Health Insurance — What Exactly Am I Buying?
Many complain about their inadequate health insurance coverage. Often, the cause is a lack of understanding regarding the true costs of coverage, as well as the inherent administrative barriers that exist. The goal, always, is to get educated...
COVID-19 Advice: What To Tell Clients
In previous newsletters, I’ve related personal experiences with my older adult parents as a means of sharing my views on how best to manage a variety of healthcare obstacles and situations. The COVID-19 Pandemic is no exception. One of the many...
Planning For Hospitalization During COVID-19
Planning for hospitalization is something we do continuously, especially with our most vulnerable clients — those that are older, living without family members close by, or living with multiple, chronic conditions and/or alone. But COVID-19 has...
Addressing Mental Health of Seniors During Lockdown
Guest Blog by: Bunni Dybnis, MA, LMFT, CMC COVID-19 has dramatically changed our world. The news, warnings, restrictions, instructions, double messages, shortages, politics, financial implications are never-ending. Most are resilient. After the...
Delays Persist For Non-COVID-19 Patients
In the United States the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting almost every state as there are shelter in place orders by the governors and restrictions are being placed on whether patients can get in to see their providers. As of Monday, April 27, we...
The Intervention: What Are We Willing to Invest for the Greater Good?
When I started writing about healthcare, one of my first newsletters addressed “ going upstream ." One of the up-streamers I read about was Dr. Jeffrey Brenner in Camden, New Jersey. He developed a model of care, almost 20 years ago, that featured...
Treatment COVID-19
COVID-19 Treatment Today’s topic will focus on treatment options for COVID-19. As people are anxious to return to work and resume pre-COVID-19 socialization, scientists are working to find effective treatments. Science takes time, and there are...
Social Isolation, loneliness and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic
Social isolation, loneliness, and anxiety Feeling lonely and anxious during the COVID-19 pandemic has become more prevalent due to the social distancing and self-quarantining restrictions. Uncertainty of the coronavirus outcomes causes anxiety...
Check your MPA skills......
Many seniors have what is called a Medicare Advantage Plan MA (most have Prescription Drug plans included MAPD) but never really take full advantage of all the benefits of the plan. Especially now during this COVID-19, shelter in place, isolation...
Check with your MPA Skills......
Many seniors have what is called a Medicare Advantage Plan MA (most have Prescription Drug plans included MAPD) but never really take full advantage of all the benefits of the plan. Especially now during this COVID-19, shelter in place, isolation...
Making Memories: Wonderful Activities During Covid-19
Although thinking about and reviewing our lives can be difficult, taking time to process whatever had been special to us over the years, may provide some solace to ourselves, our family and our friends. It is also a great way to utilize the extra...
The Call
Imagine if you will…the phone rings, you don’t recognize the number but pick up anyway and hear, “Hello, this is Dr. Kennedy from Central Hospital, is this Debbie Watsoneau?” (Your heart temporarily starts to race)..and you respond,..."Yes...
When Advocacy Gets Personal: That Time I Was Daughter
I thought it was odd that my Mom would be calling me on a Friday night after 10:00pm. Especially since I was out of town on a retreat, quite a bit north of Chicago near the Wisconsin border. I remember my clothing still smelled like the beach...
How to Understand Your Medical Bill
Whether you’ve been to the hospital for an emergency, or to your primary care doctor for a routine checkup, trying to decipher the codes and terms on the bill you receive can be confusing and overwhelming. Before paying any medical bill that was...
If You See an Out-of-Network Provider, Are You Stuck With the Bill?
Well, it depends on a few factors. If you choose to see a medical provider in his/her office and that provider is not in your network, then you are considered a self-pay patient and you are responsible for the bill. It is the patient’s...