Medical Expense Tracking

My sister-in-law posted yesterday on her blog about all the paperwork associated with medical insurance claims.   There are statements, bills, receipts, informational pamphlets, and other papery things that come with medical care.  

Those things need to be filed somewhere so in the case they're needed in the future, you can go back in medical time and find the date on which you had the appendectomy or cesarean section or flu.  Then you can do whatever it is you need to do with that information, like confirm that you were prescribed antibiotic X and that you remember it helped your situation.

I don't generally have to go back through my medical paperwork, but once a year I go through the papers and get all the bills I've paid so that I know my total un-reimbursed medical expenses for the year for tax purposes. 

It was this year when I was piling through everything, making a spreadsheet and hoping to remember everything (when I knew darn well I wouldn't) that I had an idea.   Why not track all costs as I incur them throughout the year.   When I get a bill, pay it and enter the amount in my medical costs 2014 spreadsheet.   When I come home with a prescription, enter the date, amount and prescription name in the spreadsheet.  

Also, to make it easier, create a new folder that is only bills or costs paid.  Prior to now I've only had one medical folder.  I don't have that much medical paperwork in a year so one folder usually does it for me.   Even so, piling through it at the end of the year is still a pain.  

So far, it's been working well.  I have everything documented up to now and I'm not forgetting any costs that I might not remember come March of next year.  

The Big Boy Update:   Poke-a-pots.   He said there were some of those on his cinnamon toast this morning.   Ah, polka dots?  Well, I didn't see them, but apparently they were delicious polka dots because he ate both his and his sister's breakfast. 

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  During breakfast this morning my daughter was drinking her milk and a few droplets dropped onto the table.  She looked down and exclaimed, "It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!"   I looked over at the overlapping droplets and I had to agree with her, that's what it looked like.