H1N1, coupled with the early onset of the seasonal flu, make this a very unwell time period. If you are watching pennies, getting the flu can make your budget sick, too. Over the counter medication, doctor’s visits, prescriptions and lost time from work all add up to a queasy checkbook.
Keep the sniffles out of your budget by following these tips:
- Plan on Being Sick. Yeah, you heard me. Even if you only end up with the common cold, it’s still likely the average person will be sick with something this Fall-Spring. Hence, you must make a plan. Spending money last minute will kill your budget quickly, even long after you’re on the mend.
- Call Insurance Today: If you get the flu and have insurance, your physician may prescribe Tami-Flu, which is an anti-viral medication that shortens the duration of influenza. There is no generic version of this drug-an important fact to know as insurance companies vary WIDELY on the co-pay amounts of non-generic drugs. Currently, my son at Ball State University has H1N1 and filled his script of Tami-Flu (with insurance) for $50.00. (Normal co-pay on most medications is $10 or $20.) Contact your insurance company and ask them, “If I become ill with influenza, what is my co-pay on a prescription for Tami-Flu?”Then try to bank the money needed for EACH family member if they need to be treated. For a struggling family of four, to be hit with a sudden out of pocket expense of $200.00 is HUGE on a limited budget.
- Pick up Supplies Weekly: Start buying a few OTC medicines each pay period. Use coupons and bargain hunt. Shop Walgreens or CVS for deals, as they have Register Rewards or CVS bucks, which you can use like cash on other purchases.If you play your cards right, buying on weeks when Sunday paper coupons match items offered with reward money, your purchases pay for themselves. Often you can get a product free (or nearly free) by stacking these coupons and daisy chaining the reward money to buy the next purchases. This saved me personally, $88.93 on OTC’s- I spent $38.96 over four weeks and purchased over $126 dollars of medication, thermometers, tissues, Gatorade, cough drops and disinfectants. (I buy not only for myself, but send care packages to college kids).
- Save Coupons: Collect any and all coupons needed for flu or cold care. You never know if a kiddo will need a different cough medicine than you’ve bought or a doctor suggests another choice. Most coupons are good for a month. This means you’ll need to stay on top of this process.
- Talk to Your Employer: Find out in advance what your employer’s policy is on coming to work if ill. Technically speaking, under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) guidelines, your employer must keep not only you, but those around you in a workplace that is “safe and healthy and free of known hazards.” That’s good news for you, as it allows you to stay home when sick, without fear of reprisal. Your sickness could jeopardize other’s health if you come to work coughing and hacking. However it’s been my experience, employers all regard illness differently. With some employers, a phone call- “I’ve got H1N1” does the trick for staying home when ill. Others want proof of illness (possibly from a company doctor). Still other employers will expect you to come back to work the next day, where you’ll be spreading germs and feeling horrible.Don’t be shy about pulling the “OSHA safe and healthy workplace” card if you need to. An employee who knows their rights is less likely to lose them. According to the Centers for Disease Control, (CDC) you should stay home until fever free for 24 hours – WITHOUT fever reducing medications. The current strains of influenza can cause fever for up to a week in adults and longer in children. You are contagious during the time you are running a fever.Know this now and don’t try rallying and dragging yourself (or forcing your sick kids to school so you can go back to work) if your legal rights protect you, as they do. If you don’t want to talk to an employer, review company handbooks, consult the OSHA website or speak to a union steward. Working when sick, instead of resting, can hit you in the wallet harder later if you develop a serious complication.
- FMLA: If you have paid sick time or vacation time you can use these, of course, for yourself or taking care of sick family. However, if you get sick for a week and then your kids get sick for two more weeks, you easily can exhaust paid time and permissible unpaid days away. What do you do then?Under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), you are allowed time off work to tend to ailing family members-again without fear of reprisal. There’s a few catches though, you must tell your employer that you are using FMLA time in advance or as soon as you are aware of the situation-(i.e. don’t come sauntering back to work a week later and attempt claiming post FMLA time).Some employers will have protocol about how to ask for FMLA, such as your doctor might have to state in writing your children need care or you might have to produce documentation showing you have a sick family member. You will need to discuss this in advance. Learning you’ve got to produce documentation, while tending to ill relatives is very stressful.If you are claiming time for yourself, above allowed sick time, it’s better to know in advance what’s allowed and the steps needed to do so. Some companies require their own doctor to examine you to claim additional sick days. Worst case scenario, if you develop a complication, such as pneumonia, which can cause hospitalization and extended sick time at home, you may need many days to recover fully. You also can ask for Flex Time, which allows for doctor visits or partial days at home and work for medical reasons.Remember, FMLA time is unpaid time away from work. You need to use your sick days first to enter into FMLA territory. Spend time investigating the “what if’s” ahead of time. In the competitive job market and stressful financial times currently, the last thing you need is added worry about losing a job due to being sick or taking care of family.Learn about your legal rights and options while you are well. And also, know you won’t get paid if a major crisis occurs. Watch your spending in the present and try to save money for a flu-related, “just in case” event.
- Online Bill Payments: Establish as many online bill payment service accounts as you can. Being sick or tending to family, may make you housebound. The last thing you’ll need is additional expense of late fees or dings on credit.
To summarize: Have a plan, stockpile “sick” supplies, keep coupons handy, and know your workers rights and employer requirements. Save money for prescription and doctor bills, as well as possible unpaid time away from work. Be aware of prescribed medicine costs. No one likes to think about the prospect of being sick for a week, and the financial ramifications, but preparation is the key for beating many stresses and fiscal woes of flu season 2009-2010.