Maximize Your Health Care Cost Dollar
You’ve seen these types of headlines on the Internet, TV, Radio or Magazine Tabloids at the Grocery Store checkout register. Whether they’re addressing Health Care, Weight Loss, Vitamins, Skin Wrinkles, Sex Drive or other issues, it’s always the same form of catch phrase “What They Don’t Want You To Know!” How ridiculous is that. If “They” didn’t want you to know, then why would “They” allow it to be revealed? Especially when the expose’ has to do with promoting something. Well, I confess, I’ve read some of these articles that “spotlight” health & wellness in many of its forms and have come away with the attitude that 99% of it is not “Breaking News” or should appear under the heading of “Ripley’s Believe It or Not”.
So what’s my headline got to say of importance? As an Insurance agency, you might guess we offer health insurance coverage. Now don’t “delete” this message just yet, I’ve got some “Free, No Obligation” information you can use in maximizing your health care cost dollar.
It’s been said that many people commit suicide with the use of a fork, only they either are not aware of it or don’t care. Just look in people’s shopping cart at the supermarket, or perhaps even yours. How many items are “hermetically sealed”, contain sugar content that would have you and your kids bouncing off the walls for weeks, has a sodium level far exceeding the “MSG’s” of any oriental dish or a calorie count that would cause the personal use of a weight scale at a truck stop?
If your meal menu and that of your loved ones consists of yelling into the speaker box prior to the drive up window at “Cardiac-R-Us”, you’re on the road to hit the headlines of those we used to know!
The Health Insurance Industry submits its premium rates to each states insurance department for approval. Those rates are based upon the cost of paying health providers for services and products used, along with an authorized (state approved filing) profit margin. Let’s face it, if there wasn’t a profit associated with this overall issue than we’d all be at the mercy of scriptures’ “Good Samaritan” or “S.O.L.”.
O.K., “Mystic from the Caverns of Knowledge”, how are we to deal with this condition? For starters, checkout that scroll that serves as a supermarket receipt comparing the cost of “Meals Ready To Eat”, (MRE’s-your uniformed Vet’s loved these!) against those items that you avoided because they take too long to make. Even if you’re the “Loneliest Number #1”, a healthy complete meal can be made in (30) minutes that would make any “Hell’s Kitchen Chef” be impressed. If there’s more mouths to feed at the trough, then have them join in. After all, it’s written in the “Good Book”, “You don’t eat, if you don’t work”; talk about incentive! Most of that packaged “time dated” stuff having ingredients that we all have a tough time pronouncing costs more than the “real” sustenance featured in the fruits & vegetable bins; besides, once you pop it into the microwave, its lost most of its’ nutritional value and probably tastes like “hospital food”.
So far, you’ve been exposed to a lot of information. I’ll end this discourse for now, as I’m sure your attention span is waning; however, up-coming articles will deal with this matter and provide you with some invaluable tools to work with.
Get a head start by accessing a great website to expedite your quest for better health & nutrition:
http://www.skennedyjuiceplus.com/
Senior Market Advisor Magazine
In contrast to current Medicare policy, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has issued a new recommendation that seniors be charged co-payments for home health care visits. The recommendation is designed to reign in the cost of home health care, which currently runs $20 billion per year. To date, seniors have received this type of care free of charge.
The Medicare website stipulates that in order to qualify for home health care, beneficiaries must be referred to the program by their physicians, require skilled nursing care, be approved by the Medicare program and be homebound and unable to leave home without assistance.
While some members of the commission expressed concern over the recommendation’s impact on seniors of modest means, the vote was nevertheless 13 to 1 in favor of passing the recommendation along to lawmakers. Low-income seniors would be exempt from the requirement, as would recently discharged hospital patients.
The co-payment is aimed at discouraging abuse and overuse of the system. “At the extreme, this benefit can turn into a long-term care social support system,” says the congressionally appointed commissions chairman Glenn Hackbarth. “A modest co-payment is one tool to help deal with that problem.”
Furthermore, there is concern that fraud has been creeping into the system, and the commission hopes a co-payment would limit such activity. While the commission did not make any explicit recommendations regarding a co-payment amount, the sum of $150 for a series of related visits has been proposed.
Presently Medicare requires co-payments for many of its services, but until now home health care has been the exception rather than the rule.
The Struggle to Eat Right
Putting the right foods into our bodies is a daily struggle. Fast food drive-thrus and all-you-can-eat buffets lurk on every corner. Fat, salt, and sugar have been added to almost every package on the shelf at the grocery store. Grabbing a bag of chips or a can of soda at the convenience store is certainly a lot easier than peeling an orange or tossing a salad.
You’ve heard it all your life: “Eat more fruits and vegetables.” Now, medical science is telling you, too. But knowing is easy. It’s doing it that’s hard. People often turn to vitamins and other nutritional supplements to improve their diets. Unfortunately, vitamins alone can’t begin to replicate the thousands of different nutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables.
You see, Americans don’t suffer from a vitamin deficiency; we suffer from a whole food deficiency. And this deficiency affects the young and old alike. For more information, Click Here.
Spring weather is on its way and Summer Vacations are not far behind. Due to the current economy, many people are thinking of “renting” recreational vehicles as opposed to either buying them new or used; Some, even “hit-up” family and/or friends to “borrow” theirs. Before you “head on down the road”, you need to consider a few things prior to grabbing maps or travel brochures.
Who’s “on the hook” if you damage the rental/borrowed car or RV, or worse, you damage or injure someone in the process? Address these issues before your vacation turns into a nightmare.
You’re at the rental counter waiting to start your trip when you’re asked a tricky question. Do you want to buy damage waivers, also known as vehicle rental insurance? Your friend or relative asks, “Will your auto coverage pay if you get into an accident”; how will you answer?
Knowing if you need to buy rental insurance can save you money and give you peace of mind. Optional insurance could nearly double the cost of the rental. Know if your auto policy will cover a rented or borrowed vehicle. Do your homework and know before you go.”
Here are some considerations:
Review your policy with your insurance agent. Your agent can evaluate your personal car insurance policy to find out if you are covered in a vacation rental vehicle.
Check with your credit card company. Some credit cards provide coverage at no charge if you use their card to pay for the rental. However, some restrictions may apply. Be sure to ask for an exact description of what’s covered.
Take your insurance policy “Declarations Page” with you to the rental counter or provide a copy to whoever agrees to let you “borrow” the RV. You may be asked a question that these papers can answer. If you’re not sure of an answer, you’ll have your agent’s name and phone number readily available. Generally, if you have comprehensive, collision and liability coverage’s on your personal car insurance policy, there’s a good chance you’ll be covered in a rental or borrowed vehicle; check with your agent to be sure. If you are covered, you would be liable only for the deductible on comprehensive and collision coverage’s, just like your personal vehicle.”
STILL GOT QUESTIONS? CALL US: 775-348-8893
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THE HISTORY OF VETERAN’S DAY
Did you know that most Americans confuse Veteran’s with Memorial Day?
What’s more, some Americans don’t know why we commemorate our Veterans on Nov.11. It’s imperative that all Americans know the history of Veterans Day so that we can honor our former service members properly.
Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, November 11 was “dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.’” As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans. In 1954, after having been through World War I & II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress — at the urging of the veterans service organizations — amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
The difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day
Memorial Day honors service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day, a day set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime.
