When the single mom has to pay for an insurance policy to cover health care for her family as a private individual, she finds that the cost is high. Being part of a group, like an employer sponsored health plan is expensive enough for most single moms, but it’s a real shocker for some when they find out how much it costs for a private pay family. If there are pre-existing health conditions in the family, like diabetes or asthma, coverage can be denied even if mom can afford the premiums.

If you have been having trouble finding health insurance for your family because you or a child is considered high risk, take the time to check the rates for Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan in your state. This plan started in the summer of 2010 as part of the health care law. The premiums for the insurance plan allowed high risk consumers to purchase health coverage and pay what a healthy person would pay.

In June of 2011, Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, announced that the premiums for insurance coverage under this program would be cut to make it more affordable. The cut in premium only applies to families who live in the 23 states where the plan is run directly by the federal government. The District of Columbia is included in the federally run program. In these states the premium price cut runs from 2 percent in Mississippi to a 40 per cent reduction in Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada and Virginia.

For the single mom who lives in a state that has chosen to use the money from the federal government to design their own program, the decrease in the cost of the health insurance program will not apply. The federal government has asked these states to review the rates to make sure that they comply to the requirement that they be the same as the standard rates that healthy people pay.

No matter what state you live in, if you haven’t checked the premium for the insurance covered under the health law lately, you should. It’s possible that the changes could save you money as you try to cover your family with a high risk individual.

Another change to the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan that can save the single mom time and money is the application program. In the past, a denial letter from a health insurance company was needed before application could be made for the high risk insurance. Starting in July, 2011, all the applicant needs to apply is a letter from the doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant that says that the applicant has had an illness, medical condition or disability within the last year.

The program also offers an option that lets the parents choose only to insure their children. While it’s important for the single mom to protect her health so that she can give her family the attention needed to keep them safe and healthy, it is an option when there is not enough money to provide health insurance for the entire family.

Unless you have vision coverage with your insurance, you may be able to save some money by buying glasses online. You will not be able to cut down on your actual exam costs this way, but you can significantly save on the actual glasses once you have your prescription in hand.

You may be wondering why glasses that would cost you upwards of $200 at the glasses store can cost as little as$50 online. The answer comes in overhead. When you buy glasses online, they are manufactured at a large facility, often located in China, for very little money. No matter what type of lens or coating you choose, there is little cost involved in putting the glasses together. Shipping them directly to you means you can cut a lot of the costs of paying salespeople, heating buildings, and other common sources of overhead.

Not only that, but when you buy glasses in a store, you are also paying for the designer licensing. Those Tommy Hilfinger glasses do not have more durability than the no-name brand that looks the same, but you will pay significantly for the name brand. While this might be important when it comes to clothing or even shoes, for glasses, it is the lenses that really make a difference, and the lenses are not affected by the brand of the frames.

Of course, using an online retailer to buy glasses does carry a risk. What if they do not fit? You will probably need to spend some time in the glasses shop trying on different pairs to learn what size and shape looks best on you. This can be challenging, because the salesperson is going to work hard to make the sell while you are there. You have to be firm, yet you have to take the time to decide what looks good on you.

In the end, if you can be strong, you will be better off financially, because you will pay far less when buying glasses online. Make sure there is some sort of a return or exchange policy if you make a very poor choice, but in most situations, this can be a very positive financial decision if you can do it right. And, with the little you are spending, you can probably buy two pairs or even afford prescription sunglasses! So be patient, stay strong, and shop online. You will be glad you did!

If you’re lucky enough to be covered by a medical insurance company that pays for all medical treatment expenses except for the amount that you are required to fork over as co-pay at the time of your treatment, you’ve probably never actually taken the time to look at the itemized statements that you received. But, if you have to pay a percentage of the medical bill, or worse, are responsible for the entire amount, any error in the billing may end up costing you a lot of money.

Billing errors are quite common. Not only can a patient be charged for tests that they haven’t had, tiny things like drugs given in the hospital when you have not been given them can quickly add up, making your portion of the bill quickly escalate.

Incorrect billing codes on the insurance forms can also leave you with higher balances than you should have to pay.

Find out the Medical Healthcare Charges before you are treated.

If you will be admitted into a hospital call the billing department and find out what they charge for room and board. Ask what fees and treatments are not included in the room charge. Many times tissues or gowns are an added charge, and you can bring these items from home to keep the costs down. But if you do, you have to go over your itemized statement to make sure that you haven’t been automatically been charged for them.

The same holds true for prescription drugs. Some doctors will give permission for their patients to bring their medication from home to take while they are patients. This can save a lot of money because there is a huge up charge on drugs dispensed from the hospital pharmacy. But many times, the drugs that are listed on the doctors orders are the drugs the patient is charged for, whether they are using their own or not. Double check your bills to make sure you are not charged for your own drugs.

Keep track of all of the treatments and tests that you receive. When the bill comes in, check it against your own list. If you are too ill to keep track of your treatment, ask a friend or relative to keep the list for you. Make sure that you give permission for your helper to get the information. Privacy concerns often prevent care givers from speaking about the medical care with anyone but the patient. Speak with the person at the nurse’s station and make sure the permission is noted on your chart.

If you find a discrepancy on your bill, call the provider directly and ask for an explanation. You are allowed to ask for an itemized statement when charges are grouped together so that you can compare the charges to what treatments you actually received.

While the amounts charged for drugs and tissues you didn’t receive can add up quickly, there are other places that errors occur that can save you thousands of dollars. For example, use of the operating room is by the minute. Depending on the hospital, the charge could be up to $300 a minute. Find out how long the procedure took and make sure that you weren’t overcharged.

Check with your insurance company for an even bigger incentive to search for errors in your medical bills. Some medical healthcare insurers give rewards to patients who find and report the billing errors.

One way to save money on dental care is to visit a dental school. These locations, if one is available near you, allow up and coming dentists to practice on willing patients as they receive their training. Because the work is done by dentists who are still in school, you can receive your care for a fraction of the normal price.

One question you might have about having work done at a dental school is whether or not the care they give to patients is quality. These locations have trained dentists serving as instructors who oversee everything that is done. That means that in most instances you will receive excellent care. In fact, you might receive better-than-average care because you will receive care from your dental student as well as the faculty member who is standing nearby.

The great thing about dental schools is that they will often take dental insurance plans, including Medicaid or Medicare. That means you can still use your dental insurance, if you have it, and benefit from the lower fees for any part of the cost you are responsible for. They will usually treat patients of all ages, so both you and your kids can go there.

So how can you locate a dental school in your area? If you have a major college system, contact them to find out if they have a dental program. If they do, find out what the policy is for visiting the dental school for care.

Keep in mind that in today’s difficult economic climate, dental schools are in high demand because they are such an easy way to save money on dental care. You may have to wait a while for an appointment when you call for the first time. You also will not get the same dentist on return visits, because the turn around is going to be high. While the school will keep good records, so the next dentist will have plenty to draw from when treating you, this can be a concern to moms who want the same professional seeing their kids as they grow. But, if saving money is your main concern, then this is an excellent way to do so!

Medicaid is a health insurance program that many people think they understand. Then they or a close friend or family member needs assistance with healthcare expenses and they realize that the program is not as simple as they thought.

Medicaid eligibility isn’t determined on income alone. If that were the case, it would be easy to figure out if you were eligible and if it was worth the time to apply. Just because you are poor, underpaid or have no income at all doesn’t mean that your family can be covered by Medicaid medical benefits.

On the other hand, if you have extremely high medical expenses, you and your family could be eligible even if your income is far higher than what would otherwise be considered low.

Ownership of assets can keep you from getting your application for the health benefit approved.  Real property or items that can be bought and sold and bank accounts all are taken into account before a decision is made on your application for Medicaid.

There are ‘groups within groups’ of people who can be helped by Medicare and they differ from state to state.

As odd as it may seem, there are even groups within groups when it comes to coverage for your entire family. In some cases, some of the children within the family are eligible for assistance while others are not covered. This is especially true if they require expensive medication or fall within a special needs category. Pregnancy and blindness are only two of the categories that put an applicant or dependent into a separate group. In some cases, even age will make a difference in eligibility.

If your family needs help, rather than try to figure out if you qualify for benefits, call and make an appointment to apply. In some cases, even if you’re not eligible, the social worker will be able to help you get into another program that will help with some, if not all of the medical expenses for your family.

Be sure to bring information about any medical expenses you or a family member has incurred during the last three months. One of the benefits of the program is that if and when you are accepted in the Medicaid program, the benefit could be retroactive and go back to pay for the treatments received as long as three months prior to acceptance into the program.

Ask your caseworker if your past expenses can be paid for. Have proof that your financial situation was the same on the day the medical care was received as it is on the day your application is approved. You may also be asked to provide proof that your situation did not change during the time in between.

A new trend in the healthcare field may save money for the single mom who is struggling because of a lack of insurance or making premium payments on healthcare insurance with high deductibles and co-pays. Medical membership programs are being initiated in many medical practices as the businesses are realizing how much overhead insurance billing is costing them.

The average medical office can spend up to 40% of their time doing the paperwork involved with insurance billing. This is a high expense that can be avoided by simply not accepting insurance. Instead, the medical providers offer discounts to patients who pay cash for services.

Billing directly to the patient not only saves in administrative costs of coding and other insurance paper work, but frees the medical practice of the insurance regulations, saving them even more money that they can pass down to their cash paying customers.

Many medical practices limit their patients to the uninsured or underinsured as a way to serve the community they belong to. They can pass the savings they get from the elimination of all of that insurance paperwork directly on to their patients and still turn a profit.

The patient pays a monthly membership fee, along with a small amount on each office visit. If the professional medical provider feels that the patient should be seen by a specialist, they can direct him to the Doctor who will also give a substantial discount to the patient who pays cash.

Medical practices negotiate discounts with outside labs and imaging services. Most medical membership care providers pass the negotiated discounts on to their patients, saving them up to 50% of the costs these special services charge.

It’s not only the local doctors office who may be offering Medical memberships to their patients. Dental clinics, too, have discount plans for cash paying customers.

The single mom without insurance can call the medical practices in the area to find out if they offer a discount to patients who pay cash. If they don’t offer a discount or a medical membership, as if they can refer you to a medical provider who does.  Also question the local pharmacy and call the local health department.

The medical membership plan for cash paying patients is slowly gaining attention in the country, and it’s possible that you’ll have to make a lot of phone calls in order to locate a medical practice near you who has adopted this new way of doing business. But the single mom should be persistent. Knowing that you’ll be able to get medical care when you need it, even if you don’t have insurance, will give you peace of mind. Not getting stuck with a bill for services that you’ll be paying off for years will go a long way in reaching your financial goals.

Some single moms are drawn toward the idea of combining her life insurance need with investing for the future of her family. The premiums for cash value insurance may be higher that the cost of term life insurance, and if payments are missed the policy could be cancelled and you would not be able to get your money back.

Whole life, universal life, variable universal life and variable whole life are all types of cash value insurance. They have varying risks associated with them, just as other types of insurance.

Whole Life Insurance

A whole life insurance policy has a cash value that increases in value over time. Sometimes the life insurance policy will even pay dividends to the policy holder.

Unlike a term life policy, the single mom doesn’t have to renew the insurance, a process that could often mean having to pay a higher rate. When you enter into the agreement, you make monthly payments for the rest of your life. The amount of the payment never goes up. Part of the monthly premium goes into the cash value of the policy, which you could consider an investment. The cash value amount of the policy is guaranteed to grow. The rate of growth is fixed.

The income from the growth of the cash value of the whole life policy is tax deferred. It will be paid when the benefit is paid out upon your death.

The younger you are when you purchase the whole life insurance policy, the lower your premium will be. This is because you will be expected to be paying into the policy a lot longer than an older person would.

Once the cash value of your whole life insurance policy reaches a certain level, the policy holder can borrow against it. If death occurs before the loan is repaid, the outstanding amount plus interest will be withheld from the benefit. The loan against the cash value of the policy usually offers lower rates than loans from other financial institutions.

Universal Life Insurance

Universal life insurance is an adjustable life insurance with a flexible premium. Unlike the whole life policy, the cash value is credited first and then the expenses of the policy and the death benefit are deducted from the cash value. The minimum rate of interest is fixed and the growth rate is tax deferred.

Universal life policies lets the policy holder adjust the amount of premium that they pay on a monthly basis with limits on how much lower or higher amount can be paid and still remain covered. The premium can be met from the cash value. Be careful, though, if you make lower payments. If the cash value of the policy gets too low, the policy could lapse.

Variable Universal Life

A higher risk investment, variable universal life lets you choose where the cash value that has accrued on the life insurance policy is invested. Like other investments, it offers greater potential for the cash value to grow, but at the same time the risks are higher.

Variable Whole Life Insurance

This option also allows you to choose where the value of your policy will be invested. Both the cash value and death benefit paid to the beneficiaries will depend on how the investment performs.

Medicare and Medicaid are two completely separate programs. Medicaid is run by individual states and offers medical coverage to low income families. Medicare is the health insurance that is usually used by people once they hit the age of 65. There are exceptions, though, that offer Medicare coverage to younger people.

Some people who have disabilities and are under the age of 65 can qualify for benefits through Medicare.  Patients diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or permanent kidney failure may be eligible for the benefit to cover some of the medical costs.

The Medicare program is financed through payroll taxes. For those who collect Social Security, the premium is deducted from their monthly checks.

Confusion between Medicare and Medicaid is common because Medicare is run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. People often confuse Medicare with Social Security because you apply for Medicare with Social Security. Receiving one benefit does not necessarily mean that you lose your eligibility to also receive the benefit of another program.

If a person has been eligible for Social Security benefits for at least 24 months, they may be eligible for free hospital insurance through Medicare.

Medicare doesn’t completely cover all medical expenses. If you find out that someone in your family is eligible for coverage under the Medicare program, find out exactly what it will cover before you cancel any other insurance plans. If you are low income, find out if Medicaid can be used as a supplement for the expenses not covered by the Medicare program.

Low income people who cannot pay the monthly premium for the Medicare coverage that they are eligible for can check with the state that they live in to see if there is a program available to pay the premium. Many states will also pick up the Medicare coinsurance and deductible expenses.

Proposed changes to the Medicare program are being discussed in Congress and attention to the details as votes are made will help keep you up to date with the Medicare program eligibility requirement and benefit amounts.

The length of time the Medicare program is expected to remain solvent is also making headlines as the economy affects the estimated dates. As more people are losing their jobs, less money is put into the Medicare program from payroll tax withholdings.

If you think that you or someone in your family who has not reached 65 years of age is eligible for benefits under Medicare, the best thing to do is to ask. Contact the Social Security office for the information you need.

Many factors influence the health of an individual. Being able to pay for medical attention and the ability to afford healthy meals aren’t the only prerequisites to preventing a life endangering condition. A person must be able to understand medical advice, reduce outside stresses, and avail themselves to preventive measures in order to maintain physical well being. Health influences can come from almost anywhere, but as long as you understand the context of these health influences, there’s no need to worry.

The Department of Health and Human Services acknowledges that there is a big gap between the health and health care afforded by a white American and people of minorities. Proposals to bring these differences under control to give everyone an equal chance to live a healthy life have recently been announced with the assurance that they can be paid for with funds already within the budget. This is one major health influence that you need to stay current with.

“We’ll never be a healthy nation unless we address these inequities,” said Dr. Paul Jarris, who is the executive director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

The assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Howard Koh, says that the health of an individual is determined by factors other than steps taken by federal health officials or inside of a doctor’s office.

“It’s also a product of where people live, labor, learn, play and pray,” he said. “We really need a full commitment from the country to achieve these goals.”

The new proposal addresses the need of preventive dental care as a benefit of keeping people healthier. It will work with states to increase the number of poor children who get the preventive care, which includes cavity-locking sealants, to be increased by 10%.

One of the many proposals is that local health workers who are trusted by the community and will help diabetics follow and understand the instructions of their medical care providers will follow a Medicare pilot program and be more widely used.

Other grants to educate people in poorer and remote areas of the country will be offered, along with plans to make all people feel safer as they seek medical care.

The former director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, Cheryl Boyce, said that with HHS gathering input from community groups, average citizens, local and state heath officials for their proposal, it should “bring more people to the work of eliminating disparities.”

Remember, you have a choice when considering which health influences you hold to be valuable, so question the health influences and where they are coming from.

The cost of dental care can be preventative to many single moms, yet the cost of waiting to go to the dentist can be even greater, particularly when serious dental problems occur. One option to make dental care more affordable is the AmeriPlan Dental Care program. This program is a discount service that you purchase to earn you substantial savings on your dental visits.

Under this program, you pay a monthly premium for access for your entire family. This is under $20 per month in 2011. When you need to go to the dentist, you choose one of the over 30,000 dental providers across the nation for your care. When you go to the dentist, you receive a huge discount on your services. This discount can be as much as 80 percent, depending on the type of care you need. You are still responsible for the remaining cost, but you will save substantially.

This dental care program is monumental in that it includes not only treatment for dental problems that you might face, but also cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics, and preventative care. In other words, just about anything you need to have covered is covered. If you have an ongoing dental concern, it will not be excluded. The only excluded items are orthodontic treatments that are already in progress for one of your family members when you purchase the plan. Even if you need the help of a specialist like an oral surgeon, endodontist, or periodontist, you can find one on the plan who will offer discounted services.

For the struggling single mom, every little bit of savings helps. For just $20 a month you can have discounted dental services for yourself and all of your kids. AmeriPlan has a 100 percent money back guarantee as well, so you will not have to worry about your investment if you end up feeling unhappy about the service provided.

Remember, your children’s dental health is important, and so is yours. Ignoring problems today will only lead to more problems and expenses in the future. With the AmeriPlan Dental Care program, you may be able to afford quality dental care for your entire family, for just a few dollars per month.