Archive for November, 2009

Life Saving Medical Alert Bracelets

Most medical alert systems are usually wireless and small enough to be warn as a necklace, a watch a keychain or even a medical alert bracelets. Most of these medical devices are waterproof to ensure they are never damaged.

Most of these medical systems are very easy to setup. You do need a home phone line in your house so the alarm can contact a person of authority when you need help. Seniors often wear a medical wireless bracelet to make sure they have access to somebody 24 hours a day. Because the alarm goes through a wireless connection to your home telephone line and emergency box, you have a high range of flexibility and security at the same time.

Most people don’t think about all the things that can happen to people of all ages. Having a medical alert bracelet or necklace can be an intelligent choice for just about anyone.

Select a bracelet style you like. There are many companies out there that make many different styles and shapes. When selecting one make sure you choose one that will work for you. You want one that is attractive to you but at the same time it can display necessary information. If there’s a chance that you may not be able to speak or even pass out you should write your name and the phone number of who to call. An emergency contact could help health care professionals.

If you have a medical condition and get sick or injured while traveling, wearing a Medical Alert bracelet can literally save your life, and can quite literaly be considered your extra life line.

If something happens when you are traveling out of the country, the professional multilingual staff will help you find a physician when you are traveling to another country. They’ll be able to speak with attending medical providers in foreign countries to find out what the problems are and determine what treatments will be necessary to help you.

They will get in contact with your family members. You will also be able to send emergency messages to your relatives, friends, and business associates as well as receive emergency messages, toll free, 24 hours a day. So if you have any kind of medical condition, or just live alone and want to make sure you are always in contact with somebody, a medical alert system is something you should look into.

Find Health Coverage Before Medicare : Susan B. Garland

It’s bad enough that your retirement savings are evaporating. But if you lost your job, retired early, or are turning to self-employment, you’ll need to budget for health coverage. And the tab could be hefty.

Even retirees whose former employers continue to offer coverage until Medicare kicks in at age 65 can expect a bit of sticker shock. As health-care costs continue to rise, companies are reducing coverage or requiring retirees to pay more.

Many employers are limiting costs by giving each retiree a fixed contribution to pay for medical care, says Ed Pudlowski, a principal with Ernst and Young.

“The employer will tie the payment to age and service — if you retire at age 55 after 10 years you get X number of dollars,” Pudlowski says. The money goes into a special account, which is used to reimburse retirees for out-of-pocket medical expenses.

These retirees are the lucky ones. Most retirees don’t get any benefits from their former employers. Only 31 percent of large firms that offer health benefits to their employees also offer retiree coverage, down from 66 percent in 1988, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

You do have options if you need to find insurance on your own. Start your search at the Web site of the Foundation for Health Care Coverage Education (www.coverageforall.org). The site provides a detailed “matrix” of each state’s private and public health programs. You can call for help at 800-234-1317.

If your former employer provided benefits, you may be eligible to continue coverage under a federal law called COBRA. The law requires companies with 20 or more employees to allow former workers to buy benefits for up to 18 months. Many states require smaller employers to offer continuation coverage under “mini COBRA” laws.

But COBRA can be costly because the employer no longer subsidizes the premium. The average annual tab in 2007 under COBRA was $4,704 for individual coverage and $12,680 for family coverage, according to Kaiser.

The economic-stimulus law offers some relief, providing a 65 percent COBRA subsidy for up to nine months. The federal subsidy applies to workers who were involuntarily terminated between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009. To qualify, your income must be less than $125,000 for individuals and $250,000 for families.

Once your COBRA benefits expire, don’t wait more than 63 days to sign up for a policy in the individual market. Under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), private insurers must offer some type of coverage after your company benefits expire, even if you have a medical condition. The law does not cap premiums, however. Each state has its own rules, so contact your state insurance department.

If you wait longer than 63 days and have a medical condition, you may not be able to find coverage at all. “Someone will lose a job, run out of COBRA benefits and start shopping for insurance months later,” says Larry Harrison, an insurance agent in Las Vegas. “By then, the window is closed.”

HIPAA was a godsend for Alix Vandivier, 53, a retired college administrator in Las Vegas. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and eventually left her job. Six months before her COBRA benefits expired, Vandivier began looking for insurance. Four companies turned her down. She learned about HIPAA when she called the state government, which referred her to Harrison.

Harrison found Vandivier a policy that costs $800 a month. As a person with a disability, she’ll be eligible for Medicare in six months. “Eight hundred dollars is a lot better than the $15,000 I would have to pay for chemotherapy,” she says.

COBRA and HIPAA benefits are the best options for someone with a serious medical condition. But a relatively healthy person could find a cheaper policy in the individual market. “Corporate health insurance offers one-size-fits-all benefits,” says Sam Gibbs, senior vice-president of eHealthInsurance, based in Mountain View, California. “You can search for a plan with just the benefits you need.”

Gibbs says if both spouses are covered by the same employer plan, consider COBRA only for the sicker spouse. The healthier spouse can shop for an individual policy. Individuals within a few months of Medicare eligibility, or between jobs, can sign up for a short-term policy, which is usually bare-bones coverage that lasts for six months, says Gibbs.

Take a look at www.ehealthinsurance.com to compare policies. To save time, use a broker; you can find one at the National Association of Health Underwriters (www.nahu.org).

Several insurers are targeting the early-retiree market. In January 2008, AARP rolled out a variety of Aetna plans aimed at individuals 50 and older. David Mathis, senior vice-president for AARP’s health products and services, says the Aetna policies tend to be “more flexible” in covering applicants with preexisting conditions, such as hypertension and high cholesterol, than typical products.

The costs and benefits among policies can vary widely. For instance, a 60-year-old man in Phoenix would pay $440 a month for an Aetna Premier plan with a $1,500 deductible. After reaching the deductible, he would have 20 percent co-payments.

A 60-year-old man buying an Aetna plan compatible with a health savings account with a $5,000 deductible would pay $274 a month. Once he meets his deductible, he would not have any co-payments.

CONSIDER A HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT

Despite the high deductible, the 0 percent co-payments could make an HSA-compatible policy an attractive choice whether your health bills are high or not. Scott Krienke, senior vice-president of product lines at Assurant, says HSAs are popular among early retirees who are bridging the gap until Medicare kicks in.

“When new retirees try to recreate their employer plans, they realize how expensive they are,” Krienke says. “With a high-deductible plan, the premium goes down significantly and you can pay for services with tax-efficient dollars.”

With an HSA, you make tax-deductible contributions to the account held at a bank or insurance company. For 2009, the contribution limit was $3,000 for an individual and $5,950 for a family. Those 55 and older can make a $1,000 catch-up contribution. You can’t contribute to an HSA once you’re eligible for Medicare at 65.

You will need to buy an HSA-qualified policy, which has a minimum deductible of $1,150 for single coverage and $2,300 for family coverage. You can use the HSA money tax-free for medical expenses in any year. After age 65, you can use the leftover HSA money for any kind of expense.

Patricia and Richard Jacoby decided to go with an HSA after their COBRA premiums soared. The couple moved to their second home in Port Charlotte, Florida, in December 2007, six months after Richard, now 62, lost his job in management. Patricia, 55, who was a corporate accounting manager, thought she could easily find a new job with health coverage. No luck.

When their monthly COBRA premiums rose to $800, the Jacobys went to eHealthInsurance. The couple found a HumanaOne HSA-compatible policy, which costs $403 a month. Once they reach their $10,400 deductible, they will have no out-of-pocket costs. The two are healthy and don’t expect to reach the deductible. “We’re covered if something major were to happen,” Patricia says. For more information on HSAs, go to www.ustreas.gov (click “Health Savings Accounts”).

Because they are in good health, Patricia and Richard Jacoby could find insurance at reasonable rates. Not surprisingly, pre-Medicare applicants are more likely to be denied individual coverage than younger applicants. More than 28 percent of those age 60 to 64 were denied coverage in 2006, compared with 13.4 percent denial for those in their late 40s, according to the AHIP Center for Policy and Research, in Washington, D.C.

If an insurer rejects you, you might be able to get coverage from a state high-risk pool. Thirty-four states provide coverage to individuals who are otherwise uninsurable, according to the National Association of State Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans. You can find links to your state high-risk pool at www.naschip.org.

Generally, there are no exclusions, but premiums are relatively high compared with other plans. They’re capped at about 150 percent of the average comparable private coverage.

If a state has no risk pool or an individual can’t afford the premium, you may be out of luck. Karyn Schwartz, senior policy analyst for the Kaiser Family Foundation, says, “Those are the people who become uninsured.”

News About Insurance Policies. Do you Need to Take Care About It?

What are insurance policies and for what do you need to take care about it? In case of an accident the insurance policies cover cost of damage. Think that insurance policies could include several types of insurances you need to realize that this is a package. You can not include different coverage anywhere and at any affordable for you time. You can use service of the same auto insurance company in USA only to make changes in your insurance policies. So you need to take a chance plan your expenses beforehand and to compile this package.

One of the parts of insurance policies is liability cost. But this is a not main criterion to choose insurance policies package. It is bad logic. Liability cost a lot less than property damage, where you can’t economize.

For instance, medical payments pay you and your passengers for medical and funeral expenses incurred in an auto accident, regardless of fault - under insurance policies description. What if you operating someone else’s car with their permission only? In this case insurance policies will also cover injuries sustained by you, in addition to insure you or your family members incur when you are passer-by. All family members have to have insurance policies also.

Personal injury protection (as a part of insurance policies package) in fact is no-fault benefits in states that have enacted mandatory or optional no-fault auto insurance laws for all auto insurance company in USA. Personal Injury Protection is included into insurance policies usually has benefits for medical expenses. In addition, loss of income from work, essential services, accidental death, funeral expenses, and survivor benefits - also under insurance policies.

There is a good advice to get insurance policies for all drivers in your family from the same auto insurance company in USA. Or even they could be on the same auto insurance policies package. This way I`ll have to pay a lot less. You have possibility to get an auto insurance discount for such insurance policies.

Who Has the Best Auto Insurance Rates

Want to know who has the best auto insurance rates? It should be as simple as making a few phone calls, right? Wrong, and that way of thinking could leave you paying a lot more than you should. However, there are a few tips and tricks to help you find the right insurance company with minimal effort and I’ll show you how it’s done.

Why shouldn’t you just call a few local agents to find the best rate? Because it might costs you more than you think. There are two big problems with buying insurance this way. The first is that you are dealing with a commission driven insurance agent. It’s not the typical commission structure that you might be use to when dealing with a normal salesman, it’s actually worse. Many agents are paid by how much they can up sell you on policies you may not need. Forget the normal salesman trying to sell the loaded BMW when all you want is a Chevy, these guys want you to buy car with a houseboat attached to the back. The bigger your policy, the more they make and like most sale people, they probably have dollar signs in their eyes as soon as you walk through the door.

The second issue is that you might be missing out on an insurance company that isn’t locally listed. Even if all of your phone number searches are done on the internet, a search for “car insurance Town A, Your State, USA” might not turn up results for the agent that is located in Town B, Your State, USA. So even if you find the “best deal in town” it might not be the best deal at all. Also keep in mind that local businesses often form an agreement with each other not to sell below a certain dollar value. So, they could potentially be gouging you without you even knowing it.

So how do you find out who has the best auto insurance rates? Well, the internet is loaded with companies that will compile a list of insurance companies that serve your state. Many times these list are organized by rate and incredibly easy to use. One example for me was after Tropical Storm “Faye” this past summer. My car was totaled by water damage and after my former insurance company paid for my car, they dropped me. While searching locally, I found that most of the rates for my car were about 10-15% higher then through the compiling website.

No To Obamacare!

Now Barack Obama is beginning to understand how Hillary felt sixteen years ago when she made her attempt at nationalizing health care. We’re not hearing for Nazi or un-American protests as Nancy Pelosi would like to frame it. And Obamas mis-statements like the AARP backs his program only adds more fuel for the fire. Now we know why the Obama administration wanted the bill passed BEFORE the recess.

Amid a boisterous debate on health care reform, people flooded members of Congress on Thursday with so many e-mails that they overloaded the House’s primary Web site. Technical support issued a warning to congressional staff that the site may be slow or unresponsive because of the large volume of e-mail being sent to members.http://www.house.gov.

Town hall meetings have turned out to be a public relations disaster- thanks to cell phone cameras! :-(

Democrats are trying desperately to regain control of the debate, with the White House posting a new Web site designed to dispel what it called “the misinformation and baseless smears that are cropping up daily.” House Democratic aides have set up a health care war room out of Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s office. It is designed to help lawmakers answer questions about the legislation.

Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the House’s chief administrative officer, which maintains the Web site, said traffic data was not available and could not be released without the lawmakers’ consent. Ventura said the last time he saw such a significant slow-down in the system was in January, shortly before the House passed an $819 billion bill to stimulate the economy. Ventura said new technology called “load balancing” is in place to try to handle spikes in volume. So far, the House Web site remains available to the public.

In particular, people are heavily using a link on the site called “Write Your Representative,” which helps a voter track down their representative by plugging in their zip code.

Key senators are excluding a provision on end-of-life care from health overhaul legislation after language in a House bill caused a furor. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement Thursday that the provision had been dropped from consideration because it could be misinterpreted or implemented incorrectly. A health care bill passed by three House committees allows Medicare to reimburse doctors for voluntary counseling sessions about end-of-life decisions. But critics have claimed the provision could lead to death panels and euthanasia for seniors.

Just imagine how bad things could really be if these bills were READ. Basically Whit House aides write the bills and Congressmen vote on something they’ve never read and we spend the rest of our life trying to reconcile and understand what the hell the legislation really means.

Auto Insurance Rates News

USA auto insurance rates are under several national rating institutions` control. First of all they control differences in the auto insurance rates between companies. Every company has different coverages in order to the same auto insurance rates. To choose an company with good insurance rates is a crucial financial decision. If the company is not able to pay future claims or benefits, than other issues become far less relevant. Financial strength of insurance rates are an analysis of a wide variety of risks and this affects an company’s long-term viability.

Ask your peers what experiences they have had and with what auto insurance rates. Your social prosperity depends of the your company reputation. You need to know as well how fusty and easily are claims processed and is this service available 24-hour. Auto insurance rates of the company increase if they have outsourced claims management. Remember that auto insurance is meant to make you whole in the case of an accident with proper insurance rates including injury or property damage. It is to protect your assets and protect you from liability.

You will want the peace of mind of a superior company with good auto insurance rates if you need to manage and pay the all claims. The financial health of an auto insurance company is an often-overlooked area in case of shopping for the best auto insurance rates. It is naturally for us to make comparisons ourselves on the insurance rates for the coverages. Until this is really important, you should keep in your mind that the company’s insurance rates and level of satisfaction is in dependences. Consulting about company’s auto insurance rates is crucial. Each company issues a public quarterly report (subject - insurance rates). This make possibly for future prognoses as in insurance rates have sources in past. However, the past performance is valuable for your expectations about future coverage. One of the factors that are used in order to determine the companies’ auto insurance rates is their experience in the marketplace, their competitive forces etc. If there is really poor history, you might be taking an unnecessary chance. Look for a company with height auto insurance rates and make sure that its history shows good performance.

Fit Sea World Into Your Budget Today!

Chits and programs to Florida’s hottest tourist site reasonable

Many families would like to go to Sea Worldsomeday. While the rides sound exciting, the shows sound educational, and your youngsters moan that everybody else gets to go somewhere fascinating, you don’t know how your family is ever going to afford the $70+ needed for each ticket.

If you do not live in Florida, you probably need to take a couple of days and see several different tourist attractions while you are there. In that case, Flex Tickets could be your only option. The only disadvantage of this program is that tickets must be scheduled in advance over the web. Of course, if you’re traveling from out of town you are going to be planning your vacation ahead anyway. So this is not really an issue.

If you live in Florida or close to it, there are 2 other discount programs that could be of interest to you. Sea World Orlando offers kickbacks for Florida residents. Florida also offers a special program for teachers in the school year ( Aug to August ). Finally, you can get a discount chit in the shape of an one year passport.

Source of this article: Fit Sea World Into Your Budget Today!

Sea World Orlando also offers refunds to members of the auto Club or AARP. AARP also offers refunds at the gate with explanation of membership. If you are an AARP member, make efforts to visit Sea World Orlando on Tuesdays, when there is a bigger discount.

This site lists all the kickbacks mentioned in this post, as well as special promotions Sea World Orlando may offer from time to time. By frequently checking this site, you will be sure to understand about all the savings options and vouchers Sea World Orlando offers.

Sea World can be dear if you pay full price, but with all the discount options available there isn’t a need to hop Sea World on your trip to Florida! Simply take advantage of one of many existing discount coupon programs and start planning your vacation. With a rich array of educational and entertainment options available at Sea World, you will not regret your decision.

You can find more information about coupons at http://www.seaworldorlandocoupons.com where you can read about sea world orlandocoupons.

Why Health Insurance Cost So Much! Wake Up America # 7

Be My Friend - www.myspace.com Unaffordable Insurance! Wake Up America # 7 Why Insurance Health Care Cost Are So High. Related Videos Wake Up America # 1, Food Supply and Health Care Conspiracy www.youtube.com Wake Up America #2, Science of Profit, Corporate Takeover of Science www.youtube.com Wake Up America # 3, GMO Foods, Genetically Modified Organisms, www.youtube.com Wake Up America #4, What Doctors Don’t Know www.youtube.com Wake Up America #5, No More Health Care Choice www.youtube …

So, what’s Aging in Place anyway?

The week of October 12-18th is National Aging in Place week.

So, what exactly is Aging in Place?

Aging in Place is defined by the National Aging in place Council as

the ability to continue to live in one’s home safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.

The goal of aging in place is just as it sounds, helping people age in place, within their homes. For the older population, this may mean the difference between being able to stay and age in their homes or moving out and living with family members or at a nursing home. The aging in place concept is great for older adults but is also beneficial for all populations. For example, wider doorways are beneficial for people in wheelchairs but also benefit someone trying to maneuver a baby stroller in the house. Lower light switches make turning on a light easier to someone in a wheelchair and to a child.

So, why is Aging in Place important and how can it affect you?

Everyone from baby boomers to senior citizens wants to be able to live out their golden years in the comfort and security of their own homes. Baby boomers make up 28% of the US population and own 48% of all homes. Boomers, now more than ever, are looking for ways to age in place realizing that they may need to make changes to their current homes or move into one that will allow them to do so. An AARP survey stated that 89% of older adults said that they wanted to stay in their current homes as they aged.

Aging in Place incorporates the concept of universal design. The Center for Universal Design defines universal design as the:

“design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”

Some features of universal design include step-less entry ways into homes, wider doorways, handrails on both sides of stairs, use of grab bars in bathrooms, and lever door handles.

So, if you want to Age in Place and think you need home modifications, who do you turn to?

There are numerous professionals that may work with individuals who desire to Age in Place. They can include:

Builders and contractors Occupational therapists (OTs) Physical therapists (PTs) Realtors Engineers Social workers Interior designers

Some individuals choose to earn the CAPS designation by becoming Certified Aging in Place Specialists or CAPS.

Source: AARP.org and The National Association of Home Builders

Visit The Aging Suite for more information on Aging in Place

Couples Cutting Medical Care Costs

Baby boomer couples cutting health care costs by pooling resources to reduce the price of long term care premiums. Instead of buying for one, advisers and analysts say you can often cut premium costs by approaching long term care insurance as a couple. For those prepared to go searching the following 3 strategies are worth exploring :

1. Shared care plans

In general, sharing long term policies doesn’t eliminate the need for both partners to buy separate plans. But unlike normal policies, a special rider is tacked on to each to allow one spouse to dip into another’s benefits. The major benefit of shared coverage is if you need more than your present plan allows. But what happens if both eventually go over their allocated amounts?

Best suited for shared care policies could be couples that wish to buy shorter-term plans but still want some pliability to reach into their spouse’s pool of benefits, he added . Long term care partnership deals

Two years back, Congress expanded to almost all of the country a program that had been running for years in less than a few states. It allows the total value of long-term-care policies to be counted against Medicaid wants for drawing on private assets to pay health bills. But different states have different contingencies. For instance, in NY clients must get a long-term-care policy that covers at least three years in a care home and six years of home-based care. In return, the state pledges not to go after any private assets once someone exhausts the benefits in their personal policy, asserts Gholson. ‘So Medicaid care becomes a free benefit without any strings attached,’ he added .

States like California and Connecticut use what’s termed dollar-for-dollar protection. In those cases, authorities count the value of a private insurance policy to establish the amount of assets that are guarded against pay-down necessities in Medicaid. It saves the states money because they are shifting costs of long term care to insurance corporations. ‘If you live in a dollar-for-dollar state, you may want to buy enough insurance to guard your complete portfolio in a partnership program,’ Gholson said.

3. Ask insurer’s brokers about discounts on bundled purchases

This could be the simplest way to savings.

Some carriers now offer promotional rates for 2 folks that buy a long term care package at the same time. Those are marketed as spousal refunds and can range between 15% and 25% off regular premiums. And if you qualify as very healthy candidates, some carriers will even add another ten percent discount on top.

Some things to consider:

Each of the three options presents different caveats. ‘People need to remember the shared care marketplace is a reasonably new phenomenon,’ related Cheryl Matheis, a health strategist at AARP. ‘They need to ask a lot of questions and punctiliously inspect all of the details in each policy.’

1. Check the insurers’ history of changing prices and policy conditions. Just a couple of carriers haven’t walked premiums.

2. Shared long term care benefits likely will cost you a touch more than normal long-term-care policies of an analogous term. The alternative is that if two people are not sharing long-term-care insurance, they’ll doubtless need to buy more in depth individual policies to get the same level of coverage. The giant advantage to shared care is that you shorten the term of policies.

3. If you have enough money, the best option is always to buy separate longer-term plans.

4. If you are looking at a{ more cost-effective| more affordable| cheaper alternative, then shared care is a choice to at least consider.

5. If you select a state partnership programs need to notice any loopholes may exist, Gholson claims. Even buying enough private care insurance to match asset levels is not a guaranteed solution.

‘Depending on where you live or move, the different Medicaid eligibility and revenue necessities in each state, the govt. might still be in a position to come after your assets in certain cases,’ Gholson expounded. Spouses cutting medical care costs can produce major benefits with the correct amount of study. Contact a long term Care professional that represents many carriers to see what your options are.

This website (AARP Medical Insurance) is a collection of health related resources and articles for the public. Neither AARP or its affiliates are associated with this website. All information is purely for educational purposes.