At Home Tests for COVID-19
Free at-home COVID tests are now available through the federal government. Visit COVIDtests.gov to enter your information to receive four free at-home tests. These tests are great to get a quick idea of whether you may have COVID. They do not require a lab drop-off and can give results in as quickly as 30 minutes. […]
St. Luke’s now offering curbside pick-up for prescriptions
(Photo by Kate Hliznitsova on Unsplash) St. Lukes is now switching to curbside pharmacy pickup at its outpatient pharmacies in Boise, Nampa, and Meridian. According to the notice from St. Luke’s, designated parking stalls for prescription pick-up have replaced the pharmacy service trailers and tents that were set up due to COVID-19. Picking up your […]
Preventive Care During the Pandemic
Are you tired of hearing about the pandemic? Unfortunately, the pandemic is not going anywhere quite yet, and it is continuing to vastly change our daily and long-term lives–especially in the context of healthcare. You have likely heard about preventive care, or medical care received to prevent disease and illness. This type of care is […]
COVID-19 continues the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care
The new coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the change in how healthcare is being delivered. One of the most interesting shifts is in how the healthcare system is being compensated. First, it is important to understand what the two major concepts (‘fee-for-service’ and ‘value-based care’) mean. Fee-for-service is defined by HealthCare.gov as ‘a method in which […]
A Unique opportunity to delay taking required minimum distributions from your retirement funds.
The pandemic has lowered the value of many retirees’ investment accounts. It has been quite stressful for everyone to watch their accounts bounce around like pinballs, but, for those of you who are already retired, there is added stress when the market is volatile. Although income tax isn’t paid on money put into 401k’s and […]
Guarding your personal information and Medicare number during the pandemic
Maintaining tight control of your identity and personal information has always been important. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, though, we may all be more vulnerable than ever to cases of identity theft and even Medicare fraud. This is due to the uncertainty that is characteristic of the pandemic. Fear of the virus may lead to […]