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You’ve worked hard to set aside money to retire comfortably, but a major medical event could eat up decades of savings in just a few years or even months.

Custodial care can cost $80,000 a year or more.  Nursing-home care can drain $250,000 from retirement savings in just a few years, and with base costs averaging more than $40,000 a year,

Thousands of Oregon individuals, families and small businesses are getting ready to sign up for health insurance and may access financial help through Cover Oregon this fall. For many, the wait for health coverage has lasted months, or even years. Our goal is to not only to provide access to coverage, but also to make the customer experience as easy,

Introduction

Well, it’s finally happening. After years of drama on Capitol Hill, a Supreme Court case, a Presidential election, and a Mayan Apocalypse that could have stopped it dead in its tracks — but didn’t — the marquee elements of the Affordable Care Act, sometimes called ObamaCare, are about to kick in. And big changes are coming to health insurance in 2014.

This is a letter sent out by a single health insurance company, but what they say applies to all in Oregon, so I thought I would share…

It feels like these days everything just keeps getting more expensive and healthcare is no exception.  We’ve all heard that we spend more money than any other nation on medical care.  

You will find many health advantages to ongoing the working out schedule you maintained throughout the warmer summer time several weeks on with the winter.

Physical exercise will improve your defense mechanisms by enhancing your lymphatic and cardiovascular circulation. However, the results of exercise on enhanced immunity are short resided. To optimize these good effects,

There are many health benefits to continuing the exercising schedule you maintained during the warmer summer months on through the winter.

Regular exercise will boost your immune system by improving your lymphatic and cardiovascular circulation. However, the effects of exercise on improved immunity are short lived. To optimize these good effects, it’s important to exercise regularly.

By Lisa Zamosky

If rising health insurance premiums and pricier deductibles make you feel angry, you’re not alone.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently conducted eight focus groups in four different U.S. cities to take the pulse of consumer attitudes on the rising cost of health care. The two big take away themes: People are mad and confused.

By Lisa Zamosky

One of the more common types of questions I receive from readers has to do with medical records. Most commonly, people want to know either how to get a hold of their record or how to get rid of information that is wrong.  I’ve discussed before on this blog the process for gaining access to your medical record.

By Lisa Zamosky

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, losing weight almost always tops the list. According to a new online survey of roughly 3,000 U.S. adults, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Nutrisystem, more than half – 54% – of Americans have resolved to lose weight in 2013.

We don’t get many opportunities in life for a “do-over” – the chance to make a different choice when our first decision was a mistake. But if you’re a Medicare beneficiary, January marks the start of a period when you can make changes to your Medicare coverage if you’re unhappy with your current plan.

Just one month after the end of the Medicare enrollment period,

By Lisa Zamosky

There aren’t many things we don’t buy online these days. Yet, for most people, turning to the internet to purchase health insurance is a foreign concept. That’s about to change.

A central feature of the Affordable Care Act is to build online markets where millions of people who don’t get health benefits at work will shop for and buy a health plan,

By Lisa Zamosky

Medical mishaps aren’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when we think about decorating for the holidays and putting that angel on top of the Christmas tree. Yet, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, during the months of November and December 2010, more than 13,000 people were treated in U.S.

This is a great special report by Reader’s Digest on why hospital bills are what they are.

Included you’ll find sections on:

• How to understand your bill
• How to save money
• Hospital Vs. Surgery Center
• Common mistakes people make

Again, this is a special report done by Reader’s Digest,

New rules created by the Affordable Care Act require health insurers to spend on average at least 80% of premiums on actual medical care instead of overhead and profits. Miss the mark and insurers have to refund customers.

Early data released by insurers helped us determine which insurance companies will owe rebates in your state. 

WARNING:  Make ANY of These 7 mistakes and you Can Cause Your Family Irreparable Harm

Unfortunately, responsible, well-meaning people have caused their families terrific grief by buying life insurance and making just one tiny mistake. It’s not always the same mistake… it is usually just one of 7 mistakes. The good thing is they can be easily avoided,

Here is an article that may clarify some of the problems with our health care system, and possibly on how to solve them.

By Philip K. Howard

May 7 2012, 12:45 PM ET 17

Whatever the Supreme Court decides about the individual mandate, the main battle remains to be fought: how to rein in the grotesque costs of the current system.

Long term care insurance can be confusing, no matter who you are, especially if you don’t know who to turn to for expert advice.

The Facts Are Clear
Anyone with even a passing experience with Alzheimer’s, stroke, Parkinson’s or elder frailty can appreciate the severity and financial devastation of these all-too-common life events and the inevitable care required.

Nearly eight out of 10 employees said the benefits package offered by their company is one of the reasons why they work there, according to the 2011 Mercer Workplace Survey, a proprietary research program. Even more, 91% of employees said getting health benefits through their company is just as important as their salary. Companies have “an opportunity to position their benefits program as a differentiating strategy,

Answer:

Life insurance has several purposes. Its most important function is to replace the earnings that would cease at the death of the insured. For businesses, life insurance is a way to protect key employees and the business itself. A third purpose is to use life insurance to pay potential estate taxes.

If you die during your earning years,

Fall is Leaf-Peeping Season and Hunting Season. It’s also Medicare Season. Time to do that all-important check on your policies and make sure they are the right ones for next year. The Medicare Season is open from October 15 to December 7. After that date, you can’t make any changes until next year’s Medicare Season.