Tuesday, October 26, 2010

5 Tips for How to Make Health Benefits Decisions in One Hour or Less


It's perfectly normal.  Everyone of us hopes that we'll always be healthy and so will our kids and other loved ones.  But, we all also know that the reality is that people do get sick and have accidents -- unfortunately sometimes very seriously.  In this day and age of rising medical costs, we need to always be prepared and make sure that our family has adequate coverage. 


Here's just some of what Aetna has to teach you to Be Smart About Your Health 

Family Health Maintenance is Every Parent's Responsibility 
Of course if you're sick you'll likely either rely on over the counter remedies and/or a visit to the doctor.  But, most of the time, if you are healthy you should always be cognizant of maintaining your family's good health by making certain that everyone gets the proper amount of nutrition, exercise, and rest.

Changes in Financial Status Can Impact Health Benefits and Coverage 
During times like today, where unemployment continues to hover at record highs across the U.S., especially in places like California where my families lives, a significant financial change -- such as an unexpected major expense, a reduction in salary or even a job layoff -- can wreak havoc on your family's health coverage.  As parents, we need to plan ahead to ensure that our kids are always protected in case of a negative financial situation.

Every Family's Health Benefits Needs Are Unique
No two families are alike.  There really is no such thing as one health benefit plan that fits all of us.  So when making health benefits decisions you need to consider what is most important to you and your kids.  Remember, this isn't the time to try and keep up with all those Jones families. 

It's In Your Best Interests to Prioritize Your Benefit Needs 
When deciding on what plan to use you'll need to analyze what's most important to your family's healthcare.  For example, do you want to have to option of having coverage when going out of the network of doctors included in your plan?  Do you have adequate optical and dental coverage for family members? What type of prescription coverage do you really require: generic or brand name only?  These and other questions should be considered when deciding what's right for you.

Periodic Health Benefit Reevaluation is Always a Wise Strategy
Since life is forever evolving, it's a good idea that each parent that's involved in making health benefits decisions for themselves and their kids should revisit their present benefits annually or as needed.  It's important to reassess your health benefits situation if there are major changes within the family structure such as birth, death, divorce, kids going off to college, castrophic illnesses, and a variety of other factors that might influence you to consider making changes to your plan.

Learn a lesson from one of the greatest people who ever lived and survived the world's greatest catastrophic event because he was planning ahead.  After all, it wasn't raining when Noah built his ark.

FTC Disclosure:  I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Aetna blogging program, making me eligible to get a $30 Target gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.  I did not receive any other payment or compensation associated with this post.  See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.    

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