All posts by Debbie Sears

Income Protection

Disability Income, extended illness or injury, Income Protection

Insurance is a deep bucket. We have our health insurance. We have home owners, auto insurance, to name a few of the most obvious coverages that we all find necessary. These all come with price tags, deductibles, co-pays, co-insurances, etc. Some of the things that we insure are appreciating assets, such as our home. Some things we insure are depreciating assets, such as cars, boats, motorcycles, toys, etc. And life is good.

If one of us would happen to pass away prior to full life expectancy, life insurance will make a difference to our children, their educations and to the lifestyle of our spouse and loved ones. Life insurance should be reviewed every year. Life changes, products change, your needs change, and these types of insurance are generally purchased, thrown in a drawer and left to collect dust. Don’t wait until your age or your health has limited your choices. So, please call me on that.

But, one item that is so very easily overlooked is our income protection. Let’s say we live a full life, but we had an injury or illness that prevented us from earning our current income. So, let’s say, we can work, but we’re taking a less rewarding paycheck, which may change our lifestyle, or, let’s say we’re not able to work at all. Then, we won’t be able to pay for all of the insurances I just mentioned above, to say nothing of our fixed bills each month. Without income protection, trust me, the lifeline to everything that you enjoy, and all of your loved ones that depend upon you, becomes an unreal dream.

Please look at this video as it best explains some of the consequences that we face. This is intended to provoke your thoughts about something we are passionate about. You will find not only one video, but several. Please take the time for your family to view these. Give us a call, our consultations are free.

National Immunization Awareness Month

Blue Zones, Health Insurance, Safety

August is National Immunization Awareness Month and I am providing a link fro the US Department of Health and Human Services. This is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases. There is a menu on the left side of this web page that you will find helpful, but if you will click on the tab for health care reform, it’s going to pop up preventive services for adults, women (including pregnant women) and preventive services for children.

As we prepare our kids to go back to school, please take advantage of your wellness and preventive benefits on your health insurance (included in your health insurance toolkit). Your child’s physical, if timing works on your behalf, may serve the needs for the athletic departments as well. This particular link is also formatted in Spanish for your convenience. I encourage you to share this with anybody, but particularly parents. If you have any questions about your insurance, please be sure to give us a call.

Iowa Farmer’s Markets

Blue Zones, Health Insurance

We have been so blessed to be in the Midwest of the United States of America, that we are literally in the breadbowl of the world. If you can’t get healthy and stay healthy here, you’d be hard pressed to do it anywhere. Eat your fruits, eat your vegetables. It has been scientifically proven that what we eat and the quantity that we eat has a direct impact on so many facets of our health that we need to truly pay attention.

Our local farmer’s markets have everything that you would need or want fresh from the farm. In an effort that we don’t get caught up in the hype and literally flounder our way through a farmer’s market and blow our budget in the process, I recommend that you have your list in hand of what you think you want for your groceries for the week, search out your favorite vendors and purchase accordingly.

It’s also kind of fun to try something new and different. This is a great experience for children; as they walk beside you and get caught up in the moment, they are truly learning a skill set that will serve them the rest of their lives. Proper nutrition is huge. Obesity drives so many other health conditions that it is pitiful. Please take the opportunity to enjoy summer and all the options we have to be healthy.

If farmer’s markets are not your thing, don’t overlook the abundance and beauty of the produce department at our local grocery stores…Hy-Vee (and maybe others) happen to have on their website access to recipes, weekly menus, budgets, 30 meals for $3. They have dieticians in their stores, they have health screenings. They have healthy weight commitment programs, digital coupons, on and on and on…we are so blessed to have so many resources that truly I feel it’s a personal choice to do what’s best for us or not.

Starting April 1, 2014, if you did not assure yourself that you were insured for your health you are subject to the 2014 penalty. You can still purchase insurance between now and the end of the year. If you have a qualified event, you could use the SEP (Special Enrollment Period). If you are an employer insuring your employees, please don’t want until your renewal to investigate your options. We are an independent health insurance agency, 40 years strong, in Des Moines, Iowa, and are recognized as a top producer, again, in 2013 for Wellmark. Our quoting process is free and there is always room for improvement/discoveries that may put some dollars back in your pocket. Let’s start now to get ready for January 2015.

Insurance and RAGBRAI

Safety

Three things come to mind immediately.

Disability Income

If you would hit a “pothole” on your great bike ride across Iowa and it impairs you to the extent that you are missing work, we suggest that you take time to explore disability income insurance BEFORE you venture out! Our examples are endless and it’s “never going to happen to me”, but, after you’ve talked to somebody who’s been through the experience, it becomes a no brainer. We are here for any of your questions and free quotes.

Health Insurance

Should you sustain an injury that needs medical attention, the first question that’s going to come to your mind is where is the nearest facility. If you would download the Wellmark Mobile App, BEFORE you leave the house, you will be able to pull up your personal assistant 24/7, find a dentist, find a facility, find a doctor and gain access to your member site. This would give you a lot of advantages at a time when you might not be sitting at your desk or be as prepared as you would be with a scheduled visit. This mobile app is free.

Eye Safety

It is very easy to sustain an eye injury, not just on RAGBRAI. Our children are involved in sports, we are more outdoors than not, so safety and proper eye wear come to mind. If you go to your Wellmark GoMobile App and access your particular plan, you will readily see what your vision benefits are.

I have a resource that I feel strongly enough about that I would like to share with you regarding eye care and eye wear. Charles Ericson, ABOC owns VisualEyes in Ankeny. Dan and I have used Charles for over 20 years because of his caring, kind ways and his vast knowledge of a wide spectrum of needs. He can work with people of all ages. He has many designer frames to choose from, contacts, sunglasses, sports eye wear, whether we’re in the air, in the water, in the woods, or on a bike for all members of the family. He has safety eye wear, so if you need this for street wear or for whatever industry you may be working in or for whatever sport you may be involved in, he’s the man to see. He also has performance eye wear and again, many, many different designers. He is just a good man to know. And, yes, he does accept Wellmark Vision Plans and many others and was voted Ankeny’s Best, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and he’s endorsed by BikeIowa.

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Continues to Impact Small Employers

Health Care Reform, Healthcare updates

From our friends at McGowen, Hurst, Clark and Smith, CPA

Many small employers had established “Reimbursement Arrangements” under which the employer would pay part or all of the cost of an employee’s individual health insurance premiums. This payment was treated as a tax-free benefit to the employee and was allowable under the “old” rules.

The IRS recently reaffirmed that such Reimbursement Arrangements are not allowable under provisions of the ACA. On May 19, the IRS published information that stated such arrangements do not qualify under the ACA. Further, the IRS clarified that employers who continue to provide tax-free reimbursement of individual health insurance premiums to employees may be subject to penalties as high as $100 per day per applicable employee. Please contact your MHC&S provider for more information.

Firework Safety!

Safety

Everybody is looking forward to the Fourth of July. Family, fun, cook outs, laughter, on and on. Please be careful. Instruct your little ones. Here’s a quick and fun fireworks quiz. Be sure everybody in your family takes the quiz until they get it right. I recommend you take this quiz prior to lunch so the rest of your day can continue to be fun. And when the sun sets, you will already be prepared.

 

Do You Know Your Drug Benefits?

Health Care Reform, Healthcare updates, RX drug

It is very important as we navigate through the new Affordable Care Act and how it affects whether we know where we’re at as individuals or insured through an employer group. Not only on our health benefits, but let’s talk about your prescription drug coverage.

Prescription drugs in America are a huge expense. Seldom do we make habit changes or adhere to our preventive scheduled screenings, but we never hesitate to take our prescription to the pharmacy. If you don’t know or understand your benefits, please be sure to call me.

A recent Client and a “small hitch” in the “plan” that caused this individual to have a need for a drug that would be used once every 5 weeks for a period of 6 months. Thank goodness he followed my request and called me first. I spoke with Wellmark and Caremark and the pharmacy. There were exceptions made, due to the drastic health situation that this individual had and I am very pleased to say that his request was approved and the pharmacy and Caremark and Wellmark have partnered and are working together so that this man can be worry free as he tries to manage his health.

The bills are over $31,000 every 5 weeks. My message is this: ignorance is bliss, but when you have an independent agent that has sought out a plan that best suits your needs and your budget and is willing to do the service work with a quality insurance carrier, things like this can be navigated and negotiated to maintain your health.

2014 Iowa Health Care Symposium

Health Care Reform, Healthcare updates, Medicaid, Medicare

The Iowa Association of Health Underwriters has created the 2014 Health Care Symposium for the dates of July 23 and July 24th, 2014 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona.

Everybody is working with new rules and the affects of the Affordable Care Act. You may have questions that are still lurking in your mind about whether you have moved in the right direction or not. That is exactly why this symposium has come together. There is an outstanding array of industry leaders that you will hear from over the course of this two-day event. This link will allow you to see the speakers, the sponsors, the agenda, hotel information, etc. We will be hearing from our Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Wellmark, The Galen institute, the insurance commissioner and the Iowa Medicaid director to name a few.

This is intended for insurance brokers & agents, business owners, executives, managers, HR professionals, risk managers, legal counsel, benefit specialists and supervisors.

June is Men’s Health Awareness Month!

Cancer

With Father’s Day fast approaching, it puts me in the mind of just how important all you guys are to all of us girls and our children.

We maintain our homes, we maintain our cars, we maintain everything we own and we forget to check ourselves out. June is Men’s Health Awareness Month and I have a great resource for you! Here is a maintenance schedule for men by age that would show all of your routine screenings and how frequently you should be tested. Please do us a favor and take care of yourselves. You don’t realize just how important you are.

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