October 27, 2006
Kodak is debuting a new line of photo card designs and is giving one away free using the coupon code: WEUJ-FOQVEEYY
*Offer expires on 11/06/06. Enter coupon code at checkout to redeem. Kodak EasyShare Gallery will provide one Free Card, on a one-time-only basis. Free cards are limited to Kodak Gallery Classic Fold Card, Kodak Gallery Accordion Fold Card, Martha Stewart Accordion Fold Card and Martha Stewart All-In-One Card ONLY. Not valid for prints, archive CD, Gift Certificates, Kodak PhotoShow DVDs, KODAK cameras or accessories or clearance items featured on the Gallery, shipping, sales tax, film processing, subscriptions to the Kodak EasyShare Gallery Premier Service or KODAK Mobile Service, or products or services offered through the Mobile Service. One coupon redemption per customer. Cannot be combined with other offers in one order. No substitutions, transfer rights or cash equivalents will be given. We reserve the right to modify or discontinue promotions at any time. Coupon code or discount valid only on www.kodakgallery.com.
October 25, 2006
I’ve been sticking with my HMO for the past 2 years, doggedly, against my supervisor’s recommendations because it’s cheaper.
The HMO is more complicated than the PPO because it’s 20 minutes east of my home, whereas work is 1 hour and 20 minutes west. This means that I have to take a half or whole sick day for an appointment, make arrangements to drive to work instead of taking the train which can inconvenience my parents who might need the car, and getting a convenient appointment is not always simple.
With the PPO, I could just go to the doctor during the work day, any work day, and usually be seen with or without an appointment. I would not have to take more sick leave than the amount of time required to see the doctor. Of course, using up sick leave is not really an issue because I still have about two weeks’ worth now.
Since Open Enrollment starts next week, I thought I’d take another look at some of the most important factors that I would be paying for if I switched from HMO to PPO.
[Excuse the lack of presentation, I can’t figure out how to do tables in Blogger]
Monthly Cost
PPO: 72
HMO: 41
Monthly Difference: 31
Annual Difference: 372
Office Visit Copay
PPO: 10%/20%
HMO: $10
*** PPO could be cheaper, do visits run more than 100/visit? If I go to an on-campus office, it’s 10%, if I go to an in-network/ off-campus provider it’ll be 20%.
Preventative Care (vaccines/screenings)
PPO: covered
HMO: covered
*** PPO only covers the first annual screening
Prescription Copay — this is where it gets complicated:
PPO (30 day supply)
15% of cost, minimum of $5 (generic)
20% of cost, minimum of $20 (for brand, when no generic available)
40% of cost, for brand when generic available
HMO (up to 100 day supply) — at the HMO pharmacy, not covered at other pharmacies
$10 for generics
$15 for brand name drugs
*** I probably pay about $30, 4 times a year for prescriptions right now. That’s usually a 100-day supply per prescription. Each drug would have to be <$25 each to come close to the prices I'm paying now. But they DO have mail service available.
Emergency Care
PPO: $75, waived if admitted directly to hospital
HMO: $35, waived if admitted directly to hospital
Ambulance
PPO: not available on campus, 20% if taken to off-campus site AND it’s a “true emergency”
HMO: no copay, plan pays 100%
In-hospital Expenses
PPO:
Skilled nursing facility – 100/day, max of 500 on-campus
– 150/day, max of 750 off-campus
Surgery – not available on-campus
– 150/day, max of 750, limited to 60 days per calendar year regardless of cause
Dr visits (related to surgery) – 10% on-campus
– 20% off-campus
HMO:
Skilled nursing facility – 100/admission
Surgery – 100/admission, plan pays 100% up to 100 days per year
Dr visits (related to surgery) – no charge
I know that I’m not likely to need the last few categories of Emergency Care, Ambulance and In-hospital expenses, but it’s always good to know what I’ll be expected to pay in case of an emergency. Overall it just looks like I’d be paying about $500 more per year simply for the sake of convenience. [Or about $400 more, if the prescriptions are much cheaper at cost than I realize.] I know it’s taken out of my check pretax, but I feel like I’d be paying more for the privilege of getting less coverage. I can’t really argue for the quality of care, even though ALL pro-PPO people insist you get better doctors this way, because I know plenty of people who work at the current on-campus facilities who aren’t gung-ho about the idea of actually being treated where they work.
I suppose the other part of the equation is the recouped work time: will I make enough during those days in which I visit the doctor without having to leave work for a half or whole day to make up for the extra cost? [6 appointments/year, approximately 2 hours each = ~$200]
And if I factor in gas/mileage, does not having to drive an extra 120 miles that day also make up that cost? [A trip calculator estimates that it costs approximately 10.50 per day I commute which = $63 for six appointments/year]
Huh, I guess, assuming I see the doc 6 times a year which is what I’m supposed to do now, I would only be paying a little over 100 more per year. If I see him/her more frequently, my difference in cost actually decreases even more. The convenient option could actually save me money. I’ll go ask some questions at the Health Benefits Fair next week and see if I can get a ballpark estimate on visit and prescription copays. The switch may not be such a bad idea after all.
October 23, 2006
November means autumn leaves, nippy winds, brown and gold, and the start of the holiday season, but for us workin’ folks it also means: Open Enrollment!
So, do you need to update or change anything? Let’s take a look, shall we?
Medical: Were you happy with your HMO or PPO coverage this year? Do you need to make any status changes? As a single adult, I have nothing to change here. I could change from an HMO to a PPO but … I haven’t decided if I love or hate Kaiser yet. I don’t like the idea of running into my doctor at work though, it seems a little weird, which is a risk I run if I change from Kaiser to Blue Cross.
The monetary difference is: $41/month HMO versus $72/month PPO.
Vision: Was vision included in your medical? Do you need it to be? Can you add it if it’s not already included? Cause eyeglasses are expensive!! *glaring at the $200 frames ‘n’ lenses that I rarely, if ever, use*
Dental: This is just as important as having good medical coverage. Just a few problems can incur thousands of dollars worth of work and you do NOT want to be stuck bearing the full bill. Make sure you know what your copay and yearly deductible is. Make sure to schedule any end-of-the-year work soon because about a jillion people will realize [like me. That’s right, I’m a slacker!] that I’ve got to get my last checkup and cleaning done.
FSA allowance: Now’s a good time to evaluate whether or not you will be needing the same allowance for the upcoming calendar year: do you expect to schedule any major labwork, dental work, checkups? Will it all be routine copays and prescriptions? Do you regularly use prescription or non-prescription drugs throughout the year? Add it all up and make sure that your FSA covers at least your basics. That relieves your tax burden AND gives you an extra x% bonus on your money that would otherwise have been taxed before you got to spend it.
Dependents: If you have them, they are usually eligible under the FSA plan as well. I haven’t really gotten an answer about whether or not dependents, as defined by the IRS, count as FSA dependents but I resolve to be more pioneering and find out. Meanwhile, I bid thee, go forth and maximize!
Did I forget anything? I would touch on retirement accounts but I play with that year round so I don’t feel like it’s an open enrollment thing.
October’s almost over and that means most people have two months to use up their FSA allotments unless you have a grace period. Check with your Benefits Administration Department before assuming that you have extra time, or panic buying a year’s supply of contact lens solution to go with last year’s supply of cough syrup, but you may have an extra month or two to incur new expenses that can be paid out of your 2006 allowance.
October 21, 2006
I still can’t get the darned thing to work through a router properly, thoroughly defeating the purpose of having cheaper internet, but if it were to work at this speed for all computers, simultaneously [not likely, I know], I’d have to say Verizon’s $14.9/mo internet is not too shabby.
It’s taken about a week since the service ready date, aka: the date from which they begin billing you, to actually use the service, and like I said, I still can’t get it to work through the router so we’ll probably prevail on – who else? – my younger, teenaged computer whiz cousin to help whip Linksys into shape.
I will just have to keep an eye out for the phone bill to make sure they really do apply the 30-day credit that I was promised.
So far …..
October 20, 2006
A long-time business acquaintance of PaDucky inquired about my willingness to help him out, while he helped me out. How? you ask. Why, simple. I get a credit card with him as an authorized user, and he would use it on a regular basis – both charging and paying off high balances – which would naturally lead to my growing a *very* high credit limit (that obviously a young’un like myself couldn’t possibly achieve on her own.) Because he has no real credit history [translation: no real GOOD history] of his own.
*sputtering* Wha-wha-wha-whaaaaaatttt??? Hu-excuse me?? You want me to what you what? Does this man think I’m crazy? Or stupid? Or possessed?? He wants me to hand over a credit card in MY NAME and juuust hand it on over and say “here y’are, use it as you please” and just TRUST him to run it up and pay it off? Which part of that equation does he think I have my doubts about? Surely he doesn’t think it’s a lack of faith in his ability to run up a credit card that I am responsible for?
Perhaps he hasn’t realized that I’m the only creditworthy person in my family, but if he does, does he think I got there by being blind/deaf/dumb AND crazy? That I just fell into a pit of good-credit-luck? Does he seriously think that he is doing ME a favor by “creating” a credit history that I wouldn’t have without his high chargin’ self or is he just hoping to convince me of his sincerity? Well, duh, I have a great 700+ credit score even with balance transfers and two car loans to my name. The credit history he COULD give me sounds about half as tempting as scoring a case of smallpox. I suppose I’d live through it, but why would I want to?
Ok, so he may not be a financial devil in disguise, but how could anyone think that this isn’t a *terrible, horrible, no good, very bad* risk to take? Out of giving him the benefit of the doubt, I tried to think through how this COULD be made to be a better situation that involved NO risk of being hung out to dry and actually benefitted me in some material way, but I really couldn’t think of anything.
Even though I’ve been pretty lackluster about keeping up my couponing and rebating in the face of all the workhours I’ve been logging, I tuned in just in time to notice that October’s a good rebating month and Walgreens does well by all of us!
1. For the arthritically inclined: Your choice of ActiveOn, a topical analgesic for joint&muscle, backache, or arthritis, 2oz: Free after rebate
2. For the follicularly blessed: Fructis Shampoo or Conditioner 25.4 oz [yep! That’s the giant sized version!], or Deep Conditioner 10.2 oz: Free after rebate
3. For the stressed&heartburned: Mylanta Ultimate Strength, 12 oz: Free after rebate
4. For the great dental exam: Oral-B Manual CrossAction Toothbrush: Free after rebate
5. For the littles: PediaSure NutriPals Liquid 4 pack, 8.4 oz, or Bars 6-pack: Free after Rebate
6. For the gals: Playtex Sport Tampons, 16 pack: Free after rebate
7. For the immunologically challenged: Sucrets Defense to help fight Colds & Flu, 18 drops: Free after rebate
[Ironically, I picked up numbers 2, 4, 6, and 7. And, I didn’t use 7. So I’m home, sick. Yep, still feeling bored and sorry for myself.] ALSO remember to check your newspapers from last Sunday, you’ll find great coupons for items 2 and 7 in either the Smartsource or Valassis pages, as well as for item 3 in the Parade pages. If you don’t know how Walgreens rebates work, you buy all the items you want and even if you use a coupon on their rebate items, [yes, even the Free after Rebates hereafter known as FAR], you get the full purchase price back in your rebate check. If you opt to receive your rebate in the form of a gift card, they will add an extra 10% bonus to your rebate total. They don’t require you to collect UPCs either, you just have to send in your receipt with their submission form properly filled out. Be sure to keep a photocopy for your records! Occasionally a mistake will be made and you’ll need to send them a copy of your proof to get your full rebate.
It’s actually been a pretty great week for coupons because the Walgreens Catalina machine gave me two coupons for Free Tampax Pearl after buying the Playtex brand. You’ve gotta love brand competition! And the Parade magazine also had a free Pupperoni’s coupon so the doggies can have a free treat as well. What a nice welcome-back to couponing!