Sunday, October 28, 2007

THE SAFE WAY

So you think that you’re safe? Life has a tendency on curing the road when you least expect it. There a few things you need to do in order to keep yourself from harm.
1. Design a Will: at the very minimum you need to have some sort of will in place to protect the family that you leave behind. If you have children you need to appoint a guardian. You also need to outline how you want to spilt up your assets and who you want to do it and also name a co-executor so that you have a backup in case one cannot fulfill their duty. If you have an estate that is $2 million or less then you can write it yourself buy using the off the shelf software like Quickens Will Maker Plus. If you should have more than that and is complicated then you may spend about $1000 on a lawyer. But whatever the cost, you will die with some peace of mind knowing that your family is protected.
2. Buy Some Life Insurance: The simplest is the best. Term insurance gives you the biggest death benefit for your premium. Just decide how long it is for and how much it is for. You should really try to buy life insurance approximately five times your annual salary. Remember, the more children you have, the more debt you will carry and that will give you an idea on how long your family will need help for. Be sure to email me and I can get you some details on the safe and reputable companies there are available.
3. Put Money Away For a Rainy Day; Try to put away at least three to four months of living expenses needed in case you go through a rough patch without having to borrow or take any money out of your retirement savings. As crazy as it seems please keep it at easy access so that you do not have any penalties for using the money, so really the best place to put it is into a money market fund.
I hope this gives you some idea on what to do to walk in the safe way. I have a will and life insurance. My savings is gone so I am going to do just what I told you all to do. After all, it is better to be safe then broke, right? Peace, Margie

Thursday, October 25, 2007

T'is The Season

Well, that was to be expected. I woke up the other day, lets see Sunday and my husband(who never gets sick)(even though he has had a heart attack) started to tell me how lousy he felt. This proceeded throughout the day of him feeling like a punk with pink cheeks. Not good on a 63 year old man. By Monday he really had a bad case of the runny nose, itchy eyes, congested chest and fever and chills flu. Poor guy, I wanted to take of him but I kept my distance.
By Wednesday at 3:30am I awoke to the stuffy nose but hey I cannot swallow attack. I mean I could not swallow, so I convinced my husband to go to the emergency room. That's right, without insurance. Oh we have AARP as supplement to help with some of the medical cost but he was still sick and I felt like a dog that had just been shaved.
When we got to the emergency room it was empty so we got in and got out. He has a slight case of pneumonia and I have the dreaded viral infection that they can not give me anything for. Rats! On top of that the emergency room doctor did ask me when I had my tonsils out and I said "never" and she said, funny they are gone.
On or way home we stopped at Dunkin Donuts (we deserve it, right?) and after that treat we limped upstairs into bed only to be hit with morning insomnia. Why am I writing this to you? Because I thought about all the other million of you out there with no insurance like me and want to tell you that we have to make choices. It is peace of mind and you can make payments. In fact I love the payment plan.
I am not the hypochondriac that I was when I had health insurance. No sir! It takes me feeling pretty bad to go to the doctor and my husband fights going to a doctor like the fat man fights donuts. If you do not have health insurance you can approach your doctor or hospital and tell
them you do not have coverage. They will bill you at a discounted price. In fact to see my doctor with insurance the walk in office doctor price is $110.00 to sit in the chair and without it is $50.00 What will $50.00 get you? About 12 drinks at Starbucks. So with the flu season looming ahead don't worry, this the season that keeps on giving and giving, hack, sneeze, cough and blow!

Saturday, October 20, 2007

What's The Big Deal

I just have to vent about this. What's the big deal about doctor office co-pays? People act like they are gold! Do you know that on average you will pay an additional $100.00 to $150.00 a month more for these little gems? Here is an example of a plan that I did for a family of four;
The Plan
Deductible: $5000.00
Rate: 50/50
Co-insurance: $5000.00
Total out of pocket for the family for USUAL & CUSTOMARY THINGS: $20,000.00
Dr. Visit Co-pay: $35.00 unlimited for all family members
RX: a 0 deductible for all generic drugs with a co-pay of $15.00 & then a $500.00 deductible to be met for brand name drugs & then a co-pay of $25.00
Lifetime Max: $8 million
Rate Increase: frozen for 24 months
Accident & Critical Illness Coverage: $10,000.00 per person per accident with a $100.00 filing fee (no limit on this ) & $10,000.00 for you and your spouse per critical illness with no filing fee. So, if you should have a heart attack, a stroke, cancer, kidney failure, etc, then you are safe! This means you have a basic zero out of pocket.
Premium: $785.62 per month or $2356.87 per quarter.

Now, the same plan minus the doctor's visits would be $604.00 a month or $1812.00 a quarter. That is a savings of $2172.00 a year! So I asked this client if they were spending $2172.00 a year in doctors visits? "Of course not he bellowed." "But I want those doctor office co-pays and if you can't give them to me then I will go to someone who can." So, after much deliberation I said good-bye because this is throwing good money after bad and thinking that you need this and knowing what you really need are two different white elephants. If you have to go to the doctor that many times then you better take a look at your lifestyle and the medications that you are on. There are always alternatives. Peace, Margie

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Cut the fat, or cut the benfits

So, you have worked for a big company and wham! Your benefits are cut. Companies big and small are doing it all over our country. The larger companies do it to save money and the smaller companies do it to stay alive. With soaring health costs and and companies not offering the pensions, this is taking its toll on companies of all sizes. A third of companies with 200 or more employees do offer retiree health benefits. The smaller company's just can't keep up. If you go to the AARP website you can even see the list of the company's out there that do offer the benefit's we all desire. What does this mean to you? It means it is time to cut your benefit's yourself. You need to downsize. Where everything else in this world is offered to us at super size this needs to get smaller. Why? Because all you need your health insurance for is to cover you for the big things in life, you know, accidents, or critical illnesses. If you want to have a physical, make a deal with your family Doctor. I did, I made him banana bread and he gave me a discount on the wellness check up. Let you health care team know that you do not have this type of coverage and then you will see a drop in the costs. Go to your local health food store for your blood work. My husband I go to "Fruitful Yield" in Bloomingdale, Illinois and we had a $300.00 blood test for approximately $54.00 each! It is time people...you do not need the unlimited doctor visits with the low co-pay(you don't want to go there anyway with all the viruses that there are at the doctors office) or the drug card that allows you to pay $15.00 for your generic medication when you can go to Walmart or Target and pay $4.00...or the wellness physical that has a limit on what you can have done when you can get a complete physical for about $100.00 if you are willing to take a deep breath and say, "no more high paying premiums for coverage that I don't need" and just cut the fat!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Seeing The Burning Bush

Well, guess where I went today? I went to Assurant Health. Since I work for the "MGA's" office (which stands for management agency) I had to pick up the statements for our office. I live in Illinois and Assurant is in Wisconsin and it was an 80 mile trip. No biggie. My husband and I drove there together and it was a pleasant ride. But once in Milwaukee I couldn't find the building at first. All of a sudden it was there, big and white with the sun shinning on the building, it looked like a burning bush. I went in and spoke to the security guards desk in hushed tones, had to show my ID and then sign in, date and time my arrival as they looked at me with their small squinting eyes and whispered on the phone that I was to "see" someone. All of a sudden Mary showed up and it was like I was accepted into a new club. I was whisked upstairs to the second floor, laughed with the reps in the elevator, and then awarded with the guarded payroll and commission statements. I was even allowed to leave on my own. I searched the faces passing by me and wondered who was who because I called there everyday and spoke to so many that I felt like a spy who had infiltrated the enemy's camp. As I went to leave I heard a man clearing his throat as he pointed to the sign-in and sign-out book. Looking forgetful I rushed back and signed out and waved and smiled but they simply stared at me. In fact I said good-bye to everyone that was walking into the building in hopes one of them would say "I know your voice, you're Margie Mack!" But, no luck and we were soon on our way back from the holiest of all holy places, the insurance company. Oh, well, such is life, peace, Margie

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Your Neighbor's Keeper

This is not about health insurance. Well in a way it is because while I was speaking to my neighbor about their health insurance (I do this a lot) some trash blew across my foot and when I bent down to pick it up she stopped me. "Why are you doing that? Someone else will get it, you don't have to bother." "But I live here and I always pick up the stuff that blows my way, why don't you?" Now my neighbor who I have known for about 25 years stood and stared at me before replying "Nope, I don't." She turned and walked away and has been mad at me ever since. I don't get it. You own a home, or a town home, or live in an apartment and some garbage or paper blows your way you pick it up right? So, now I have organized "Your Neighbor's Keeper" weekly newspaper and I am putting it on every door of our town homes on my block (52 of them to be exact) and it will be about picking up the garbage, being responsible for their yards, watching out for our environment and making sure that everyone, whether they understand it or not is recycling. So that is what I can do to help the environment in my neighborhood. Next week is clean the retention pond day on October 15th. After all we are the keeper’s of the environment, aren't we? Peace, Margie

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Table Of Contents

Here are the chapters that will be available in my new book "Belly TO Belly."
1. Wake-up To Reality
2. The Rules
3. What you want
4. What you need
5. What you'll get
6. Who's your agent
7. Hide and Seek
8. Company's ratings
9. Choices
10. Belly To Belly

Friday, October 12, 2007

Feeling Over Loaded

Today was a good day. I was actually able to help people. I made sure that three of my clients were able to utilize the wonderful benefit that Assurant health offers to them on their health insurance policy. I took the time to fill out the form for them and send it on to Assurant health. Because of an accident that each one of my clients suffered, they actually have an insurance company that pays them for their accident. Isn't that remarkable? Come on ask me how they can do it, I dare you....Margie

Bush vetoes health bill

In the Chicago Tribune I found this article. It was very small and out of the way.

"BUSH VETOES HEALTH BILL" President Bush vetoed a popular bill to expand federally funded children's health insurance-despite facing significant resistance from within his own party. The State Children's health Insurance Program would offer health insurance for children of families with incomes of up to three times the federal poverty level. Many Republicans worry Bush's stand could affect the 2008 elections of Democrats successfully portray the GOP as indifferent to children's health. What’s next? Some GOP House members are trying to find the votes to override the veto; the bill passed with a veto-proof majority in the Senate.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Ignorance Is Not Bliss

Wow, have I had a time today explaining the health insurance policy's that clients have purchased from other agents here in our office. What they think they have and what they actually have are two differant things. Listen up people, you need to know and understand completely what you have verses what you think you have. ASK QUESTIONS. Please, if nothing else ask and ask again until you understand it. Do not worry that you are taking up too much time of the agent, afterall he gets paid and makes money off of the premium that you pay.Jeez...people open your mouths because if you don't you might as well put you foot in it.

Later,
Margie

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

New Information

Hi this is me again. I wanted to add my email address of margie.entrust@gmail.com so that you can actually email me and ask me questions, share your stories, or ideas on how we can work together to change our health insurance crisis in this country. I think that there will be better plans for all of us because the insurance companies do not have a choice anymore then to actually look deep within their own structure and change. Tell me what you would like to see in your health care, in fact what makes the "perfect" health care policy? Once I get enough from you guys then I will post them here for all to read.

Peace,
Margie

This Is Me!

Sunday, October 7, 2007

The Truth & Nothing But The Truth About Your Health Insurance

Well, you have done it. You went and bought some health insurance. You feel safe, secure and ready for anything that life sends your way, right? Accidents, the flu, even critical illness such as a hearth attack or cancer, these unfortunately are part of our everyday lives. It could be our friends or our family members or the unthinkable, us...but whatever the outcome health insurance will save the day.

That is a dangerous statement. Unless you know you health insurance policy completely, you are in the dark about the exclusions, eliminations and the pre-existing conditions that could limit you health insurance coverage.

On this blog I hope to enlighten this necessary path we all must walk. I will share true life examples of my clients dealings first hand with their insurance coverage and I will try to answer any questions that you may have and if I cannot answer them I will point you in the right direction.

My husband and I do not have health insurance, we do not qualify. How ironic? I am an insurance agent who cannot get insurance. The grass is not greener over here. But the grass you walk in has hidden crap in it. Don't worry, together we will figure it out, right?

Peace,
Margie Mack