Are these health care plan mistakes costing you money?

Now that most of us are picking out our own health care plan, rather than just signing on for whatever our employer offers, we have a lot more to think about. After switching from a PPO to an HSA this past year, I have had my eyes opened anew to the overwhelming costs of health care. Making good choices with your plan is important, but are you making these five health care mistakes that cost you money?

These Health Care Plan Mistakes Cost You Money!

Not budgeting for health care – if you’re used to health care just coming out of your paycheck pre-taxes, think again. When you have a high deductible plan or an HSA plan, you are likely going to pay out of pocket for some items. Or with the HSA have to contribute in addition to your premium. Be sure to budget for wellness by creating a line item for health care in your monthly budget! Here’s some more tips on planning a budget for natural wellness!

Not taking advantage of preventative care – Preventative care is included in your plan at no charge – why not use it!? Truly, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Find out more why preventative health care for men matters especially!

Not knowing where to go for health care – I had this happen to me – a scary stomach pain for my son turned into a $2,400 ER visit (of which I had to pay $1,200 out of our HSA). All because I had NO idea what my options were! I could’ve easily visited an urgent care clinic and paid far less. Be sure you know where to go for health care whether you’re home or on vacation!

Not picking the right plan for your age – HSA, HRA, FSA – do you know what they mean? I didn’t! I turned forty this year (shh, don’t tell!). And I’m looking at health care in a whole new way. I will need more and different exams now, and I need to pick a plan that fits my life. A young, single woman in good health may find a high deductible plan fits her life because she doesn’t visit the doctor often. But a family of four with older parents and younger children? Well… we need to cover ALL the bases, so a low deductible plan is better for us.

Why should you learn about health care plans?

As a parent, I’m trying to stay as healthy as possible so I can enjoy life and be there for my kids.

And, because you could stop wasting money! Many people avoid the doctor because of costs, but then problems get bigger. They probably had preventative coverage inside of their plan at no or little additional cost! At least find out.

United Healthcare has a new Are You a Health Care Pro? tool that educates about health care plans (even if you’re not currently a UHC customer!). Even if you get the wrong answer, they fill you in so you’re always learning! (PLUS there’s a $500 Gift Card Prize up for grabs!)

• Get stuck on terminology? Take the UnitedHealthcare quiz to learn more about terms and generic health care information.
• Find yourself at the dr. frequently? Play the match game to learn about which health plan account can help you afford those visits! (HSA, FSA, HRA?)
• Want to lower out of pocket expenses? Use the UHC slider tool to know what’s the best ratio between premiums and out of pocket costs.
• Swamped with bills? You could be going to the wrong place for health care! Figure out which services are most or least expensive by ranking them and checking your answers!

PLUS, when you play the quiz, you get entered to win their Monthly $500 Gift Card Prize OR Weekly $100 Gift Card Prize!

AND?! When you take the quiz with my promo code: HAPPYSTRONGHOME, you can also enter MY $100 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card Giveaway here! You can enter daily!

This is win-win-win, my readers! So… quiz time!

How to enter MY giveaway: 

• Visit the United Healthcare website and take the Are You a Health Care Pro? Quiz.  Use my unique promo code: HAPPYSTRONGHOME 
• Come back here and fill out the Rafflecopter form to enter MY giveaway!
• Return here DAILY to keep entering BOTH giveaways (MUST use my promo code for my giveaway!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Note: Winners may only win ONE UHC-sponsored blog giveaway per month (among all participating bloggers).

Sponsored by United Healthcare; I received compensation for sharing this message. All opinions are my own. I am not responsible for fulfilling giveaway prizes.