How to buy a bed/ mattress?

When we rented an apartment for the first time, we bought things that were cheap and avaialble with free shipping. Initially we had only a coil mattress which we used to put directly on floor. Later we bought a metal frame and box spring from a local store to make the complete set. It worked very well so far but lately my box spring has become quite squeaky and it has become so bad that I would be afraid of disturbing HIS sleep by just changing the side. Whenever we have guests sleeping in the next room I feel “embarrassed” because of such noise. So finally time has come to change the stuff.

Initially I was very confused since here we have different varieties in mattresses. Beds are sold in parts - frame, headboard and footboard. And box spring is something we rarely find in India. I have been going through a strong brainstorming session about buying the new things which are cost effective, efficient and easy to move. First I thought to change only box spring. But then I realized this would not end the problem since my mattress has also started sagging a bit. And if I am buying a new mattress and a new box spring, I do not want to continue using the old metal frame!!

I literally read guidelines about buying a new mattress and/or bed. And I am sure this would help some beginner like me! Before we go over the guidelines, here are some facts worth keeping in mind.

• If you are using bed, use of spring box can be avoided i.e. you can directly put mattress on bed base. I like low platform beds hence I would prefer setting mattress without spring box
• Bed base could be a solid wood board or a slated base. Of course, solid wood base would be more durable and comfortable, but slated base would be considerably cheaper and easier to pack and move
• Box springs tend to get affected by bed bugs while wood base are more immune towards such bugs
• In short, either you buy metal frame + box spring + mattress or bed + mattress. This does not mean that box spring cannot be used on top of wood base, but it would be an extra expense. Box springs were introduced to offer comfort and shock absorbance since in earlier days mattresses were made of solid cotton. Now we have high quality coil mattress and memory foam mattresses available, so shock absorbance is taken care of by mattress only
• If you are going to use foam mattress you can absolutely avoid spring box. But for coil mattress, it depends on quality of mattress whether to use spring box

I have made up my mind to buy a bed frame (with headboard and footboard) along with slated bed base from IKEA (and say final good bye to box spring :)). If slated base does not work for me, I will replace it with solid base or just buy a wood board (from Home Depot) to put between mattress and slated base.

How to buy a mattress,
• I have already been using not so good quality coil mattress for 3-4 years and now I do not think I would go for it again. As I am thinking to buy memory foam mattress only, I am going to write only about it
• Queen size memory foam mattress is available in a range from $200 to $4000. I would not recommend to go for a very expensive one since it’s better spend money on changing the mattress every few years than spending big on one piece
• Generally it is common understanding that thick mattresses are more comfortable, but in foam mattress density of foam matters and not the thickness. If density is 3 Lb or above, it is good. So, 8” thick mattress with higher density can work better than 12” thick mattress with lower density.
• Another criterion is what kinds of fibers are used. Natural fibers work fine in all seasons but they cost quite high ($1000 +). In my budget, I would go for synthetic fibers only so I would check if they are temperature adjustable. If not then you might get up sweating in middle of the night :)
• Generally foam mattress comes in 2 or 3 layers. 2 layers have base and top foam layers. While 3 layers have top, core and base layers. I would go for 2 layers, since more layers means higher probability of falling them apart
• Top foam layer should be at least 2.5” thick since this is the layer your body will be in direct touch with.
• Generally foam mattress tends to emit smell of chemicals for first 2-3 days. If smell does not go away completely, contact the manufacturer and ask for replacement
• Buy a mattress that has minimum of 15 days return policy
• If you are going to avoid box spring for a foam mattress, it's important to keep in mind that a foam mattress weighs signicficantly higher than a coil mattress with same thickness
I am not in a favor buying a mattress online. So I will visit and check them in store. Once I can decide on brand and thickness, I might buy the same online.

I believe, I am done with my homework and ready for change. What I wrote was just based on theory I read online and might change once I buy and actually start using them!

Simplifying Health Insurance Process - Tips and Tricks

Every other day we hear some news about Healthcare Bill. Democrats are trying hard to survive in the next term by selling this bill idea. The irony is, situation of people having insurance is worse than those without insurance, because their premium covers charges for uninsured ones. It becomes worse when you cannot get insurance with pre-existing conditions and even if you do not use much of the insurance, premium goes higher every year.

Survey says that there are about 47 million Americans who do not have any kind of insurance. There are definitely some in this bunch who can afford it but still would not spend the money. I personally know few of them who live in houses and always shop branded stuff, but are not willing to buy insurance.

Anyway, here I want to share incidents that happened to me in the last few months. Problem does not end if you have a perfect insurance plan, actually problem begins here!!

It has been few months since we moved to this new place. As we moved here, we had to look for a new doctor. We both set up an appointment with PCP and went for a complete blood check. Then recently, HE started suffering from severe pain in lower abdominal. He had to go for blood check and CT scan. Result? Several visits to doctors, labs, emergency and urgent care. And now almost every other day we receive a mail from lab, hospital or insurance company. Sometimes bill and then other times explanation of benefits. Though we have a very good insurance plan, we get panic looking at the bill. Almost every day I call the concerned person to resolve the issue. Luckily, nine out of ten times, it’s somebody’s mistake and we do not have to pay the bill. But the question is, why is this system so complicated? If you ask the same questions to different representatives from your insurance company, I bet every time you will get different answer. Even though you would not be able to understand much since they explain you in a very ambiguous language. I literally searched online about lot of things so now at least I am comfortable understanding the bill and talking to insurance company. But here are tips, useful for someone new to this system

• Before seeing any doctor, make sure you have the proper coverage. Sometimes at the time of renewal, though it is continuous coverage, it takes a while to get the new cards.

• Check with your insurance company if you need to assign PCP and whether referral is required to visit a specialist

• If you are a new patient, make sure doctor accepts your insurance plan

• It is preferred to ask for receipt when you pay your copay

• If doctor advises you to go for lab work, they tend to send you to the labs they have contract with. Make sure that this lab is also affiliated with your insurance company. Otherwise it will be considered out-network visit and you will end up paying deductible

• If physician advises you to go for certain kind of test (Like CAT, MRI) or surgery, check with your insurance company if pre-certification is required. If so, mention this to concerned doctor/hospital and ensure that they notify insurance company.

• Some states have facility of urgent care. They bill like an office visit only, but still being urgent care, you quickly get an appointment. Check if you have one in your area so you can reduce number of visits to emergency.

• If you happen to go for in-patient/out-patient surgery, call your insurance company in advance to understand your coverage

• When you call insurance company to understand coinsurance and deductible, always clarify again with exemplary figures.

• If you talk to hospital/lab/insurance about any bill and if they ask to disregard it (since it was a mistake), make sure to ask for reference number. If they cannot provide reference number at least ask for the name of the person and badge id.

• If you need to go for emergency and if problem is not very serious, avoid calling ambulance. Drive yourself or let somebody take you to the emergency walk-in

• When you receive any bill, check your account with insurance company whether they received similar claim. If they have not received any claim, which means doctor/lab/hospital did not send the claim or did not send it at the right place. Call the sender and confirm if they have correct insurance details. Also confirm the address to send the claim, which is usually available on ID card.


Hope this helps!

License and Registration in state of MD

It has been nearly 4 months since we moved in here, in Maryland. Yet we are not done with car registration and inspection formalities. We did a proper homework about the process, but still for one or other reason it keeps on delaying. Worst part of the story is, website does not provide sufficient information. Anyway, this process cannot be more complicated (for any other state) so I thought to note down the steps!!


Before we move further, here are some tips worth keeping in mind:
• It is required to change the license and then only you can go for car registration
• Always opt for ‘Full Services MVA’ since they offer all the services at comparatively faster manner
• Always check website for holiday schedule, since MVA observes furlough once in every 3 weeks
• Cash, debit cards and credit cards are accepted for all services

I guess now we are ready to start:
For License change:
• You must carry following documents
     o Passport with current I94
     o Old valid license
     o Visa proof – Greencard or visa copy and/or stamping
     o Social security card (If you are on dependent visa and not entitled for SSN, you need to obtain a NEW denial letter from STATE OF MD. You can visit nearby SSN office with your visa, passport and primary visa holder)
     o 2 address proof – Any utility bill WITH ORIGINAL ENVELOPE, bank statement or lease agreement is fine

• Always try to reach as soon as MVA opens, since getting license is a lengthy process. They will verify your visa status with DHS (When you are on non-immigrant visa), check your eye sight and take a picture.
• On average, it takes about 1.5 – 2 hours to complete the whole process
• You will get the license only until visa date
• Approx. $28 pp

For Registration and Title Change
• Change your car insurance (They will ask for new address proof. Lease agreement, offer letter from community or license works fine. We changed it before we got the new license)
• Registration has to be completed within 60 days from license date
• Before you go for registration, car needs to be inspected
     o In state of MD, only private inspection is available. They charge from $50-$100 to manually inspect the car. It takes at least couple of hours.

     o They check tires, headlights, brake, mirror, seat belt etc. This is mere manual inspection and engine/transmissions are NOT CHECKED. That means, if you are getting ‘Check Engine’ Sign, you need not worry at this point of time.
     o If everything is okay, they will issue an inspection certificate. If not, they will generate a report mentioning all problems. In either case, they will charge inspection fee.
     o If inspection is not through, you have to fix the car and go for re-inspection.
     o This inspection remains valid as long as you own the car in MD.

• If your car is on financing
      o Contact your financer to send title to MVA (Send the fax)
      o It takes about 7-10 days
      o Once they send documents to MVA, you get a letter of notification from your
         financer or you can directly call MVA to check

• Carry following documents:
      o Original title or financing documents
      o New License
      o New insurance proof
      o Old registration
      o Inspection certificate
      o   New registration form (can be downloaded from website, it is advised to fill the form ahead and then only go to MVA)

• Whoever’s name is mentioned in title, he/she must be present, otherwise power of attorney letter is required

• If more than one name is mentioned in old title, all of them are required to be present with new license. Exactly same names will appear on new title. (It is better to have same names since change in name is a tedious process)

• It costs $200-$300 based on year, model and whether you own or finance the car.

• Once MVA checks all papers, they will issue new registration and plates. Fix these new plates and return old plates to respective state. Either return them in person or send via certified mail. No other proof is necessary.

• After new registration, with 2-3 weeks you will receive a new title, with new address

• Within 4-5 weeks you will receive a notice for emission test. You will be given 90 days of time to go for this test. You must carry this notice to inspection facility.

• Emission inspection facility is managed by government. Under this test, they check engine and transmission.

• It takes about 10 minutes to complete the process.

• It costs $14 and if inspection is through, they will issue a certificate with 2 years validity.

Now you are all set to drive a car in Maryland!!