Cura Well Plan Blog
Guides for the moments that are hardest to navigate alone.
Understanding my bill
Why Was My Health Insurance Claim Denied? The Most Common Reasons, Explained
Why was my health insurance claim denied? Understand ten common reasons, distinguish corrections from appeals, and find the next step for your notice.
Understanding my bill
How to Read Your Explanation of Benefits
Learn how to read your explanation of benefits, identify denial reasons and patient responsibility, and compare each line with your medical bill.
Understanding my bill
Denial Codes, Decoded: What the Codes on Your Letter Actually Mean
Denial codes decoded: understand medical necessity, authorization, timely filing, and bundling codes, then find the right question to ask your insurer.
Understanding my bill
Medical Necessity Denials: What Your Insurer Means and What Actually Helps
Understand medical necessity denials, what a physician letter and peer-to-peer review can do, and how to organize evidence addressing the stated reason.
Understanding my bill
The Appeal Deadlines That Matter: Health Insurance Appeal Deadlines
Check health insurance appeal deadlines for Marketplace, employer, Medicare Advantage, and external review, with current rules and a practical deadline sheet.
Understanding my bill
Health Insurance Claim Denied: What to Do Next
Start with the denial reason, check the deadline, and find the next step for your claim.
Understanding my bill
How to Appeal a Denied Health Insurance Claim, Step by Step
A practical guide to a focused appeal letter, supporting evidence, submission, and follow-up.
Understanding my bill
External Review Health Insurance Denial: Your Second Chance
When an independent review may be available after a denial, and how to prepare for it.
General
Questions to ask after any new diagnosis
A starting list of questions to bring into any new diagnosis — for yourself, a parent, or a child.
Aging parents
Caring for a parent with dementia: where to start
Where to actually begin when a parent's memory loss starts shaping your daily life.
My diagnosis
What to ask after a breast cancer diagnosis
The questions that shape treatment decisions in the first days after a breast cancer diagnosis.
My diagnosis
How to read a pathology report you don't understand
A plain-language walk-through of what's in a pathology report and what to ask about next.
Sick child
Your child just got a diagnosis: what to do in the first 48 hours
Practical steps for the first two days after your child receives a new diagnosis.
My diagnosis
What to ask after a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis
The questions that close the gap between a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis and your next appointment.
Aging parents
What to ask after a parent is diagnosed with Alzheimer's
A starting list of questions when a parent is newly diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
My diagnosis
What to ask after a heart disease diagnosis
Broad and condition-specific questions to ask after a new heart disease diagnosis.
My diagnosis
Just diagnosed with cancer: what to do first
The first 72 hours after a cancer diagnosis: what to do, in what order, and what to skip.
General
What to say to someone with cancer
What to actually text, write, and say to a friend or family member with cancer — plus what to avoid.
General
Words of encouragement for a cancer patient
A ready-to-send library of short messages, card notes, and texts for a friend or family member going through cancer treatment.
General
What to say to someone dying of cancer
Plain-language guidance on what to say — at the bedside, in a card, or in a text — when a loved one is dying of cancer.
My diagnosis
What are the symptoms of colon cancer?
The most common early symptoms of colon cancer, which ones need a same-week doctor visit, and what screening actually looks like.
My diagnosis
What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
The early symptoms of pancreatic cancer — jaundice, back pain, new diabetes after 50 — and when to push for imaging.
General
What not to say to someone with cancer
The phrases that consistently land badly with cancer patients — and what to say instead.
My diagnosis
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The early symptoms of breast cancer — lumps, skin and nipple changes, discharge — and when to push for a diagnostic mammogram.
My diagnosis
What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
The early symptoms of lung cancer — persistent cough, blood in sputum, shortness of breath — and when to push for a low-dose CT.
My diagnosis
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
The symptoms of prostate cancer, why early disease is usually silent, and what a PSA-based workup actually looks like.
My diagnosis
What are the symptoms of lymphoma?
The early symptoms of lymphoma — painless swollen lymph nodes, night sweats, fevers, weight loss — and when to push for a biopsy.
My diagnosis
What to ask after a lung cancer diagnosis
The questions that shape treatment in the first days after a lung cancer diagnosis — biomarkers, staging, immunotherapy, and second opinions.
My diagnosis
What to ask after a prostate cancer diagnosis
The questions that shape prostate cancer treatment — Gleason score, active surveillance, surgery vs. radiation, and side-effect trade-offs.
My diagnosis
What to ask after a lymphoma diagnosis
The questions that shape lymphoma treatment — exact subtype, staging, watch and wait, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and CAR-T.
My diagnosis
What to ask after a colon cancer diagnosis
The questions that shape colon and rectal cancer treatment — MSI/MMR testing, surgery, chemotherapy, and whether an ostomy is part of recovery.
My diagnosis
What to ask after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis
The questions that shape pancreatic cancer treatment — resectability, genetic testing, high-volume centers, and the order of chemo and surgery.
General
How to talk to kids about a parent's cancer
Age-by-age scripts for telling a child that a parent has cancer — for preschoolers, school-age kids, and teens.
My diagnosis
Symptoms of ovarian cancer
The four symptoms that actually signal ovarian cancer — bloating, pelvic pain, early fullness, urinary urgency — and the pattern that makes them matter.
My diagnosis
Symptoms of kidney cancer
The symptoms of kidney cancer — blood in the urine, flank pain, a mass — and why most cases are now found by accident on a scan.
My diagnosis
Symptoms of bladder cancer
Painless blood in the urine is the main sign of bladder cancer — and the fact that it disappears is why it gets ignored.
My diagnosis
Symptoms of leukemia
The symptoms of leukemia in adults and children — fatigue, bruising, petechiae, infections, night sweats — and why a CBC is the first step.
My diagnosis
Symptoms of melanoma
The ABCDE rule, the ugly duckling sign, and the melanomas that show up where the sun never reaches.
My diagnosis
Symptoms of thyroid cancer
The signs of thyroid cancer — a painless neck lump, hoarseness, trouble swallowing — and why normal thyroid labs don't rule it out.
My diagnosis
Can AI help me understand my cancer diagnosis? What it can and can't do
What AI can genuinely do with a cancer diagnosis — translate your report, build your questions — and the four things it should never be used for.
My diagnosis
What to ask after a leukemia diagnosis
The subtype, the markers, and the questions that decide whether leukemia treatment starts this week or gets watched.
My diagnosis
How to get a second opinion on a cancer diagnosis
How to request records, pick a center, check coverage, and ask for a second opinion without offending your doctor.
My diagnosis
How much do cancer scans and tests cost — and what insurance covers
What a CT, MRI, and PET scan really cost with and without insurance — and the five calls that lower the bill.
My diagnosis
Chemo side effects week by week — what to expect in each cycle
The day-by-day rhythm of a chemo cycle — the crash, the nadir, hair loss timing, and when a fever is an emergency.
My diagnosis
How clinical trials work — and how to know if you qualify
Trial phases, what randomized really means, how eligibility is decided, and what you actually pay.
Understanding my bill
What Is an Explanation of Benefits — and What Do You Do With It?
An EOB is not a bill. What every column means and what to do when one arrives.
Understanding my bill
My Insurance Denied My Claim — What Does That Mean and What Do I Do?
Why claims get denied, how to read the reason code, and the appeal steps that work.
Understanding my bill
How to Read a Medical Bill — What Every Line Actually Means
What every line on a medical bill means, how to spot errors, and what to ask before you pay.