I’m a strong advocate of fun and laughter. Here is the Catch Des Moines, Greater Des Moines CVB Directory to all there is to see, hear, eat and drink in our Capitol City! I know your mothers told you this before, but please be safe. Laughter IS your best medicine. And the side effects are covered by your independent insurance agent’s suggestions! Ha!
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!
A tax deferred annuity is one of the few retirement investments that offers tax-deferred compounded interest. Our bank funds and most of our market funds (stocks, some bonds, mutual funds, REITs, etc.) are taxable and very seldom, if at all, have guaranteed principle.
Tax deferred annuities offer these advantages AND guarantee your principle plus a minimum interest rate. The minimum interest rates that I can offer you now matches or exceeds the rate you’re getting at the bank less the taxes and fees that may apply. Safety for retirement dollars usually outweigh risk. Pending where you’re at in life, and your asset to debt ratio, conservative funding is appropriate.
EMCNL (EMC National Life Company) is a dynamic life insurance company based in Des Moines. EMCNL is an affiliate of EMC Insurance Companies. They have been in Des Moines for over 100 years with assets over $2.9 billion making them one of the largest property and casualty groups in Iowa and among the top 60 insurance groups nationwide based on premium volume. They have superior service and financial stability.
Please call me. We will take a look at the big picture and position you safely in the right investments so that in your retirement years, you can live the life you’re accustomed to. EMC also has a host of other products, both in the individual market and in the workplace market that are well worth your time to know more about. Please give me a call and we’ll discuss your options.
The most you pay during a policy period (which is usually a calendar year) before your health insurance or plan starts to pay 100% for covered essential health benefits. This limit includes your deductibles, your co-insurance, co-payments or other charges, required of an individual which is a qualified medical expense for essential health benefits. This limit does not count premium balance billing amounts or spending for non-essential health benefits.
As mentioned in my previous post,the maximum out of pocket limit for any individual “market place” plan for 2015 can be no more than $6,600 for an individual or $13,200 for a family plan. If you have medical needs that have been unmet and you have met your maximum out of pocket expense, you may want to schedule procedures yet this year. If you are a Wellmark policy holder, you could go to www.mywellmark.com to track this topic. I encourage you while you have a little downtime from work over the holidays to download this handy tool.
As our taxes creep up, deductions are always of interest.
If you have an HSA account, it’s not too late to make contributions. Individuals may contribute $3,300 (up $50 from 2013) and families can contribute $6,550 (up $100 from 2013). The high deductible health plans requiring deductibles for an HSA did not change between 2013 and 2014. We view this as being a good thing. On a high deductible health plan (HDHP), $1,250 for self coverage and $2,500 for family coverage.However, the maximum out of pocket expenses which includes deductibles, co-payments and other amounts (not premiums) are $6,350 for individuals (up $100 from 2013) and $12,700 for family coverage (up $200 from 2013).
HSAs are “IRAs on steroids” with triple tax advantages. You have tax deductible contributions, tax free accumulation of interest and tax free distributions for “qualified medical expenses”. This should not be taken as legal or tax advice. Seek out the appropriate professionals.
Please be cautious about spending your HSA dollars for unqualified medical expenses. The tax penalty is 20% of the HSA distribution. I highly recommend that you seek the advice of an independent agent and a CPA. But, if you want one more deductible for the year, this is something to look at.
This is a very busy time of the year and we have been inundated with decisions that need to be made in a timely manner: politics, year-end planning, holidays, family, travel, etc.
I think the best thing I can do is to keep it simple. By clicking here, you have access to 19 comprehensive health plans specifically for Iowa small businesses. There is a good fit for every size business and every need.
If we invest the time to make your plan best suit your needs, generally speaking, it will also meet your budget. This page will show you plans that fall into four categories. Copay plans, Coinsurance plans, Max plans and HSAs.
If you are doing any year-end tax planning and you have an interest in the tax benefits of an HSA, you may have an opportunity to fund your current HSA plan. Please don’t overlook this. In addition to these plans, please look at my last post about BlueRewards.
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield has developed a new plan called Blue Rewards.
This is traditional insurance as you know it, but with a twist. It’s the fist of it’s kind in Iowa. The plan is designed collaboratively by Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Hy-Vee and UnityPoint Health.
Please read about all of the details. We are super excited about this because the intentions are to get true coordinated care, which has been proven to reduce claims cost. The intention is to encourage healthy behaviors for your employees and at the end of the day, lower premiums. This has got a three-tier system meaning that you have a choice. The three tiers are different cost-sharing for you and Wellmark pending your choices of providers.
Call me for more details. This is too good not to know more about.
In preparation for the holidays, I want to make sure you know that as a Wellmark member, you have access to exclusive deals and discounts from your favorite brands with Blue365.
You can receive a wide range of savings from top health and wellness brands such as Jenny Craig, Reebok, Healthways – Fitness Your Way, SNAP Fitness, TruHearing and more.
Please don’t overlook some of the wonderful benefits that are included with your membership. You can sign up – it’s free – it’s easy and it helps you save on health all 365 days of the year.
If you have an individual or family plan or are enrolled in a Wellmark wellness program through your employer, you’ll find this app very useful. You can log into myWellmark through the app and access health and wellness information powered by WebMD.
This is a free download and it will give you access to claims and benefits and get your questions answered. It’s also serves as your mobile ID Card which includes wellness services. You can find doctors, hospitals and 24/7 help.
Enhance your benefits package with other products to help protect employees and keep them healthy:
