Personal Finance & Money Stack Exchange
Personal Finance & Money Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [healthcare]

For questions related to health care costs and paying for them. A country tag is almost always important to add alongside this tag.

180 questions
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9 answers

Ballpark salary equivalent today of "healthcare benefits" in the US?

For my friends in the US, when considering positions (this applies to either salary or contract positions) I've heard it's sometimes along the lines of, you can have X with healthcare, or Y with no healthcare. Is there a ballpark or typical figure…
Fattie
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4 answers

How can I get a job without pushing my family's income into a higher tax bracket?

I live in Seattle and turn 18 before the year's end, and I'm told my family has an income such that if I get a job and make more than $1000, then I would push my family into a higher tax bracket. Because of this – according to my parents – our…
Jodast
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34
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5 answers

Pros/Cons of a Health Savings Account (HSA) in the USA?

I am wanting to know the real benefits or pros/cons of a HSA in the USA. I have now been given the option of signing up for one due to healthcare changes. I understand some of the basics, but after reading some of the limitations and restrictions,…
Troggy
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33
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2 answers

Do I have to pay a medical bill when the ER never submitted it for an insurance claim?

My husband went into cardiac failure while we were traveling. He was taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital ER. I gave his insurance information at the time of service. About a month later, I received a phone call from the billing department…
Donna Lewis
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27
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1 answer

How does retroactive COBRA coverage work?

I'm voluntarily leaving my job at the end of this month for a new position in a couple of weeks. At my new job, I have health care coverage effective my first day of work. My current coverage terminates on my last day of employment. This leaves a…
Jason R
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24
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3 answers

If I leave my job, what happens to my flexible spending account?

I am about to decide how much money to set aside for my 2013 Flexible Spending Account (FSA). (The max this year is $2500.) But I am wondering what happens if I switch employers during the year. Does the FSA from one employer somehow roll over to…
Stainsor
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22
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4 answers

Is it worth saving HSA funds until retirement?

I recently discovered that there is no lifetime limit to contributing to an HSA account - provided that you don't contribute more than the limit per year. Assuming that an individual makes a decent salary that covering their max-out-of-pocket for…
Michael
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18
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2 answers

Dealing with fees charged by an out-of-network ambulance service

An insured family member had to be transferred to another hospital during an emergency medical situation. Both hospitals were in network, but the ambulance that the hospital insisted on using was out of network. This ambulance ride of less than 60…
Captain Claptrap
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16
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5 answers

Which is better: Employer-sponsored HSA or opening an HSA individually?

So I know that: Employer-sponsored HSA's allow you to deduct contributions directly from your paycheck, pre-tax With individual HSAs, you must contribute using post-tax dollars, then deduct those contributions from your taxable income when you do…
MegaMatt
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15
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2 answers

Do birth defects in children count as pre-existing conditions?

My family is shopping for new insurance at the moment. We reside in the United States, Georgia specifically. We have had insurance continuously since she was born. My daughter, born in 2011, was born with hip dysplasia and a cleft lip and palate,…
Steve French
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15
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3 answers

What is the rationale behind an FSA being "Use it or Lose it"?

One of the biggest gripes most people have with the Flexible Spending Account is the rule that you must "Use it or Lose it". This can lead to people frantically running around just before their money expires trying to rack up eligible expenses they…
TTT
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14
votes
1 answer

How to understand the status of my 12-year old, unpaid, $200k medical debt?

From 2000 until 2005, I accumulated about $200,000 USD in medical debt to 4 hospitals in 3 states. I can't even count the number of physicians who were involved. Initially, things went ok with billing and insurance. Later, insurance pre-approved…
david.t
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14
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8 answers

The doctor didn't charge the health insurance in time, am I liable?

I got a bill for an emergency room visit for one of my kids. It was the weekend and that was where the insurance told us to go. Luckily no stitches needed. Fast forward 7 months and I get a bill for over $700. On the bill it says that they…
Andrew Redd
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14
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2 answers

Difference between Health Savings Account (HSA) & Flexible Spending Account (FSA)?

What is the practical difference between a Health Savings Account and a Flexible Spending Account? What are the pro's and con's of each, and are there situations where either is best?
C. Ross
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12
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2 answers

What will the penalties be for someone without insurance after Affordable Care Act takes effect?

If I currently don't have health insurance will I have to buy a plan? If I do not what will the penalties be?
Kirill Fuchs
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