A 2007 survey of low- and middle-income consumers with credit card debt found the following: Nearly one-third (29 percent) reported that medical expenses contributed to their current level of credit card debt.

I would think that with the economy in the dumps since then, that percentage hasn't gone down very much. As a matter of fact, in a 2008 study: More than one-half (52%)of indebted low- and middle-income households cited medical expenses as contributing to their credit card debt. And that percentage seemed to stay the same as we moved into 2009.

I don't like starting out an article with boring stats, but these numbers had me shaking my head and realizing that debt isn't always caused by impulse buying or lack of a budget. At times life will push us into a corner and demand from us what we least want to give. Handing over a credit card to get a medical bill paid.

However, armed with knowledge and foresight, we may be able to limit the use of those credit cards as ways to pay medical bills.

Flickr/cc - joanna8555

 ➜ Check for Errors. Know Your Insurance. Recently a bill was received stating that I owed $349 for a nutritionist that was a referral from the doctor. Because of my insurance, I don't pay for referrals or a minimum $40 is paid. After the initial shock and anger, a call to the insurance company got things straightened out. Also, before going in for surgery, find out what is covered. As weird as it may seem, some things used in a surgical room may not be covered by insurance unless you get pre-approval.

➜ Call and Negotiate, Don't Hide. A few years back when I had no insurance and a trip to the emergency room was a necessity. A bill came in the mail for a few thousand, which I knew couldn't be paid all at once as much as I would like to. But after a few transfers to the correct billing department, a deal was struck for a lower amount and payment plan was set up that was much more manageable. Had I waited, that bill could have been sold off to a collection agency and the price would have gone higher, plus a ding on the credit report.

➜ Medical Financial Assistance. It hasn't been very difficult to arrange a payment plan when speaking to the billing department. However, they occasionally have minimums for payment plans. Sometimes hospitals will have you fill out forms to participate in a "charity" grant that pays part of the bill off. Keep in mind that you may need to ask for these types of grants or programs for the uninsured. Also check with your state or county resources for assistance as well.

➜ Workman's Compensation. You shouldn't be paying for, it may slow to a crawl when it comes to getting help and surgery. But the one thing I have found that is most necessary in these cases is to speak up loud and clear if you are not able to return to work. If you do return before you are healed, then any additional medical bills may be your responsibility because the previous claim had already been closed.

➜ Crime and Accidents. If you are a victim of crime and were injured, there are programs to assist you in paying medical bills. But, you have to file the claim correctly and within a certain time. Ask the police or the hospital for help with contacting the VoC. If you have medical bills in collections now, you may still be able to get retro-active assistance.
As for accidents, make certain the hospital or collection agency has all of the information they need to resolve the problem. Be open and honest on the police reports and with all the insurance companies involved.

➜ Denying Service. This is less likely to happen if you have kept in contact with the doctor's office and worked out even a small payment on the previous bill before making a new appointment. By Law: If you have a medical emergency, a hospital must treat you regardless of your ability to pay.

Section 1867 of the Social Security Act imposes specific obligations on Medicare-participating hospitals that offer emergency services to provide a medical screening examination (MSE) when a request is made for examination or treatment for an emergency medical condition (EMC), including active labor, regardless of an individual's ability to pay. Hospitals are then required to provide stabilizing treatment for patients with EMCs. If a hospital is unable to stabilize a patient within its capability, or if the patient requests, an appropriate transfer should be implemented.

All I want to do here is make sure you are armed with information should you get a bill that is beyond your financial ability and as an alternative to using credit cards to pay.

Other Charitable Groups for medical assistance:
* The Access Project - Free assistance in negotiating medical bills.
*  The CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation - A not-for-profit organization established in 2007 to address the needs of individuals who cannot afford their insurance co-payments to cover the cost of medications for treating cancer.
* Free Medical Clinics -  Find Free information about Free Medical Clinics and Free Dental Clinics. 

flickr/cc - elisfanclub

The most common resolution for the new year relates to body image. Either people want to exercise more, eat healthier or reduce weight (which is a mix of the two). Another top ten is to reduce debt or save money. Did you know you can put these two resolutions together?

There is a way to both reduce debt/save money while also changing your body and here are my suggestions on just how to do that with links to previous posts I have written on them.

Remove soda pop from your diet - Not only can you lose at-least 15 pounds over the course of a year, but you can save money on dental bills as well as the money that originally went towards buying soda. Some ways to reduce your intake:
1. Gradually drop in amount, cutting in half what you drink each 2-3 weeks.
2. Replace with carbonated water, tea or coffee
3. Drink a cup of water before you open a bottle of soda. You may not want it then.
4. Each time you want a bottle of soda, remind yourself of the negatives (money, health)

Reduce your portion sizes - This is one I am working on still. It is amazing how full you can get on 1/2 cup of ice cream if you eat it slow, knowing that the amount in front of you is all you get. The financial advantage to reduced portion sizes is that now that 2 pounds of Pot Roast can last you longer than 2 days and you don't feel you need to buy them as often, thus saving money on groceries.

Eating at home - Speaking of portion sizes, the plates of food given at most restaurants is amazingly large; we've all "rolled out" of our seats after eating too much. Staying home allows you to keep tabs on the amount of food you eat while saving money per plate. There are quite a few sites online where you can make the food at home that are offered in restaurants at a fraction of the cost. By googling {restaurant recipes} for a list of sites with copycat recipes, you can make your favorite dishes or breakfast platters.

Find free exercise options - From running stairs on your lunch break to parking the farthest at the grocery store to using the library or the internet for exercise ideas. Bodyweight exercises are considered one of the hot trends for this year and the awesome part of that means you don't needs any equipment except your body and what is already around your house!

If you enjoy the idea of getting out of the house there are some cheaper exercise options and then there is also the decision about whether gym membership is worth the cost. After going the free way and the cheaper way, I have found that paying money for a membership gets my fat ass to working out more often than going the cheap or free route, since I have nothing to lose. But to each their own.

Get sleep to save money - It helps you fight sickness, it keeps you less stressed, it reduces health-care costs and when you sleep you aren't eating and thus, you lose weight. Win, Win and Win! Best way to make yourself go to bed earlier - get a routine for yourself and set an alarm so you don't forget. If going to bed after the news is best for you, find a news program that is on an hour earlier so you can head to bed earlier. 

Just remember that resolutions are a new start and will take time to kick in. Don't look at it as a restriction or diet but as a new lifestyle for yourself. In 10 years your future self can look back on today and be thankful that you are healthier and saved money in the process.

What ways can you think of to both reduce weight while saving money?

added infographic update: Want to save money?  Start by losing weight!

“Drink lots of water and go to the bathroom” ~Dad

This was his answer to fixing a cold, fever, flu, or on the occasion it felt like you were coughing up a lung. Of course, being a teenager, this was a horrible idea; duh, he was a dad, not a doctor.  But as I have gotten older, I have to admit it works quite well. The answer in most cases is fluids, flush and sleep to get over what ails you.

But to be on the safe side, I got my, bird, pig and regular flu, flu shot last week as a preventative action against working with people who don't call in sick, cough without covering their mouth and don't wash their hands before leaving the bathroom.

flickr/cc - The U.S. Army

The only other way to keep myself from getting sick is to rent a hazmat suit to go to work in. And I really don't have the 300.00 for even the cheaper one, so I will have to find existing ways to keep myself healthy. Although it could double as a Halloween costume.

For now, here are the ways I keep myself from being sick and limiting the length of time I may be sick.

Wash hands
– Here's the drill: Scrub vigorously with water and soap until lather appears, making sure to get between your fingers and fingernails. Use a nail brush if you have one. Briskly dry with a towel. It's not about the water, it's all about a good 20-seconds of vigorous scrubbing

"Eighty percent of infections are transported by touch, so hand washing is the No. 1 thing you can to do prevent infection"

Eat as healthy as you can 
– Cut out the junk food, especially while you are sick; you need good food to help your white blood count in fighting off the virus.

Take your vitamins 
– This can also help with stress and lack of sleep you may have had and fills in the gaps of nutrition that you may not be getting. It is found that store brand multi-vitamins are on equal footing as name brand multivitamins.

Get some sleep 
– Go to your car and sleep on part of your lunch hour if you can. 10-15 minutes does wonders for your mind and body. Check out the "The Sleep Project"

A Homemade Electrolyte Solution
– To replenish your body's electrolytes, science has backed up the idea of having chocolate milk after a work out or when sick with the flu. "The findings suggest that chocolate milk has an optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein to help refuel tired muscles, researcher Joel M. Stager, PhD, Indiana University kinesiology professor, tells WebMD."

Open up your house
– If you keep your house closed up a lot, you may want to open some doors/windows to air things out. You've heard of sick buildings? Your home can harbor sickness on a smaller scale as well.

Change out your toothbrush regularly 
– Bacteria build-up decreases your immune system. If buying a new one every 3-4 months is expensive, consider boiling the toothbrush in water and some vinegar. But don’t melt it

What are some other frugal ways you stay healthy? What are some ways you beat a cold/fever without spending a bucket of money?

I’m trying to wean myself off of soda pop completely. After seeing some of the following information below, it has an added incentive for me to stop drinking soda and to reduce the amount of sugar in my diet. There are some definite frugal advantages to reducing the soda intake:

1. The added health benefits that will last longer than the money burning a hole in my pocket as I stand in front of the vending machine
2. The added money that will stay in my pocket as I choose free or almost free alternatives such as water, tea or other sugar-free drinks.

flickr/cc - woody1778a

A single can of soda a day can add up to 15 pounds a year
An extra can of soda a day can pile on 15 pounds (7 kg) in a single year, and the evidence strongly suggests that this sort of increased consumption is a key reason that more people have gained weight, the researchers say.

The average American downs almost 48 gallons of soft drinks a year, according to 'Beverage Digest', a publication that tracks industry trends. This makes soda the largest single source of calories in our diet, says the 'Center for Science in the Public Interest', and such sugary beverages increase our risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Cavities in a can
People who drink 3 or more sugary sodas daily have 62% more dental decay, fillings and tooth loss! The average American drinks more than 53 gallons of carbonated soft drinks each year, more than any other beverage, including milk, beer, coffee or water.

Removing Soda Summary:
1. I can reduce weight and risk of diabetes and heart disease
2. I am reducing the need for fillings and problems with my teeth
3. I am saving money on my health cost and keeping money in my wallet

Last year I forgot to sign up for the flexible spending option at my work and it was sorely missed. But this year I made sure I didn't forget to sign up, in fact I checked twice before the open enrollment was closed to make sure that they had my selections right as I was nervous I would forget to check something off.

I occasionally try to pass on to my co-workers the beauty of flexible spending accounts and I have found they either get it or they don't want to. Some think it is only if they have dependents and others don't think they will need that money set aside for them.

Personally, I never saw the need for flexible spending accounts until it was explained to me over the course of a few years. Then it sunk in and I wished I had been doing this long ago. The reason I participate in FSA is two-fold:
1. It lowers my tax bracket - Money comes out of my check every two weeks before taxes are taken out. This makes the government think that I am making less and drops me to a lower tax bracket. In fact I used a little calculator that figured this money taken out will save me $113.00 in taxes for the year. Not a lot but I'm sure we all could think of a way to spend $113.00 easy.

2. Unseen medical savings account - I know for a fact that if I have a dollar in my pocket I will have that dollar spent within 24 hours, that is why I don't carry money around with me. However, if I have set up an account that pulls money out of my check and saves it for me for a specific reason I won't spend it because I don't "see" it.

Now I can add a third reason to participate in FSA, and what got me looking into this was all this political health care talk up in D.C. which got me curious what exactly my health-plan (UHC) covered with FSA.

○ I can buy over-the-counter (OTC) drugs like allergy medicines, antacids, cold and flu meds, stop smoking meds, appendage braces and band-aids.
○ I can pay for my dentist appointments. This cost me over $500 last year when I didn't have my FSA set up - so it came out of my pocket, after taxes.
○ I will also have money to pay for another eye appointment and glasses.
○ It was also interesting to read what other areas I could use it for, such as substance abuse treatment, gender reassignment, pregnancy termination and guide dogs, handy for some, just not me.

One thing that worried me when I originally stated up with a flexible spending account was that I wouldn't use  up the money. I have no worries about that any longer as it seems that I put off going to the doctor quite often and if I get to the end of the year with money left to use I will start making appointments for myself to make sure I am healthy.

A last benefit of my FSA is that the end of the year for me is not December 31st, but instead March 15th. This is handy if I have a surgery planned for the February I can use up the previous year's money and use the money from the current year to cover expenses.

Now that you have heard about me, tell me about you:
Do you participate in FSA?
Do you use up all the money?
How much do you figure you save? (a calculator is here)