1. Immediately – no waiting period
2. Over and above any benefits you receive from any other plan
3. No matter what doctor or hospital you may choose
4. Even while you recover – including those for follow-up treatment and physical therapy
5. With no overall annual or lifetime limits – no matter how many accidents you may have

1. Better Care: Improve the overall quality of care, by making health care more patient-centered, reliable, accessible and safe.
2. Healthy People and Communities: Improve the health for the U.S. Population by supporting proven interventions to address behavioral, social and environmental determinants of health in addition to delivering higher-quality care.
3. Affordable Care: Reduce the cost of quality health care for individuals, families, employers and government.

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 cannot be denied. You may be rated up due to the medication that is taken or the treatment that is received but you must have the mental illness rider added to your plan or it has to be part of the plan already.

At Healthcare Solutions, we pride ourselves on having the most knowledgeable health insurance agents in the country. When you come to us, you become part of a team that truly believes that we have a plan for everybody. The interview that is conducted with you at the time of your appointment to see what plan best fits you is so important. That way you will have the peace of mind knowing that your child will have every chance to receive the best of the best when you seek treatment for mental illness. Below are some of the consequence of untreated mental disordered in children and adolescents.

1. School failure: approximate 50% of students age 14 and older who are living with mental illness drop out of high school. This is the highest dropout rate of any disability group.

2. Juvenile and Criminal Justice Involvement: youth with unidentified and untreated mental disorders also tragically end up in jails and prisons. According to a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, an alarming 65% of boys and 75% of girls in juvenile detention have at least one mental illness.

3. Suicide: Suicide is the third leading cause of death in ages 15 to 24. More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza and chronic lung disease combined. Over 90 % of children and adolescents who commit suicide have mental disorders. In the United States in the year 2002, almost 4300 young people ages 10 to 24 died by suicide. Most importantly, states spend nearly $1 billion annually on medical costs associated with completed suicides and suicide attempts by youth up to 20 years of age.

This year, make it a tradition to contact your health insurance agent and review your policy. Take a long look at yourself and your family. Has there been trauma in your lives? Has there been an unexpected death? Do you see yourself or your child becoming more and more secluded from friends and family? Take the time to heal yourself and them by making sure that you are protected the way you deserve.

In some of us it instills fear, and in some of us let’s just say we are glad it is finally here because now we get to take advantage of all those wonderful “TAX” write-offs! With the “Affordable Care Act Tax Provisions” that are now in place, here are some ideas that will help you with that dreaded day.

1. Take a look at HSA’S. That stands for Health Savings Accounts. The benefits that have always been there have only gotten better. The general idea is that there is a One Deductible that either you meet singly or as a family. What is nice about this concept is that with the HSA plan you are allowed to take your money and deposit it into a bank account that will be connected to your HSA insurance plan. The money that is deposited in that account each year is used for all sorts of medical necessities. The annual HSA contribution limits will be $3100 for self-only coverage and $6250 for family coverage.

2. Some ideas of what you can use those dollars for are; home improvements, or special equipment installed in your home provided their main purpose is medical care. Your HSA funds can be used to pay for special equipment installed in a car for use by a person with disabilities. You can pay for a visit to the Chiropractor, or to get your contact lenses or eye surgery and eyeglasses as well as the cost of the eye exam is something you can pay also. In a pinch you HSA funds can only be used to pay insurance premiums for long-term care coverage, health coverage while you receive unemployment benefits and health continuation coverage received under federal law (such as COBRA)

3. Small Business Health Care Tax Credit; this new credit helps small businesses and small tax-exempt organizations afford the cost of covering their employees and is specifically targeted for those with low and moderate income workers. In general, the credit is available to small employers that pay at least half the cost of single coverage for their employees.

4. Adoption Credit; The affordable Care Act raises the maximum adoption credit to $13,360 per child, up from the $13,170 in 2010 and $12,150 in 2009. The adoption tax credit is refundable for the tax year 2011 meaning that eligible taxpayers can get it even if they owe no tax for that year.

So remember that with this type of an insurance plan an HSA will give you a “tax deduction” on the money you put in your HSA your dollars can grow “tax-deferred.” If you are interested in more control over how your health care dollars are spent, if you are interested in a one-calendar-year deductible per person or family and if you are interested in trading low deductible health insurance for a higher deductible plan to save money on monthly premiums and taxes then this TAX DAY be glad that you have an HSA!

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.

1. 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.
2. 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!
3. Eat foods that eliminate your stress! With our daily schedule that is  fast & furious, eat snacks or foods that help us reduce our stress. Almonds, dark chocolate & oranges all help to eliminate stress. Almonds are loaded with vitamin E which boosts your immunity. Dark Chocolate helps boost serotonin levels which plays a key role in reducing our stress and Oranges delivers vitamin C which is now credited with reducing the physical & psychological effects of stress on the body.
4. Stretch, walk and meditate! If you don’t stretch you can’t walk and if you can’t walk then you do not have the energy to meditate. That’s right meditating takes energy. We need to deep breath and that deep breathing will help bring us the stress relief that we need.
5. Laugh! Here is a link so that you can laugh along with some of the greatest comedians ever. Laurel & Hardy in “The Emperor.” There is a scene where Laurel & Hardy are waiting for Laurels wife to come to the restaurant when Stan Laurel begins to laugh and cannot stop. Pretty soon Oliver Hardy is laughing along with him. I promise if you watch this clip on you-tube you will laugh your troubles away!
6. http://youtu.be/KLPIMHfbKr4

Remember that with this April Fools day you can have all the fun your want, go ahead, be a kid again…but be safe and know your health insurance coverage, have an accident plan in place and be sure to call your insurance agent and say hello. They will be glad that you called and so will you!

Healthcare reform has created a new perspective on our general health! Time to get in shape and make your walk a healthy one. At HealthCare Solutions  we offer the types of plans that has your “new best health” at heart. Our agents are trained to “listen” to what you want in an insurance plan. Because of the new plans and the lower cost in premiums we offer to you, here are some ideas on what to do with the extra money you will have.

1. Ditch old walking shoes. Invest in a new pair of shoes because worn-out soles are a sure path to an injury. Even if you have the great accident coverage that we offer from Assurant Health you don’t want to promote an injury with older shoes. So go on…splurge a bit! Your feet will thank you!

2. Ditch you freebie pedometer. Everywhere you read in the medical coverage articles they tell you to walk, walk, walk. The extra money that you save with one of HSA plans with United Health One will allow you to buy a better-quality pedometer and you will reach a healthy and improved walking goal!

3. Ditch sipping only when thirsty. Drinking 4 to 6 ounces of water for every 15 minutes of exercise will promote a well hydrated body. Sweating away even a tiny portion of your body weight can doom your workout by making your heart beat faster and causing you to feel weak and tired.

4. Last but not least, go have that physical! For the age appropriate  specific test your new health insurance plan will allow you to be part of the “healthcare reform” benefits that are now available to you and your family to use.

Call you insurance agent for a quote for a new plan, if you haven’t already done so and take advantage of the great new benefits that await you today. What are you waiting for? You body will thank you!

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 0-15 years.

• 19.4% occurred in the under-5 year’s age group.

• 24.3% of home accidents involved adults in the 25-44 age range.

• 11.9% of home accidents involved those aged over 65 years.

We have a solution to your worries with the Assurant Fixed-Benefit Coverage! You get a set cash benefit for each covered injury and service. There is no waiting period, and it doesn’t matter what hospital you go to. Even while you recover with the follow up treatment and physical therapy, these visits are part of this benefit.

Be safe this St. Patty’s Day with a little word from our friendly Leprechaun;

“As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.”

1.Take 2 baby aspirin a day to help circulation. Aspirin can reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke. It can improve the flow of blood to the heart and brain and help keep your arteries open if you have had a stroke or angioplasty (surgery to open up your arteries) Talk to your doctor before you start taking aspirin every day. This is good health care education.

2.Floss every day to prevent gingivitis which is an inflammatory disease. Using dental floss every day will make you look better, smell better, be healthier and help you live longer. A frightening array of debris and bacteria hides between your teeth and along your gum line. Using dental floss is the simplest and most effective way to protect you. Be sure to speak to your health insurance agent for dental coverage!

3.Get to know your local pharmacist. They are smart professionals who you can speak to regarding any medications that you are taking or thinking about taking. So don’t forget to include over the counter drugs also. Most pharmacists can help you understand how you health insurance coverage works with your medications that you take.

4. Cook heart-smart.Choose cooking methods that use less salt and calorie-laden fat. Steam, bake, broil or grill instead of frying. Reduce salt by avoiding bouillon or salty broth (use water instead); add lots of herbs and spices to enhance flavor.

5. Call your insurance company. Did you know that most insurance companies have a designated team just to help you use your plan effectively? With the “customer care” that they provide you can call and they can help you locate the correct physician or lab for the tests that you need to have. What is nice is that you have an entire company at your fingertips that are just waiting to help you become “HEART SMART.”

1. The cheapest health insurance is the best. The cheapest policy does not mean that it is the best option for your health care needs. It’s better to find a policy that is good for your budget and health care needs.

2. Obama-care made health insurance free. Health care reform will expand a program in every state to include adults with or without children. But it does not mean that reform makes health insurance free. The state that you live in will help mandate the cost of the coverage.

3. I should drop my health insurance because I haven’t been sick in a long time. Many people may think they’ll save money by dropping their health insurance because they haven’t used it in a long time. Unfortunately, that could end up costing you more money if you become sick and they could later be denied health insurance if they do suffer from an injury or health condition.