.
3. No running around the deck of the pool. This is a two fold rule – the deck might be wet and a slip and fall can be disastrous on concrete but also could cause someone to fall into the water.

Public Pool Safety

1. Review the rules of the particular rules of the pool you are visiting with your children. You also want to point out where the lifeguards are, as well as what parts of the pool are acceptable play areas for your children and their ability.
2. Do not rely solely on the eyes of the guards on duty. There are all sorts of factors can cause a guard to overlook something. This is especially important if there are a large number of children in the pool.
3. Feel free to ask the pool staff about their training. You want to be sure that they are up to date, not to mention properly equipped to handle emergency situations.
4. If you are using a community pool (like at an apartment complex or hotel) and it is posted that no lifeguard is on duty treat the pool as if it was in your home and follow the home pool safety tips.

Home Pool Safety

1. If you are not out by the pool, your children should not have access to the pool. This mean that the ladder should be removed from an above ground pool or that a gate should be locked leading into an in-ground pool. Just telling your younger children that they can’t be in there without you is not enough, you have to make it so that they are unable to get into the water without your help.
2. Always clean up all the toys and do not leave any floating on the surface. Children, especially under the age of 5, do not always understand the physics of leaning over the edge to grab a toy. This means that they could slip right into the water without so much as a squeak. So simply remove the temptation by cleaning up all the toys each time you use the pool. This will also prolong the life of your filtration system, as you will not have to worry about items getting stuck in the pump.
3. If you own a pool, you should seriously consider becoming CPR certified. In most states it is a single Saturday spent at the community center to learn the basic skills for CPR but the knowledge will last a life time and can save a life when properly administrated.
4. Put together a poolside safety kit. It should have basic first aid items along with a breathing mask. You also want to have a large sturdy set of scissors near the pool – but in a safe place away from little ones. These might become necessary if someone’s hair gets snagged by the pump and/or vacuum or if someone has slipped under the pool cover and you need fast access to them. You should also bring a phone out to the pool with you each time you play, so that you can quickly dial 911 in case of emergency.
5. Always go over the rules with visitors. And if you are having a pool party, try to stick to the rule of 1 pair of adult eyes for every 5 kids in the water.
6. Pool Safety extends to the maintenance of your pool. You need to be well educated in terms of the chemicals used to keep your pool clean. It is possible to put the wrong mixtures in, resulting in burning or other skin irritations. Even if you have a professional pool keeper, you should still have a basic knowledge of what’s in your pool and what to look for.

Remember that pool play is super fun and also great exercise – making it the perfect summertime activity. Being alert and aware will help keep the fun going all summer long.

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Health Care Insurance is a touchy issue in today’s economy. Did you know that a majority of people that are lucky enough to have coverage, are not using that coverage to it’s fullest extent? Most plans offer a number of free services as well as specifics for lower fees. It is important to look into exactly what your benefits include and make the most of the plan you are already paying for.

What Can You Get for Free?

Many plans offer free services for programs that will increase your overall level of health. For example, there might be a free smoking cessation program which includes printed materials, support groups, and even medication. The reason your health care plan offers these sorts of programs is because it cost them less in the long run. If you are healthier in general, you spend less time in doctor’s offices. Other common programs include prenatal care, weight loss programs, and diabetic care. You might also have access to a nurse call-in program to have your simple questions answered for free without a doctor’s visit. Also many plans include a “co-pay free” annual exam/physical. Take advantage of this, as annual are a great way to catch major issues when they are first presenting. Your plan may also reimburse you for diffenent treatment related costs. If you have to travel more than 60 miles to see a specialist, you might be able to get some gas money. Or if you have to pay extra shipping to recieve a prescribed item, you might be able to get that money back.

Where Are You Going for Care?

When you or a family member are sick, you may think you need the most state-of-the-art facility to get testing done. But really an ultrasound is an ultrasound whether done in your doctor’s clinic or at the hospital. However the fee can be drastically different. In general, having testing and procedures done in your doctor’s office is almost always less expensive, which means less out of pocket for you. You also want to look into what sorts of routine testing are covered. Your plan may cover up to 2 MRIs a year but no CScans, so if possible you want to ask your doctor if the other will produce a valuable test result. This also applies for referrals. Some plans require a referral from your Primary Care Physician (PCP) before they will cover a visit to a specialist. A specialist can be anyone from a OB/GYN to a dermatologist to an endocrinologist. If you need to see any of these specialist, call your insurance and see if a referral is needed, and if so ask your PCP for a formal referral. This can save you a lot of money in the long run because specialist’s fees tend to be higher to begin with, you don’t want to be stuck with the entire bill.

Is Your Plan Customizable?

While most items covered by your plan are determined by your employer (if you are covered by an employer) or the state (if you get state benefits), there might be some wiggle room. For example, if you are a single mother, you really don’t need to be paying for male related items just as a single dad really doesn’t need to be covered for maternity care. Also if your children are out of the house and no longer on your plan, you could drop the pediatric services. Medical Insurance is much like auto or home owner’s insurance in that specifics might be included in a package, but not necessary. Think of it like this – if you live in Montana – do you really need Tsunami insurance? So contact your medical insurance and see if you can do any customizing to lower your premiums.

Are You Reading Your Bills?

Almost all medical billing is done by hand. A billing specialist looks at the doctor’s notes, enters codes (numbers assigned to various procedures) into the system, which produces fees and bills your insurance accordingly. Then your insurance responds with how much they are willing to pay for that service and your provider then decides whether to charge you the difference or to accept the payment as is. You want to keep a close eye on what you are being charged because it only takes one slip of the finger to turn a 1 into a 4 when coding and in turn balloon a $100 procedure into a $1500 procedure. From personal experience, I know this to be true. In my current pregnancy I was originally charged for a total body MRI when I only had a pregnancy verification ultrasound done. It was a mere typo that could have cost me a ton. So when you get that bill of patient responsibility, read it over and if anything looks strange call and ask for verification. You could really save yourself in the long run. This also goes for the type of visit you are having. Many Urgent Care facilities or after hours clinics will make you an appointment (even if its for 10 minutes from the time you called) but this can be the difference between a $50 co-pay and a $20 co-pay just in the way it’s billed because a scheduled appointment doesn’t cost as much as a walk-in visit.

In contrast with all of this, your Health Insurance coverage may have changed due to cutbacks by your employer. If they have increased the amount you are responsible for or they have switched providers, you really need to check to see what else has changed. Some people are shocked to find out that their new insurance is not accepted by their current PCP, and only find out when they get a bill!

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