telehealth - Some New Insights
{Tip To Keep Your Health Insurance From Making You Sick
With the current economy in so much trouble and so many people losing jobs, health insurance is more important than ever. Health insurance is not just a personal or family matter, it is a subject of national discourse. Use this information to learn more about health insurance in your life.
When searching for affordable insurance make sure you get quotes from all available options. Each provider has different rates depending on your history. The best bet to ensure that you save the most money is to compare prices. With that being said, make sure you are comfortable with the choice you make and the type of coverage you obtain.
When considering a health care insurance plan from your employer, be sure to take advantage of any plan that allows you to put aside certain amounts of pre-tax money from your paycheck. This is beneficial because you can save money by not paying taxes on income that is used for items that you will already be purchasing such as contacts or medical supplies.
If you're self-employed, remember that health insurance is tax-deductible. Talking to your accountant could mean that your health insurance costs less out of pocket than you expected, because of tax law allowances on your adjusted gross income. Medical costs can also be tax deductible however, so talk to a tax expert to decide what will offer you the most savings.
If you are a college student, check if your university offers a health insurance plan. University health insurance plans can be a great option if a student is no longer listed as a "dependent" under their parents' plan. Students who are still listed as "dependent" under their parents should check to make sure they are not automatically charged for a university health plan. Doing research into these plans can help you save money on health insurance.
Learn the strict coverage details of your health insurance policy. While your policy may state that it covers emergency visits, some hospitals and doctors charge separately for your care. Your policy may cover the hospital's charges, but not the doctor's. If you are unsure about how your company handles this, call them and ask.
When you are choosing which health insurance plan you want, consider how healthy you and your family are. This may lead you to purchase insurance with a cheaper premium if you do not have any anticipated health issues. This can be risky; although you pay less per month for this type of coverage, you'll have to pay out of pocket for medical care if you develop a serious health condition.
When getting dental insurance, do not get features that you do not think you are going to use. For instance, many dental plans are packed with additional discounts for prescription drug plans. If you feel like you do not need it, don't get it. It will just end up costing you more.
You have to take into account all the people that you want to have on your insurance plan and plan accordingly. If you have a bigger family you might want to try and find a job that offers insurance plans. Just make sure you find insurance that is affordable and that you do get insurance, because if anyone gets sick then you'll be glad you got some insurance.
If you have a pre-existing condition, you should do research before signing with a particular company for health coverage. Several companies will not cover you if you suffer from a pre-existing condition, and there are some that charge more for coverage. The best way to get a good price is if you do some research.
Think twice before purchasing a supplemental policy, such as cancer insurance. Often the benefits from your cancer policy will go unused because your primary insurance policy already has you covered. In addition, most supplemental policies have very strict guidelines and limitations with regards to how they can be used.
If you are between jobs, try to get short-term health insurance, instead of waiting to be covered by an employer-sponsored plan. It might take you a while to find the next job and the risk of having no health coverage is too great. One catastrophic event can devastate you financially. Short-term coverage can be a good temporary solution, in the meantime.
If you sign up for an insurance plan with a Health Spending Account, it will afford you lower premiums with a higher deductible. Take the money you're saving from the lower premiums and put it into your HSA - it will grow in a tax-deferred environment, and when you turn 65 you can withdraw the money you didn't spend and use it as you wish!
Put money away from every paycheck towards paying your deductible or copay on telehealth telemedicine your insurance. The one time you'll realize you should already have been doing this is when you get a bill in the mail for a medical service that wasn't covered by your insurance, or only partially covered.
When choosing the right health insurance policy for you and your family, it is extremely important to shop around and research the different ones. Choosing the best valued health insurance can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year. The cost savings from plan to plan can be very dramatic.
Think about using a health insurance comparison website to choose the right plan and rates for you. Contacting each company individually can take a lot of time and quickly become confusing. Using a plan comparison site will allow you to enter your information one time, and then compare many quotes more easily on the same website.
Know the terms when you are getting into health insurance. A deductible is the cost you will pay out of pocket at the time of service. This cost is above and beyond the cost of your actual insurance premiums. Make sure you know what this amount will be before you accept a policy.
Before having any sort of medical procedure done, give your insurance a quick call to confirm if you need pre-authorization for it first. Most of the time the answer will be no and you'll be done, but those few times the answer is yes you will have just saved yourself a lot of heartache come claims time.
One of the most important parts of life is maintaining good health. In order to stay healthy, you need reliable health insurance. Apply what you've learned from this article to get yourself good, high-quality health insurance.
Is the Time Right for Skilled Nursing Facilities to Embrace Telehealth?
Peck launched his previous company, Call9, in 2014, pushing telehealth into nursing homes as a means of reducing unnecessary and costly emergency transports and hospitalizations. But the success stories were few and far between, Medicare rules for telehealth were far too restrictive and the reimbursements weren’t enough to support the programs. Peck folded Call9 in 2019, vowing to try again.
“We talk about the shift to (value-based care) all the time … but we haven’t made the switch,” he told mHealthIntelligence in mid-2019. “We need to flip that switch from fee-for-service … and start rewarding (providers) for bringing value to patient care.”
Peck now thinks that switch is happening. He launched Curve Health in April 2020, fortified by $6 million in seed funding and an ongoing pandemic that was fueling an embrace of virtual care.
In November, a study conducted by researchers at the University of California in Irvine and published in the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine helped prove his point. The study found that a telehealth platform used by six SNFs reduced unnecessary transfers by as much as 80 percent.
READ MORE: Northwell Launches Telehealth Service for Skilled Nursing Facilities
“We have a lot of momentum now,” he said recently. “Doctors are using telehealth much more now (then before the pandemic), and payers want this as well. The world has changed even if our mission never changed.”
Peck says the coronavirus forced the nation’s healthcare industry to embrace telehealth much faster than it would have without the pandemic. For SNFs and assisted living facilities, that transition was much needed. They’ve always been on the front lines of the pandemic, dealing with people much more susceptible to catching the virus and incurring its worst effects, including death. A telehealth program could literally be a life-saver for them.
Curve Health is one of many telehealth vendors to jump into the space, and Peck says it’s important for SNFs to study the platform before choosing a partner. Some will partner with local physician groups or agree to partner with those recommended by the SNF, while others offer their own physician network. It’s also important to examine the technology used, to make sure SNF staff have an immediate link to an on-call physician and with nearby hospitals when triage and transfer are needed.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19yzaxx2m6q0vjkei6EGUrTMpN_YNOopVBZHdif1c0gQ/edit?usp=sharing