Managing Your Medical Bills & Insurance Paperwork

MANAGING YOUR MEDICAL BILLS & INSURANCE PAPERWORK: TIPS FOR MAXIMIZING REIMBURSEMENT BY HARVEY J. MATOREN, MPH, CCAP Do you become frustrated and overwhelmed when managing your medical bills and filing your health insurance claims? You’re not alone. It can be extremely difficult for the average patient or caregiver to get through the “maze of insurance land.” For people with a chronic or terminal illness, or acute episodes of illness as well, managing and filing insurance […]

Strive for the Right Financial Strategy for You: A Professional with the Chartered Special Needs Consultant Designation Can Help

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” Mark Twain wrote that in a letter, and while it referenced the writing life, the same analogy could be applied to financial strategies for persons with special needs. What’s the difference? More than ten years ago, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) recognized that, in regards to the […]

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: Me, Myself and GINA

BY SARAH ROTH, MFA Ginahelp.org provides an introduction to GINA and its protections in health insurance and employment. Knowledge can be both frightening and empowering, and knowledge of your child’s predisposition for a genetic condition is no exception. Moreover, the decision to pursue genetic testing can provide as many questions as answers. From a small sample of skin, saliva or blood, your family is given a set of signs—pluses, minuses, numbers and letters—that foretell the […]

New Study Explores the Role of Caregiver

Once again MassMutual and Easter Seals have collaborated on a study, this one focused on caregiving. The purpose of the Many Faces of Caregiving Study was to increase understanding of caregivers, become better aware of caregivers’ needs, and improve upon the ways MassMutual and Easter Seals serve caregivers and their families. About caregivers The study asked questions of 341 caregivers and 701 non-caregivers (a fairly equal balance of men and women between the ages of […]

ABLE Accounts and Special Needs Trusts: A Side-by-Side Review

The availability of ABLE accounts is imminent. Many people have anticipated this new way to save money for a person with special needs. But does it take the place of a special needs trust? “A special needs trust and an ABLE account have some similarities, but one doesn’t negate the need for the other,” says Chris Collier1, CLU, ChSNC, who is a Special Care Planner and has earned the Chartered Special Needs Consultant designation.2 He’s […]