AEPG® Wealth Strategies Welcomes New Vice President, Financial Life Planning!

January 22, 2016, 12:00 am

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AEPG® Wealth Strategies is proud to announce and welcomes Joseph Gaj to our firm.

Warren, NJ (PRWEB) January 22, 2016

AEPG® Wealth Strategies is proud to announce and welcomes Joseph Gaj to our firm. Joe will be responsible for working with individuals, families and businesses to help provide them with comprehensive insurance and financial life planning solutions.

Chris Schiffer, COO stated, “Joe is an excellent addition to AEPG’s team of experts. He has a depth of experience and knowledge of insurance, risk management and financial life planning. Joe will prove to be a great resource for our clients.”

Joe Gaj takes great pride in providing expert advice to individuals regarding their life, disability income and long term care insurances. He provides comprehensive planning to a wide variety of clients including, medical professionals, corporate executives and private business owners. In this complex and fast-changing financial landscape, Joe believes in providing ongoing education to his clients, keeping them well-informed and prepared for life’s sudden changes.

Where insurance planning is a sprint, wealth accumulation and retirement planning is a marathon that takes both discipline and endurance. Joe believes a successful financial plan is built on a strong foundation of protection through life, disability and long-term care insurance planning.

From start-ups to growth and maturity, and eventually the business sale, Joe enjoys helping privately held businesses in all the stages. His advice includes properly drafted and funded buy-sell agreements, key employee retention, pension planning to reduce income taxes and business succession planning.

Joe earned his Bachelors of Science in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton School of Business. He holds the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations. Joe is constantly advancing his education in insurance and financial planning and is currently pursuing his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. He enjoys providing seminars to business owners and has conducted continuing education seminars for CPAs and other professionals. Joe maintains his life and health insurance license with several states.

Currently a Board Member for the Wharton Club of New Jersey, Joe is also Chairman of the Wharton Leads Council and Trustee of his homeowner’s association. Past leadership roles include, Chairman of the Young Professionals Group of Greater Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, Past-President of Business Networking International group and has served on several non-profit committees. Joe enjoys golf, football, reading and outdoor activities with his wife and three children.

Joe Gaj can be reached at: jgaj(at)aepg(dot)com, (908) 821-9774.

About AEPG® Wealth Strategies: http://www.aepg.com
For over 33 years, the clients of AEPG® Wealth Strategies have benefited from personalized, comprehensive wealth management and financial advisory services. Our services to individuals, business owners, physicians and corporations include: group and individual insurance, financial life planning, investment management, 401(k) and retirement plan solutions, employee health benefits, and estate planning.

# # # Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.

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Fantastical Myths And Grim Reality

January 22, 2016, 5:50 am

≫ Next: Ted Cruz flubs his family's health insurance, blames (naturally) Obamacare

≪ Previous: AEPG® Wealth Strategies Welcomes New Vice President, Financial Life Planning!

Submitted by Bill Bonner via Bonner & Partners (annotated by Acting-Man.com's Pater Tenebrarum),

-*Worthy Causes*-

We have to be careful not to say anything controversial today. Otherwise, we won’t be able to keep up with the mail.

Avoid!

*What other people think matters. *People get upset – even homicidal – over ideas and myths, not reality. Catholic, Protestant, Shiite, Sunni, Democrat, Republican, land rights in the West… captured U.S. soldiers… racial slurs… the master race…

Manifest Destiny… terrorism… global warming – there is no idea so bogus it can’t be the cause of a government program or a massacre. Thoughts – like viruses – enter the brains of humans and take control of them.

Then, acting as though they know what they are doing, people try to “improve” the world around them. They tax, kill, argue, torture, demonstrate, seize public land, write letters to the editor, and call up Rush Limbaugh. Ditto to that!

The cause is always a worthy one, of course. And there are always people to blame… people standing in the way of a better world. They must be forced to wear seat belts and sign up for health insurance – for their own good.

The Johnny Rebs must be kept in the Union. Incomes should be more “equitable.” Trade should be fair. Hey, what about the Declaration of Independence? And don’t forget to free the Holy Land!

*What you think is what you get… no matter how absurd. And then, reality imposes itself, and you get something else altogether, often the exact opposite of what you wanted.*

*Reality doesn’t care what you think. Thoughts hardly matter. Reality happens whether you want it or not. Nobody threatens his weatherman when the temperature falls; everyone knows it’s not his fault. The sun shines. We grow old and die. Three aces beat two pair.*

An extra-careful look at uncaring reality …

*So, what are markets? Myth? Or reality? Answer: They are both*. In the short run, they are myth spinners. If everyone believes the economy is healthy and prices will rise, they probably will rise… at least for a while. But in the long run, reality sets in. No matter how many people expect – and want – prices to continue to go up, at some point, they will go down.

No amount of wishful thinking can erase debt, create profits, or stop markets from going up and down. There is always some truth that overrides delusions, myths, and group-think.

-*Poverty, Misery, and Quasi-Slavery*-

Think back to the all the 20th century experiments with socialism and central planning; Russia, China, and Venezuela come to mind readily. *Did they lead to the workers’ paradise that the proles were promised?*

Did they create the rational, productive, and fair economies that people expected? Nope! They led to poverty, misery, and quasi-slavery for millions of people. Even the most fantastical myths have real consequences.

An uplifting image from the world’s last remaining Stalinist paradise.

Pity the poor virgin; she dismissed a myth as “superstition.” Then, they tossed her in the volcano anyway. Then when the grumbling volcano grew silent: “Look, it worked,” they said, giving each other high fives until the hot ash fell on their heads and the burning lava covered their feet.

One of the most surprising and disturbing myths today is the myth of “terrorism.”

This is not to say that there aren’t real flesh-and-blood terrorists. But they are hardly a serious threat to the U.S. or to its people. And “going after terrorists” doesn’t necessarily make you safer… as the invasion of Iraq proved in spades.

But the power of the myth is so strong that every Republican presidential candidate believes it will take him to the White House. The politicos ride the myth; then the myth rides them.

-*From Dream to Nightmare*-

*Take Hitler’s myth that Germany had to build up its army to wipe out enemies on all sides and gain “living space.” At first, it seemed to make sense. Then the myth began a trend. And the trend took on a life of its own. Soon, there was no stopping the Nazis’ “security industry” – led by Hitler himself. His Thousand-Year Reich stormed over Europe for six years.*

Then it met its own horrific apocalypse. The dream had brought its own nightmare. Germany was bombed, defeated, destroyed. The supposedly invincible Wehrmacht had provoked the Red Army; once roused, the Reds were unstoppable.

What the 1,000-year Reich looked like after six years (Nuremberg, Egidienplatz) …

Reality was grim. Roughly 1 out of every 10 Germans – more than 7 million of them – died in the war. The invading Soviet soldiers raped thousands of German women… and countless others committed suicide to avoid this fate. And Germany’s Jewish population was almost totally wiped out.

*Investing in a myth can bring the same perverse results.* Investors piled into stocks after 2009 because they believed a potent myth: The Fed had “saved the day.” Bernanke was a hero. We were on the road to recovery.

SPX, weekly – a mirror of monetary inflation and irrational beliefs – click to enlarge.

*The more widespread the belief became (and let’s not forget that it was supported by the Fed’s EZ money), the more stocks rose… apparently confirming the truth of it.*

But the higher the stock market went… and the more debt increased… the more the whole shebang wobbled and lurched. *Now, investors may get what they least want: a deep and extended bear market.*

* * Reported by Zero Hedge 20 hours ago.

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Ted Cruz flubs his family's health insurance, blames (naturally) Obamacare

January 22, 2016, 6:56 am

≫ Next: Illness as Financial Ruin (U.S. only)

≪ Previous: Fantastical Myths And Grim Reality

United States Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a candidate for the GOP Presidential nomination, has revealed on the campaign trail that his family is no longer covered by health insurance.

Naturally, he blames the Affordable Care Act: "I’ll tell you, you know who one of those millions of Americans is... Reported by L.A. Times 19 hours ago.

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Illness as Financial Ruin (U.S. only)

January 22, 2016, 8:05 am

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Every human who has drawn a breath has faced illness, injury, and death. The universal experience of illness creates vulnerability, loss of identity, anxiety, diminished autonomy, and fear. The inescapable battle between health and illness defines human experience and shapes our personalities, our world views, and spiritual depth.

For most of the developed world, though, it does not mean financial ruin. In the United States, alone among developed nations, even a relatively minor injury such as broken bones or illness requiring a brief hospital stay can lead to economic disaster. As a result, when we in the U.S. get sick, we don't think about how we can recover, how we can endure the pain, or the spiritual significance of our pain; rather, we think of how we will pay for our bills.

As we face our anxiety over possible diagnoses, we must constantly be prepared to battle with insurance companies, aggressive hospital billing agents, and doctors exhausted from dealing with insurance paperwork. Few things in life create as much anxiety as financial insecurity, and illness always brings the threat of insecurity to U.S. residents. When people have serious accidents, they balk at calling an ambulance because they fear the bills -- they worry over whether the ride will be covered and whether the ambulance will take them to a hospital that is in-network. As a result, many people suffering medical emergencies drive themselves to the hospital.

When it isn't an emergency, Americans often forgo treatment altogether. A Gallup poll in 2014 found that one-third of Americans skip needed medical treatment because of cost concerns, even when they have insurance. According to the report, "Some 34% of Americans with private health insurance say they've skipped out on care because it was too expensive, up from 25% last year. Additionally, 28% of households that earn $75,000 or more report that family members have delayed care, up from just 17% last year." The Affordable Care Act succeeded in insuring more people, but it also created greater financial burdens for middle-income families through higher deductibles and co-pays. Many people who have been accustomed to being able to afford healthcare now find that it is out of reach.

While healthcare inflation has slowed a bit in recent years, catastrophic medical events put the costs incurred out of the reach of most of us. The United States alone finds medical fundraisers to be normal and routine. According to an article in Journal News, the number of GoFundMe contributions for medical expenses "was up more than 293 percent in 2014, when more than 600,000 medical campaigns were launched, compared to just over 158,000 in 2013." Families with or without insurance cannot afford their medical bills. A serious accident or illness such as cancer creates an existential crisis while forcing people suffering from illness and their families to scramble to avoid destitution.

I don't write this impersonally; my wife and I buy our insurance through the healthcare exchanges. We pay $682 per month ($8,184 per year) with a $4,000 deductible per person. The out-of-pocket limit on expenses is $13,700 per year. Balance-billed charges do not apply to the out-of-pocket limits, so there really is no upper limit to possible charges. Ignoring balance billing, my costs could easily exceed $20,000 per year.

I often hear the argument that universal healthcare coverage is too expensive and will require raising taxes on the middle class. As I see it, I would still benefit from a tax rise of $15,000 or even $20,000 each year. It is true that others are not in my position, but all Americans should realize they are at risk. No one stays young and healthy. Eventually, everyone will be at greater risk for catastrophic illness, but even those who are currently young and healthy can face illness and injury, though we may not like to think about it.

Further, everyone's income is subject to great variability. Those who have employer-provided health insurance may not want to pay in to a national system, but employer-provided insurance is never guaranteed. Employers may cut benefits, employees lose jobs through layoffs and termination, or illness can end employees' ability to work.

The same is true for business owners. The tides of fortune shift. When the Affordable Care Act was passed, Mary Brown brought a lawsuit against it, saying she did not want to be compelled to purchase health insurance. Mary Brown owned an auto repair shop that went under due to the pressure of economic recession and the Gulf oil spill in 2010. Of note, her bankruptcy filing listed "among the couple's unsecured creditors several providers of medical care - a hospital and a physician group in Florida; an anesthesiology group based in Mississippi; and an eye care center in Alabama."

Like many people, when she was doing well, Mary Brown thought that guaranteed universal access to healthcare was something the government was providing to other people. It didn't occur to her that she might ever be in a position where she could not pay for her own medical care, but that is exactly what happened. I recently had the opportunity to speak to a Swedish citizen about Sweden's healthcare system. He was a middle-aged man who explained that healthcare was paid through higher taxes. He said he didn't mind the taxes, though, because you never know when you will be the one needing care.

It seems many Americans are not able to make this basic calculation of risk. Most people, even those who consider themselves well off, are not immune from the financial ruin that illness and injury can bring. Once people realize their own vulnerability, they support universal coverage for healthcare. The time for a more sober and accurate assessment of risk is well past due. We must wake up to the fact that the U.S. healthcare system is not sustainable, that it leaves us at risk of financial failure, that it makes the experience of illness exponentially more stressful, and that we can do better.

It will not be easy. The US spends far more than other developed nations on healthcare. Each excess dollar we spend is profit for an insurance company, hospital, testing facility, pharmaceutical company, biotechnology company, or other player in the healthcare industry. Many people profit from the dangerous, expensive, and inefficient system we have in the United States. Every reduction in healthcare spending will be a reduction in profit for someone, and each person (or business) facing a loss of income will argue vehemently and vociferously that such a loss of income is a horrible tragedy and an impossible feat.

We will be told that reducing healthcare spending will reduce the quality of care. We will be told it will reduce our choices and control. We will be told it is impossible. We already have little choice or control, and we already have higher mortality rates than the rest of the industrialized world, so we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We have plenty of ideas on how to improve the system. What we lack is political will, but I think the will is growing. If we want universal coverage, we must demand it, and the time to demand it is now.

-- 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 18 hours ago.

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Mobile Platform Helps Poor Kenyans Get Health Care

January 22, 2016, 8:42 am

≫ Next: Roe Reminds Us of Restrictions on Women's Health Care

≪ Previous: Illness as Financial Ruin (U.S. only)

In Kenya, an I.T. platform is helping low-income earners get the kind of affordable health insurance that was once only available to the middle class and the affluent. It's giving residents in the Nairobi slum of Kibera access to much-needed health care through their mobile devices. So far, 10-thousand Kibera residents are using the technology. Reported by VOA News 17 hours ago.

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Roe Reminds Us of Restrictions on Women's Health Care

January 22, 2016, 10:06 am

≫ Next: Keeping Your New Year's Financial Resolutions

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On this 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision protecting a woman's right to decide whether, or when, to become a parent, I am also reminded that it is the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Hyde Amendment. Since 1976, this amendment has severely restricted federal funding for abortion services and deprived low-income women of the means and dignity to make personal decisions about childbearing. These restrictions on public funding essentially take away the "right" from low-income women who rely on federally funded health programs like Medicaid for their health coverage.

The passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 represents the greatest Medicaid expansion in the history of the program. The law, however, also incorporated the Hyde Amendment and more, adding the largest expansion of abortion funding restrictions and absolute bans into private health plans, further eroding the "right" promised by Roe. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 25 states now have laws that ban abortion coverage in plans offered in health insurance exchanges. Ten states have opted to ban abortion coverage in all state-regulated private plans. Additionally, there are provisions restricting abortion for women with federal health coverage, including federal employees, our military, residents of the District of Columbia, and Native American women.

Abortion is part of the full range of reproductive health care that must be available to all women, not just the ones that can afford it. The average cost of a first-trimester abortion is $451. The median weekly earnings for women in 2015 was $721. Low-income women who rely on Medicaid for health care may earn far below poverty wages, and they experience the highest rates of unintended pregnancy -- as much as five times that of higher earners. Women of color are particularly vulnerable to challenges affecting reproductive health. For example, African American women are three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related complications.

Women might seek an abortion for a number of personal, socio-economic, or health reasons. Perhaps she may not be ready to start a family, or cannot offer the best care for another child, or the pregnancy may compromise her health. No one can put themselves in the shoes of an individual woman faced with the very personal decision about childbearing, yet the Hyde Amendment deprives low-income women of the means and dignity to make these decisions for themselves.

While states are curtailing the "right" promised by Roe, a recent survey by the National Institute for Reproductive Health found a large majority of voters are surprised by and disapprove of laws against abortion, and instead support affirmative approaches that make abortion more supportive, respectful, affordable, and able to be accessed without embarrassment, pressure, or shame.

Late last year, in response to the renewed attention on federal funding for Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides critical health services to millions of low-income individuals, Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) introduced the EACH Woman Act. If enacted, the bill -- currently with 109 co-sponsors -- would restore federal funding for abortion for millions of women covered by public and private health insurance.

For 40 years, the Hyde Amendment has curtailed the rights of low-income women and created a system where only the privileged can have reproductive health care that is needed by all women. As we celebrate another anniversary of Roe, we must remember that our work is not done.

-- 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 16 hours ago.

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Keeping Your New Year's Financial Resolutions

January 22, 2016, 10:58 am

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For many of us, New Year's resolutions often vanish in days - weeks at most.

The latest update of a University of Scranton study puts "weight loss" as the No. 1 New Year's Resolution with 21 percent of respondents, followed by "improve finances" with 14 percent. Nearly half are successful by the six-month marker; the rest give up during that timeframe.

Your personal finances require a better outcome. Even if you've resolved before and failed, there are still ways to set a course and stay on track.

Resolution-keeping starts with good resolution-making. It's one thing to say, "I want to pay off my student loans," or "I want to retire early." It's another to measure the size of the challenge, identify obstacles and build a task list to make that goal happen. So if you've committed to a particular resolution, go through it again and identify the behaviors and practices you need to change.

For example, if you wonder whether you're saving enough, maybe your first resolution is to make or review your budget to get a realistic picture of where your finances stand at all times. After all, a 2013 Gallup survey reported that only one-third of Americans actually prepares a detailed household budget.

Want to add some fairly easy money resolutions that can help your finances overall? Consider the following:

*Know your net worth.* Budgeting involves day-to-day tracking of finances, but having a quick way to determine your net worth - your assets minus your liabilities - offers the biggest picture of how you're doing and what next steps you might take to improve your circumstances. Make this calculation an annual kickoff to the New Year.

*Build an emergency fund.* If you don't have money equal to three-to-six months of daily expenses set aside, make that a priority. Shoring up an existing emergency fund - and evaluating whether it's still adequate to your needs - is probably one of the best ways to keep other financial goals on track. After all, when emergencies happen, it pulls funds away from bills you need to pay as well as savings and investment goals.

*Automate.* Depending on your comfort level with all things digital, virtually every aspect of your financial life can be managed online or with computer-based software. From setting up a basic online calendar to track pay dates, bill due dates and deposit dates for savings and investments, automation could help you create a daily series of reminders and action items that will keep your money issues on time and on track.

*Recommit to retirement.* If you're employed or self-employed, here's how to make a retirement savings resolution stick. First, make sure you're signed up for a 401(k), 403(b) or 457 plan at work or a corresponding SEP-IRA, self-directed 401(k) or other self-employment retirement plan that fits your tax and financial situation. Then check what your 2016 maximum contribution is for your respective plan. Finally, through budgeting or a plan to bring in more income, determine how you can come as close to your maximum contribution as possible for the coming year. And of course, don't forget about Traditional or Roth IRAs that you can contribute to independently of these employer-based plans. All of these options can improve your retirement prospects while saving you considerable money on taxes.

*Evaluate all of your investments.* Here's where it's not a bad idea to get some qualified professional help, starting with your employer-based savings and retirement plans. The Employee Benefit Research Institute reported in December 2014 that at year-end 2013, the average 401(k) account balance was $72,383 and the median account balance was $18,433. Not only are those amounts a little low based on savings projections made about what most Americans will need for retirement, but there are other potential problems like inadequacy of personal savings and lack of education about asset allocation based on age and other factors. Consulting with a qualified financial advisor and tax professional for an overview on your entire financial picture may be a very good idea.

*Review your benefits and insurance.* For most employed and self-employed people, open enrollment for health and other company benefits wrapped up before year-end. But that doesn't mean you can't spend time reviewing the choices you've made for health insurance, retirement savings or flexible spending plans, as well as reviewing your personal home, auto, life and disability coverage for potential savings and/or better coverage. If you work with a qualified financial planner or tax professional, you might want to bring up some of those questions with them.

*Reset savings and bill repayment goals.* By now, you're probably getting a very good indication that most of your financial decisions are linked. Get some assistance in determining how best to address the amounts and types of bills you have so you eventually free up more money for savings and investments.

*Set regular reviews.* It's generally a good idea to review your budget performance monthly to identify unusual items and plan for expenses you'll have to tackle in the future. You may want to take an overall look at your finances in January and June to make sure spending, savings and investment goals are on track.

*Bottom line:* Making financial resolutions makes you feel good. Keeping those resolutions feels a lot better. Develop long-term money habits that position you for success.

Nathaniel Sillin directs Visa's financial education programs. To follow Practical Money Skills on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PracticalMoney

This article is intended to provide general information and should not be considered legal, tax or financial advice. It's always a good idea to consult a legal, tax or financial advisor for specific information on how certain laws apply to you and about your individual financial situation.

-- 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 15 hours ago.

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Steps to Choose the Best Possible Dental Insurance

January 22, 2016, 12:56 pm

≫ Next: John Egan, CFP® of J.M. Egan Wealth Advisors, LLC Recognized for Professional Excellence by Five Star Professional With the Five Star Wealth Manager Award

≪ Previous: Keeping Your New Year's Financial Resolutions

Credit

As per reports from the American Dental Association (ADA), one-fifth of the septuagenarians haven't met a dentist within the last 5 years. Fears or years of neglect have made majority of the older patients resistant. While some don't understand the need to visit a dentist, some others are not mobile enough to visit the dentist's chamber on their own. Older patients might have a history of stroke or arthritis due to which they are not be able to take care of their teeth on their own. Even for those patients who are eager to take care of their teeth, paying for care is becoming a challenge.

Medicare, which offers medical care for seniors who are above 65 years, doesn't include regular dental check-up and there are many seniors who lose the coverage which they had on other insurance policies due to retirement. On the other hand, Medicaid, which is the insurance program for the low-income earners, doesn't allow states to offer adequate dental care to adults. So, what should you do in order to take care of your dental health? Don't you think you should opt for dental insurance coverage?
*
Vital steps to choosing the best dental insurance plan*

If compared to health insurance, dental insurance will cost you much less in premiums but there's definitely a catch to it. Dental insurance policies have a yearly limit to coverage, from $1000 to $1500 per year, with $50 to $100 deductible. Nevertheless, that shouldn't discourage you from getting yourself a dental insurance policy. Have a look at some steps to choose the best dental insurance policy according to your needs.
· *Watch out for group coverage: *Majority of the people holding dental insurance policies reap benefits from their employer or any other coverage programs like Affordable Care Act, AARP or other public insurance products like Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicaid and TriCare. Such plans are usually less costly than the individual insurance and they may also have other benefits. But despite that, you should take a close look at the details of such employer-sponsored plan so that you may know whether or not your premiums are worth your dollars.
· *Compare and contrast different deals:* Did you know that if you're presently going without coverage due to a sudden job loss, there are dental insurance packages for those who are leaving group plans? In order to be eligible for such guaranteed coverage, it is best to apply for insurance policy within 60 days of losing your previous coverage benefits. Hence, don't fret about any pre-existing dental condition as there are plans available for all kinds of people.
· *Know about the coverage levels:* Here comes the pivotal role of an insurance broker as he is the best person to help you determine your individual coverage needs. However, if you're already receiving regular dental care, your dentist can offer you details on treatment plan that you may need in the near future. Otherwise, some coverage options include basic coverage (services like routine check-ups, cleanings, filings, X-rays), comprehensive basic coverage (services like root canal, periodontics and maintenance of dentures) and major service coverage (services regarding crowns, dentures and bridgework).
· *Analyze the list of dentists in the network:* Unlike the indemnity insurance plans, the HMO and PPO plans don't allow you to choose your dentists. If there's a dentist whom you prefer, ask him which discount plans he accepts. If you don't have a problem with using a new dentist, a PPO or HMO might be good for your needs. However, you should be wary about a new dentist who tells you that you need to be wary about a lot of unexpected work. It is therefore better to ask for recommendations of a local dentist who has a good reputation.
· *Know the coverage of your policy:* If you wish to follow a budget for maintaining your dental expenses, it is vital for you to review the insurance policy before considering it. Does it cover gum cleanings, restorations, denture repairs, oral surgery and root canals? What are the services which you would like your insurance policy to include? Therefore, check twice whether or not the services are covered in your policy.
While you purchase dental insurance coverage, you should be aware of the fact that some of the major processes might not be included within the first year and despite that, the benefit that you reap will be only half of what the dentist might charge you. Just ensure paying your insurance premiums on time so that it has a positive impact on your credit score.

-- 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 13 hours ago.

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John Egan, CFP® of J.M. Egan Wealth Advisors, LLC Recognized for Professional Excellence by Five Star Professional With the Five Star Wealth Manager Award

January 22, 2016, 1:10 pm

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Exclusive recognition of New Jersey-area wealth managers.

Madison, NJ (PRWEB) January 22, 2016

Five Star Professional is pleased to announce John Egan, CFP®, J.M. Egan Wealth Advisors, LLC, has been chosen as one of New Jersey’s Five Star Wealth Managers for 2016.

Five Star Professional partnered with New Jersey Monthly to recognize a select group of New Jersey-area wealth managers who provide quality services to their clients. John Egan, CFP® is featured, along with other award winners, in a special section of the January issue.

John M. Egan is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and president of J.M. Egan Wealth Advisors, LLC. John founded J.M. Egan Wealth Advisors, LLC more than 25 years ago to provide comprehensive financial and wealth planning for individuals and families. Today, with John’s leadership, J.M. Egan proudly serves over 300 families in 15 states. John holds various security licenses and a life and health insurance license, and he is a registered investment advisor representative.

The Five Star Wealth Manager award program is the largest and most widely published wealth manager award program in the financial services industry. The award is based on a rigorous, multifaceted research methodology, which incorporates input from peers and firm leaders along with client retention rates, industry experience and a thorough regulatory history review.

“I founded J.M. Egan Wealth Advisors, LLC more than 25 years ago to provide comprehensive financial and wealth planning for individuals and families,” says John Egan, CFP® of J.M. Egan Wealth Advisors LLC. “Today, J.M. Egan Wealth Advisors, LLC serves over 300 families in 15 states.”

“Based on our evaluation, the wealth managers we recognize are committed to pursuing professional excellence and have a deep knowledge of their industry. They strive to provide exemplary care to the people they serve,” stated Dan Zdon, CEO, Five Star Professional.

John Egan’s Five Star award profile can be viewed here.

The Five Star Wealth Manager award, administered by Crescendo Business Services, LLC (dba Five Star Professional), is based on 10 objective criteria: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Active as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through Five Star Professional’s consumer complaint process*); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients; 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations.

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or awarded. Once awarded, wealth managers may purchase additional profile ad space or promotional products. The award methodology does not evaluate the quality of services provided and is not indicative of the winner’s future performance. 4,143 New Jersey wealth managers were considered for the award; 626 (16 percent of candidates) were named 2016 Five Star Wealth Managers.

*To qualify as having a favorable regulatory and complaint history, the person cannot have: 1. been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a suspended or revoked license, or payment of a fine, 2. had more than three customer complaints filed against them (settled or pending) with any regulatory authorNew Jersey or Five Star Professional’s consumer complaint process, 3. individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint filed with a regulatory authorNew Jersey, 4. filed for bankruptcy, or 5. been convicted of a felony.

For research methodology information visit http://www.fivestarprofessional.com. Reported by PRWeb 13 hours ago.

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Feds sanction health insurance company for erroneously denying coverage

January 22, 2016, 2:47 pm

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Cigna, being bought by Anthem, is temporarily barred from new Medicare plans. Reported by Ars Technica 11 hours ago.

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Health insurance: There’s no need for additional legislation on billing

January 22, 2016, 3:50 pm

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This week, the Legislature took up HB 2447, which would prohibit balance billing for out-of-network care in an emergency setting [“Insurance commissioner targets ER’s ‘surprise’ medical bills,” Local News, Jan. 19]. Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, who requested the legislation, testified that the proposal would protect patients from unexpected medical bills. What many people don’t know […] Reported by Seattle Times 10 hours ago.

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Someone Give Tom Friedman a Ticket to Copenhagen

January 22, 2016, 6:23 pm

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"What if our 2016 election ends up being between a socialist and a borderline fascist -- ideas that died in 1989 and 1945 respectively?," New York Times pundit Tom Friedman asks in his latest column.

Friedman apparently doesn't understand that the idea that "died in 1989" was Communism. Senator Bernie Sanders, the "socialist" he's referring to, isn't a Communist. Is it really possible that Friedman doesn't understand the difference between authoritarian Communism and democratic socialism, which is how Sanders refers to himself? Or is he simply using that old tactic called "red-baiting" to try to make Sanders look like an extremist so that Hillary Clinton comes off as a moderate liberal?

Either way, Friedman should be ashamed of himself.

During the Cold War, many Americans confused democratic socialism with communism. In fact, democratic socialists -- like labor leader Walter Reuther and civil rights leader Martin Luther King -- strongly opposed the totalitarian governments of the Soviet Union, China and their satellites. That's because democratic socialism is about democracy -- giving ordinary people a greater voice in both politics and the workplace.

Although Sanders says that America needs a "grassroots political revolution," he is actually a reformer, not a revolutionary. He is hardly what Friedman described him as -- "far left." His version of democratic socialism is akin to what most people around the world call "social democracy," which seeks to make capitalism more humane. These are ideas that are widely popular in Canada, Australia, and much of Europe. They are also ideas that, according to public opinion polls, most Americans agree with, if you remove the political labels and simply describe how they actually work for everyday people.

In holding these views, Sanders follows in the footsteps of many prominent, influential Americans whose views and activism changed the country for the better. Sanders is part of a proud tradition that includes such important figures as Jane Addams, Eugene Debs, Florence Kelley, Francis Bellamy (the socialist Baptist minister who wrote "The Pledge of Allegiance"), Katherine Lee Bates (the socialist poet who wrote "America the Beautiful), Emma Lazarus (another socialist poet who wrote "Colossus," inscribed on the Statue of Liberty), John Dewey, Upton Sinclair, Helen Keller, Albert Einstein, A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, Reuther, and King.

Many ideas that we take for granted today -- Social Security, the minimum wage, women's suffrage, child labor laws, consumer protection laws, the progressive income tax, workers' right to form unions, public works programs to create jobs for the unemployed, and Medicare -- were first espoused by American socialists.

So it should come as no surprise that Sanders says that the U.S. could learn from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway -- countries with greater equality, a higher standard of living for working families, better schools, free universities, less poverty, a cleaner environment, higher voter turnout, stronger unions, universal health insurance, mandated paid family leave and paid vacations, and a much wider safety net.

Sounds anti-business? Forbes magazine ranked Denmark as the #1 country for business. The United States ranked #18.

Perhaps the New York Times should buy Friedman a plane ticket to Copenhagen, Stockholm, or Oslo so he can ask the Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians if they think they're living in societies based on an idea that died in 1989.

European social democracies put greater emphasis on government enterprise, but even most Americans favor government-run police departments, fire departments, national parks, municipally-owned utilities, local subway systems and public state universities.

Socialists and social democrats believe in private enterprise but think it should be subject to rules that guarantee businesses act responsibly. Banks shouldn't engage in reckless predatory lending. Energy corporations shouldn't endanger and planet and public health by emitting too much pollution. Companies should be required to guarantee that consumer products (like cars and toys) are safe and that companies pay decent wages and provide safe workplaces.

Sanders' democratic socialism means reducing the political influence of the super rich and big corporations, increasing taxes of the wealthy to help pay for expanded public services like child care, public transit, and higher education, reducing barriers to voting, and strengthening regulations of business to require them to be more socially responsible in terms of their employees, consumers and the environment. That means a higher minimum wage, paid sick days and paid vacations, and safer workplaces.

These ideas are common sense, not Communist. Most Americans embrace them. For example, 74% of Americans think corporations have too much influence; 73% favor tougher regulation of Wall Street; 60% believe that "our economic system unfairly favors the wealthy;" 85% want an overhaul of our campaign finance system to reduce the influence of money in politics; 58% support breaking up big banks; 79% think the wealthy don't pay their fair share of taxes; 85% favor paid family leave; 80% of Democrats and half the public support single-payer Medicare for all; 75% of Americans (including 53% of Republicans) support an increase in the federal minimum wage to $12.50, while 63% favor a $15 minimum wage; well over 70% support workers' rights to unionize; and 92% want a society with far less income disparity.

Few Americans consider themselves socialists, but Sanders' campaign -- and the shifting realities of American society -- have helped take the sting out of the word. Growing concerns about the political influence of the super-rich, the nation's widening economic divide, the predatory practices of Wall Street banks, and stagnating wages have made more and more Americans willing to consider the idea seriously. A Pew survey found that nearly half of young voters under the age of 29, regardless of their political party affiliation, viewed socialism positively.

Since Sanders began running for president and openly identified himself as a democratic socialist, the idea has gotten more traction. A New York Times/CBS News poll conducted November, discovered that 56 percent of Democratic primary voters nationally said they felt positive about socialism as a governing philosophy, compared to 29 percent who had a negative view. A new poll found that 43 percent of likely voters in the February 1 Democratic Iowa caucuses would use the word "socialist" to describe themselves.

On most matters -- both broad principles and specific policy prescriptions -- Sanders is in sync with the vast majority of Americans. There's a great deal of pent-up demand for a candidate who articulates Americans' frustrations with the status quo. Like Friedman, Sanders is asking the question "what if?" But Sanders' is asking "what if we had a society and a economy that worked for the 99 percent, not the 1 percent? That's an idea that is alive and well in 2016.

*Peter Dreier is E.P. Clapp Professor of Politics and chair of the Urban & Environmental Policy Department at Occidental College. His most recent book is The 100 Greatest Americans of the 20th Century: A Social Justice Hall of Fame (Nation Books).
*

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The factors that led to once-popular insurer Health Republic's fall

January 23, 2016, 3:25 am

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Health Republic, the nonprofit federally backed health insurance company that went belly up in November, was doomed to failure from the outset because its prices were too low and the federal government changed the amount of money promised, industry experts and officials say. Reported by Newsday 23 hours ago.

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Will Aetna Raise Its Dividend in 2016?

January 23, 2016, 4:11 am

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The health-insurance company has some competing demands for funds. Reported by Motley Fool 22 hours ago.

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Millions of Americans Will Avoid the Obamacare Tax in 2016

January 23, 2016, 4:27 am

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Enrollment in health insurance plans is climbing ahead of increasing penalties for being uninsured. Reported by Motley Fool 22 hours ago.

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Early retiree wannabes need health insurance as much as pension or savings

January 23, 2016, 5:37 am

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Dear Pete,

Reported by USATODAY.com 21 hours ago.

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President touts Obamacare ahead of enrollment deadline

January 23, 2016, 10:35 am

≫ Next: Hillary's Unsurprising and Disingenuous Opposition to Real Health Care Reform

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Individuals can sign up for health insurance through the federal exchange until Jan. 31 Reported by CBS News 16 hours ago.

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Hillary's Unsurprising and Disingenuous Opposition to Real Health Care Reform

January 23, 2016, 2:37 pm

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Here we go again. Hillary touting her long experience in government, claimed knowledge of health care, and ability to "get things done" as she affirms her support of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and distorts Bernie Sanders' single-payer plan for national health insurance, Medicare for all.

Yes, health care reform is again center stage as a hot issue during this election season, with rhetoric, disinformation, and false allegations filling the national media--so much smoke and mirrors. But before we give Hillary credit for her credentials in health care, recall how that worked out for her in the 1990s. After huddling with the main corporate stakeholders in our health care system--the private health insurance, drug and hospital industries--she brought us a byzantine plan that was poorly conceived, too expensive, too complex, and never got out of committee to a vote in the House. It would have served industry well, but not patients, as Joseph Califano, former Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the Carter administration, said so clearly about its complexity:
Clinton's plan rests on the belief that an army of policy wonks can predict what would happen under a program that would change one-seventh of the economy, which 30 years of experience tells us we can't do. (1)
As described in my 2010 book, Hijacked: The Road to Single Payer in the Aftermath of Stolen Health Care Reform (2), the same approach was taken by President Obama in the lead-up to the ACA--make sure that these industries are well taken care of while accepting their claims that costs will be contained and patients will end up better off. Corporate stakeholders, not many millions of patients, however, have been better off. In 2013, three years after the ACA was enacted, health care stocks climbed by almost 40 percent, the highest of any sector in the S&P 500 (3), while a 2014 report found that 32 executives of the nation's largest for-profit health insurers received a total of $548.4 million in cash and stock options in the previous three years. (4)

Fast forward to today, as Hillary and Bernie duke it out over health care. Bernie's plan is solid, Medicare for all, national health insurance (NHI) as supported by many studies over the years, including the classic 2013 study by Jerry Friedman, Ph.D., professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts, of its costs and how it will be paid for. To briefly summarize--all Americans will be covered with comprehensive coverage, with full choice of doctor and hospital, anywhere in the country, with 95 percent of individuals, families and employers paying less than they do now. (5) Public financing would be far more efficient with less waste and bureaucracy than with today's 1,300 private insurers in our multi-payer system. Health care would become based on need instead of ability to pay.

But here comes Hillary, claiming in recent days (as Bernie is climbing in the polls) that NHI would overwhelm the middle class with new taxes and that the ACA will work if we just tweak it around the edges, without offering any substantial reform and disregarding its many flaws nearly six years after its enactment in 2010:
· 29 million Americans still uninsured, with tens of millions underinsured.· 20 states have opted out of Medicaid expansion, a cornerstone of the ACA's way to improve access to care.· No price controls with no cost containment in sight. (6)· Decreasing value of health insurance under the ACA as costs are being shifted to patients, such as through benefit designs that limit access, higher premiums and deductibles, not covering out-of-network care, denial of services, restricted drug formularies, and narrow definitions of medical necessity, especially for mental health care. (7)· Widespread profiteering as corporate stakeholders game the system.· Increased bureaucracy and waste, as illustrated by privatized Medicaid (e.g. administration of the expanded Medicaid program takes up 22.5 percent of the federal government's total expenditures for the program, more than 11 times the administrative overhead of traditional Medicare. (8)· Increasing health care fraud, accelerated by electronic health records, with fraud now estimated to account for 10 percent of health care costs. (9)
My just-released book, The Human Face of ObamaCare: Promises vs. Reality and What Comes Next, compares the three basic reform alternatives facing us in this election year: (1) continuation of the ACA, with improvements as needed; (2) replacing the ACA with a Republican plan (which has yet to surface); and (3) single-payer NHI. Table 1 displays their comparative features: (10)

As Hillary will not acknowledge, the ACA is a subsidized bailout for a failing private health insurance industry. The ACA needs more than a few tweaks around the edges to meet its goals of ensuring access to affordable health care. It was never designed to provide universal access, and we need to recognize its failings. If we look at experience since the 1980s and facts on the ground, it becomes obvious that Bernie's plan needs our full support.

As documented in Michael Corcoran's excellent piece recently in Truthout, Hillary has received more money from the pharmaceutical industry than any other candidate in either party during the 2016 election cycle, while health care industries have paid her $2.8 million in speaking fees between 2013 and 2015. (11) She clearly has conflicts of interest and is posturing about her commitment to real health care reform. Enough of demagoguery, distortion, and misinformation about health care reform, as are offered by most Republicans, and now by Hillary, who should know better. Her health care "plan" went nowhere in the 1990s. Let's not let it happen again.

Order a copy of: The Human Face of ObamaCare from Amazon.com

Visit Copernicus Healthcare Publishing

*References:
*1. Will, GF. Coming next, Clinton's year one. Newsweek 123 (4), January 24, 1994.3. Geyman, JP. Hijacked: The Road to Single Payer in the Aftermath of Stolen Health Care Reform. Monroe, ME. Common Courage Press, 2010.5. Soltas, E. Nobody should get rich off Obamacare. Bloomberg View, December 3, 2013.7. UNITE HERE. The irony of Obamacare, March 2014.9. Friedman, J. Funding H. R. 676: The Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act. How We Can Afford a National Single-Payer Health Plan. Physicians for a National Health Plan. Chicago, IL. July 31, 2013. Available at: htpp://www.pnhp.org/sites/default/files/Funding%20HR%20676_Friedman_final_7.31.13.pdf11. Geyman, JP. Can we ever achieve affordable health care in the U. S.? Huffington Post, November 23, 2015.13. Geyman, JP. The continued degradation of health insurance under the ACA. Huffington Post, December 3, 2015.15. Geyman, JP. Growing bureaucracy and fraud in U. S. health care. Huffington Post, December 8, 2015.17. Buchheit, P. Private health care as an act of terrorism. Common Dreams, July 20, 2015.19. Geyman, JP. The Human Face of ObamaCare: Promises vs. Reality and What Comes Next. Friday Harbor, WA. Copernicus Healthcare, 2016, p. 203.21. Corcoran, M. Hillary Clinton declares war on single-payer health care. Truthout, January 21, 2016.

-- 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 12 hours ago.

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Ben Mathis-Lilley: Ted Cruz Brags About Not Having Health Insurance

January 24, 2016, 10:03 am

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Reported by DallasNews 16 hours ago.

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How and Why Medicare for All is a Realistic Goal

January 24, 2016, 7:32 am

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Hillary Clinton is wrong when she says that Medicare for All is not achievable. In fact, if she and her husband had embraced the concept in 1993, we would be nearly there today.

Medicare was supposed to be a first step toward Medicare for All. After activists tried and failed to include universal health care in the Social Security Act of 1935, and after President Harry Truman tried during his presidency to achieve that goal, supporters decided that an incremental approach was most likely to bring ultimate success.

So activists decided to fight to cover seniors, as a first step. They achieved that goal with the enactment of Medicare in 1965. In 1972, Medicare was expanded to cover people with disabilities. But that is where progress stopped.

In 1993, the electorate wanted better health care. The newly elected President Bill Clinton put Hillary Clinton in charge of a task force to develop a proposal. They created a Rube Goldberg machine, easily attacked by the health care industry because the proposal was so hard to understand. If instead, the Clinton administration had further built on the extremely successful and popular Medicare program, then nearly three decades old, they would likely have been successful. There was a strong case to be made (as there still is) to lower the Medicare age of eligibility from age 65 to age 62, when seniors are first eligible for Social Security benefits.

Lowering the Medicare age to 62 or even 55 would have benefited Medicare, where the risk pool would be expanded to include younger, healthier seniors, as well as private health care insurance, where those same people - who, in private insurance, are the oldest and sickest - would have been shifted out. The Clintons could have also proposed to add to Medicare, a Medikids piece - universal coverage of all children. That was considered in 1965 by strategists seeking to take a first step toward government-provided health care, and continues, polls show, to be popular. The health care industry would, of course, have opposed the expansion. But an energized and united electorate, mobilized by a committed administration, could have overcome it. That is what happened in 1965, with the enactment of Medicare, when the medical industry tried as hard as it could to defeat it.

Those two expansions - lowering the Medicare age and adding children - would have been easy to explain and popular. They constitute excellent policy, and would have been easily understood by the electorate. A newly-elected Clinton administration, laser-focused on an incremental expansion of Medicare, would have had an excellent chance of success. President Obama could have built on that success, proposing lowering the Medicare age further, raising the Medikids age, and allowing those with pre-existing conditions and others to buy into Medicare at a reasonable price. Eventually, more and more people would have opted in, getting us ever closer to the goal of Medicare for All.

This strategy is still likely to work. It is completely compatible with Obamacare. Medicare is popular among conservatives and liberals alike. Many seniors, who have been a growing part of the Republican base, are hanging on until they reach their 65th birthdays. A Medicare expansion, polls show, is overwhelmingly popular, just as Social Security expansion is. As part of the expansion effort, a new push for a public option, in the form of a Medicare buy-in, would help reach the ultimate goal.

An incremental approach only works if one has a vision of where the incremental steps are leading. In a campaign, candidates present the ultimate goals, not a blueprint for incremental change. But to attack the ultimate goal as unrealistic, when incremental steps can get you there, is a disservice. It is a disservice to all of the millions of Americans who believe that high quality, affordable health care should be a right, not a privilege. It is a disservice to all those who want a more efficient health care system in order to have resources to spend on other pressing domestic needs. It is a disservice to those who see that a more efficient health care system will allow more compensation to be paid in the form of cash wages, as opposed to health insurance.

Claiming that such a noble, important, and popular goal - Medicare for All - is unrealistic does not show pragmatism. Rather, it shows a lack of imagination.

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