SUNDAY, Nov. 13, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Competing drug plans, HMO fine print, and soaring costs have many Americans crying out for help with managing their health-care expenses.
In fact, a recent Harris poll found that two-thirds of Americans said they need and want help budgeting for health care.
Now, a new online resource called the Family Health Budget is designed to help harried families plan for, and take control of, their medical costs.
"When Americans budget, they usually do so only for the basics -- food, housing and utilities," Michael B. McCallister, president and chief executive officer of Humana, Inc., which helped develop the new tool along with the advocacy group Consumer Action, said in a prepared statement.
"Our goal through the Family Health Budget is to help people understand that they need to budget for health-care expenses just like they would for any other necessity, and to help them do it confidently and successfully," McCallister said.
Family Health Budget, which includes a personal finance planning tool and accompanying Web site, is designed to educate consumers about the true cost of health care for themselves and their families. It's also designed to assist them in saving for future health-care expenses and making better health-care decisions.
"For many, annual financial planning is daunting, so much so that they just don't budget at all. But many don't realize that budgeting is worth the effort, and that health-care expenses should also be taken into consideration, as they can be a significant drain on a family's finances if not properly accounted for," Ken McEldowney, executive director of Consumer Action, said in a prepared statement.
More information
Here's where you can find the Family Health Budget.
