All posts by Debbie Sears

Worldwide Networks

Health Insurance, Uncategorized

As you or your children prepare for your summer journeys, wherever they may take you, please remember that Wellmark has your bests interestes at heart. The network of providers has always been something that I felt I would want my Clients and their families to have access to, but please know that anywhere in the US, and even worldwide, you have protection.

myWellmark mobile app allows you to access medical, dental, talk to a personal health assistant 24/7 and find a health facility, anywhere you may be. I have used this myself and find that no matter how prepared I may be, accidents and illnesses can happen. This is a good precautionary measure for the “what-ifs”.

Understanding the 3 Main Drivers of Health Care Costs

Health Care Reform, Health Insurance, Healthcare updates

This video will help you understand the three main drivers of our health are costs are. After viewing this video, there’s recommendations made that would be easy for any of us to follow, and of course, I always default to adhering to our preventive guidelines for our screenings, wellness checkups, etc., and from there, it becomes a personal choice as to how invested you are in your own health.

Freaky Fast Health Insurance

Health Insurance

In our industry, there is a list of acronyms that is a mile long. If you don’t want to tell anybody that you don’t know about a PPO, HMO, a metallic plan, an ACA plan, a Grandfathered plan, a non-grandfathered plan, an HSA, a deductible, a co-insurance, out of pocket maximums, in-network, out of network, your prescription drug coverage, etc., please feel free to call me.

We were just acknowledged as top producer individual sales 2013 Wellmark of Iowa. It only took 36 years for this to sink in for me, so don’t feel that there’s ever a dumb question. I can make it easy for you to understand, and we can keep it affordable. Please give me a call.

Cinco de Mayo!

Uncategorized

Catchdesmiones.com has the Cinco de Mayo events in our Greater Des Moines area.

Move it, move it, move it. Its Cinco de Mayo! As we eat our nachos grande and our tacos (fish tacos are an excellent choice), we must justify our cervesas. So, I strongly suggest that you take a look at Eva Otanez’s Zumba classes at the Walnut Creek YMCA. Please click on her link to learn more about her. She is an absolute DOLL! She can move it! She can shake it. She is so much fun. And you will not feel guilty about your indulgences about your Cinco de Mayo feast!

Medicare Cuts Delayed

Medicare

As the uncertainty of medicare cuts continues, I cannot encourage my Medicare clients enough to buy a quality medicare supplement…Plan F.

A quality Medicare supplement in my opinion would be Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield. We have all heard the controversial conversations regarding Wellmark’s reserves. Well, let me tell you, when the going gets tough, I want to know that the insurance company I chose can handle the bills, regardless of how much the government cuts from the doctors.

Wellmark has a long standing reputation and is regarded as the insurance company of choice by our “A Team” of providers. I want the best of the best for my health when the going gets tough and in turn, I want an insurance company with ample funds to compensate these quality medical professionals.

Please be advised that there have been many cuts to Medicare reimbursement to providers for many years and know that quality will make a difference if your health would change.

Please call me, visit my blog and the videos on my website. Scroll down to Medicare and you will see a clear overview. Please call me; I’ll help you any way that I can…


Hy-Vee Road Races

Blue Zones

Together, let’s make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation by 2016.

When we started this goal, we were in the 19th position, and we’re now 10th. So, dreams really can come true. and it does take a team effort. Please take a look at the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative site and notice that we have Wellmark, Gallup-Healthways well-being index. We’ve got success stories, we have endorsements and the Iowa Wellness Summit also has a button you can click on to register.

Sunday, April 27th, Hy-Vee is sponsoring the Hy-Vee Road Races. On this same site, you will notice, scrolling across the top, an opportunity to register for the Hy-Vee Road Races at the Drake Relays on Sunday, April 27th. If you’re planning an activity, such as a walk, run or bike event, you can apply to be endorsed and promote it via the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative.

This is an exciting time of year for us northerners to go have some fun and get well and stay well at the same time.

Spring has Sprung!

Blue Zones

The walking trails are open, the flowers are blooming. Open enrollment has come to pass. You can see my previous blogs for details on special enrollment periods and if you have any questions, be sure to give me a call. There’s no such thing as a dumb question. Let me know how I can help you.

Exciting news! The Wellmark YMCA is going to be a one-of-a kind facility right in the heart of downtown Des Moines. Take a video tour of this beautiful facility.

Regarding ourselves and our health, it is an absolute must to make ourselves first on our priority list. Good intentions we all have, but the demands on us at both work and home seem to take first chair, and all of a sudden, we haven’t lived up to our own promise to ourselves.

In order to be good to our family and be a productive employee and to feel good, we have to do some simple things for ourselves. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the preventive benefits that have been mandated with the new Affordable Care Act plans. Go to your doctor, get your preventative wellness exam so you have a baseline for your health. Then, I highly recommend moving, moving, moving…and drink a lot of water…you will find the irony in this becomes when feeling really good doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or take a lot of time.

If your BMI needs some improvement, please note that we have medically supervised weight loss assistance right at our fingertips. I have visited with people that have explored the Mercy Weight Loss and Nutrition Center and have had fabulous, lasting results. We all want to grow old, but we don’t want to be old and NOT feel good. Then we have our hard-earned 401(k) money and can’t spend it. We’re sitting here in a State that is dedicated to becoming the Healthiest State in the Nation. How lucky can we be???

 

Special Enrollment Periods

Health Insurance, Healthcare updates

Special enrollment periods are periods of time during which you can purchase individual health insurance. The mandatory individual enrollment period ended March 31st.

So, what happens between April 1st and November 15th for folks wanting health insurance? If you are looking to purchase an individual policy, you can, under what’s known as “Special Enrollment Period” (SEP). This special enrollment period is a time when under certain circumstances, you are allowed to purchase individual insurance. There must be a qualifying event in order for you to enroll. From the date of your “event’, you have 60 days. The events that are recognized as “qualified” events are: birth, adoption/placement for adoption, legal guardianship, involuntary loss of credible coverage, access to a qualified health plan due to a permanent move to Iowa, gained citizenship, foster child placement, court ordered coverage or returning from military services.

As an example, I have one of these events happen and I have documentation to establish that date. I then, within my 60 day time frame, make application for individual insurance. My application will be honored (as there are no underwriting requirements anymore) and I have coverage suitable for my needs, my health and my finances. If I do not have any of these qualifying events happen to me between April 1 and November 15th, then I must wait until April 15th. People in this particular time frame are subject to penalties, which have been stated as “$95 OR 1% of your household income”.

Why is your ID Card so Important?

Health Insurance, Safety, Travel

Your ID Card contains information important to you and your health care provider.

Outside of your name, policy number, provider network name, plan name and code, this information helps a health care provider process your claims. New cards are not issued every year. However, to the under-65 market, who purchase their own insurance, new ID Cards were issued.

The difference is a new, 3-letter prefix before your ID Number. If you have more than one card in your wallet and you’re confused as to which one you should use, please check the back of the card for the print date. The card with the most recent print date is the card to keep and start using as of January 1, 2014.

As a little tip, having been through some serious health concern with my husband, I strongly encourage husband and wife to carry copies of each others ID Cards AND a current prescription drug list. We all can access this information from many different sources, but in a time of emergency, the patient needs an advocate and to better help health care providers administer care as quickly as possible, they need your insurance information and it is always helpful to have that prescription drug list.

What’s the Outlook for Health Care Reform in 2014?

Health Care Reform

Wellmark has identified three ways that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may change your health care experience in the coming year. You will no longer have pre-existing condition exclusion periods, you may pay less out of pocket and there are no dollar amounts on grandfathered plans. Please take a quick look at this link from the Blue Winter 2014 publication. Please give us a call so we can customize quotes showing you all options available to you and your family.

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