Checklist For A Prolonged Hospital Stay
The current pandemic has drastically changed the daily routine for most of us. Especially in current hotspots, it is important to have masks and access to handwashing or sanitizers available pretty much every time you step outside your door.
As the number of those infected rise, you may have the experience of family, friends, or acquaintances coming down with serious illness, and it may hit you that you too may become ill. Are you prepared for a prolonged illness or hospital stay?
No one is truly prepared to be sick, but if you have planned in advance for the logistics of illness, you can use more of your energy for healing instead of struggling to get help. This is a checklist of what you need to do to be prepared before a prolonged illness strikes.
Use Automatic Bill Pay
Use one credit card for every bill possible and ideally nothing else, and then pay that credit card off each month in full using automatic bill pay through your checking.
Why go this route instead of checking directly? It is much easier to challenge a credit card mistake than it is to get money returned to your checking account.
Simplify Your Finances
The fewer accounts you have floating out there, the less likely mistakes will occur and money will be lost. Ideally you should have no more than one account each for your checking, savings, workplace investing, Roth, IRA, and taxable brokerage account. Have two credit cards you use – ideally one for bill pay and one for everything else.
Prepare Your Advance Directives
Our clients have all completed their estate planning documents and advanced directives, so if you are a client, you should be good here. However, have a conversation with the person who will act as your power of attorney and your health care surrogate to make sure they understand their duties and your wishes.
Understand Your Health Insurance
Most insurance companies are providing breaks for coronavirus treatment. However, with our convoluted billing system, it is possible you will face billing snafus. Know what doctors and hospitals are covered under your insurance and stick to those providers to prevent out of network billing issues.
While in the hospital, continually insist they use providers who are in network, and on all financial documents, add the line, “Use in-network providers and services only.” Document as much as possible about the services provided in case billing issues arise later.
Have a Pet Care Plan
If you have pets, create a pet care plan that outlines their feeding schedule, special needs, and veterinarian contact. If you don’t have someone willing to care for your pet, ask your vet if they can recommend someone or find a pet sitter on Rover.com.
