Tag Archive for hillsboro school district

Press Release- Local nonprofit hosts free public forum on healthcare

November 5, 2013 financial literacy, Press Release No comments

PORTLAND and HILLSBORO, Ore., November 5, 2013—Financial Beginnings, a Portland-based nonprofit that provides  financial education programs, is offering a free  forum to answer the public’s questions regarding healthcare to take place Thursday, November 7th from 6:30-8:00pm at the Hillsboro Public Library located at 2850 NE Brookwood Parkway in Hillsboro.

Financial Beginnings, The Hillsboro School District and The Oregonian are partnering to present Unraveling the Mysteries of Your Money: Navigating the Changing World of Healthcare at the Hillsboro Public Library.  The series sponsor is OnPoint Community Credit Union and the event sponsor is the Northwest Health Foundation.

Panelists will include:
Cynthia Hulton, Field & Training Officer- SHIBA, State of Oregon
Ariane Holm, Spokesperson for Cover Oregon
Laura Cali, Insurance commissioner & Chief Actuary, State of Oregon
Chris Senz, Operating Officer, Tuality Health Alliance

Spanish translation and childcare will be available.  Registration is required for this free event online at https://navigatinghealthcare.eventbrite.com/ or by phone 800-406-1876.

Unraveling the Mysteries of Your Money is a series of free forums open to the general public. These forums offer expert panelists who field questions and discuss finance topics that are relevant and important in today’s economy. They are organized and hosted by Financial Beginnings in partnership with The Oregonian newspaper and Brent Hunsberger, writer of the It’s Only Money column on personal finance; Hunsberger also serves as forum moderator.  OnPoint Community Credit Union is the title sponsor of the Unraveling the Mysteries of Your Money 2013/14 series.

For more information about the Unraveling the Mysteries of Your Money panel series, visit: http://www.FinancialBeginnings.com/Unraveling-the-Mysteries-of-Your-Money/

About Financial Beginnings

Formed in 2005 and based in Portland, OR, Financial Beginnings is a nonprofit organization that provides free financial education programs throughout the Pacific Northwest.  Financial Beginnings’ largest program educates youth and young adults in the basics of personal finance through visits to schools or community groups.  Financial Beginnings’ courses incorporate all aspects of personal finance to provide individuals the foundation needed to make informed financial decisions. More information is available at www.financialbeginnings.org.

 

 

Navigating the Changing World of Healthcare

October 22, 2013 financial literacy No comments

I recently had my second child more than a decade after having my first child.  I remember going out to lunch with Brent Hunsberger, It’s Only Money columnist for the Oregonian newspaper, and him asking what the biggest difference was the 2nd time around.  I think he was surprised by my answer…..the health insurance.

When I had my first child in 2001 my health insurance was purchased through my husband’s employer and we were paying $25 per month for a Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO with a $2500 deductible.  At the time I remember thinking this was a “catastrophic plan” and that $2500 was a lot from our budget.

When I got pregnant with my second child in 2011, one of the first things I did was check our health insurance policy to see how much I would need to budget for the medical bills.  We were paying over $800 per month for insurance for just my husband and so I assumed that we must have the platinum coverage and would not be paying a lot our of pocket.  Still, I found that the deductible was $1500 and the out of pocket maximum $3000.   We planned our budget accordingly so when the bills started coming in a few months later I was surprised when we were quickly over $3000. However, considering the financial strain, I also researched alternative options to manage my health, such as the use of Best Delta 8/9 CBD Gummies & Hemp Flowers for Pain, Anxiety and Sleep Problems.

I called the insurance company to find out why we were still being billed even though we had paid the $3000 maximum already.  Well, those few months from when I got pregnant to when the bills started coming in brought us into a new coverage year and with it new limits.  Our out of pocket maximum had doubled from $3000 to $6000!

This was a big chunk out of our savings and especially hard with all of the other costs that go into having a new baby (remember it had been 10 years so I didn’t have anything left from the first).

Like many others, I am watching to see what happens with Obamacare.  I have many questions that are unanswered.

To answer these questions we have organized a free forum be be held at the Hillsboro Library on Nov 7th at 6:30pm where the public can come and get their questions about the changes happening with health insurance.

Find out more!