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Public Views on Health Care Reform

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

A recent poll shows that 57% of Americans do not like any of the proposed health care bills, and agree that Congress should start fresh, rather than attempting to piecemeal a model from scrapped ideas. Trying to reach a bipartisan agreement as to what needs to be done is not an easy task, but it is vital to ensure that resolution is achieved. These polls shows interesting trend among voters as to how they feel now, as compared to a year ago in regards to health care reform:

• 53% said they strongly or somewhat oppose the legislation in both House and Senate plans

• 33% stated they were more supportive of reforming the health care system now

• 24% said they were just as supportive as they were a year ago

• 38% of voters now think it is at least somewhat likely that the plan proposed by the president and congressional Democrats will become law this year

• 51% believe passage of the plan this year is unlikely

• 24% of voters now say health care reform is the budget priority the president is most likely to achieve

Regardless of where this leads us, we will be there to guide you through and answer any questions you have.

Thanks for your continued support!

Tags: health care reform, health insurance, health plan
Posted in Employees, Employers, Family, General, Group, Individual, Resources, Tools | 1 Comment »

Expiration Date Nears for COBRA Federal Subsidy

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

The federal economic stimulus package which covers 65% of the cost of COBRA premiums is set to end as of December 2009. This reduction was designed to assist those who had an involuntary termination of employment and were eligible for COBRA during the period of September 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009. Though the subsidy is set to end after a period of 9 months, this does not mean you are going to lose your coverage. Instead, you will now be covering the entire cost for the remainder of your 18 months, or longer if your coverage is eligible for extension. The subsidy will end prior to the 9 months in the case of eligibility for coverage under a new group plan, eligibility for Medicare, or in the case of non-payment of the remainder of the COBRA premiums.

Let us help you find alternate coverage before your COBRA expires. There are many options for you and your family, and we are happy to help you determine whether a new plan is the best route, or to stay on COBRA for the remainder of your eligibility period. It is our pleasure to help you determine the best choice for your health insurance coverage.

Tags: COBRA, health insurance, premiums
Posted in Employees, Employers, Federal, Group, Laws, Resources | 3 Comments »

Ancillary Benefits Equals Happy Employees

Friday, August 14th, 2009

Small Businesses are definitely hit the hardest when it comes to premium rates. However, recent studies have shown that incorporating ancillary benefits, such as life, disability, and dental benefits, ensures employees are not only healthy and happy – but loyal as well. A MetLife study showed that 73% of employees who felt adequately covered were happy with their job. On the other hand, those employees who felt that their coverage left them too exposed, were not. Only 22% of such employees stated that they were satisfied with their job.

Productivity is also greatly affected by health benefits. If an employee knows that the coverage is there when they need it, they will push further for their employer. With economic times at their tightest, knowing that they will not incur large medical or dental bills, or leave their family without protection if something should happen to them, means employees can focus on the task at hand. In these cases, everyone benefits!

Though the economy is in tough shape right now, Employers may find that a bit more out of pocket costs for their employees will result in a return of happy, healthy, and productive workers in the end.

Tags: added benefits, health plan, preventative care, wellness
Posted in Employees, Employers, Group | No Comments »

Reduced General Practice Physicians in California

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Recent studies show an alarming trend in California. General Practice physicians are in dwindling supply, and at the lower end of “per capita need”. As fewer and fewer younger physicians enter this field, the inadequacies will become even more dire. On the other hand, specialists seem to be in abundance, but are not distributed throughout the state in an equal manner. Both Specialists and General Practice doctors tend to congregate more in the urban areas, leaving the rural areas without the medical care they need. Add to that the insult of few new general practice recruits, and their current provider population getting older, these individuals can be in real trouble.

Hopes for getting a quick and long term recovery would mean a few things from the state. The first step, of course, would be to get more physicians to study in the field of primary care. This can be done with the help of grants, financial support, and better residency training programs in all fields of general medicine. Providing financial compensation to these new primary care providers would also help to establish care where we most need it. By making it easier to practice in the hard hit areas will ensure that no Californian is without the physicians they need. The only way to achieve this, however, is to make sure that both the patient and doctor are adequately taken care of.

Tags: health insurance, network provider
Posted in Employees, Employers, Family, Group, Individual | No Comments »

How Agents and Brokers Make a Difference

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Many people may still not quite understand what role an agent or broker plays when it comes to your health insurance plan. You don’t pay fees to work with an agent or broker, and the return in services in invaluable.

Most importantly, we serve to help you understand the complex world of health insurance. Whether you are an individual or family shopping for coverage or an Employer looking to cover their employees, we provide you with access to multiple insurance companies and plans, thereby ensuring you have all the information necessary to make your decision.

Agents also work to negotiate the best rates for you. We work with the carriers to make certain your rates are the lowest they can be. They serve as your underwriting liaison to contest declines, or work with rated policies. This is the case for all plans – individual/family plans and small/large businesses as well.

When it comes to group plans, we work to take the burden of administering your plan off of you. We will walk you through the plan options, negotiate your rates when it comes to renewal time, and help your employees complete all of their paperwork. When it comes to new hires, terminations, or COBRA enrollments, again we step in to facilitate the necessary paperwork.

Once your plan is issued, we continually work to help you. Whether it is obtaining medical records for claims processing, assisting your pharmacy in getting a medication authorized, or explain detailed claims benefits, you can always count on us to be there to assist.

Health Reform concerns often bring up the concept of removing agents from the picture. This would destroy the personalized service you have received from us for years.

Tags: agent, COBRA, health plan
Posted in Group | No Comments »

Savings with a Premium Only Plan (Section 125)

Friday, May 8th, 2009

The IRS has instituted a provision in Section 125 of their code. This provision allows for a simple change in your company’s payroll process that reduces your taxable payroll. Every premium contribution your employees make will be deducted from your overall taxable payroll amount. Here’s what you and your employees can expect with a Premium Only Plan or POP.

Employer Benefits

Lower Taxes – Every small business owner needs to take advantage of every tax break they can find. By using a POP plan, you are immediately lowering your taxes, which means that you can turn this additional revenue into more options for your business.

Happier Employees – When your employees make more money, they end up happier. By offering them the ability to use a POP plan, you are automatically putting more money into their pockets. You can use this fact as a way to attract and retain quality employees, particularly if other companies in your industry do not offer this type of plan.

Employee Benefits

Lower Taxes – In addition to lowering your own taxes, your employees will also reap this benefit from a POP plan. This reduction in taxes can be quite significant. This is achieved because your employees are allowed to make contributions to the POP plan with pre-tax dollars. When they become a member of a POP plan, they will also see a reduction in their FICA, federal and state taxes, when applicable. For employees who may have trouble making contributions towards their health plan, a POP plan can allow them to save money on their health plan through the benefits of lower taxes. Even though the premium amount may be the same as a regular plan, the tax savings that they will experience can help make up the difference.

More Take-Home Pay – One of the most popular benefits of a POP plan is the ability for your employees to take-home more pay each month. With their contributions coming as pre-tax dollars and the reduction in their tax payments, this results into automatic savings that they can see on their paycheck each month.

Tags: group health, pre-tax
Posted in Employers, Group | No Comments »