The Best Advice for Small Business Owners This Thanksgiving

November 24, 2015, 1:34 pm

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You don't have to look hard to find the list of grievances small business owners face today. Taxes, health insurance costs, regulations - there is a laundry list of things that frustrates small business owners that the nightly news cycle and political pundits love to flame. I openly share many of those grievances. But, like most business owners, while I carry a list of grievances in one pocket, the other is full of gratitude for the opportunities I'm presented with every day I walk into my office.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I'm faced with a recurring paradox -- genuine excitement at the prospect of me and my team spending time with our families but disappointment at what my P&L is going to show me next week after closing the office for two and a half days while bills continue to come in.

Years ago, I received great advice from a respected mentor who encouraged me in weeks like Thanksgiving to listen to my heart -- not my spreadsheets. I'd be lying if I said it's easy. But what I will say is that it's a skill that takes practice, and I've gotten better at it than I was at the beginning of my career. So let me pass along the best business advice you'll receive this Thanksgiving...

Before the office closes up and you unplug to go enjoy your turkey and loved ones, take some time to reflect as a business owner on what makes life amazing. In the spirit of the holiday, I'd like to offer a few reasons to be thankful that I think we can all agree on.

*You walk into work every day with a team who chooses to come work with you and do remarkable things. * You have built an extended family with whom you will spend as much (if not more) time than your traditional family. And it's not just client presentations and happy hours that you'll share with these folks, but it's incredible personal milestones -- weddings, funerals and births. That's an amazing gift when you really think about it.

*You have a family that supports your lifestyle as a business owner. * Whether it's a spouse, children, parents, grandparents or the closest of friends, family support (in even the widest definition) is a fundamental driver of anyone's journey through entrepreneurship. Hug your loved ones harder than ever before this Thanksgiving.

*You get to grow relationships and make a difference within your local community.* Whether it's the mailman, the paper supply company, or the local coffee shop for your daily caffeine fuel, your business and the dollars you spend are an active participant in the betterment of your surrounding community. Now, more than ever, local communities need help from within.

*You get to share in a business ecosystem where you can bypass the impossible. *Everyday you go to work, you have a chance to make a difference for your employees, your family, your community and yourself through your business--no matter the annoying tax or regulation that appears. The freedom of possibility is what makes this country great.

So, thank you Thanksgiving. P&L be damned (for this week at least), you continue to give me a much-needed nudge that reminds me just how great life is at my company.

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Amazon to Open Fulfillment Center in Fall River, Mass., Creating Hundreds of New Full-Time Jobs

November 24, 2015, 1:17 pm

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FALL RIVER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Earlier today at a press conference with Governor Charlie Baker, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced plans to open a fulfillment center in Fall River, Mass. This facility will bring more than 500 full-time jobs to the area. These jobs will be eligible for comprehensive benefits on day one that include health insurance, 401(k) with 50 percent match, bonuses, company stock awards and a network of support to help ensure employees succeed. “Our footprint in Reported by Business Wire 2 days ago.

A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Negative for EmblemHealth, Inc.’s Insurance Subsidiaries

November 24, 2015, 1:41 pm

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OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A.M. Best has revised the outlook to negative from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of B+ (Good) and the issuer credit ratings of “bbb-” for Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP), HIP Insurance Company of New York, Group Health Incorporated (GHI) and ConnectiCare, Inc. (ConnectiCare) (Farmington, CT). All companies are subsidiaries of EmblemHealth, Inc. and domiciled in New York, NY, unless otherwise specified. The negative outlook refl Reported by Business Wire 2 days ago.

Which Health Plan Should I Get?

November 24, 2015, 2:44 pm

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*Question:*
My company's open enrollment period just started, and I have to choose a health insurance plan. Since I'm single and haven't been to the doctor in years, I've always chosen the cheapest option, which offers low coverage. I'm getting older, though, and next year I'd like to take better care of myself, starting with a checkup, without going broke. How can I choose a health plan that's right for me?

*Answer:*
First of all, congratulations on taking the initiative to improve your health! Making sure your health care is affordable is a great first step. Choosing the right insurance plan will be simpler for you than for many others because you don't expect to need a lot of health care next year, but you may find you need more than you think.

For instance, during that first checkup, your doctor may want to order lab tests or refer you to a specialist based on your physical exam. And if you're truly looking to make a commitment to better health, you may end up seeking out more care instead of toughing out what feel like minor illnesses or injuries.

Finding the right plan will be a balancing act, but I can help you evaluate plan options so you can find the right one for you.

Compare premiums

The plans your company offers are likely to come with various levels of coverage. Your monthly premium will be higher for a plan that offers more coverage. It's worth your time to compare how much you'd be paying for each plan over the course of a year.

During open enrollment, your employer will tell you how much of your paycheck will be deducted to pay for monthly premiums. Add up the total cost of premiums for each plan and evaluate them side by side. Will an upgrade to a more expensive plan be worth it if you hardly use health services next year? Can you even afford the more expensive plan?

For example, if a plan costs $1,000 more over the course of a year than your base option, it's probably not going to offset the cost of your checkup and any related exams. If that's the only care you end up using, you'd be overspending.

Expensive plans that offer more coverage are typically cost-effective for people who tend to use health care services frequently, such as families or people with chronic conditions. For them, the cost of the higher premium is offset by lower out-of-pocket costs at the time of care.

Take cost sharing into account

The cost of a health insurance plan doesn't stop at your monthly premiums. Your health insurance company will pay a portion of the fees for medical services you receive, while you'll pay the costs they don't. This is called cost sharing. Your plan's cost-sharing schedule will determine the amount you pay at the time you use health services, including your doctor's visit, any laboratory fees and any prescriptions you might need in the future. You can find the schedule on the summary for each insurance plan provided by your employer, or on the plan's website.

When it comes to visits and procedures, there are two ways health insurers set up cost sharing: as a flat rate copay, or as a percentage called coinsurance. Each insurer may have cost sharing set up one way or the other -- or some combination of both, so read the plan documents carefully.

In general, your out-of-pocket costs will be lower with plans utilizing only copays, and it will be easier to understand and plan for your bills. For example, if your doctor decides you need a lab test at your next visit and your copays are $25 for visits and $25 for tests, you'll pay $50 total.

On the other hand, if your plan has 20% coinsurance for each service, you'll pay 20% of the doctor's fee and 20% of all laboratory charges. Unlike with the copay scenario, you won't know what your final cost is until services have been provided and you get a bill in the mail, but it's likely to cost more than $50.

Some plans use copays until the deductible is met, and then coinsurance until you meet your yearly out-of-pocket maximum, which is the most you can pay for health services in a given year. That maximum is listed on your plan document as well, but can be no more than $6,850 for an individual in 2016. A mix of copays and coinsurance is common in lower-premium plans, but is only likely to affect you if you're hospitalized or face some other major medical expense next year.

Evaluate networks

A network consists of health care providers that accept payment from your insurer at a discounted rate. For most people, it's important to check if their doctor is covered by the new plan before evaluating its costs. Since you don't have a preferred physician yet, you don't have to worry about that. But you shouldn't ignore the network altogether.

As a busy professional, the composition of your network -- how many providers are in it and where they are located -- will matter. You don't want to be stuck with an insurance policy whose nearest covered doctor is far from your home or work, or is not taking new patients.

You'll want to evaluate the networks thoroughly, going through all your options; but don't worry, this doesn't have to be a lengthy process. Go to the insurer's website and navigate to the provider directory. You'll have to select the insurance plan available to you, so make sure you pick the plan with the correct numbers and letters in the title -- many will be similar.

Most provider directories will allow you to compare reviews and board certifications for each doctor, as well as see their office locations on a map. If there are at least a few high-quality doctors in your area, you're good to go. If there aren't any in your area, the plan is probably not going to be very useful to you. If there are only one or two doctors that interest you in your area, make sure they're accepting new patients. That should be in the directory but if it isn't, you can always call the doctor's office and ask.

Putting it all together

As someone with few anticipated health care needs, the extra cost in premiums for a high-coverage plan probably won't offset the cost at time of care. Rare exceptions are if you're likely to visit the emergency room or if a network is particularly inconvenient for you.

You might find that even after following these steps, the right choice is still the least expensive plan your employer offers. That's okay! At least this year, your decision will be an informed one.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 2 days ago.

ACA, Open Enrollment and the 'What If' Question

November 24, 2015, 2:47 pm

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*What if...?*

There are a million endings to that question. And, without health insurance, most can lead to painful choices or even financial ruin.

Affordable health insurance should not be a luxury. It is a necessity. Since I was elected to Congress in 2009, I have done everything I can to make sure that residents of the San Gabriel Valley can easily obtain affordable insurance that provides quality care. In fact, it was during my first year in Congress that I voted for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a law that put into practice the notion that health insurance should be accessible and affordable for all, regardless of your health history, age, gender, or any other variable outside of your control.

And now, I am making sure we follow through on that promise.

Already, the ACA has put behind us the time when millions of Americans who did not have access to insurance through their employer did not have access to reasonably priced insurance. When Congress first debated the ACA, there were 50 million people without insurance. That is 50 million people for whom the "What if..." of a basic illness could mean debt, or the choice between buying food or buying medicine.

Even worse, those who needed healthcare the most were excluded precisely because they were already sick. Before the ACA, some insurers even considered pregnancy as a pre-existing condition. I remember the story of one nurse who told me she was afraid to get a health screening not because she was afraid of treatment, but because anything they found would be considered a pre-existing condition, which would mean more expensive or no healthcare at all. Clearly, Congress did the right thing by reforming this broken system.

In the five years since we passed the ACA, over 16 million people have gained coverage -- many for the first time in their lives. And for the first time in history, the national uninsured rate fell to nine percent. For women, the uninsured rate has declined almost eight percent. In California, more than two million people have been covered since Covered California opened its doors in 2014, and one out of every five Californians will pay less in premiums in 2016 than they did in 2015. Yet with coverage more accessible than ever, there are still millions who are still uninsured.

The good news is that Open Enrollment season is here. That is why I am reaching out and encouraging my constituents to take a look at all of the healthcare options available in the marketplace. Not only can insurance keep you healthy and prevent the worst, but if you've already got coverage, this is a chance to save money on a better plan.

So now I have a new "what if..." for you. What if plans weren't only more affordable, but easier to find as well?

In my state, Covered California is our own state health exchange where Californians can shop around for a health insurance plan that meets their needs and their budgets. For those that need help buying insurance, Covered California is the best place to look because 90 percent of enrollees receive subsidies to help pay for their premiums. This means that 90 percent of people signing up are getting both insurance and financial assistance to pay for that insurance.

That is why I am hoping you take advantage of this new Open Enrollment period. Right now, you can go to CoveredCA.com until January 31, 2016, and explore, plan, and buy affordable health insurance that's the right fit for you.

Even if you are already covered, the Shop and Compare tool on the site can help you calculate if you are eligible for financial help. And if someone you know is uninsured, tell them that now is the time learn about what options are available for their needs and budget. The website includes applications in Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, and more because language should never become a barrier in any case, but particularly when trying to access services that are essential to your wellbeing.

To find free and confidential in-person help locally, visit CoveredCA.com/get-help/local or call 1-800-300-1506.

I urge everyone in my district and around the country to go online or make the call to sign up for health insurance that is affordable and gives you access to good doctors. Make it a priority today to sign up! With your help to spread the word about this new Open Enrollment period, nobody in our communities will have to wonder "what if..." any more.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 2 days ago.

BREAKING: Meritus to wind down operations, lay off staff

November 24, 2015, 3:21 pm

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Tom Zumtobel, CEO of Meritus Health Partners, gave it the old college try but he just couldn't quite pull it off. After Meritus was dumped from the Affordable Care Act's Health Insurance Marketplace, Zumtobel had been looking to secure outside funding to get back in good standing with the feds. His goal was to raise enough money by Dec. 1, hoping that would be enough to convince the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to let Meritus back on the Exchange. But he just couldn't get the funding… Reported by bizjournals 2 days ago.

Arizona Health Insurance Co-op to Close Shop Dec. 31

November 24, 2015, 5:59 pm

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Executives with Arizona's nonprofit health insurance co-op said Tuesday that they have failed to come up with additional financial backing and the insurer plans to shut down all operations Dec. 31.The announcement by Meritus Health Partners means 59,000 Arizonans it now... Reported by Newsmax 2 days ago.

Early cervical-cancer detection linked to Obamacare

November 24, 2015, 4:45 pm

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Researchers from the American Cancer Society wanted to examine whether the expansion of health insurance among young American women was leading to more early-stage diagnoses. Reported by Seattle Times 2 days ago.

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Arizona Health Insurance Co-Op to Close Shop Dec. 31

November 24, 2015, 5:29 pm

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Arizona health insurance co-op to cease operations Dec. 31 after failing to get more financing Reported by ABCNews.com 2 days ago.

Arizona health insurance co-op to close shop Dec. 31

November 24, 2015, 5:27 pm

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PHOENIX (AP) — Executives with Arizona's nonprofit health insurance co-op said Tuesday that they have failed to come up with additional financial backing and the insurer plans to shut down all operations Dec. 31. The decision comes nearly a month after the state Department of Insurance suspended its right to sell new policies or renew current ones and placed it under formal supervision. Federal officials also pulled its policies from the health insurance marketplace website late last month. The nonprofit was one of 23 co-ops created under the Affordable Care Act to provide competition to for-profit insurers, but many have struggled and more than half have now failed or will close by the end of the year. "The two biggest issues that we can't overcome with information (are) people's rates are going to go up and they aren't going to have the same access to Maricopa Integrated Health System, because 33,000 of our customers signed up for that," Zumtobel said. Reported by SeattlePI.com 2 days ago.

Turing Refuses to Lower List Price of Toxoplasmosis Drug

November 24, 2015, 5:49 pm

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Daraprim costs $750 a tablet. Though Turing Pharmaceuticals said it will cut the price for hospitals and patients with commercial health insurance, some doctors say it isn’t enough. Reported by NYTimes.com 2 days ago.

OfficeList is Partnering with Commercial Office Space Companies in Addition to Executive Suites

November 25, 2015, 1:05 am

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The executive suite listings website recently partnered with commercial office space companies to include finding spaces that better meet the needs of their larger clients.

Miami, FL (PRWEB) November 25, 2015

Starting in October 2015, OfficeList began a partnership program with commercial office space companies for servicing clients with unique demands who seek a larger, more traditional office space. The commercial spaces add to their extensive list of executive suite offerings already found on their website.

The new service began when the company was inspired to look for new opportunities in markets outside of executive suites. Finding office spaces with commercial size and appeal to meet their clients' demands was a natural solution, and they couldn't be more excited for what the future holds.

Their first experience in finding commercial office spaces started when an OfficeList account manager got in touch with a broker in Texas. They were able to find the perfect space for a health insurance company that sought a unique location with tons of room that was close to nearby hospitals.

Since this initial project, the office space listings site has closed two other deals, finding another client a commercial office in Texas while doing the same for a client in Miami. In addition to these two regions, OfficeList also has partnerships with companies in NYC, California, Chicago, and Washington D.C, among many others.

The new space in Miami serves a traditional purpose, housing a diamond company from China, but the story behind the second Texas offering is quite unique. A therapist needed a space that would allow his patients to throw and break things like vases to release their anger, and OfficeList finally found the perfect location for this client after copious amounts of research.

Those on the hunt for new executive suites or commercial office spaces will be pleased to know that the company offers both services with no additional charge. Jorge Pena, CEO of OfficeList, said that his team could not be more thrilled to offer these new commercial offerings to their clients.

"Throughout the history of OfficeList we have received a large amount of leads who are not a fit for executive suites since they have larger or special requirements. Opening the door to servicing this new market is very exciting as we will be able to help more people in their search for office or commercial space. The partners we are working with to achieve this are outstanding and we are happy to be able to do it without charging a cent to our clients," said Pena.

Pena added that OfficeList is also providing executive suites for emergency office situations this winter/holiday season. Last year, several clients needed an executive suite immediately due to harrowing weather conditions, and the company was able to help them all with just 24-48 hours of notice.

About OfficeList

OfficeList offers thousands of solutions to companies in need of space, including executive offices, team rooms, temporary office space, virtual offices, coworking spaces, and more. With locations in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and most cities in the US and Canada, OfficeList can help established companies and entrepreneurs alike. To learn more, visit http://www.officelist.com. Reported by PRWeb 2 days ago.

Obamacare's Rate Hikes Might Not Be As High As Predicted

November 25, 2015, 6:12 am

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Health insurance premiums are rising less than five percent on average for the most popular health plans individuals are buying on public exchanges under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new analysis. The Urban Institute, calling earlier predictions of soaring premiums “overrated,” said it found a 4.3 percent jump in [...] Reported by Forbes.com 1 day ago.

G.O.P. TERRORISTS BLOW UP STATUE OF LIBERTY

November 25, 2015, 7:26 am

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*BREAKING NEWS**First Act of Anti-American Terrorism since Paris Attacks!*
*REPUBLICAN TERRORISTS BLOW UP LADY LIBERTY!*

The Great Fear that has gripped a majority of Americans in the wake of the November 13 attacks in Paris is that our nation, too, will suffer a terrorist attack. That fear has now been borne out. Republican terrorists, led by presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and including more than two dozen governors and a large majority of members of the U.S. House of Representatives, have carried out a bold anti-American terrorist act that is having a devastating impact upon the United States.They have blown up the Statue of Liberty.And let us be very clear about the consequences of their actions:*They. Are. Doing. Exactly. What. ISIS. Wants. Americans. To. Do. *Many commentators have said that the politicians are merely reflecting the fears of the American people. Up to a point, that may be accurate. But the proper role of political leaders is to calm public fears and present accurate information to counteract false impressions. Instead, Republicans have seized what they see as an opportunity to gain political advantage by stoking fears, spreading misinformation, and undermining the very basis of America.The fear has now been proven justified, though misplaced. The only act of terrorism that has taken place on American soil since the Paris attack has been Republicans blowing up Lady Liberty . . . and reversing Jesus' admonition, "Do not be afraid."While Mr. Trump and others say "We have to be strong," they call for cowardice and giving ISIS exactly what its crazed adherents want: Americans abandoning our basic principles fundamentally changing our way of life.As I wrote here recently, when Trump calls for creating a database of Muslims in the United States and Cruz proposes only to allow Christian, not Muslim, refugees into the country, they completely play into the narrative ISIS seeks to sell to Muslims around the world and so they act as very effective recruiters of new terrorists.Because they will lead to more terrorists, such comments by prominent Republicans pose a considerably greater danger to the safety of Americans than do highly vetted Syrian refugees.*Widespread Panic: Good for Republicans, Bad for America.*

Republicans are using a tried and false tactic. Fear sells. But the purchase price is very steep, and what people wind up having bought is shoddy goods--or, rather, bads--the politicians themselves. Panic is good for no one but the fear-mongers who spread it.Mr. Trump, Sen. Cruz, and others have altered the reassuring words spoken by Franklin D. Roosevelt in his first Inaugural Address to:"So, first of all, let us assert our firm belief that the only thing we have to sell is ... fear itself--nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance, but can help to elect us, the politicians who are selling it!"

*Unarmed Refugee Children Are More Dangerous than Armed Men on Terror Watch List?*
These cowardly Republicans will willingly abandon what the United States stands for rather than allow a single Syrian refugee, even a 5-year-old child who has been vetted for two years, into the United States, because of a danger that she just might be a terrorist. But, while these oh-so-brave "real men" tremble at the thought of a little girl, they refuse to support stopping people on the terror watch list from obtaining guns.Actually, that absolutely asinine position is also an example of their utter cowardice. In this case, it is their complete lack of the courage to take any position, no matter how common-sense it is, that the National Rifle Association opposes. They're brave enough to stand up against unarmed women and children fleeing terror, but, hey, the NRA has guns . . . and money . . . and votes! You can't expect us to stand up to them!They are the very definition of Chicken Hawks: all for sending American troops into extreme danger, but totally unwilling to face the slightest danger--political, let alone physical--themselves.Republicans:
Soft on the teachings of Jesus
Soft on Americanism
And especially soft on speaking truthThe ISIS monsters must be laughing themselves sick--well, that image doesn't work, because they're already as sick as human beings are capable of being--laughing themselves to the point where their bellies ache at what they have gotten the Republicans (and some spineless Democrats) to do to undermine the very values that ISIS seeks to destroy.*"Risk Takers" Abandon American Principles if the Risk Is Above Zero*

Republicans such as Trump say they believe in risk-taking, but they insist that before they will adhere to what America stands for there must be zero risk.They'll eagerly shred the social safety net, leave people without health insurance, tell workers that $15 an hour is too much to be paid, jeopardize the future of the planet by denying climate change, and so on--but they say the risk that, just maybe, someday some refugee might come into the country and attempt to carry out violence is a risk we cannot tolerate.So they are ready to build a huge bonfire and burn the American flag, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Sermon on the Mount to make us absolutely safe.Yet is that sufficient to assure us that we will be absolutely safe?Anyone who is so scared that he will abandon American values because of the possibility of a terrorist entering the country should understand that it is far more likely that a terrorist will enter the country as a tourist. Should we then, as the Republicans have everyone wetting their pants in fear, end all foreign tourism to the United States?And what about a cargo ship bringing in a dirty bomb--an unfortunately much more likely scenario than a vetted Syrian refugee being a terrorist? To be 100 percent safe, as the Republicans are demanding, we will have to stop all trade with other nations.Let's go ahead and build the Donald Trump Wall around the entire country and not let anyone or anything in.But would closing ourselves off from physical contact with the rest of the world make us 100% safe? No--what about home-grown terrorists who are radicalized by social media? In addition to Trump's registry, we'll need to block all internet and other communication with the outside world.That's the policy the Republicans are selling: We'll become North Korea, only even more so.The bottom line is simply this:*Abandoning the values for which we purport to stand is no way to protect ourselves against barbarians who want to destroy those values.*

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 1 day ago.

Collapse of New York insurance company leaves doctors, hospitals owed millions

November 25, 2015, 7:36 am

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Both doctors and hospitals are owed millions by a nonprofit health insurance company that will be shut down by Monday. As Health Republic Insurance of New York closes down, questions about how hospitals and doctors who provided care to the 200,000 individuals insured by the cooperative will get paid remain. There were few people in the Albany region insured by the financially troubled company, which sustained $77.5 million in losses last year and $52.7 million in the first half of 2015. But health… Reported by bizjournals 1 day ago.

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Zenefits Under Investigation For Allegedly Allowing Unlicensed Brokers To Sell Health Insurance

November 25, 2015, 10:55 am

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 Cloud HR platform Zenefits may have allowed salespeople to illegally act as insurance agents in at least seven states. According to a Buzzfeed investigative report, the startup let unlicensed brokers sell health insurance, leading to at least one commissioner to investigate in Washington state. Those unlicensed solicitations go back to at least the summer of 2014, and the Washington state… Read More Reported by TechCrunch 1 day ago.

Florida employers face 4.7% rise in health insurance costs

November 26, 2015, 10:46 am

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A study from Mercer Health & Benefits LLC shows that Florida employers are expecting to pay more for health care coverage in 2016. Specifically, 99 large and small companies in Florida responded to a Mercer survey, saying a 4.7 percent increase in cost per individual is expected in 2016, after adjustments are made to their health coverage plans. This is slightly lower than the increase Florida companies saw at the beginning of 2015, which was 5.7 percent, said Matthew Snook, a partner at Mercer. Nationally,… Reported by bizjournals 6 hours ago.

Secura Consultants Earns Disability Income Associate Designation

November 27, 2015, 12:07 am

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The Consulting Team at Secura Consultants has reaffirmed their commitment to professionalism in the insurance industry by getting their Disability Income Associate designations.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (PRWEB) November 27, 2015

The moment you stop improving is the moment you start failing. Secura Consultants has prided itself for not only fulfilling the needs of advisers and clients but going above and beyond to find the best income protection solutions at an affordable price and providing top-tier customer service. However, there's always room for improvement, which is why the entire Consulting Team is working towards or has earned their Disability Income Associate (DIA) designations.

"The idea was brought to our team by our Customer Experience Committee in response to the question, 'How can we improve and serve our clients at an even higher level?' We're always striving to be a leader in the industry, to be a great resource to better serve the needs of our industry, and the DIA designation is one way we can stand out. It signifies that our brokerage consultants have a thorough understanding of the health care industry, the role of disability income insurance, how it protects individuals from financial loss, and the underwriting process. We're very excited for the rest of our team members to complete their certifications," said George Davidson, Chief Executive Officer.

The DIA designation program is a three-stage certification process that educates insurance professionals on the risks and costs associated with disability. It signifies insurance professionals and financial planners have increased knowledge of the health care industry and the role disability income insurance plays in protecting individuals from the financial burdens that accompany serious physical injuries and severe health afflictions. Professionals with this designation fully understand employer-sponsored disability programs ranging from sick leave benefits to long-term disability income plans; they also learn how disability income insurance fits into retirement, estate, and long-term care planning.

"In the end, we want to do what is best for the client. It's their life, their income, their policy so we want to make sure that our team is the most knowledgeable we can be to help them find the right policy at the right price for their needs. The DIA designation course is a great resource and developmental tool for our brokerage consultants to further their understanding of disability income insurance and the health care market," said Matthew Riordan, Senior Brokerage Consultant.

Currently, four of the six members of the Consulting Team have their certifications: George Davidson, Founder and CEO; Nicole Blodgett, Vice President and Director of Consulting; Matthew Riordan, Senior Brokerage Consultant; and Erik Sand, Brokerage Consultant. Brokerage Consultants, Derek Zabel and Mitch Pajcic are working towards their DIA designations and aim to be certified by the first of January.

About the DIA Designation
The DIA designation is co-sponsored by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the International DI Society, the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA).

About Secura Consultants
Based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Secura Consultants is one of the few insurance marketing organizations in the country focused on delivering exemplary solutions in the income and asset protection markets as well as employer sponsored ancillary benefits. Secura Consultants works with several insurance agencies, advisers, and carriers to bridge the gap to find the best deal for the client and expedite the insurance policy purchasing process. We provide unique income solutions for unique advisers. For more information, contact Lauren Dries, Marketing Consultant, at Lauren(at)securaconsultants(dot)com or call 952-224-5400. Reported by PRWeb 18 hours ago.

Why The Obamacare Exchanges Are Failing

November 27, 2015, 9:51 am

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Submitted by Devon Herrick via The National Center for Policy Analysis,

I reported earlier this week that the Obamacare Marketplace is slowly failing. Three days later the largest health insurer in America, UnitedHealth Group, announced it expects to lose $500 million on exchange plans next year and may exit the market in 2017.

*The issue for many insurers is they were encouraged to participate in the exchange in return for a temporary risk sharing program called Risk Corridors.* Under this program, all insurers paid into a pot of money and the firms suffering excessive losses were to share the funds based on a formula. However, a budget deal passed late in 2014, the ‘Cromnibus’ Spending Bill, required the program to be budget neutral. The losses far exceeded the pot of money collected by the program. Insurers have only received about $0.13 cents on the dollar of what they would have gotten under an opened-ended program.

*The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has affirmed insurers will get their money. But the question is: where it is going to come from? CMS has $363 million to divvy up while insurers have requested $2.87 billion.*

*Why are insurers losing so much money?* In my original article, I stated the exchange plans are suffering adverse selection due to the perverse regulations which drive up costs – making health coverage a bad deal for all but the sickest enrollees. The only people enrolling are those who are eligible for the most generous subsidies. Consider what Larry Levitt, a health insurance analyst with the Kaiser Family Foundation, told Bloomberg.



“The ACA marketplaces are not yet profitable for most insurers,” “*It’s going to take enrollment growth, especially among healthy people, to make it an attractive market for insurers. If enrollment stagnates, we could very well see insurers thinking twice about their participation*.”



*The solution cannot be gouging healthy people so runaway costs are covered. *The Affordable Care Act was support to slow the growth in health expenditures. Just about any economist will tell you the current system is not accomplishing that. Slowing spending requires appropriately-designed health plans with positive incentives among enrollees. The ACA’s cost-control mechanisms are the opposite of that; they’re akin to pouring gasoline on a fire in hopes it will put it out.

*Why not scrap the perverse ACA regulations and admit it was a pipe dream to ever assume young, healthy people could be coerced into paying several times their expected costs to cover other people’s excessive spending.* Young people already have a lower demand for health coverage because they don’t expect to need care. As I reported earlier in the week, healthy people also know they’re getting a raw deal when they are expected to pay $5,000 for health plans that require an additional $6,000 in spending before the plans will begin to pay claims. *Justice Roberts called the penalty a “tax.”* I know people spending $5,000 for health plans they get no benefit from. They certainly think in terms of their $5,000 premiums as another Obamacare tax they can ill afford.

*  *  *

In addition to this disaster, and on top of enrollment projections that are proving way off, *perhaps the biggest immediate crisis facing the Obama administration's signature health reform measure*, as Eric Boehm (via reason.com) notes,  *is the utter collapse of many of the so-called cooperatives that were set up by states as part of the 2010 law.*



*The Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan, or Co-Op, portion of the health care law established nonprofit health insurers that would receive federal funding and were intended to compete with private, for-private insurers on the exchanges as a way to lower prices. *They were supposed to be small-scale single-payer systems that would be free from the profit motive; a progressive's dream solution to the problem of providing health insurance for all.

 

*Instead, they've turned into a nightmare. So far, 12 of the 23 co-ops have failed, defaulting on more than $1.2 billion in federal loans. Only two have been able to break even so far, and most of the remaining co-ops are eyeing massive premium increases—as high as 40 percent in some cases—to stay solvent.*

 

A government program being poorly run is nothing new, of course. But the co-ops established under the health care law were subject to a series of regulations that make you wonder how they were ever supposed to succeed in the first place.

 

"It should be no surprise that so many of them are going belly-up," said John Davidson, director of health policy for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, on the latest edition of the Watchdog Podcast. "The rules that they put on these co-ops almost set them up to fail."

 

For starters, the co-ops were barred from hiring anyone who had served at an executive level at any health insurance company in the country.

 

Think about that for a second. This was essentially a brand new business venture that was prevented from relying on the expertise of anyone who might have the slightest idea what they were doing.

 

Another regulation prevented the co-ops from raising any capital aside from what was provided via those federal loans. Other rules prevented the co-ops from being allowed to turn a profit, and if one happened to accidentally make money anyway, it wasn't allowed to use its profits to help it grow.



*It's the kind of business plan that would be laughed out of a business school classroom. "The co-ops were essentially amateur exercises," said Davidson.* Reported by Zero Hedge 8 hours ago.

India Network Visitor Health Insurance Issues Travel Advisory to International Travelers Heading to United States for Christmas Holidays

November 28, 2015, 12:11 am

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Christmas holidays are around the corner and the busiest air travel season is about to begin, India Network health insurance provide valuable coverage during this festive season for US bound visitors.

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) November 28, 2015

India Network Health Insurance program issues travel alert to the community of international visitors on health insurance requirements for residents, temporary workers, students and visitors. Recently several Middle Eastern countries made it mandatory to carry health insurance while visiting their countries. Many European countries require specific accident and sickness insurance coverage before one can apply for Schengen Visas that covers 25 European countries.

Fortunately, accident and sickness travel insurance plans offered by India Network provide coverage that meets or exceeds the standards set by the Shengen Visa. International visitors to the United States are advised to carry adequate accident and sickness insurance though it is not mandatory. However, US resident sponsors are responsible for the visitors they sponsor during their entire stay in the host county. India Network Health Insurance strongly advises all US residents that are sponsoring visitors to take adequate accident and sickness visitor health insurance to cover any potential liability of their sponsored relatives.

India Network Health Insurance program provides an affordable option to purchase a medical insurance plan that covers both new conditions and pre-existing medical conditions as long as the plan is purchased before the visitor arrives in the United States. India Network Visitor Health Insurance offers a comprehensive health plan for visitors of all ages, 0-99 without any medical underwriting.

The only condition one must fulfill to participate in the program is membership in India Network Foundation (INF), a non-profit community organization that sponsors the health insurance. INF has been in the forefront in providing valuable health insurance coverage for visitors of all ages for more than two decades, plans which are often not found in the marketplace. However, many community members delay purchasing a plan until their visitors get sick with a serious medical condition, and then try to contact INF office for assistance to get the insurance. Unfortunately, it is too late to purchase health insurance when your visitor is already sick and needs immediate medical attention. In those scenarios, INF advises community members to discuss their condition with respective hospital administrators rather than buying a plan at the last minute.

Dr. KV Rao, President, India Network Foundation said that visitor health insurance is not an option but a necessary part of travel plan for sponsoring relatives. The liability of not having adequate coverage is high risk and should be avoided by all law abiding citizens and residents.

About India Network Foundation
India Network Foundation, established as a US non-profit organization, has been helping the Asian Indian community in North America with programs and grants to academics from India for more than two decades. India Network Foundation sponsors visitor health insurance to tourists, students, temporary workers (H1 visa holders) and their families. All insurance products are administered by India Network Services.
For more information, visit http://www.indianetwork.org.

About India Network Health Insurance
India Network Services, is a US based company that administers visitor health insurance to transition residents, tourists, students, religious priests, visiting artists, temporary workers and their families. Visitor medical plans are offered for all age groups with both fixed coverage, comprehensive coverage and with pre-existing condition coverage.
For more information, visit http://health.indnet.org Reported by PRWeb 19 hours ago.