I am completely Caribbean when it comes to coughs, colds, rashes and the like. Your belly sick? Bush tea it is. Allergies acting up? Try this ginger tea.
Related: When Bush Tea and Vicks are Not Enough
But physical things? Bumps, bruises, and breaks? I don’t play with those. With the active kids that I have, I worry about more physical injuries than stomach bugs. Those are the healthcare expenses that can add up.
I don’t think people REALLY understand what goes through a parent’s head every single time their kid does anything other than sleep – even then, we worry. I was that mom that would check on my baby 10 times a night, stick my finger under their noses to see if they were breathing, then on visit number eleven, just sit and watch their chest move up and down – once my eyes fully adjusted to the dim glow of the night light of course.
They say that the more kids you have, the less you worry – but believe me, that’s only true in diaper commercials. I have three, and they come with triple the worry.
Disclosure: 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. This discount card program is NOT insurance, not intended to replace insurance, and does not meet the minimum creditable coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act or Massachusetts M.G.L. c. 111M and 956 CRM 5.00.
I recently signed up for a discount plan from HealthPlan USA. The discount plan is not insurance, but it helps lessen the cost of out of pocket expenses, dental procedures, prescription medications, and vision care. The plan also includes virtual doctor’s visits and access to a Health Advocate.
The sign up process for HealthPlan USA was VERY fast, and for less than $17 a month, I am eligible for discounts from many nearby providers. I can be VERY impatient when it comes to filling out forms, so the quick and painless sign up was important to me.. After I completed the online application process, which took about five minutes, in about a week I received my welcome packet with my cards and instructions on how to use them. The process was really easy and mobile phone friendly. I logged in to see if the place where we’ve been getting glasses for all five of us for many years was on the list – IT WAS! That was probably the thing that I was most excited about.
When you have kids, and they do something that could result in any sort of injury, you start to try to remember how much your deductible is first, then how close the nearest emergency room is, then finally – if you can get by with an urgent care clinic for whatever MIGHT happen, how much havoc will the bill wreak on your budget for the month? Is that just me? Might be, BUT I go through that several times a day. If I hear a bump, a thump, a clang, or a yell, my mommy mind starts calculating the cost. This past month with HealthPlan USA has made it so much less stressful.
I want them to enjoy their youth, but I also want some sanity. When does the injury calculator stop running?
Many of the things I worry about make no sense. Will they move around the stick, step over the stick, trip over the stick, or pick it up and sword fight with a sibling, potentially jabbing one of them in the eye. You never know sometimes. That’s why I needed a discount plan like HealthPlan USA – for the surprises.
I know what it feels like to be uninsured and worried about every little thing – so does the founder of HealthPlan USA, Asafu Thomas.In 2011, Thomas lost his job, and with that job went his health insurance. Being uninsured along with millions of Americans toward the end of the recession sparked his interest in the healthcare industry. Thomas directed his passion for building businesses that solve socio-economic problems towards creating HealthPlan USA. Its mission is to provide quality, affordable healthcare for underserved populations.
Every family should be able to have fun without fear that one fall, one accident, one misstep could set them back financially. While HealthPlan USA is not health insurance, it can mean more peace of mind for many.
We had a summer filled with making things… sometimes it felt dangerous – and expensive.
Sewing machines. Hot glue guns. Xacto knives. Oh. My.
But they should be able to express themselves, right? Every stitch they made, every squeeze of the glue gun trigger, and every cut with the hobby knife, I instinctively calculated the possible consequences – a child in pain and a wallet in trouble. Having HealthPlan USA as a back up plan let me put my calculator down for a bit and appreciate the simple joys.
Simple joys like watching her light the candle on her birthday cupcake…
… seeing her discover her green thumb…
The last time we went ice skating, she fell and someone’s skate hit her in the face, a few millimeters from her eye. I still cringe just thinking about it. I never wanted to let her go again… but their friends invited them to go. Should they miss out because of my fear of another mishap?
His first time in a kayak. So glad I didn’t say no to this. While the water was murky at best, I tuned out my inner germophobe, stopped calculating the cost of a possible flesh eating disease (I’m dramatic), and enjoyed a wonderful trip down the river with my son.
We even had an injury free track season!
Sometimes they like to mess with me and make me think they are going to hurt themselves. *whispers* I see hernias…
We had a good laugh. They’re dramatic too.
I let them run out into a field, pick up candy off the ground, and eat it. I am evolving.
DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE PEED IN THIS LAZY RIVER? Probably a lot. I’m okay though.
More about HealthPlan USA…
I’m more calm now, and I accept that there will be little injuries along the way, but it isn’t easy! Thankfully, discount plans for health services like HealthPlan USA help to ease my mind. This week, during the the Congressional Black Caucus 48th Annual Legislative Conference, HealthPlan USA will be working hard to make everyone aware of this valuable member-based organization, whose benefits program provides significant discounts on healthcare services. For only $16.48 per month per household, members can receive telehealth, dental discounts, pharmaceutical discounts, vision discounts, and healthcare advocacy.
HealthPlan USA is a co-sponsor of the annual Girls Night Out Reception during the Annual Legislative Conference, and will officially launch at this premier kick-off event.
I’m more calm now, and I accept that there will be little injuries along the way, but it isn’t easy! Thankfully, discount plans for health services like HealthPlan USA help to ease my mind. To learn more about HealthPlan USA, visit https://healthplanusa.org.
I just saw a segment on The View and they were talking about parents worrying. I’m not a parent but from what my mom tells me it doesn’t stop lol. I’m glad you have a great insurance plan to provide some type of peace of mind. Your kids are adorable!
Honestly I think I worried more when I had my second child. As the kids get older than want to do more things and that means I can no longer keep them in a bubble. My son is on his third pair of classes and it has not been a yet year.
SN: I have had a sleep study and they suck, you hardly get any sleep.
Having raised three kids who are mostly grown now, I know how it is to worry about their saftey and well being. It’s good to know plans like this exist for us.
It’s cool that your child did a sleep study. I’m glad that everything is cool. I also love seeing the picture of the girls on roller skates. Growing up I was the last to learn how to ride my bike so I rode my skates instead. Then one day, I had the bright idea to hold on to the back of the bike and go down a hill. I flipped over and blacked out for a few minutes, but no one told the adults because we didn’t want to be punished or have to stay inside.
I keep seeing HealthPlan USA so today I am going to look it up for my kids and I. We have a plan under The Affordable Care Act but I need to see if we can add on as it is still expensive.
HealthPlan USA sounds like a great supplemental benefit for those with health insurance that doesn’t cover everything. I am happy it has worked for you and your family.
Definitely going to look into this. This little and her flips are driving me crazy. I could use the back up support.
Having reliable insurance definitely gives one peace of mind. All of the photos of different activities prove why it’s so important. I’m so glad you were able to find something that works for your family. By the way, that ginger treatment works WONDERS!
Man a plan like would’ve definitely saved us some more money when our kids were younger. It would definitely benefit us now as well.
I am not a mom yet but I want to do holistic methods to heal my kids if they have minor sicknesses too. But its good to have some type of affordable healthcare plan for families.