Mentioning therapy to most people usually triggers two immediate reactions: relief at the idea of being heard, and panic at the cost. In the United States, traditional private-practice therapy runs anywhere from $150 to $300 per 50-minute session. For anyone without rich insurance coverage or high disposable income, prioritizing mental health can feel like an … Read more
VS Victor Sterling, MS, CHDA Medicare Transition Advocate & Healthcare Pricing Analyst You open the paper bag from your local pharmacy, look at the receipt, and your heart sinks. A 30-day supply of your brand-name blood thinner, inhaler, or arthritis medication is going to cost you $400 out-of-pocket because you have hit the dreaded Medicare … Read more
VS Victor Sterling, MS, CHDA Patient Access Advocate & Healthcare Pricing Analyst There are few things in the healthcare system more terrifying than standing at a pharmacy counter and being told your insulin refill will cost $300 out-of-pocket. For a Type 1 diabetic, insulin is not optional; it is life support. Tragically, driven by fear … Read more
VS Victor Sterling, MS, CHDA Healthcare Pricing Analyst & Patient Access Advocate Losing your health insurance—whether due to retirement timing, a job transition, or being caught in a Medicare coverage gap—is a terrifying experience. But the panic reaches a fever pitch when you look down at your pill organizer and realize you have only three … Read more
Dental care in America has a dirty secret: standard health insurance almost never covers your teeth, and standalone dental insurance is notoriously restrictive. With annual coverage caps frozen at $1,500—a threshold established in the 1970s—a single root canal and crown can completely wipe out your insurance benefits, leaving you with thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket … Read more
VS Victor Sterling, MS, CHDA Healthcare Pricing Analyst & Patient Access Advocate Losing your health insurance—whether due to retirement timing, a job transition, or being caught in a Medicare coverage gap—is a terrifying experience. But the panic reaches a fever pitch when you look down at your pill organizer and realize you have only three … Read more
Consider the standard American doctor visit: You wait three weeks for an open slot, spend 45 minutes sitting in a sterile waiting room reading outdated magazines, and finally get seven rushed minutes with a physician who spends most of the time typing into an electronic health record. A month later, an mysterious $280 bill arrives … Read more
VS Victor Sterling, MS, CHDA Medicare Transition Advocate & Healthcare Pricing Analyst You just finished your annual physical. Your doctor hands you a requisition form for routine blood work—a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP), a Lipid Panel, and a Vitamin D screening—and points you toward the hospital lab down the hall. A few weeks later, you … Read more
Few simple tweaks in personal finance yield as high a return with as little effort as switching your monthly prescription refills to a 90-day mail-order pharmacy supply. It sounds like a no-brainer: instead of trekking to your neighborhood pharmacy twelve times a year, a three-month box of pills arrives straight to your doorstep, often with … Read more
VS Victor Sterling, MS, CHDA Medicare Transition Advocate & Healthcare Pricing Analyst Imagine you need a total knee replacement. The local hospital runs your insurance and estimates that, after meeting your deductible and paying your 20% coinsurance, your out-of-pocket cost will be $8,500. Feeling overwhelmed, you look for alternatives. You find a private, state-of-the-art surgery … Read more