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Greetings,
But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
Welcome back to another issue of By His Stripes… I pray that everyone had a safe and wonderful Christmas holiday and is ready to move on into a new year.
In this issue, we will be discussing the high cost of prescription drugs. Prescription drug cost is continuously rising having major adverse affects on our senior community. Many of our seniors cannot afford the cost of medications prescribe by their physician. Because of this, they cannot effectively follow their regimen of treatment. They end up taking less than the prescribed dosage to stretch the medication they have already purchased. The results are less than favorable because the medication cannot effectively work as intended due to improper use.
Our seniors who have Medicare Part D plan is covered until they reach what is called the “doughnut hole”. Medicare will cover a percentage of the cost of prescription drugs up to $2700.00. Once this limit has been reached, the client is now in what is called the doughnut hole.
The doughnut hole has a range of cost from $2700.00 to $6100.00. While in this range, no cost is covered by Medicare and the client must pay out of pocket for their prescriptions. Depending on the type of medication a client is taking, this can be strenuous for someone on a fixed income.
There is still yet another issue. What if the drugs prescribed are not a part of the insurance company’s formulary list? Do they just go without because their medication is not covered?
While we are very concerned about our senior community, what about the other members of our community who are uninsured or under insured? What about our friends and family whose income disqualifies them for government assistance, but is not enough to be able to afford traditional insurance? Is there any hope to help this group of loved ones?
Of course, there are alternatives for us. We have previously mentioned discount-fee-for-service plans as an alternative. There are discount-fee-for-service plans that offer a prescription drug card as a part of the plan. With this prescription drug card, we can realize a savings of 10% - 85% on most brand name and generic prescription drugs.
The prescription drug program associated with some discount-fee-for –service plans offer a mail order program which will allow us to save even more on our medications.
And for those of us who qualify, there is an option on some plans that will help us to acquire our medications via an advocacy program. Through the advocacy program, we can receive our prescriptions drugs in a 90 day supply delivered to our door. Although there may be a monthly service fee, the medication is free of charge. Some restrictions apply and we must qualify.
Elizabeth B. - Sterling Heights, MI
I called to say how well the program is working for me. I had knee surgery and was in bed for several months and am so happy that most of my meds came directly to my home and that my refills are done automatically. Now I never have to worry about affording my meds any more. I was spending $520 a month. Now with APAP I only spend $82 a month. I'm saving $483 a month ($5,256 a year)!
To hear more exciting stories of how an advocacy programs has helped others, visit testimonials and click on Rx Advocacy (APAP). The advocacy program is a viable solution to those who qualify and can be used while in the doughnut hole.
Stay tuned for the next issue of By His Stripes… where we will discuss Chiropractic Plans.
I welcome your feedback. Leave me a question and/or comment and let me know what's on your mind. If there's a topic you're interested in discussing, please let me know. If there is anyone you know who would benefit from this information, please share this site with them. See you in the next issue!
Until then,
God Bless You
T.J. Robinson
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
You and the U.S. Health Care Crisis: How is the Health Care Crisis affecting you? Better yet, how are you affecting it? (Part II)
Greetings,
But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
Welcome to another issue of By His Stripes… Previously, we began a discussion about alternative ways to get quality health care for our family at an affordable rate. Discount-fee-for-service plans are alternative health care plans that help us to provide quality health care for our families even on our most strict budget. This is a very good way to accomplish the goal of keeping our families healthy. If we choose the right one for our family, we could save thousands of dollars every year.
This is part two of the series where we will take a look at Vision Care. Many of the discount-fee-for-service plans will offer a vision plan. With this vision plan, you save anywhere from 10% to 60% on your eye care needs. This is huge, especially if you have a large family!!
Just to show you an example of the savings, I used my discount-fee-for-service vision plan at a well known provider. The initial cost of my specific eye exam was originally $45.00. Upon checkout, I gave the receptionist my member card. She said my new balance was $10.00. That’s a savings of 68%! There were no claim forms or any other paperwork required. I must reiterate, this was for my particular eye exam. I do not wear eyeglasses therefore your eye exam may cost a different price.
I just wanted to show you a real example of how we can save money, and lots of it, using these types of plans. Fore more examples, visit here and click on testimonials, then vision to read more stories of exciting savings.
What excites me is we can get a plan that is nation wide. It doesn’t matter where we are in the U.S. If we have an emergency, like you sat on your glasses and shattered your lenses or lost a contact lens, we can look for a provider in our area and get a replacement.
We can save up to 60% on all the services rendered. In part one; we spoke about restrictions and exclusions. With the vision plan, there aren’t any as well. This means that the entire store would be on sale to us if we used a discount-fee-for-service vision plan. We can choose whatever we want and still receive instant savings.
Are you tired of having to replace your eyewear? Some discount-fee-for-service vision plans allow for additional savings on contact lenses if we use their mail order program. We can also even save on Lasik eye surgery with certain providers in selected markets.
Now get this!! What if you wanted to treat yourself to a pair of non-prescription designer sunglasses? This could be very expensive. With your discount-fee-for-service plan, you can look great at an affordable rate shopping the world’s largest online optical store and don’t need a prescription. On some plans, we even get a 30-day money back guarantee on all merchandise.
Discount-fee-for-service vision plans are a smart alternative for those of us who are uninsured or under insured. This type of alternative can help us to address our health care needs affordably while reducing the negative effect of the U.S. health care crisis. We can now afford to take care of our eyes so we can continue to enjoy seeing of our loved ones. With healthy eyes, we can watch our children grow into beautiful young men and women.
Stay tuned for the next issue of By His Stripes… where we will discuss Prescription Drug Plans.
I welcome your feedback. Leave me a comment and/or question and let me know what’s on your mind. If there’s a topic you’re interested in discussing, please let me know.
If there is anyone you know who would benefit from this information, please share this site with them. See you in the next issue!
Until then,
God Bless You
T.J. Robinson
But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
Welcome to another issue of By His Stripes… Previously, we began a discussion about alternative ways to get quality health care for our family at an affordable rate. Discount-fee-for-service plans are alternative health care plans that help us to provide quality health care for our families even on our most strict budget. This is a very good way to accomplish the goal of keeping our families healthy. If we choose the right one for our family, we could save thousands of dollars every year.
This is part two of the series where we will take a look at Vision Care. Many of the discount-fee-for-service plans will offer a vision plan. With this vision plan, you save anywhere from 10% to 60% on your eye care needs. This is huge, especially if you have a large family!!
Just to show you an example of the savings, I used my discount-fee-for-service vision plan at a well known provider. The initial cost of my specific eye exam was originally $45.00. Upon checkout, I gave the receptionist my member card. She said my new balance was $10.00. That’s a savings of 68%! There were no claim forms or any other paperwork required. I must reiterate, this was for my particular eye exam. I do not wear eyeglasses therefore your eye exam may cost a different price.
I just wanted to show you a real example of how we can save money, and lots of it, using these types of plans. Fore more examples, visit here and click on testimonials, then vision to read more stories of exciting savings.
What excites me is we can get a plan that is nation wide. It doesn’t matter where we are in the U.S. If we have an emergency, like you sat on your glasses and shattered your lenses or lost a contact lens, we can look for a provider in our area and get a replacement.
We can save up to 60% on all the services rendered. In part one; we spoke about restrictions and exclusions. With the vision plan, there aren’t any as well. This means that the entire store would be on sale to us if we used a discount-fee-for-service vision plan. We can choose whatever we want and still receive instant savings.
Are you tired of having to replace your eyewear? Some discount-fee-for-service vision plans allow for additional savings on contact lenses if we use their mail order program. We can also even save on Lasik eye surgery with certain providers in selected markets.
Now get this!! What if you wanted to treat yourself to a pair of non-prescription designer sunglasses? This could be very expensive. With your discount-fee-for-service plan, you can look great at an affordable rate shopping the world’s largest online optical store and don’t need a prescription. On some plans, we even get a 30-day money back guarantee on all merchandise.
Discount-fee-for-service vision plans are a smart alternative for those of us who are uninsured or under insured. This type of alternative can help us to address our health care needs affordably while reducing the negative effect of the U.S. health care crisis. We can now afford to take care of our eyes so we can continue to enjoy seeing of our loved ones. With healthy eyes, we can watch our children grow into beautiful young men and women.
Stay tuned for the next issue of By His Stripes… where we will discuss Prescription Drug Plans.
I welcome your feedback. Leave me a comment and/or question and let me know what’s on your mind. If there’s a topic you’re interested in discussing, please let me know.
If there is anyone you know who would benefit from this information, please share this site with them. See you in the next issue!
Until then,
God Bless You
T.J. Robinson
Friday, December 11, 2009
You and the U.S. Health Care Crisis: How is the Health Care Crisis affecting you? Better yet, how are you affecting it?
Greetings,
This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). We should rejoice because we are still here in the land of the living. But I wonder, how many of us can truly rejoice and celebrate living free from sickness and disease?
There’s a health care crisis going on in the United States today, as if you didn’t know that already. In this edition of By His Stripes, I would like to talk about some aspects of this crisis that you may be affected by and some possible solutions.
I know the buzz is centered on major medical insurance and socialized medicine. I’m going to leave that discussion up to them for now. I want to discuss with you some areas of health care that are vital to our overall health, but may be vastly overlooked. My intention is to also offer valuable information on alternative solutions that can be taken advantage of today, even in the midst of the crisis. In this edition, we will address Dental Care.
Statistics show that 8 out of 10 Americans want, but cannot afford, a good dental plan. They not only want, but need a good dental plan, and an affordable one. The average dental insurance plan costs a family of four about $150.00 per month. It has a deductible of $1000.00 that must be met before the dental insurance will cover any portion of treatment. Once the deductible is met, you have a 20% co pay and the dental insurance company has to determine what will or will not be covered. These are called restrictions and exclusions. It must also be said that there is a maximum dollar amount of coverage provided by dental insurance, as well as a maximum number of visits per year. If you have a pre-existing condition, you now have a waiting period, although you are paying your premium every month. This waiting period is usually six (6) months. The dental insurance plan may or may not cover services provided by a specialist that does not exceed the maximum spending limit. Orthodontics for adults is rare, if not out of the question. Oh, and the members of that family of four must be related by blood and/or marriage and under a certain age.
Now that you’ve jumped all those hurdles, your dentist has to hire a Medical Billing Specialist to file claims paperwork so he can be informed of what the dental insurance company will pay for the services provided. This will seem like an exaggeration to some, but it’s not at all. So, what do most American’s do? As my Bishop says, I’m glad you asked. They go without dental benefits, especially in these times of economic hardship.
When this happens, many families end up enduring the pain of unhealthy teeth and gums which lead to gum disease. If someone is experiencing a toothache, eventually they will have to go to the doctor to have it addressed. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a tooth ache, but to me, it’s right up there next to labor pains. I personally know of someone who ended up in the Emergency Room because the pain of a tooth ache was so great. You and I know that there is nothing that can be done in the Emergency Room, but prescribe pain pills and an antibiotic, if needed, and send them home. This person took drastic measures to get some sort of relief for their pain. With that said, think of the cost of that Emergency Room visit. Someone has to pay for it. This happens all the time. Maybe not with tooth aches, but with other types of sickness, hence your health care crisis.
As you know, behind every dark cloud there is a silver lining, if you’re looking for one. There are alternative dental plans available for you that will not only help you accomplish the goal of keeping your family with a healthy smile, but save you money in the process. So here’s your silver lining.
I have found that people sometimes frown upon discount-fee-for-service plans because they really don’t understand how to use the plan and they don’t realize the money they will save by using the plan. They get turned off by the fact that it is not traditional insurance. This is not a bad thing. One of the advantages of a discount-fee-for-service plan is that it is not regulated by the Department of Insurance; therefore the cost is more affordable. In an edition of Parents Magazine, there was an article titled, 25 Ways to Save Money on Healthcare. The third option discussed in this article is “Join a Discount Club”. Discount-Fee-For Service plans do not have the restriction of tradition dental insurance plans either. Most of the time it doesn’t matter what your family make up looks like. The structure of a traditional family has now changed in this day and age. We now have grandparents as well as other relatives and non-relatives living in the same household. A discount-fee-for-service plan accepts every member of the household and the cost is not determined by the number of household members.
There are other advantages of joining a discount club. The age of the household members would not be considered. There is no open enrollment so you can join at any time. There are some discount-fee-for-service plans that have no contract so; you can cancel at any time, if needed. There is no limit on the number of visits and no waiting periods associated with some plans. But the thing that I like most of all about joining a discount club is you can save anywhere from 25% to 80% on the services rendered by a dentist in the network. This is great!! Talk about a silver lining. I believe this can help lots of people stay healthy during these tough times because they can control the spending of their money and still get quality dental care from highly qualified dentist. Now, what kind of affect is the health care crisis having on you?
In closing, if we take the time to investigate all the alternatives that are available to us, we may find that it is much easier to live during economic distress. It’s all about your perspective. Is your glass half empty or half full?
Stay tuned for Part II of By His Stripes: You and the Health Care Crisis where we will continue our discussion on how you affect the health care crisis as well as how it affects you. We will take a look at vision care. Until then, God bless you. Give yourself away in the form of a gift. Look around to see who you can help today. Show some love as you pass someone’s way. By this, all men shall know you are my disciples (John 13:35).
T.J. Robinson
P.S.
My glass is completely full with half water and half air. Remember, it’s all in how you look at it!
This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). We should rejoice because we are still here in the land of the living. But I wonder, how many of us can truly rejoice and celebrate living free from sickness and disease?
There’s a health care crisis going on in the United States today, as if you didn’t know that already. In this edition of By His Stripes, I would like to talk about some aspects of this crisis that you may be affected by and some possible solutions.
I know the buzz is centered on major medical insurance and socialized medicine. I’m going to leave that discussion up to them for now. I want to discuss with you some areas of health care that are vital to our overall health, but may be vastly overlooked. My intention is to also offer valuable information on alternative solutions that can be taken advantage of today, even in the midst of the crisis. In this edition, we will address Dental Care.
Statistics show that 8 out of 10 Americans want, but cannot afford, a good dental plan. They not only want, but need a good dental plan, and an affordable one. The average dental insurance plan costs a family of four about $150.00 per month. It has a deductible of $1000.00 that must be met before the dental insurance will cover any portion of treatment. Once the deductible is met, you have a 20% co pay and the dental insurance company has to determine what will or will not be covered. These are called restrictions and exclusions. It must also be said that there is a maximum dollar amount of coverage provided by dental insurance, as well as a maximum number of visits per year. If you have a pre-existing condition, you now have a waiting period, although you are paying your premium every month. This waiting period is usually six (6) months. The dental insurance plan may or may not cover services provided by a specialist that does not exceed the maximum spending limit. Orthodontics for adults is rare, if not out of the question. Oh, and the members of that family of four must be related by blood and/or marriage and under a certain age.
Now that you’ve jumped all those hurdles, your dentist has to hire a Medical Billing Specialist to file claims paperwork so he can be informed of what the dental insurance company will pay for the services provided. This will seem like an exaggeration to some, but it’s not at all. So, what do most American’s do? As my Bishop says, I’m glad you asked. They go without dental benefits, especially in these times of economic hardship.
When this happens, many families end up enduring the pain of unhealthy teeth and gums which lead to gum disease. If someone is experiencing a toothache, eventually they will have to go to the doctor to have it addressed. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a tooth ache, but to me, it’s right up there next to labor pains. I personally know of someone who ended up in the Emergency Room because the pain of a tooth ache was so great. You and I know that there is nothing that can be done in the Emergency Room, but prescribe pain pills and an antibiotic, if needed, and send them home. This person took drastic measures to get some sort of relief for their pain. With that said, think of the cost of that Emergency Room visit. Someone has to pay for it. This happens all the time. Maybe not with tooth aches, but with other types of sickness, hence your health care crisis.
As you know, behind every dark cloud there is a silver lining, if you’re looking for one. There are alternative dental plans available for you that will not only help you accomplish the goal of keeping your family with a healthy smile, but save you money in the process. So here’s your silver lining.
I have found that people sometimes frown upon discount-fee-for-service plans because they really don’t understand how to use the plan and they don’t realize the money they will save by using the plan. They get turned off by the fact that it is not traditional insurance. This is not a bad thing. One of the advantages of a discount-fee-for-service plan is that it is not regulated by the Department of Insurance; therefore the cost is more affordable. In an edition of Parents Magazine, there was an article titled, 25 Ways to Save Money on Healthcare. The third option discussed in this article is “Join a Discount Club”. Discount-Fee-For Service plans do not have the restriction of tradition dental insurance plans either. Most of the time it doesn’t matter what your family make up looks like. The structure of a traditional family has now changed in this day and age. We now have grandparents as well as other relatives and non-relatives living in the same household. A discount-fee-for-service plan accepts every member of the household and the cost is not determined by the number of household members.
There are other advantages of joining a discount club. The age of the household members would not be considered. There is no open enrollment so you can join at any time. There are some discount-fee-for-service plans that have no contract so; you can cancel at any time, if needed. There is no limit on the number of visits and no waiting periods associated with some plans. But the thing that I like most of all about joining a discount club is you can save anywhere from 25% to 80% on the services rendered by a dentist in the network. This is great!! Talk about a silver lining. I believe this can help lots of people stay healthy during these tough times because they can control the spending of their money and still get quality dental care from highly qualified dentist. Now, what kind of affect is the health care crisis having on you?
In closing, if we take the time to investigate all the alternatives that are available to us, we may find that it is much easier to live during economic distress. It’s all about your perspective. Is your glass half empty or half full?
Stay tuned for Part II of By His Stripes: You and the Health Care Crisis where we will continue our discussion on how you affect the health care crisis as well as how it affects you. We will take a look at vision care. Until then, God bless you. Give yourself away in the form of a gift. Look around to see who you can help today. Show some love as you pass someone’s way. By this, all men shall know you are my disciples (John 13:35).
T.J. Robinson
P.S.
My glass is completely full with half water and half air. Remember, it’s all in how you look at it!
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