Medical Bills Archives

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Anthem Blue Cross In-Hospital Network Update

IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT Anthem Blue Cross has been unable to re-negotiate its contracts with the following hospitals, so they are now considered out-of-network. In Southern California: Los Robles Regional Medical Center West Hills Hospital In Northern California: Regional Medical Center of San Jose Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose If you are currently in… Continue reading Anthem Blue Cross In-Hospital Network Update

More Cheap Drugs In Your Neighborhood

What do ex-Facebook employees do when they leave the mother of all jobs? Of course, they start their own online service, GoodRx.com. Want to find the best price for your prescription at a pharmacy near you? Type in the name of your drug and zip code. Et voila! You’ll see all of your local pharmacies… Continue reading More Cheap Drugs In Your Neighborhood

Get Cheap(er) Drugs!

The Insurance Mom wants YOU to be a good money manager, and here’s one tool you can use painlessly, immediately and easily. And, best of all, it’s free! MyRxSavings is a pretty cool prescription discount program. Go to the site, print out your discount card and you’re off to the land of saving money! You… Continue reading Get Cheap(er) Drugs!

3-2-1… Zero!

Zero is good when you eat zero carbs or have zero zits. But zero is not so good when you have zero bars on your phone or on January 1st every year. Why? The Insurance Mom is so proud you asked such a good question. Because every January 1st most health insurance deductibles re-set to…… Continue reading 3-2-1… Zero!

Lipitor, be gone!

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… Continue reading Lipitor, be gone!

Wanna Save Some Money (part 3)?

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,… Continue reading Wanna Save Some Money (part 3)?

Wanna Save Some Money (part 2)?

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… Continue reading Wanna Save Some Money (part 2)?

Wanna Save Some Money (part 1)?

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!

What does it cost to…

… 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… Continue reading What does it cost to…

ZocDoc — sort of like OpenTable, but not

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… Continue reading ZocDoc — sort of like OpenTable, but not