Sears Insurance would like to thank you, each and every one of you, for your continued business and friendship. I have been helping families and businesses for 36 years and I could not have done it without you! As we near the end of 2014 it is time to give back to our family, friends, neighbors and the many individuals and businesses that we so truly depend on daily and throughout the year. We especially thank our soldiers and their families for the sacrifices that they consistently make for us.

In an effort to continue to strive to show appreciation to others, we must at some point put ourselves (our health) first. Without our health the rest of life and things take on a different meaning. An easy way to start the good intentions would be to log onto www.myWellmark.com. You can have all your health and benefits information at your fingertips. There is a personalized online health and wellness experience waiting for you. There is a wellness assessment, health, fitness and nutritional information, health trackers and tools…all Free! This is a very important tool if you are traveling or if you have a college student living other than home. Please check it out.

As we progress through each year of the Affordable Care Act, there are more questions, more regulations, more tax, and more confusion. On a State level, we have been challenged by Governor Branstad to be the healthiest state in the nation by 2016. “According to the 2013 Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index, Iowa is #10 in the nation when it comes to being physically, emotionally and mentally healthy. Though cracking the top 10 is a great improvement from the #19 positon we held when the Initiative was announced, we know we can claim #1 spot by 2016. It’s ambitious, but with your help, we can change Iowa and show the rest of the nation the road to wellness. Take the pledge to create a healthier, happier Iowa today! http://iowahealthieststate.com” To help accomplish this goal Wellmark has sponsored the Blue Zones Project. This project is a community by community well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to the environment, policy, and social networks. Please visit www.Wellmark.com to learn more.

I am pleased to share Wellmark’s new Blue Rewards plan starting January 2015. You can be rewarded for healthier choices with this collaboration between Wellmark, UnityPoint and Hy-Vee. Please call me for details!

If you have been wondering how the Affordable Care Act will affect you, I have a very user friendly timeline on my website. If you visit www.searsinsurance.info you will find newsletters and blogs with current information from well-respected sources for your reference. The timeline is easy to find at http://searsinsurance.info/2012/01/lets-look-at-2012-and-health-care/ I encourage you to educate yourself. If you are a business owner, you will want to know that Department of Labor and the IRS are both involved with the healthcare issues. Again, there is a lot of information out there…and it’s free…but what you need is an independent agent with experience and knowledge to assist you with your choices. There are many plans to suit your needs and your budget. When you are ready to enroll will provide you with personalized counseling and advice. Please give us a call.

Sears Insurance appreciates your friendship, your business and your referrals. Have a very safe and happy holiday season!