Category: health care
What You Need To Know Now!
As of June 28th of this year the Supreme Court upheld the new Health Care reform law and decided that it was constitutional and was keeping provisions already in effect that would allow other new benefits to phase in as scheduled. Healthcare Solutions Team is ready to help you move into a new health insurance plan! Our agents have gone through the training that has allowed them to be able to make the transition from your old plan to a new one be less stressful! Here are some points of information that may interest you. How does the law affect my Medicare? Your Medicare benefits are safe and you can keep you own doctor. Preventative benefits such as colonoscopies and mammograms are free! Prescription drugs will cost less as the “donut hole”, the gap in Medicare Part D coverage, shrinks until it is eliminated in 2020. What happens if I don’t buy health insurance? Most taxpayers who do not have health insurance by January 1, 2014 will be required to pay a special tax on their returns. If you have Medicare, Medicaid or insurance whether it is with your employer or individual you have coverage. At Healthcare Solutions Team we …
+ Read Full PostLESS IS MORE!
Many patients as well as doctors feel that the more medical care a patient has the better, but there is an epidemic of being over treated that has developed. Too many blood tests and scans and procedures are costing this nation’s health care system close to $200 billion a year according to the “Institute of Medicine.” Your agent here at “Healthcare Solutions Team” wants you to be able to take advantage of the many new benefits that are available to you because of the new health-care reform law, but sometimes more isn’t better it can actually cause harm. Some of our carriers such as Assurant Health and United Health One are excited that they can now offer the much needed wellness tests at virtually no cost to you. With the surge in more natural treatments they have designed their plans to offer just a few doctor office visits instead of the unlimited amount that is expected. Cutting back on seeing your doctor can actually be good for your health, really! Seeing a doctor on a routine basis is a good idea when you have a child, or are a senior or have a medical condition that requires monitoring. But, with …
+ Read Full PostFinding Your Piece of the Health Insurance Puzzle!
Private health insurance is the main source of health coverage for the majority of people in the United States. Approximately 58% of all Americans have private health care coverage. For elderly citizens and eligible children and families from low-income households, public programs are the primary source of health cover. If you are not covered by a public program, or if your coverage is only a short-term policy, you will need to have some kind of private health insurance. Since the turn of the millennium, millions of Americans have found themselves with no health coverage at all. Most studies place the number of “uninsured” at over 46 million. A high percentage of “insured” are in a very inadequate or out-dated plan. At Healthcare Solutions Team we are proud to be the place where you can find an insurance agent to help you and a company that stands behind its agents! The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act On March 23rd, 2010 the United States health care system underwent the beginning of a major reform, which now has changed the way many people go about getting health cover. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act included a mandate that every American must …
+ Read Full PostLet’s Talk About Sex!
August 1st will be a BIG day for women across America because of the new preventative benefits for women! Services such as well-women visits, domestic violence screening and counseling, contraception and more will now be available to make sure that women can stay healthier. As 2014 approaches there will be more and more changes that your health insurance agent will be able to educate you on. Here are some examples; HPV DNA testing: Women who are 30 or older will have access to high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing every three years, regardless of pap smear results. Early screening, detection, and treatment have been shown to help reduce the prevalence of cervical cancer. Be sure to call your agent at Health Care Solutions for more information on this benefit! STI counseling, and HIV screening and counseling: Sexually-active women will have access to annual counseling on HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). These sessions have been shown to reduce risky behavior in patients, yet only 28% of women aged 18 to 44 years reported that they had discussed STIs with a doctor or nurse. In addition, women are at increased risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. From 1999 to 2003, the CDC reported …
+ Read Full PostHAPPY 4th of July!
HAPPY 4th of JULY!!! This is the month for fun! Barbecues, picnics, swimming and of course “FIREWORKS!” But amongst all that fun here are some facts about injuries during this otherwise stress-free time. The U.S. Product Safety Commission reports more than 9,000 injuries from fireworks annually. A quarter of all eye injuries from fireworks result in permanent vision loss or blindness. Because of this alone you need to know how well you are protected with your health care coverage. Last month the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. This means, that the changes that the insurance companies have made or are making to comply with this law are uninterrupted. Some of the newer changes that are in place or will be in place are as follows: In-network women’s preventative services, including certain contraceptives as required under law, with no copay or coinsurance or deductible will be covered. Children or dependents under the age of 26 will continue to be covered on their parents plan. W-2 Reporting: Employers must begin preparing this year to report on employees’ 2012 W-2 forms – to be issued in January 2013 – the aggregate cost of their employer-sponsored coverage. Employers, …
+ Read Full PostHappy Fathers Day!
This is what we are, parents. The whole idea of our parenting is to protect our children. At one time when our children became a certain age they were removed from our insurance policies due to ineligibility. But not any longer! With “Healthcare reform” nearly 6.6 million young adults will be able to stay on their parents’ plan until age 26. They do not have to be students as what was required before but, they have to live in their parents home. This provision is perhaps the single most popular element of the Affordable Care Act, the nations most sweeping healthcare legislation in nearly 50 years! The results compared to a U.S. Government survey that last year found that 21.6 million young adults had private health insurance – either through their parents, their jobs or other means – which was 2.5 million higher than before the law was passed. But the Commonwealth Fund also found 36 percent of young adults between the ages of 19-39, a slightly bigger group, had trouble paying medical bills or said they were paying off medical debt. And among those without insurance, this group rose to 51 percent! Young adults also have the highest rate …
+ Read Full PostAMERICAN FITNESS REPORT!
Summer, warm weather, swimming, hiking, how fit is your state? Do you have one the new “health care reform plans” in place so that you can take advantage of the new benefits that are available? Minneapolis St. Paul, MN is the nation’s fittest big city, with Washington, DC second and Boston, MA third, according to the latest rankings from the American College of Sports Medicine. The report, known as the “American Fitness Index,” reflects a composite of “preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease conditions, health care access and community resources and policies that support physical activity,” according to the AFI report. This was based on certain areas of excellence such as: the percentage of physical exercise lower percent of diabetes lower death rate of cardiovascular disease obesity lifestyle & diet Having a “health insurance plan” that allows you to have a physical each year is the baseline that you need to have a healthier, longer and more enjoyable life. When you decide that it is time to take back your health from the list of medications that you maybe on, the first thing you should do is contact your health insurance agent because that agent will go over your …
+ Read Full PostMay Is Mental Health Month!
Did you know that since 1949 May has been considered “Mental Health Month?” Mental health disorders are among the leading pre-exsisting conditions. Mental health disorders were second only to hypertension as the most commonly reported medical conditions among adults. Did you know that 4 million children and adolescents in this country suffer from a serious mental disorder that causes significant functional impairments at home, school or with peers? Half of all the mental disorders begin by age 14. In any given year, only 20 percent of children with mental disorders are identified and receive the correct mental health services. When choosing your health insurance plan take a look at the benefits that are available with your insurance agent. Each private health insurance company will have a section in the policy explaining what they will or won’t cover in mental health. When you have a child with mental illness the only true desire a parent has is to see their child well. Diagnosis, treatment, and a physician that can help you and your child through this difficult time is the key to success. With the new health care reform law, you may add your child to your plan and that child …
+ Read Full PostApril Fools Day!
Did you know that April is the NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS MONTH? The Society for Vascular Surgery did a report stating that if you laugh more you will live longer and be healthier. With health care reform reaching its second birthday in March you can take advantage of the great insurance benefits that are at your finger tips! Remember that if you are in a “healthcare reform compliant” plan your wellness each year is a benefit that you do not have to pay for! With April Fools Day being famous for jokes and pranks be sure to review your policy with your insurance agent so that you aren’t the one fooled in case you have an unexpected illness or accident! Here are a few things you can do to keep your health in tip-top shape. Laugh! When you laugh it will have wonderful effects on your blood pressure. Laughing releases the endorphins that causes us to “feel good.” If you feel good your blood pressure will go down. Learn to handle your stress! If you can’t solve a problem, don’t stress out about it. Solve the little things and set some realistic goals for yourself so that you are not over-stressed! …
+ Read Full PostMarch Accident Tips!
March! This is a month of mixed weather and anticipation for the chance to be out and about. Sometimes we take our safety for granted and with St. Patty’s Day looming closer here are some statistics and solutions to make sure that you are always as safe as you should be. With health care reform in full swing be sure to call your insurance agent and add the extra protection that you and your family need. Accidents can take place in a wide variety of environments however, the home is the most likely location. Home accidents are a major cause of death and injury and contribute substantially to potential years of life lost. There are three main categories of home accidents; Impact accidents including falls, being hurt by falling objects and general bumping into type accidents. Heat accidents including burns and scalds. Through mouth and foreign body accidents is including accidental poisonings, suffocation, choking and objects in the eye/ear/nose. A recent survey also found that: • 66% of home accidents occurred inside the home and 34% occurred directly outside the home i.e. in the garden, yard, driveway, path and steps and boundaries. • 39.2% of home accidents involved children aged …
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