No Surprises Act (in Billing), Ins Review, Tarun’s Weight Loss

07 Apr No Surprises Act (in Billing), Ins Review, Tarun’s Weight Loss

Welcome to the Newsletter

Rana Law Group Newsletter

In this issue:

• No Surprises Act (in Medical Bills) in Effect
• Insurance Review (Rate & Coverage)
• Tarun’s Weight Loss

No Surprises Act (in Medical Billing) is Now In Effect

As a follow-up to our January 2021 newsletter, I wanted to remind clients that the law congress passed to protect patients from surprise medical bills from “out of network” emergency providers is now in effect.  In the event you experience a medical emergency, you will now only be responsible for deductibles and copays you would normally pay for in-network treatment.

Ground ambulance transport is exempt from this law with the intent of regulating it separately.  Unfortunately, while there has not been much progress with ground transport billing regulation, typically the medical bill is not going to be as high unless there is a lengthy trip.  A bright spot for many of my rural clients is that the law includes regulation of air ambulance bills.  The companies will now only be able to charge ‘in network’ fees for their services.  While ‘in network’ fees for air ambulance transportation are still high, the government will gather data on the true costs to provide these services and attempt to to curb the predatory rates many medivac companies charge, hopefully eliminating $25,000+ bills.

This law also applies to non-emergency procedures as long as you chose an “in-network” facility/provider.  This way, any associated costs (such as anesthesiology, physicians billing, radiology, etc.) would have to be “in-network” pricing or require you sign a form forgoing your rights under the law.  As your trusted legal professional, I do NOT recommend signing a waiver form that would negate the benefits of this law.  This is a HUGE win for consumers and for more transparent pricing of medical services.

Insurance Review

If one of your goals for the new year is getting your financial affairs in order, it is a good idea to review your insurance coverage (do you have enough?) and rates (are you paying too much?). In terms of coverage, the worst moment to realize you do not have adequate coverage is when something catastrophic happens and you are left without enough insurance coverage to cover your losses. Reach out to us for a free insurance review to ensure you have enough coverage.

In terms of rates, most insurance companies have increased rates across the board in 2022 for most customers and most increases have nothing to do with the actions of the insured. I have been with the same insurance company for the last five years and made no claims for home or auto. That has not stopped my rates from steadily creeping up every year since the initial “introductory” rate when I had all the discounts for being a new customer. Now, five years later, I received my latest bill and it went up $400 with some discounts rolling off. The rationale: insurance companies have been paying too much in claims due to natural disasters, plus my discounts expired and (although not explicitly stated in my letter) they need to make even more profits. So, what can you do? ASK FOR A MORE COMPETITIVE RATE!!! I emailed my agent and said this is too much and, like magic, there were some discounts for which I was now eligible and other insurance companies with which they could partner to provide much lower rates. If that does not work, shop around. If anyone is in the mood for a good soapbox conversation, just ask me about internet fees. Nothing gets me more worked up than a $10 increase in internet when the “promotion” expires. Every two years, like clockwork, I cancel the Charter/AT&T internet and switch to the competitor because the current provider refuses to simply keep the same price going, even with the threat of a cancellation. It is the same with insurance. With all the insurance companies providing quotes online, there is no excuse for not getting a few quotes and comparing to ensure your current rates are competitive.

I am happy to do a free review of your insurance coverage (auto/home/umbrella) to make sure you are getting the best value and the correct coverage.

Tarun’s Weight Loss

For many of us, the beginning of last year was an interesting time full of sitting at home, eating, drinking and catching up on television shows.  I was not immune to the temptations of lockdown and taking a break.  However, with no lunch or social obligations, it was easier for me to focus on eating healthier and exercising.  Even still, I was not seeing significant results because I was essentially eating and working out the same as before the pandemic.

In February 2021, I decided my new year’s resolution would be a commitment to intermittent fasting, which was something with which I had great success in law school.  I weighed in at 170, which was 21 pounds heavier than the 149 I weighed at age 25 as I embarked on my new journey as a lawyer.  I used the iPhone’s “Health” app to track my weight and limited my eating “window” to 8 hours per day, with breakfast at 10, lunch at 2 and dinner before 6.  I found the shortened timeframe prevented me from getting too hungry during the eating window, ensuring I did not snack.  As I got used to the window, I tried to tighten it even further to my first meal around 11-12 and dinner by 6.  So far, I am down 30 pounds!  Unfortunately, a combination of this past holiday season plus a trip to Mexico is doing its best to undo some of that success but I am rededicating my efforts in 2022 and am already almost back to pre-Thanksgiving weigh-ins!

A few tips for those interested:

1. Start slow and test to find out which is the best eating window for your lifestyle.
2. Have three meals either prepped or planned out.  This makes staying on task much easier.
3. Do not deny yourself those cravings.  My wife and I have a small piece of dessert after dinner every night still.  The key is portion control.
4. Recruit your family to help.  Admittedly, this has been much easier to do with my wife on-board and also doing the window.  She even had some weight loss success of her own!
5. Coffee/tea is still OK.  I start my morning with two cups of coffee before/during my workout.  I add cream though which is probably not a “true” fast, however, it makes me too happy to cut out.  Even with my cheat, I was still able to lose a significant amount of weight.

Hope this portion was either helpful or inspirational.  If anyone wants to talk tips or needs some extra motivation, just reach out to set up a coffee (with cream) meeting with me!

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