How Do You Get Insurance to Cover Home Care?

Many of you are aware of my returning from vacation a couple of weeks ago to be faced with my Mother-in-Law experiencing a stroke the day after.  Spending days in the hospital, meeting with doctors, and trying to navigate the medical system has brought back many memories of my care giving days for my husband 11 years ago.  We have been incredibly fortunate (thank you for all the positive thoughts and prayers) that her stroke was mild and after 7 days in the hospital we were able to bring her home, as long as she had 24/7 care for awhile.  Of course that sounds so simple until you’re the one having to juggle all the care and navigate the insurance ins and outs.

My Mother-in-Law is 92, but looks 72.  She is truly one of my idols. She has survived 4 husbands (we always teased them to take their vitamins), and up until the stroke she sang in the church choir, square danced once a week, swam, went to the gym 3 times a week for aerobics and light weight training, and walked everywhere!  She was completely self-sufficient, so this has been tough for her to receive “assistance”.  What has frustrated me is the insurance…..she has paid into supplemental insurance in addition to having Medicare for YEARS, and they will cover an RN and Physical Therapist to come to the house a couple times a week for 4 weeks, but will not cover at home care .  They will cover her to go to a nursing home which is more expensive, but so depressing.  If we sent her there to recoup she would give up…..so it’s not an option. Meanwhile we are lucky to have found a marvelous lady to stay with her when we aren’t available….. and have also given her a medic bracelet …. but all out of pocket.

I’m sure many of you have experienced some of the same and have been disillusioned with our medical system as well.  Here’s a person who has paid into it for years and now, when she needs to use it, the fine print doesn’t cover what she requires.  If you have any suggestions of how we might get home care covered , I am all ears!

Until next time,  J.
“Take control of your destiny or someone else will”

I.O.U.S.A. One Nation. Under Stress. Under Debt.

by Addison Wiggin and Kate Incontrera

I had best intentions of writing this sooner, but the holidays, kids home from college, and business commitments kept me from completing it.

Unfortunately, and I mean that seriously – this book (I.O.U.S.A.) is what we all needed to read years ago, before it was even published. Thank goodness it finally has been making the rounds to educate us – even though some think it is too late. continue reading »

7 Reasons Why Now is the Perfect Time to Start Your Own Business

It wasn’t that long ago that the Feds bailed out Bear Stearns and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. There were a lot of people "downsized" during that fiasco. However, the recent news of Lehman Brothers (a 100+ year old company) being told by the Feds to "come up with its own solution", as reported on blogs.moneycentral.msn.com will cause another employment meltdown. In addition, there were more than continue reading »

Can a Home-Based Business Help Your Retirement Plan?

Admit it. You’ve thought about your retirement plan – right? So what’s the number you came up with to live comfortably? You may need to consider a home based business….

Chances are you said something much larger than $25,000 I bet. But did you know that according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute 60% of current retirees have less than $25,000 in savings and investments?

Excuse me!? But, how do they do it? Sure, they may be receiving Social Security and Medicare benefits, but can you imagine going into your Golden years "unprepared" ? How do you travel, treat the grandkids, and explore your hobbies, not to mention potential health related issues?

Those in the workforces need a reality check too! The same survey shows that 36% of workers have less than $10,000 in savings.

If you’re not able to plan for your future with the salary you’re currently making it may be time to start a home based business . Begin slow (part time) to supplement your income and then invest it for your future. There are many tax advantages that may surprise you as well.

"Take control of your destiny or someone else will" (And that might not be a positive thing!!)

Please leave a comment about how you are planning to "fund" your retirement….

Until next time, J.