Here are 5 things you should know.
1. In the US, hospitals are required to help pay for your medical bills if you make under a certain amount of money (typically 200-300% of the Federal Poverty Level). This could potentially cover the entirety of your hospital bill.
You should be aware of the medical care that is available to you, as well as the potential costs. Knowing that your hospital bill may be covered if your financial situation is not ideal could make the difference between life and death.
A provision of the Affordable Care Act mandates hospitals must provide a “financial assistance policy” that “must apply to all emergency and other medically necessary care provided by the hospital facility” in order for the hospital to maintain its tax-exempt status as a nonprofit. Seeing as 57% of all hospitals are non-profit, this policy applies to the majority of hospitals. If you are uninsured, these policies are most likely to apply to you. However, even insured people can qualify in many situations.
Simply search “ name of hospital financial assistance “ and go to the hospital’s financial assistance page. Somewhere on that page, there should be a document called “Financial Assistance Policy”, and inside of that, it will tell you the qualifying income for total coverage, as well as qualifying income for partial coverage. Please read it thoroughly to understand what you may or may not qualify for. For the most part, this only applies to emergent, non-elective, and catastrophic care, otherwise known as “medically necessary care”.
Source: IRS
2. What the definition of “helping you move” is.
When you ask people to help you move and waste a whole day on what should be a couple of hours of work, you are wasting their time, which is usually on a weekend. Not cool.
Here’s what it means to me. All the rules get tossed in emergencies such as the case of abusive relationship move-ours, etc. We’re talking normal, non-emergent moves here.
- BE PACKED: No one wants to sit around for hours and figure out how to wrap your little trinkets and cups/mugs or your antique dong collection. Have everything you’re moving packed, wrapped, and in boxes.
- CLEAR THE PATH: Remove all trip hazards and obstacles so people are safe while picking up and moving your heavy stuff.
- HAVE A PLAN: Reserve the truck for when you are 98% sure you will be ready to quickly load up with the vast majority of your stuff.
- FEED THE CREW: Pizza is fine. Beer/beverages on ice are great. If you’re planning on using your kitchen goods to do this, leave a few things out to support. Otherwise, just use disposable stuff.
Moving is very stressful and we all want help. Getting things ready so you can effectively use people’s precious time makes you far more likely to get help again when you need it and sets a good example for when they need the favor returned.
3. If your company offers an HSA plan (US) and it runs out of funds before hitting your deductible, it is beneficial for you to deposit more money into the fund for eligible expenses before paying for them by other means.
Many people like to just use up their employer matched funds or budgeted deposits in their HSA accounts and then switch to a normal credit card when the funds run out, however putting more money into the account and paying all eligible medical expenses through the HSA allows you to claim those deposits on your taxes at the end of the year. HSA is a “pre-tax” fund and if you put funds into the account after you’ve already paid taxes on them (i.e. from a bank account and not direct deposit from a paycheck), the US government will recognize that and refund the taxes paid on those deposits.
4. You can’t feed honey to babies under a year old.
Babies younger than 1 year old should not be given honey. That’s because a type of bacteria (called Clostridium) that causes infant botulism can be found in honey. Infant botulism can cause muscle weakness, with signs like poor sucking, a weak cry, constipation, and decreased muscle tone (floppiness).
5. Going to therapy/counseling is like going to the gym or working out: you have to stick with it because it takes time to notice a difference.
Because people often think there will be noticeable difference or an actionable plan after one or two appointments.
Just like acclimating to working out, consistency is the key with therapy. Indicators of progress can come in a variety of ways: occasional heaps, slowly, consistently, and everywhere in between. Approach therapy just like you should exercise and diet:
- Be honest with yourself (and your therapist).
- Understand and be clear about your goals.
- Listen to yourself (like listening to your body when working out), and be patient with the process. Digression happens, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
- It’s okay if you don’t click with your therapist and need to try a new one. Your friends may love their gym, but you may hate it, and that’s okay because your experiences, goals, and abilities may be different; that doesn’t mean working out is useless, it just means you need to look for a better fit.
- Do it for yourself, not because someone tells you to. Therapy will probably help your relationships, but it has to be personally motivated.
Side note unrelated to working out: I know it can be expensive, but there are counselors and therapists that will work with you on price. Make a list of possible fits, then contact them and ask if they can work with your budget. Some will, some won’t, but don’t hesitate to ask. Here is one resource, but there are many: https://www.psychologytoday.com.
