Fur Baby Love

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Fur Baby Love

We love our fur babies. Chances are if you have one, you love yours as well. Pets are members of the family. They play the role of child, companion, therapist, and best friend. There isn’t much we wouldn’t do for those cute, furry little effaces with suck-you-in- and-wrap-you-around-their-paw-eyes. So we say.

What happens when a major medical issue occurs and now you have a vet bill that is large enough to purchase a small isl and? Would you and are you willing to spend the money to help heal your pet?

About a decade ago, I learned about health insurance for my pets.  Just like my own health insurance, I was able to pay each month and get a portion of pet expenses covered each time I took them to the veterinarian. Basically I was able to get coverage for my dog that included accident and illness plans reimburse a high percentage of my vet bill. The best part? I was able to choose any licensed veterinarian, specialist or emergency center anywhere in the world. I was also able to purchase routine care coverage to help pay for annual checkups, dental cleanings, and so much more.

I have to admit that at first it made me laugh that pet insurance existed.  I know I said that my dogs were always a part of the family, but prior to a decade ago, I never associated pets with insurance.  However, once brought to my attention, it made perfect sense.  Just like humans, pets are at risk of injury, illness, and death.  I purchased my own various and affordable policies from my insurance agent and was able to do the exact same thing with the pet insurance.  The same great coverage and inexpensive rates made purchasing the policy so easy.

There are so many different types of insurance, but the one that every dog owner (or animal of choice) should consider is for pets.  For me personally, it felt good knowing that not only was I providing extra protection for my dogs, but also protection for my budget and finances.

I highly recommend discussing a pet insurance policy with your agent and your veterinarian.

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We All Need a Doctor At Some Point

What are the chances you will get sick soon?  We all need to see a doctor at some point, which means we all need health insurance.  When searching for health insurance coverage, make sure you know your options.  Underst anding the different types of policies is extremely important and can affect the amount you pay and the type of coverage you receive.  It now goes WAY beyond just in or out of network.  Purchasing the cheapest or even the most expensive policy isn’t always the best idea either.

If you aren’t currently employed or have very little money, there are still some affordable health insurance options available:

  • COBRA – Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
  • Workers’ Compensation
  • Medicaid
  • Medicare
  • The Health Insurance Marketplace for Pre-Existing Conditions
  • Short Term Health Insurance Coverage
  • Group Insurance from Organization Memberships
  • Group Health Expenses Sharing Plan
  • Health Care Sharing Ministry
  • Health Insurance Discount Cards

 

If you are looking to lower your insurance costs, it is important to remember the following things:

There are alternatives to buying individual health insurance

Know what you need and can afford

  • Make sure you plan has these essentials: Outpatient care
  • Emergency room visits
  • Inpatient care in a hospital
  • Care before and after your baby is born
  • Mental health and substance abuse services
  • Prescription drugs
  • Lab tests
  • Preventive services

Compare ALL plans and costs

Shop around

Pick the plan that best meets your individual healthcare needs.

Susman Insurance has a group of health insurance professionals to help you find the perfect policy and the most affordable price.  Please contact us as soon as possible so we can get you covered.

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Plan and Prepare

There are numerous ways you can plan, prepare, and do to ensure a long and healthy life.

*Eat healthy – Veggies, fruit, whole grains, lean protein, low fat dairy *Find a physical activity – CrossFit, basketball, football, baseball, running, kickboxing, boot camp, muai thai, MMA or other martial arts, even walking with a friend on a consistent basis). Pick one. *Find your bliss or mix and match – he options are endless. *Put your head in a good place mentally – the power of positive thinking; what you believe you attract *Choose happiness – no matter what life throws at you, choose to find a piece of good in all things

New information is thrown at us daily in regards to ways we can learn about new tricks to staying healthy and living a long life.  However, sometimes, fate steps in and takes the reins for a moment or two, often mangling our plans in extreme ways. There’s nothing you can do to stop the inevitable, but you can plan appropriately. Again, the key word being PLAN.

We know that it is hard for some people to be comfortable with the idea of purchasing life insurance. Knowing the inevitable can still be a hard pill to swallow – but you have to.

You can do everything possible to live a healthy life, but you still have to take the extra steps to protect yourself and more importantly, protect your family.

Life insurance, disability insurance, critical illness insurance ( and more) are all polices you should make part of your entire plan. Knowing you are living a healthy life isn’t enough to plan and prepare for the future. Financial planning and protection must be part of your daily health plan as well.

Plan  and Prepare
Plan and Prepare

Too Unique

Last night I went to a concert at a new venue in Vegas . It was loud, smoky, and full of numerous interesting people. By interesting, I mean people that choose very eclectic and unique ways to present themselves to the public. I am ALL for people being unique and forging their own way, but I laughed to myself looking around at everyone who was trying to be so unique with different clothing and hairstyles and in the end, they all looked the same. I think that being unique is no longer unique. It feels at times that people try so hard to be different, but all they are doing is copying somebody else’s unique choices. There is nothing individual about that. Sure, it is okay to find things that other people like and follow suit. It is okay to be part of current trends. However, life for everyone would be so much more enriching and full of more fulfilling experiences if every once in a while people really did choose to be unique and follow the road less traveled. Having said all that, there are a few things in life that we ALL should do – pay taxes, contribute to society, get a life insurance policy. You can still be an individual and be unique, while you so love and provide protection for your family.
Avoiding getting any of the insurance that you need doesn’t make unique. It makes you irresponsible. Be unique by doing the right thing for your family and providing the protection they need.
be-unique

Refresh. Renew.

It is time to renew!

Within the next couple of months, I will be renewing my car insurance, health insurance, lease, driver’s license, and cable television. It is crazy that when I first sign-up for something, it seems like expirations and renewals are SO far off in the future that I don’t really need to worry about it. In actuality, with how fast time goes by and how bust my life is. I almost have to start saving and planning for the costs of renewals and the time it takes to makes sure everything processes correctly, the day after I either sign-up to begin with or do a renewal.

For something simple like my driver’s license, I know that it is just a quick picture, fee, and I am done. It is something I need and have to have. It doesn’t require review or changes on my part. However, I always take the time to review my car insurance and health insurance coverage every time I have to renew. Not only do the policies, rules, and regulations change, but sometimes so does the coverage for what I was originally paying. I don’t want to be stuck without proper coverage.

Last year I started using my health insurance renewal period as the time of year that I also review my life insurance policy. Just like everything else, I want to make sure it fits with my current needs and lifestyle.

Double-check your life insurance policy. Is it current for your life? Does in need updating?

Time to make changes and renew…
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Allergic Reaction

top of that I have celiac, which means no wheat or gluten for me. Sounds terrible, I know, but have no fear – I still manage to live a fulfilling and adventurous life while filling my belly with allergy-proof foods!

I bring up the allergy issue, because I have had some pretty close calls. The problem with having such major reactions is you usually don’t know there is an issue until the IS an issue. I have asphyxiated to the point of needed medical revival. I have swelled up to the point that I couldn’t see. I have had such bad hives and rashes that you could not see a clean piece of skin.

Unexpected death from major allergic reactions isn’t at all unheard of. It happens more often than you think. People tend to focus on the more frequent and obvious causes of death, without paying attention to something like allergies.

Take a personal inventory of the items you are allergic to. Are they simple reactions or something major? These are things to consider in regards to your life insurance. Make sure the coverage is appropriate and includes the risks associated with such allergies. Be proactive!

Allergic Reactions
Allergic Reactions

Health Insurance-A Surprise Graduation Gift

Instead of a computer or a car, parents looking for a useful gift for a new college grad may want to consider health insurance.

New college graduates and their parents are often surprised to learn that many health insurance plans stop providing coverage to adult children through a parent’s plan even when they are living at home.

Typically, most adult children who are students will lose their coverage when they attain a certain age, graduate or are no longer attending school on a full-time basis. Since most of these new college graduates won’t have coverage until after they have found a job, many find themselves falling through a gap in coverage.

The number of young adults who fall into this category can be significant. According to a 2002 Census Bureau report, 18-to-24-year-olds are the least likely age group to have health insurance coverage.

Some find an effective way to address this need is with a type of product called temporary or short-term medical insurance. Such policies are designed to fill short gaps in health insurance coverage and usually cover periods ranging from one to six months. Exact length of coverage may vary by state and company.

For example, Assurant Health -a company that helped to pioneer the concept of short-term coverage-offers policies that typically cover periods of 30 to 185 days. Generally, this type of plan is more affordable than permanent insurance plans because the insurer is taking less risk.

Because temporary policies are usually designed to cover the unexpected, most do not include coverage for preventive care, physicals, immunizations, dental or eye care. Also, temporary policies generally do not cover pre-existing conditions.

While typical customers for short-term medical insurance are graduating students no longer covered by a family plan, but not yet covered by an employer’s group plan, the policy may also be of interest to others. People changing jobs or making a transition to a new career, or new employees facing a short waiting period before becoming eligible for an employer’s group insurance plan, may find that it fills a need.

Health Insurance Up 78 Percent Since 2000, Along With Policy Terminations!

Health insurance went up 7.7 percent this year, thats twice the rate of inflation. Premiums have increased by 78 percent since the year 2000 compare that to salary increases of just 20 percent and the real picture starts to have an impact.

Individuals are now averaging a little over $4000 a year in premiums with American families paying out almost $11,500 this year. Companies offering health care benefits now st ands at 61 percent this is down from 69 percent in 2000. It’s estimated that over 155 million Americans will get their health care benefits from their employers. To lower the over-all cost of the insurance plans many companies are now offering benefit packages with higher deductibles. It should be noted that this report comes out after a recent Census reported that 1.3 million Americans where added to the ranks of the uninsured during 2005. What becomes clear here is the long term trend towards the decline of coverage supplied by small businesses from their employees.

“To working people and business owners, a reduction in an already very high rate of increase just means you’re still paying more” said Dr Drew Altman, president and chief executive of the Kaiser Foundation.

Insurance companies have been under attack recently for dumping families that build up large medical bills. In an ongoing case in California the state is investigating a claim against Blue Cross who stopped coverage for a family when it’s medical bills reached $20,000. The family have been left with outst anding medical bills of over $60,000. The company have accused the family of failing to disclose in their coverage application an undiagnosed lump on one of the children’s chins. The family say they (or their physician) knew nothing of any tumor when they made the application.

These types of cancellations of coverage have now created a massive backlash towards the insurance companies and resulted in a number of ongoing lawsuits. The policyholders are saying their polices were illegally terminated which resulted in substantial financial hardship. State regulators are investigating and have said they are now preparing to take action against Blue Cross.

Something needs to be done to protect (us) the public against these (insurance) companies. The hardship caused when a family is faced with these medical bills at a time when they really need the most support is nothing short of criminal. Having taken our money every month for years on end they should not have the right to terminate our coverage. They should by law be forced to honor the agreement they wrote and we agreed too.