The Insurance Mom, brought to you by Alison Gordon Insurance Services, Inc, CA Lic. 0780178

The Insurance Mom is thrilled to tell you how to save even more money on your prescriptions if you have those pesky cholesterol problems and have been taking — or are about to start taking — Lipitor.

The 17-year patent has finally expired… wahoo!  Now the drug is available in generic form.    Atorvastatin is the generic name to ask about…

Getting a prescription from your doctor doesn’t mean you don’t have choices about how to spend your money.

Ask your doctor if a generic drug is available and make sure it’s in the same class of drugs as the expensive brand name drug he wants to you to buy.

Generics have the same active ingredients, strengths and dose as the…

Need to get lab work done, such as blood or urine tests, PAP test or biopsy?

Think about using a lab that isn’t located in or part of a hospital.

They’re often way less expensive than a hospital lab, and some health insurance plans have a lower co-pay for outside labs.

And many outside labs have more flexible hours, like…

If you have a health problem that isn’t an emergency and you can’t see your regular doctor, think about going to an in-network retail clinic, walk-in doctor’s office or urgent care center.

They can take less time than an emergency room, are open nights and weekends and could save you a TON o’money!

… die?   It’s expensive!  Cedars Sinai Medical Center billed Medicare $132,000 (yes!) for ONE week of care.    I don’t want this to be morose but I do want to use my father’s death a couple of months ago as a life lesson about how to be pro-active in your own medical care.

The doctors wanted to run every diagnostic test they…

OpenTable for MDs

This recently came across The Insurance Mom’s e-desk and, although I can’t give it a thumbs up or down, it does look intriguing!   Let me know how it works for you.

Waiting days for a doctor’s appointment can make you extremely uneasy — not only do you not know what that lump is, but, more importantly, how…

Do YOU know what tests you need to ask your doctor about every year?

The Insurance Mom wants you to really take care of yourself.    Everyday I talk to people who, seemingly all of a sudden, get sick — and it comes as such a surprise to them.    What would be different if, every year, you have some simple tests…

WOW!   The Insurance Mom just went global!   How cool is THAT?!!

Do you ever wonder how some people just know how to express a thought or a feeling perfectly?   Daphne Rose Kingma is that person.   If you welcome pure inspiration for the heart and soul, then Daphne Kingma is worth reading.    In the piece entitled “Letting Go,” she writes,

“No matter how hard you may try to end a relationship,…

One reason to dislike the IRS a little less:   The IRS is giving everyone THREE extra days (wahoo!) to file your 2010 taxes.

If you’ve been putting off preparing your taxes until the last minute, you have until Monday, April 18th to get it done.

No, the IRS is not just being generous.   The mini-extension comes thanks to Emancipation Day,…