What one woman learned from her husband's sudden, early death

February 3, 2015, 8:20 am

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What one woman learned from her husband's sudden, early death

Charlotte Fox only has one clear memory from when her 54-year-old husband passed away from a heart attack in the middle of the night in 2003.

"I remember I thought it was strange that the ambulance didn't have the lights on," she recalls. "I told my grown daughter, 'I have a real bad feeling about this.'"

The next few weeks were obscured by a veil of shock and medication to manage the trauma.

"Someone made all the funeral arrangements, but I don't know who. Someone wrote the obituary," she says. "I remember having to go back to the funeral home three times, because I didn't know the answers to questions. I never knew I had to bring him clothes. I didn't know if he wanted to be buried or cremated. Everything was a surprise."

The only life insurance her late husband had was a $12,000 policy from his work with the state of Arizona, and that money paid for the funeral and for Fox to stay in her home.

"He did everything," Fox explains. "I didn't have a clue where anything was. I had fantastic friends who came and took care of me for four months. One friend would gather all the mail and open it up, write out checks, and have me sign them, because I was pretty much incapacitated. By the time I was ready to deal with things, my dining room table was stacked a foot high with paperwork."

Four months after her husband passed, Fox started opening up files for all the things that had to be done and the bills that had to be paid.

Over a decade later, she devotes her life to making sure family members never feel as lost as she did those first few months. She spent a year and a half working with professionals like a funeral home director, doctor, nurse, sheriff's deputy, lawyer, and a financial planner to put together her book, "And Then There Was One: A Comprehensive Workbook Guide For End-Of-Life Preparedness And Transitioning After The Loss Of A Loved One."

"Some people may feel that they have it all covered because they have a will or a trust, but that's just the tip of the iceberg," she says. "I direct people to the first eight or nine pages — there's 70-some things in that checklist."

For instance, here are nine things Fox recommends locating in case something should happen to you:

1. Information about retirement accounts and pensions
2. Birth certificates of both the person who has passed and the survivor
3. A certified copy of your marriage license, if applicable
4. Automobile insurance policies
5. Homeowner's and health insurance policies
6. Mortgage records and home deeds
7. Social Security number
8. Life insurance policies
9. Logins for any online accounts, including email and Netflix

And that's just the beginning.

"I tell people in my workshops that my husband and I are the poster couple for doing everything wrong," says Fox, "but I'm not the only one. If you don't have these things done, it will cost your survivors or caretakers thousands of dollars to go to court to set the wheels in motion. Probate courts are inundated with cases like this. Making your plans not only protects you, but your survivors also."

*SEE ALSO: Here's How To Pay Less For A Funeral, Gathered From 7 Years Working Alongside A Funeral Director*

Join the conversation about this story » Reported by Business Insider 22 hours ago.

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Tales In Health Insurance: "How My Coverage Saves Me Cash"

February 3, 2015, 9:03 am

≫ Next: Obama Nixes Crucial VA Program After Just Six Months of Being Law

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Tales In Health Insurance: "How My Coverage Saves Me Cash" Reported by ajc.com 22 hours ago.

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Obama Nixes Crucial VA Program After Just Six Months of Being Law

February 3, 2015, 9:53 am

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Obama Nixes Crucial VA Program After Just Six Months of Being Law
Obama Nixes Crucial VA Program After Just Six Months of Being Law
Has Been Optimized

The Obama administration is looking to cut back on a brand new program, only six months old, that allows veterans to find health insurance outside of the government run VA system.

In August 2014, Congress, then controlled by Democrats in the Senate and Republicans in the House, passed a bill creating the Veterans Choice Program, an attempt to get health care to veterans quicker than under the VA system, which was plagued with corruption and scandal. At the time, President Obama supported the legislation and signed it into law.

Now, the President is doubling down on his support and plans on creating another piece of legislation to scale the program back. According to Obama's just released 2016 budget, "In the coming months, the administration will submit legislation to reallocate a portion of Veterans Choice Program funding to support essential investments in VA system priorities in a fiscally-responsible, budget-neutral manner."

In a show of bipartisanship, Republican VA Secretary Robert McDonald said he would support the President's change of course in order to "serve veterans the way they want and deserve to be served."

However, not all Republicans were willing to back this position. Florida Republican Jeff Miller and Georgia Republican Johnny Isakson both believed the President was breaking his word to members of Congress, who he worked with on the bill, and veterans, who he promised would receive better health care.

Part of Obama's new plan for the money meant for the Veterans Choice Program, earmarked at $15 billion, will go to other VA programs that need extra funding. One senior VA official stated that interest in the new program "has not been as high as anticipated."

Sources: whitehouse.gov, theblaze.com, military.com

Photo Credit: humanevents.com

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Nexus Staff Urges Small Businesses to Gather Data Now for Obamacare 2016 Deadline

February 3, 2015, 11:43 am

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Nexus Staff Urges Small Businesses to Gather Data Now for Obamacare 2016 Deadline

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Small business owners should prepare now for the 2016 deadline on federal health insurance. Reported by Business Wire 19 hours ago.

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UMB hits $1B milestone for health savings accounts

February 3, 2015, 1:06 pm

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UMB Healthcare Services has topped $1 billion in health savings account deposits and assets. This is part of a continued growth trajectory for UMB Healthcare and an example of a collective movement toward health savings accounts (HSAs) overall. The company reported Tuesday a 36 percent increase in HSAs deposits and assets over the past year. HSAs, often paired with high-deductible health insurance plans, allow members to accumulate tax-free savings to cover future medical expenses. UMB Healthcare,… Reported by bizjournals 18 hours ago.

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Blues Plan Launches First Health Benefit Gift Box

February 3, 2015, 1:51 pm

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Blues Plan Launches First Health Benefit Gift Box

BUFFALO, N.Y., Feb. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- It's a new day for health insurance companies. As the Affordable Care Act forces an industry shift towards consumerism, individuals are becoming more involved in their own health care decisions and insurers are becoming more involved in... Reported by PR Newswire 17 hours ago.

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The Powerful Message of the #LikeAGirl Campaign

February 3, 2015, 3:38 pm

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Procter and Gamble's #LikeAGirl commercial has been labeled "groundbreaking" not only for tackling the important topic of girls' self-concept but also for its strong message of empowerment. The advertisement featured girls being asked to engage in various activities (e.g. throw a ball, run) "like a girl" and highlighted how the term "like a girl" has stereotypically been considered derisive but could be changed to represent strength. And this message is important because while the term "like a girl" may seem like a harmless form of teasing, it is part of a bigger picture of societal discrimination against women that can have devastating effects.

Gender discrimination against women is rampant across the world and seeps into many aspects of women's lives. And this discrimination harms women in two ways. First, women directly experience stressful events. The experience of sexism is so common that research suggests women can experience one to two instances of "everyday sexism" per week, ranging from stated gender stereotypes (e.g. "throws like a girl") to being called denigrating names to sexual objectification. 25 percent of women report sexual harassment in the workplace.

More, this stress often translates into several forms of institutional disparity. For example, in one randomized double-blind study of 127 science faculty members, participants were given identical application materials for the position of laboratory manager, but applicants were randomly assigned a stereotypically "male" or "female" name. Results indicated that faculty participants rated the fictional male candidates as more competent, which resulted in male applicant's increased likelihood of being hired. Further, additional research shows that if hired, women still receive less money for the same job as men and are required to pay more in health insurance than men.

But women aren't only harmed by sexism through the tangible stress caused by others. They are harmed to the extent that they internalize and adopt these sexist attitudes that can manifest as poor self-concept. Further, this negative self-concept often manifests on a subconscious or implicit level, as women (and men) will demonstrate automatic negative biases against women. For example, women are less likely to automatically associate other women as compared to men with competence. More "internalized sexism" can even manifest in how women communicate with one another (e.g. assertions of incompetence).

Perhaps due to the confluence of increased stress and decreased self-concept, the experience of gender discrimination is associated with poor psychological outcomes. The experience of this type of sexism may cause distress and unhealthy behaviors such as binge eating and smoking. One study of 724 women attending family planning clinics found that gender discrimination was associated with lifetime and recent drug use. Further, gender discrimination worsens attitudes towards the workplace. One study of 526 male and female employees showed that in addition to increasing stress, gender discrimination decreases satisfaction, motivation, commitment and enthusiasm level of employees.

The spirit of the #LikeAGirl campaign is to change societal norms, and there is hope that this is possible. Confronting men on their biased behavior in fact influences behavior. In a 2010 study, researchers asked men and women to collaborate on a problem-solving exercise. They then asked the women to confront the men either for sexism (e.g., assuming that a nurse would be female) or on a "gender-neutral" mistake. Men accused of sexism not only did not react with hostility, but also consequently were more likely to apologize for their remark. Further, men accused of sexism were nicer to the women when solving a second set of problems, and at the end of the experiment reported liking their partners more than did the men who were accused of the gender-neutral mistake. These results are consistent with research suggesting the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing gender bias in hiring.

Most likely, the majority of people who use terms such as "throws like a girl" do not intend to hurt girls and women, just as the majority of women who adopt this type of self-deprecating language do not intend to cause self-harm. But that is why it is even more important that we raise awareness of how these seemingly innocuous statements are part of a bigger picture -- one in which women are often degraded and mistreated.

So let's take a cue from the #LikeAGirl campaign and change the conversation to empower rather than denigrate girls and women. Reported by Huffington Post 15 hours ago.

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Before Open-Enrollment Period Closes February 15, California Physicians Offer Help Choosing Insurance Coverage for Addiction Treatment

February 4, 2015, 12:08 am

≫ Next: Effective Coverage Launches Renters Insurance Challenge to Combat the 65 Million Americans Living Without Renters Insurance

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A newly released guide from the California Society of Addiction Medicine provides help in choosing health care coverage, including mental health and substance abuse treatment services

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 04, 2015

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), individuals can no longer be denied health insurance coverage for having a pre-existing condition like addiction. Additionally, the ACA establishes Substance Use Disorders and Mental Health treatment among the 10 Essential Benefits that newly sold health insurance plans must cover. With the advent of this new health care legislation, the California Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM) saw the opportunity to educate consumers shopping for healthcare plans about where to find the best addiction treatment coverage.

To achieve that end and to coincide with the current Covered California open-enrollment period which ends February 15, 2015, CSAM has just released a report entitled “Consumer Guide and Scorecard for Health Insurance Coverage in California for Substance Use Disorders and Mental Health.” Reviewed by an expert panel of CSAM member physicians, the Guide and Scorecard rates the quality of and access to addiction care available through Covered California.

Utilizing the largest consumer tools available–the Covered California website, the 2014 bronze-level insurance plans from Covered California providers, and searchable, online information including websites and drug formularies CSAM reviewed 16 plans from 10 insurance companies. “By sharing what we know about addiction treatment and have learned about current health care services in California, we hope to demystify addiction treatment and make the process of selecting an appropriate health insurance plan less daunting,” said David Kan, MD, a CSAM member and editor of the guide.

Although all Covered California plans now cover Substance Use Disorders and there is some degree of standardization in pricing policies, the report identifies several areas such as methadone treatment and pharmacy benefits, where there are significant differences among plans. Additionally, the report notes that plans with both higher and lower scores have distinct areas of strengths and weaknesses.

In addition to the scorecard, the report covers basics such as what you need to know about addiction treatment, information on coverage costs, and how to learn more. “This guide is intended to be a living document, which will be updated periodically to reflect policy changes. While this is not a substitute for personally reviewing plan coverage, we hope consumers will find this guide a helpful starting point before making this important choice,” stated Kerry Parker, Executive Director, CSAM.

To download a free copy of the guide, visit: http://csam-asam.org/new-consumer-guide-and-scorecard-rates-covered-california-health-plans-coverage-addiction-treatment

About CSAM: The California Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM) is a professional society representing physicians dedicated to increasing access and improving the quality of addiction treatment, educating physicians and the public, supporting research and prevention, and promoting the appropriate role of physicians in the care of patients with addictions. CSAM is a state chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.

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Effective Coverage Launches Renters Insurance Challenge to Combat the 65 Million Americans Living Without Renters Insurance

February 4, 2015, 12:21 am

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There are 179 uninsured apartment fires every single day across the United States. While national discourse focuses on citizens who do not have health insurance, the Renters Insurance Challenge focuses on bringing awareness to the widespread lack of renters insurance.

Albany NY (PRWEB) February 04, 2015

According to reports from the Insurance Information Institute in 2014, there were 65 million renters in the United States that were leasing without renters insurance. This is compared to the 38 million Americans living without health insurance, according to the June 2014 National Health Interview Survey. This pervasive lack of insurance among renters comes from lack of awareness of the significant exposure renters face every day.

A new resource to coordinate the efforts of those individuals and organizations combating the prevalent lack of renters insurance is being launched by Effective Coverage at http://www.RentersInsuranceChallenge.com. Eric Narcisco, founder and CEO of Effective Coverage, suffered a fire while renting without insurance. He suffered tremendous financial and personal loss, which inspired him to build Effective Coverage. Effective Coverage focuses on providing affordable personal insurances that are tenant related. The Renters Insurance Challenge is the continuation of Effective Coverage efforts to educate renters about the value of renters insurance.

The immediate goal of the Renters Insurance Challenge is to encourage 40% of the nation’s renters to be insured by the end of 2015. When this goal is achieved, three million more people will have the protection they need in the event of serious losses.

Each firm participating in the Renters Insurance Challenge will focus on educating renters and improving the customer experience associated with renters insurance. Some of the initiatives that the team at Effective Coverage will undertake in line with the core values of the Renters Insurance Challenge include:· Effective Coverage will partner with colleges and universities to ensure that our youngest renters know that they need coverage and understand how to be responsible consumers of insurance.
· There are 12 million people in the United States living in affordable housing. Effective Coverage will work with public housing authorities to help protect those that are often the least prepared to handle a catastrophe.
· Renters like to move fast, and so does the team at Effective Coverage. We will work with our underwriters including Travelers Insurance and Stillwater Insurance Group to ensure that renters can quickly purchase policies in even more states directly from our mobile platform in 2015.

To join the Renters Insurance Challenge and commit to insuring more renters, please visit http://www.RentersInsuranceChallenge.com or call (240) 667-7665. Any Renters Insurance Challenge member will receive customized educational material for renters, access to private webinars about renters insurance, customized educational videos, and visits from other members speaking on the benefits of renters insurance.

About Effective Coverage: Effective Coverage (http://www.EffectiveCoverage.com) is a national insurance provider delivering affordable insurance solutions to renters. Effective Coverage helps renters easily find the best rates and then purchase a policy within minutes. The Effective Coverage platform is supported by top insurance carriers including Travelers, Progressive, Stillwater, American Strategic, as well as many others. A graduate of the NYU Varick Street Incubator, Effective Coverage’s investors include senior insurance executives from the nation’s top firms. Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.

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Leading NY Healthcare Consultant at Gettry Marcus Discusses the Benefits of Professional Employer Organizations for Medical Practices

February 4, 2015, 4:07 am

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On January 16, 2015, Gettry Marcus CPA, P.C., as part of its Always Looking Deeper initiative, issued a statement discussing the benefits of joining professional employer organizations (PEOs) for small- and mid-sized medical practices.

Woodbury, New York (PRWEB) February 04, 2015

A recent article published in the Gettry Marcus' Newsroom section of their website, outlines how medical practices may be able to reduce employee-related expenses as well as “administrative burden” by joining a professional employer organization.

“PEOs partner with businesses, such as medical practices, and serve as the ‘administrative employer,’”according to Lee Ferber, Partner and Co-Chair of the Healthcare Consulting Group at Gettry Marcus. “When a small to mid-size medical practice joins a PEO, they immediately become part of an organization that typically has thousands of employees.” The article explains that as a result, PEOs can typically offer better benefits at a lower cost, whether these be lower health insurance costs—the all-important concern—or improved rates for unemployment and workers compensation benefits.

“Small to mid-size medical practices may not be accepted on certain health insurance plans because of age, gender or the health status of their employees,” according to Ferber. “In a PEO, however, this same group, when pooled with the other employees of the PEO, may ‘fall below the radar’ and be accepted into a plan.”

Once a practice joins a PEO, the “day-to-day management” of personnel is still under the practice's control, but many administrative and human resources duties are transferred to the PEO. Ferber says that this set-up tends to offer a better balance, especially for smaller practices with limited resources. “The group's management team can then focus on the important areas that will keep their practice thriving: clinical aspects and non-employee related finances,” he says. “The general picture is one of significant savings in administrative overhead.”

Ferber adds that each practice should carefully consider the cost-vs-benefit of joining a PEO. “We can help a medical practice weigh the direct costs associated with joining against the potential savings, as well as other less tangible factors like the possible reduction in the administrative burden of the practice.”

About Gettry Marcus:

Gettry Marcus CPA, P.C. is a Top 200 firm nationally with offices in Woodbury, Long Island and New York City. We provide accounting, tax, and consulting services to commercial businesses, high net worth individuals and various industries which include Real Estate and Health Care. We have one of the premier and most credentialed Business Valuation and Litigation Groups in the New York Area.

Our experience in diverse industries and a highly talented and experienced professional staff gives us the ability to share valuable insights into our clients’ businesses, to better understand their goals and problems and to help them attain the vision they have for their company.

Gettry Marcus is "Always Looking Deeper" to build value for our clients. Reported by PRWeb 3 hours ago.

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February is Pet Dental Health Month

February 4, 2015, 5:25 am

≫ Next: FINEOS Launches FINEOS Administration Suite for the Employee Benefits Industry

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BREA, Calif., Feb. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation's first and largest provider of pet health insurance, marks February as Pet Dental Health Month by reminding pet parents about the importance of regular dental care for their four-legged family... Reported by PR Newswire 1 hour ago.

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FINEOS Launches FINEOS Administration Suite for the Employee Benefits Industry

February 4, 2015, 6:10 am

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FINEOS Launches FINEOS Administration Suite for the Employee Benefits Industry

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FINEOS Corporation, a market leading provider of core processing systems for Life, Accident and Health insurance, today announced the launch of the FINEOS Administration Suite, a full service Policy, Claims, and Billing software solution. The suite has been designed for the demands of the new benefits market and will provide best in class functionality for Group, Voluntary and Individual Policy administration on a single platform while also supporting self-admin, full-a Reported by Business Wire 29 minutes ago.

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Wonkblog: Here’s how the GOP would repeal and replace Obamacare

February 4, 2015, 8:29 pm

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With Obamacare again facing a major threat at the Supreme Court, an influential group of Republican lawmakers is offering a proposal that they see as a replacement to the president's health-care law.The plan, presented by Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), is in part intended to help manage any potential chaos from a pivotal Supreme Court ruling expected later this year that could invalidate subsidies for federal-run health insurance exchanges across the country. Reported by Washington Post 11 hours ago.

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Anthem, Major Health Insurer, Suffers Hack Attack

February 4, 2015, 8:04 pm

≫ Next: Hackers steal tens of millions of records from health insurance firm Anthem: Report

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The FBI is investigating a potentially massive computer hacking attack on Anthem, Inc., one of the nation's largest health insurance companies. Reported by msnbc.com 12 hours ago.

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Hackers steal tens of millions of records from health insurance firm Anthem: Report

February 4, 2015, 8:22 pm

≫ Next: Health insurer Anthem hacked; data on millions of patients, employees exposed

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Health insurer Anthem Inc said hackers broke into a database containing personal information on about 80 million of its customers and employees, the Wall Street Journal reported. Investigators are still determining the extent of the incursion that was discovered last week, and Anthem said it is like... Reported by Raw Story 11 hours ago.

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Health insurer Anthem hacked; data on millions of patients, employees exposed

February 5, 2015, 6:47 am

≫ Next: UPMC reports robust Q2 revenue growth

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Health insurance giant Anthem Inc. said late Wednesday that hackers had breached its computer system and the personal information of tens of millions of customers and employees was possibly at risk. Reported by dailypress.com 53 minutes ago.

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UPMC reports robust Q2 revenue growth

February 4, 2015, 9:31 pm

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UPMC reported strong financials Wednesday for the six months endied Dec. 31, continuing growth in a market where hospital admissions have been shrinking more than 3 percent annually. Operating revenue for the period rose 58.8 percent to $177 million from $112 million in 2014 for an operating margin of 1.9 percent, up from an 0.8 percent margin for the same period in 2013. At the same time, UPMC's combined health insurance plan enrollment increased 11 percent to 2.5 million. "This is what's exciting… Reported by bizjournals 10 hours ago.

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