Health Related Items

While I was at Costco today I noticed a couple of items I would like to share. First they are having a company come in and do Allergy Testing for $10 this coming Saturday, Aug. 16th. I'm am considering doing this as I suffer from allergies but have never been tested. For $10 it would be nice to know some of what sets me off. If you are interested call 323-8707.

Also Costco has a prescription program. If you are not covered by any prescription coverage, they have a program which would discount the amount you would have to pay for your prescriptions. It varies by drug. Call 1-800-806-0129 for more info.

Next, some of my thoughts on Health Insurance:
Being self employed means that we buy our own health insurance. I had thought that once I was through with school, I would get a full time job, with benefits. It turns out that I am not ready to leave my kids full time. So, my part time job does not have benefits, yet... I have been covered by BSU insurance for the past three years while I have been in school. So, it was time to go insurance shopping. What I found was interesting. The insurance was less expensive now than it was 3 years ago for us. I think that many people do not want to be self employed due to the health insurance issue. I think this is not necessarily as big of an issue as it used to be. But being covered is important.

If you are not covered by health insurance, find a way to get coverage. I think that you cannot afford to not have insurance coverage. We have been counseled by our church leaders that insurance is important. "Appropriately involve yourself in an insurance program. It is most important to have sufficient medical and adequate life insurance. "Marvin J Ashton, One for the Money 2007. http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=ac529cf12df64110VgnVCM100000176f620a____

If your children or the children of someone you know are not covered by health insurance or if the deductibles and copayments are beyond your ability to pay, you need to know that coverage through State Health and Welfare may be a possibility. To qualify for low cost or no cost insurance you must be at 185% of the federal poverty level. An example would be a family of 6 including adults, making $4378/mo or 52,536 per year. I think that I heard that Congress is debating whether to increase the limit to 200% of the federal poverty level. This could either completely cover your child medical expenses or help pay for either individual insurance or even employer sponsered insurance plans up to $100 per child. Yes, this is socialized medicine which I have mixed feeling about, but, when necessary due to financial difficulty, I support it. Just to clarify, the coverage is for the kids only, but adults are considered for the family size. For more information see http://www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/DesktopModules/Documents/DocumentsView.aspx?tabID=0&ItemID=6222&MId=11697&wversion=Staging