Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with healthcare

Help me buy my own health insurance.

brenton — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:38:18 -0800

I'm self employed. I need health insurance. My main concern is a random ER visit that will put me in debt for the rest of my life, so I told my wife not to worry about deductible prices, since I only need to go in once every few years anyway. She found something with a $4,000 deductible. And that was like $80/mo. The other ones were even more expensive. Is this price range right? Is this the only way to protect myself from crippling debt?

Urgent: Cheapest wound care/tetanus vax near Howell, NJ?

batmonkey — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:50:17 -0800

Trying to coordinate help for a friend. She stepped on a nail, doesn't have current Tetanus vax. She needs to have the wound thoroughly cleaned and get a tetanus vax. Just the shot at Walgreen's would be $200 - she needs something cheaper (no insurance). They're in Howell, NJ. They can drive a ways if the savings will be significant. The vaccination is obviously important, but I'd also like to get her to a place that will do the wound care, too.

Best would be open tonight, but places she can go first thing in the AM would be okay, too...unless folks feel that would be too long to wait in this situation.

If y'all have first aid advice for this that she can do in the interim, that would be great, too.

Thanks so much!

I'm giving her the link to this thread, and will do what answering I can for her.

Basic questions about American healthcare system

barnoley — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 06:02:05 -0800

I'm a Canadian and somewhat ignorant about the U.S. healthcare system. Some simple questions inside. I had a conversation with a coworker this morning, who I felt was idealizing the financial aspects of living in the U.S. I pointed out that healthcare costs were significantly higher for Americans, and she said that if you had a middle class job, with good insurance, it wasn't really that expensive. That made me question what I thought I knew about the American healthcare system.

So, I have a few questions. I know that people without health insurance are in pretty bad shape. But if you have "decent" health insurance from a pretty good middle class job (say not the best insurance, but whatever would be pretty typical if you have a job that pays ~$50-70K a year and requires a university degree), could someone please explain the following:

- Do you pay the premiums for your health insurance (for basic coverage of seeing the doctor, not drug coverage) or does the employer?
- If you have to pay the premiums, about how much does it cost per month? Is that cost tax-deductible?
- When you go to the doctor, do you have to pay anything? Or is it all paid by your insurance?
- Say you get pregnant and have a baby. Are there any out of pocket costs? Are your prenatal visits covered 100%? When you go to the hospital for a typical vaginal birth, do you have to pay anything? How much? If you have a c-section, are there additional costs? How much?
- Say you get cancer. Are there costs that you have to pay out of pocket, or is it all covered by your insurance?

Sorry if these are stupid questions, I just have no idea. I'm used to showing my health card and not paying a thing. My impression was that Americans have to pay additional fees even with insurance... but maybe that's just Canadian fear-mongering? Or maybe you have to pay fees, but just very low nominal fees?

Thanks for any and all insight you can provide.

How high can a fever get before seeking care?

jsturgill — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:19:40 -0800

Feeling ill yesterday and today, with a fever, slight cough, stuffed nose, sore joints. Taking dayquil and nyquil, and keeping track of my temperature every few hours. What temperature means "go to the hospital?" What other symptoms re: the cough and nose might man go to the hospital? In america, with an okay PPO but no regular doctor yet.

Is there a doctor in the house?

cheerwine — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 12:22:43 -0800

I'm looking for a good primary care doctor in New Haven, CT who accepts United Healthcare insurance. I'm also okay with driving a short distance outside of New Haven. I need someone who does not have a long waiting period to schedule appointments for new patients. Do you know of anyone, or do you know of a good way to decide which of the thousands of doctors on the internet are any good (healthgrades.com was decidedly unhelpful)?

How do I navigate this health insurance situation?

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 09:11:08 -0800

How do I figure out the details on a tricky health insurance situation so I am not doing anything shady, but also don't accidentally end up many thousand of dollars in debt? The situation is this:

I am currently covered as a dependent under my father's excellent health insurance. I am under the age of 26. I have a surgery (septoplasty) scheduled for May 9th, already approved by my father's insurance in writing, according to my physician's office.

On June 1st, I will be able to enroll in my employer's health insurance, and will do so. It is significantly lower quality insurance than what I'm on now, but I know that even if the coverages overlap (they will for several months) that the Coordination of Benefits policies mean that my employer's policy will have to be considered my primary insurance. At least that's how I understand it.

My core question is this: If I postpone the surgery until mid-June, because of scheduling difficulties (wedding, business trip, etc, are all around that time), does that mean the new employer's insurance will have to handle the billing? Or because it was already approved by my current insurance, am I covered by them for that procedure?

Through the current insurance, the surgery will cost me less than $100. If the current insurance denies responsibility somehow, and the new insurance has to foot the bill, it will cost me several thousand dollars. I am hesitant to contact either insurance about this until I have a better idea of how it might play out.

I don't intend to skirt any laws and will have the surgery as scheduled if necessary, but it would be monumentally easier on myself, my job, and my family if I could have the surgery in June and still have it covered by the current insurance.

I am located in New Jersey, and my father, the primary insured, is in Arizona.

Please guide me! I really appreciate any insight.

Throwaway email: mefiseptoplasty@gmail.com

Find Ourselves a City to Live In

muckster — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 01:30:08 -0800

We're a family of two writers and a preschooler, looking for resources & advice on picking a place in the US to move to. My wife and I are writers and freelance editors/translators, which is to say most of our work is location-independent. We're currently living in Germany (long story), but we're looking to move back to the States soon.

Before we left, we lived in New York, and my wife's family is from there, so the NY area is a likely candidate -- but we'd rather not move into the city proper again. Big city bustle isn't as important to us anymore as quality of life, a little space & quiet, and affordable rents. Health care, day care, and schools will be an issue. (The kid's turning 4 in the summer). We'd enjoy a bit of an artistic community, a few decent restaurants, maybe an art house theater and an independent book shop -- but we don't need much more than that, as long as there's Internet. A body of water or an actual beach would be a major plus.

Places we're tossing around include Jersey City, Portland, New Orleans, "somewhere in California," and what the NYT calls "Hipsturbia" (ugh).

Can you recommend specific places/neighborhoods anywhere in the US, or handy online resources for researching this? So far, I've found http://hotpads.com, http://www.myapartmentmap.com, but it seems there must be more & better.

Thank you.

Another US health insurance question

crapmatic — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:10:35 -0800

How are things looking over the next few years as far as health insurance costs in the US? The realistic health insurance rate for a good family plan (self employed, so I get the crappy and expensive individual policy) is more than my mortgage, and not only is coverage expensive and precarious under an individual plan but I'm ALSO factoring in my experience in that the premiums tossed around are teaser rates which nearly double every year.

I don't want to turn this thread into a political debate or one over what's causing the high prices, as that's already been hashed out elsewhere, but what I'd like to know is what's realistically coming over the next few years in terms of health insurance reforms for those who are NOT low-income, high-risk, or enjoying group/employer coverage, and how much of it has been (or could be) rolled back?

Also as far as the red states that are passing all these symbolic bans against Obamacare, does this pose any real threat? I'm guessing the state pools would still have to comply.

Help me spend my LIMITED PURPOSE FSA

young sister beacon — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:58:44 -0800

I am new to the world of Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts and I think I've enrolled in an FSA that I won't use. Okay, so I've enrolled in a Limited Purpose FSA for 2013. I am contributing the max of $2500/year. Stupidly, I've only just realized today that it is LIMITED PURPOSE and is only to be used for vision and dental expenses as well a preventative care. I had an eye test about 3 years ago and my vision is perfect so I don't need glasses/contacts or Lasik (but I will go and get another eye test anyway, though my vision is still very good). I go to the dentist regularly, but my teeth are pretty healthy so I don't need any dental work that I know of and in any case, I have dental insurance which I think probably covers regular visits. I could get my wisdom teeth pulled (my dentist gave me a referral), but it would be more out of annoyance than necessity (I haven't had them pulled because I was always told I didn't need them pulled) and I'm not sure I want to have major surgery for something that's not necessary.

Which leaves me with preventative stuff. Could you please give me some ideas on preventative care I could get to use up my money? I am going to go to a dermatologist to get a full body mole check. I'll ask my doctor about a mammogram. Any other diagnostic tests or screenings that an otherwise healthy person could get? I got a bunch of blood work (the basics) done last year and they were all fine. I called my FSA provider and they really couldn't give me other ideas other than to stress the services must be preventative in nature. Immunizations are eligible but I think I'm up to date on most of them anyway (including the flu shot). Even if I weren't I'm thinking my regular health insurance would probably cover it.

I am really aggravated as I'm enrolled in this and can't unenroll for 2013. And if I don't use it, I lose it. Because it's limited purpose, I can't use it for normal FSA things like medical supplies or acupuncture, though I can claim mileage on for visits to the doc for my preventative care.

Please help me brainstorm ways I can use up this money by year end. What are some preventative/diagnostic tests/services/screenings I can get? I am in my 30s and in otherwise good health. I have mild asthma. I have no dependants.

We need to buy Healthcare. How should we go about this?

furnace.heart — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 08:34:16 -0800

My family needs medium-term health insurance, and we're not really sure where to start or what type of plan would work best for us. My wife, 18 m/o son, and myself just moved back to our home-city (Portland, Oregon) from a year of living in the Northeast (Portland, Maine).

We had been planning to move back at the end of this year, but our timeline got accelerated by our savings being decimated by some car-repair bills, and an emergency-room visit for the kid and wife (even after insurance, it was really expensive for us). This was compounded by the fact that I was never able to find full time work, and my hours had just been reduced to the lowest level for me not to qualify for unemployment. We cut our losses and moved back to the Portland, Oregon area and are staying with family to get back on our feet.

The good news is that my wife got a very, very well paying job (for us and our history) working for a neighboring county (she works in mental health). This job is great for her in every respect; it pays well, she works with people she knows and likes, and even qualifies her for loan forgiveness after 2 years of working there (which will be a godsend for our finances). However, due to some licensing hiccups and the way the job is structured, she won't be eligible for health benefits until October of this year. The good news is that those benefits are incredibly lucrative as well (and are issued through Providence, if that matters at all).

I got a job offer working with a new company in my field, that has potential, but isn't making a ton of extra money; I make enough to cover daycare costs, and save a little bit on the top of that. I don't get benefits at this job. I'm also not completely tied to this job, and would gladly take another one if it would drastically improve my family's situation. It's a job I know and I am good at, and down the line, might have some financial perks.

That's the situation.

We're wondering what on earth we should do for insurance. We do not qualify for Oregon Health Plan, because we both found jobs so quickly. As far as our medical needs, we still need to take the kid to regular checkups to make sure he's on track for development, getting vaccines, etc. My wife and I also have a couple minor health issues that need maintenance and prescriptions (but we can pay these out of pocket, they're not expensive).

Our options as we see it are:

-For me to find a different job with benefits.
-To purchase our own health plan (which would probably be a Providence plan, so we wouldn't have to switch doctors & specialists once my wife's insurance kicks in).

What would the pros and cons of each be? We've never been in this situation and could really use some guidance.

Past medical history and health insurance

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:33:21 -0800

I'm in the United States and will be working for myself for the first time. This is exciting, but I have a pre-existing health condition, ADHD, and I take medication daily. Will this still be covered if I go on my own health plan or will this be out of pocket? I'm male, non-smoker, mid-20s with no other pre-existing conditions. The whole new health care initiative is confusing, I was under the impression that this sort of thing is now covered.

Sliced finger in LA...ER or Urgent care? Need ideas.

jnnla — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:28:22 -0800

I'm almost certain I just severed the tendon in my pinky...the bleeding is under control but I cannot bend it. I have severe fear of ER costs due to bad past experiences that cost me lots and lots of money. How bad is this, and can it wait for an Urgent Care place? This is a rather spontaneous question and I don't really know who else to query. About half an hour ago I reflexively caught a falling knife by the blade and deeply cut through the palm-side middle joint of my pinky finger on my right hand. It appears as though I have cut through the flexor tendon of my pinky as I saw what looked like a cut strand of spaghetti coming out of the wound and I can no longer bend it. I still have feeling in it and the blood seems to be under control (I have it wrapped up).

My question is this - is it imperative that I go to an ER, or might this wait until I can see an urgent care clinic in the morning? I ask because I am terrified of an ER visit because of the potential cost. I have horrible individual market insurance that covers virtually nothing and has a deductible of 6,000. I am currently in between contracts and would love to avoid paying that much.

I realize this seems ridiculous...and I very well may go to the ER anyway...but if anyone out there in MeFi land has medical experience and can chime in...I'm all ears right now...

Going to the doctor like a Real Adult

hoyland — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 07:52:42 -0800

I've never really had a regular doctor as an adult and I'm thinking I should change that. Should I? How do I go about it? As far as I know, I'm generally healthy. My achilles tendon (I think) has been sore/hurting off and on for the last week or so and it's getting to the point where I think maybe I should see a doctor on the off chance I should be concerned about it. My only other complaint is that I'm generally anxious and I've started to become ridiculously anxious about flying. Am I right in thinking adults have 'wellness visits' (as check-ups seem to have been renamed) in the absence of substantial health complaints?

I'm a grad student, so I have access to the university student health clinic, but I was not really impressed with them when I went about three years back. I have 'real' health insurance and am not obliged to go to the student health center (where I have to pay exactly the same co-pay as elsewhere). I got a recommendation of a GP from a friend. Let's assume I wish to make an appointment with this person. What do I say when I phone? "Is Dr So-and-so accepting new patients?" And then what? What do I say when they ask me why I want/need an appointment? When I go for the appointment, what information do I bring?

Is a concierge doctor worth it?

Calicatt — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 07:26:26 -0800

I've been very disappointed with my doctor--she's obviously rushed and makes simple mistakes (like writing me a prescription for an over-the-counter medicine, telling me I need bloodwork but then not testing for the things she said she was going to, etc). I've also felt on several occasions that she didn't really listen to what I was saying to her. I'm thinking of joining this concierge medical center but I wanted to hear other people's experiences with this form of health care first.
I have a number of vague health concerns (something which might be allergies? tiredness? lingering physical symptoms of depression--after years of guinea piging I've finally found something that alleviates the emotional/mental pain, but things like exhaustion, weight issues, and painful intercourse are still around (in talk therapy too, don't worry)) and I'm interested in seeing someone who can see my health issues in an integrated way without dismissing everything as psychosomatic and/or treating everything as an isolated pathology. This post was helpful, but I'm looking for a first-hand experience of the concierge model. And if anyone has any direct experiences in the Boston/Cambridge/Somerville area that would be ideal.

I'm not sure if I should discontinue my health insurance or not.

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:27:30 -0800

I'm not sure if i should discontinue my health coverage or not, and how to handle it - and if there's any way to *temporarily* discontinue my health coverage. I am a freelancer, on Freelancers Union insurance based in New York - I finally got my own health insurance this past December, with the understanding that my parents would help me financially cover part of my insurance.

Two things have left me thinking I need to discontinue, at least temporarily, my insurance. Those two things are:

1. Ends up I'm getting zero financial assistance from my parents.
2. In calculating how much I'm going to need to pay in taxes as a freelancer without a payroll, there's just no way for me to both owe all I need for 2012 and still purchase insurance for February, March, and April. (I owed back-taxes for 2011 and am still paying it back in an installment agreement, so having this happen two years in a row is, I think, a non-starter.)

So what do I do? Is there any way to *temporarily* discontinue coverage? By discontinuing coverage, am I making it impossible to start back later on? I have a throwaway email for any questions, at haveaninsurancequestion@gmail.com - thank you so much for your help.

Deciphering individual health insurance plans

mysh — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:57:33 -0800

I'm trying to figure out the best choice for individual health insurance for myself, and I'd like to have it pay for my currently-out-of-pocket therapy, but I have questions about how this works. Does therapy count as an "office visit"? Do I actually want insurance to cover therapy? (I'm in the US.) I'm currently insured but on a plan that isn't helpful for me. I'm trying to decide between two PPO plan types from Anthem Blue Cross California (assume the annual deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket costs are similar):

Plan A: Premium is $100. Office visits are $30 per visit, 3 visits per year (additional visits covered at 30% after annual deductible).

Plan B: Premium is $130. Office visits are $30 per visit for as many as you like.

(I looked at HMO and HSA options and I don't want them.)

My psychologist is $150/session, and I'm currently doing weekly sessions, paying out of pocket. The only type of insurance he takes is Blue Cross. I like him and we're making progress, so I don't want to switch. I can afford this, but it'd be great if insurance paid for it instead. I haven't been able to find any details about talk therapy coverage in the Blue Cross brochures or website.

Does therapy count as an "office visit"? If therapy counts as an "office visit", plan B is better. If therapy doesn't count as an "office visit", plan A is better. But would insurance even cover therapy since I don't have a formally diagnosed disorder, just general issues? And do I want insurance to cover therapy at all, if I can afford to pay for it out-of-pocket? I don't have any diagnosed pre-existing conditions right now, and I'd really like to keep that lucky status for as long as possible. If a couple thousand dollars of out-of-pocket spending right now prevents having serious insurance problems in the future, that seems worthwhile. But if I can safely use insurance to pay that couple thousand dollars, that would be nice.

Help Me Pick Good IT Training for 2013

Irontom — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 04:22:23 -0800

Training for Senior Business Analyst - looking for recommendations. I am a senior business/requirements analyst with 14 years of experience, with 7 years in the federal healthcare IT space (as a contractor) for both the VA and the DOD. For the first time in years, I have the opportunity to take advantage of training paid for by my employer.

So, can you recommend some training courses for me? Given my preference, I would select courses that give practical skills/capabilities over resume-stuffers.

Taking the right care of Great Grandpa

slothhog — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 22:27:53 -0800

We are lucky enough to have a Grandpa who is 84 years old. He just had a consult with his urologist and has elevated PSA and prostate biopsy positive for cancerous cells ( that is the phrase that keeps being repeated) . So I have no clue what the Gleason scale is. I was not at this appt. so the actual details I have are slim. Follow up with an oncologist about radiation therapy (external beam) appt. was made.
I have affectionately diagnosed him with Old Cat Syndrome, as he is skinny as a rail and cannot gain weight (with a lot of GI distress) and loves to nap in warm environments . Joking aside, he has really started to show his age in he last year and has been having some odd memory lapses, emotional changes, and some (newly pain causing)vertebral fractures. I need advice-- what and where to read to be a good advocate and family member who wants to help in any way especially thinking about the big picture.Would it be helpful to find a reputable Geriatric oncologist in the Seattle area? I have always volunteered to be another set of ears at appts. My Grandparents are very typical in their ability to just let the Dr. write orders and not realizing they are an important part of the healthcare team.

Is the new insurance company pulling a fast one?

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 09:08:09 -0800

US-InsuranceFilter: How do I know if an insurance plan is grandfathered under the new ACA "coverage of young adults" policies? The insurance company is acting like it is, but won't answer direct questions about being grandfathered. I'm under 26, working full-time, and eligible for (though not currently covered by) insurance through my job. I'd like to continue to be covered by my dad's health insurance, which will changing in January with his new job.

My understanding is that the ACA says insurance plans must cover all children under the age of 26 (as explained here [PDF]), but plans can be grandfathered in and don't have to do this until 2014. This new insurance plan is apparently grandfathered in, and says that they don't cover children who are eligible for insurance through their workplace. Fair enough.

But then I ran across this page on healthcare.gov, which says

Beginning with the first plan or policy year starting on or after September 23, 2010, health plans must disclose their grandfathered status in any plan materials describing the plan’s benefits that are distributed to beneficiaries or primary subscribers.

Well, even though our giant info packet explains that they won't cover me, it never says that it's a grandfathered plan. So we called to ask directly, and the insurance rep just said that's the way they've been doing things for the last year.

Are they trying to pull a fast one here? Normally I'd assume the disclosure was buried in fine print somewhere, but the weird answer to my simple yes-or-no question makes me wonder if they can really restrict coverage like this. Given that they won't actually tell us if it's a grandfathered plan, what should be our next step?

Help me find a scholarly book about Women and their experiences with the current Healthcare System?

pandorasbox — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 12:45:25 -0800

Help me find a more recent book about issues surrounding women and the healthcare field, and issues surounding the field in general in terms of the attitude that medical professionals are almost superhuman, and the authoritarian attitude of doctors. I'm currently reading 'vaginal politics' by Ellen Frankfort. It explores the relationship between women and the healthcare field. The book is fantastic. Unfortunately it was written in 1972. Some of the more terrifying aspects of the female experience are, thankfully, much improved. However, I am amazed by how much of me experiences are still so similar to so long ago. I feel like women (and patients in general) are often treated as objects vs agents, subordinates instead of equals, children instead of adults. I'm looking for a scholarly book written more recently that critiques the health system, particularly from the experience of women. I'm not looking for books that suggest natropathy or alternative medicines, just a critique of the authoritarian style of the health system, and women's experience. Bonus if it deals with TGBLQ issues, though I would rather it not be the main focus.

Help me win arguments with libertarians

craven_morhead — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:43:41 -0800

Help me win an argument with a libertarian: my friends are smart and libertarian and I am smart and a bleeding heart liberal (for example, I believe that if a government has the ability to provide health care to its citizens, it should do so). Give me short reads to help my arguments. Two very good friends of mine are libertarians, and we had our first heavy political discussion. The heart of our differences is that I believe that a functioning government should take steps to improve the day-to-day lives of its citizens, and they do not, either because the government cannot do so in practice or because that view of government is incompatible with freedom and personal liberty. I sense that they also believe in an originalist view of the constitution, but we saved that argument for another day.

Where can I read up on things that will help me bolster my arguments on issues like "health care for all is a good thing" and "if the government does not provide a safety net, private charity will not pick up the slack." I'm not going to read through an entire text book -- cogent MetaFilter posts, blog posts, or other quick reads are preferred.

Why not let the feds manage your health insurance exchange?

pokermonk — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:45:45 -0800

What are the practical advantages of a state setting up its own health insurance exchange, versus letting the federal government create/manage the exchange for the state? Are there particular benefits or drawbacks to one exchange approach or the other that make this a difficult question for some states? What impact does the decision make on the citizens (or health care providers) of a state?

How to decide between a bad PPO and unknown HMO health plan?

Jeanne — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 15:33:45 -0800

It's health benefits selection time at work! I'm fed up with the PPO I have now, but the only other choice I can afford is an HMO. Is switching a good idea or a bad idea? (I'm looking at Aetna HMO specifically, but I'd value more general input too.) At work (New York City government) I'm currently with the cheapest option, the GHI CBP plan. The problem is that while there seem to be a fair number of doctors in the network, I've had the experience of calling up eight or nine in a row and found that all of them were no longer taking new patients, or no longer taking new patients on GHI, or just plain not answering their phones. The doctors I have seen have... not always been that competent.

Among the health plans I can choose between, the only other one I can afford is the Aetna HMO. There seem to be a lot more doctors who take it, and in theory it doesn't seem like it would be that bad to have to get a referral to a specialist if I need one, but I've heard such horror stories about HMOs that I'm just not sure. (Alternately, is GHI better than I think, and I just need some tips and tricks for finding a doctor?)

Other possibly relevant information: I am 30 and generally healthy. I don't currently have a primary care physician because it's been such an enormous hassle to get a doctor's appointment at all. Both plans provide pretty similar levels of coverage, and I'm part of a union that provides prescription benefits so I don't have to worry about that part.

The Old "Foot in the Door" Conundrum

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:01:32 -0800

Plenty of education, but no experience--how do I break into health information management or roles as a trainer in a healthcare setting? I am a person with a professional background in librarianship, training/instruction, and adult education. I'm enrolled in a post-baccalaureate program in health information management and informatics that will make me eligible to sit for the RHIA (Registered Health Information Administrator) exam. My career goals are to work in a health information management role or as a trainer in a healthcare setting, maybe in support of electronic health record systems and system implementations, so I feel like this program triangulates nicely with my other professional skills.

But I don't know how to get my first job, because everyone wants experience, and I don't have any healthcare experience at all. And I can't figure out how to remedy that. Everyone seems to want coding experience for almost any health information job, medical office experience for any billing job, and healthcare-specific experience for any training job. Do I try to get an entry-level medical records clerk job? Do I really need to become a medical assistant also in order to get my foot in the door? Is there anything I could be doing better right now, or are there any great foot-in-the-door opportunities I might be missing? Are there any associations I should join?

Assume that I have already tried my best to use whatever placement/experience services my school may or may not offer. I have also talked to the American Health Information Management Association about mentor opportunities.

Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to give.

Work experience now or later?

Autumn — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:51:53 -0800

Future healthcare-administration graduate: Should I try to get administrative experience while I'm in school or stick with patient-care jobs for now? I recently posted a question asking about career options. I decided to go the Healthcare Admin route. I looked up some job postings and most require a degree AND experience.

I'll have the degree part down in a few years. I recently took an STNA course to help with my job search, but now I'm wondering if it's better to look for an administrative job - not necessarily in healthcare, just any administrative job - so that by the time I graduate I'll have the experience part down.

Here are my options as I see them:
1) Remain in the patient-care part of healthcare until I graduate. I'm happiest with this option in the short-term but I'm also worried that I'll graduate and not have the necessary experience to move into an administrative position.
2) Work as an STNA and volunteer with administrative duties. I'm worried this won't hold enough weight because I won't be able to volunteer much and work at the same time; I'm guessing a few hours a week at most.
3) Look for admin/admin assistant/clerical jobs so that by the time I graduate I'll have the experience and the degree. I'm kind of meh on this option because I don't want to leave the STNA field, but I also know once I graduate I want to have the qualifications to do something else. I also worry that since the administrative work likely won't be healthcare-specific this won't really count.

If you hire in the healthcare admin area or you have experience in it, what would you suggest? Most of the healthcare administration positions I was looking at required 2-5 years of experience and I'm worried that once I graduate I'll still have to start over with an entry-level admin position that I'm qualified for now. My foot is in the door in the healthcare area but is it better to focus on administrative duties for now?

Thank you in advance for any insight.