Back in October of last year, my husband was unexpectedly laid off from his job. It was early October, and it was right around our 10th wedding anniversary. To say that the time was inconvenient is a gross understatement. While we were away on our second honeymoon (because we weren’t in the position to celebrate like we wanted when we got married) we found out that our daughter had to be rushed to the hospital with complications from her dealings with asthma. The great thing is the timing – his full coverage didn’t expire until the end of October, and she got sick smack dab in the middle of the month of his layoff.
I am in partnership with HealthPlan USA and they have provided me with compensation for this campaign. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Overall, she turned out just fine, but it was after a three day stint in ICU and being poked and prodded by doctors all through the night. That situation gave me pause about healthcare and the hardships that come from folks who can’t afford the simplest of things. Preventative care to keep them from using the ER as their primary care physicians, and use of dentists and ophthalmologists. We’ve always been covered overall, except for this time. From November 1 until February of this year, we were praying that no one from our family needed to head into the doctor or dentist in order to get work done because we just didn’t have the money.
I’m so glad that the timing of physicals for this year happened after my husband became gainfully employed and that the elusive teen didn’t have to do any important health work for college until later in the spring. The timing for the layoff wasn’t ideal, but health-wise – we lucked out. My twins are always a sight when visiting our pediatrician. We’ve had her for 18 years (since Nathaniel was born) and while I know she would have worked with us had we been uninsured for a bit of time, the sheer level of stress in paying bills for 4 children would have wreaked havoc for us financially.
Same story goes for our dentist. We’ve been with our pediatric dentist for years now, and my kids enjoy her so much. My husband and I do too. We also take the care of teeth seriously in our household. So far, out of 6 folks, there are only 2 cavities in the bunch and they come from having ridiculously close teeth, and not horrible dental habits. While our dental bills aren’t huge because of taking care of things like cavities or tooth extractions, we do go every six months, and that can get pricey. Plus, who can be blamed for wanting to see this face every six months?
Last month, I told you about HealthPlan USA. Here’s a little bit more about the founder and the program in general.
When Asafu Thomas, founder of HealthPlan USA lost his job toward the end of the great recession in 2011, he became one of the millions of Americans without health insurance. This experience sparked his interest in the healthcare industry.Pairing his market research experience with his genuine passion for building businesses to solve socio-economic issues, the HealthPlan USA mission is to provide quality, affordable healthcare for underserved populations.
HealthPlan USA, a member-based organization, is a benefits program providing significant discounts on healthcare services. Services include telehealth, dental discounts, pharmaceutical discounts, vision discounts, and healthcare advocacy for only $16.48 a month per household.
During the Congressional Black Caucus 48th Annual Legislative Conference, HealthPlan USA will officially launch at the premier kick-off event by co-sponsoring the annual, invitation-only Girl’s Night Out Reception. In addition, HealthPlan USA will also participate in several other events, as well as be featured in various media, during launch week to create awareness about its new service.
To learn more about HealthPlan USA, visit https://healthplanusa.org
I know that healthcare is a hot button topic around so many, but statistics show that healthy people make healthy nations. It’s really smart to be covered, and to be able to get the basic healthcare for your family for a small fee each month is just the beginning. I know that had this been available during the time that my husband was laid off from his job – I would have been able to exhale a bit deeper, instead of hoping and wishing that no one needed to be anywhere before he became employed full time, and covered medically.
This experience also let me know that as a small business owner, with no employees of my own, it’s important to make sure that should something like this happen again, I’m able to at least take care of the non-emergency portion of my family’s healthcare needs. To alleviate any and all stress that comes when there may be more month than money. We’ve all been there whether we want to discuss it or not, and it’s not a great place to be.
HealthPlan USA wants to make sure that more of that silver lining shines through those cloudy times – and that you and your family stay healthy and happy.
Check out HealthPlan USA by visiting their website at https://healthplanusa.org
