February 2008 Newsletter

In The News At the first of February, Alta Vista Benefits attended the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) Capital Conference in Washington, DC. Our web site is undergoing a face-lift and we will be re-launching the site in March.

Welcome Issue #2 Welcome to the monthly Alta Vista Benefits newsletter. This information is provided as a service to you to help with issues in your every day life. Your suggestions and feedback can be e-mailed to lucy@altavistaben.com. Health Care Trends Announcements by major carriers A recent announcement indicated that Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Aetna and Wellpoint are going to stop paying claims for medical mistakes. This move is being made to help drive down the cost of health care and is targeted at mistakes which are considered "largely preventable". The preventable mistakes include: leaving surgical instruments or other objects in a patient during surgery, use of the wrong blood type, bed ulcers, surgical site infections, and injuries that occur in the hospital like burns and broken bones. This move was made by the carriers in response to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) who announced in October that they would no longer pay for medical errors. The full article can be found at this web page: http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/25/36/69.html Capital Conference Legislative Update At the Capital Conference in Washington, I had the privilege of going to Capitol Hill and having access to Ohio legislators from the House of Representatives. I had a chance to represent my clients as well as others in the state of Ohio about the benefits of Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare Advantage plans have had some bad press because of a few agents with unethical practices. I was able to explain how for many, this is the only insurance option they have and that this is a valuable and needed program for American citizens. As a member of the legislative committee of NAHU, I become aware of pending legislation before it is passed. This gives me the ability to pass that information on to you so that your voice can be heard. In future issues of this newsletter, I will be passing on many of those insights to you. . Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934. Need a better web site? Can't be found in Google? Call Tom Anderson at 614-679-0912 or visit www.excelleweb.com

April 2008 Newsletter

Welcome Issue #4 The monthly Alta Vista Benefits newsletter is provided as a service to help with issues in your every day life. Your suggestions and feedback can be e-mailed to lucy@altavistaben.com. Long Term Care Partnership Program New Ohio Legislation There is new awareness in the market about the need for Long Term Care coverage. Many people are not aware that if left to Medicaid, your only option is a nursing home -- if one is even available. However, Medicaid funding is disappearing quickly. In September of 2007, Ohio legislators passed what is called the Partnership Program. This program provides incentives for Ohio citizens to purchase Long Term Care coverage and it will reduce the burden on Medicaid. The way it works is that you purchase insurance that qualifies for the Ohio Partnership Program. This will allow you to protect the amount of assets you have that equal the amount of coverage you purchase. Once your insurance benefits are exhausted, you may be able to qualify for Medicaid to pay for your care, while retaining more assets than would have been allowed under Ohio's Medicaid eligibility. Governor Strickland has a mail campaign planned called "Own Your Future" and there will be a lot of media coverage in the next few months. I will be receiving additional training and have more information for you in May. Did you know? Social Security According to the Social Security Administration, 72% of current Social Security recipients receive reduced payments because they started their benefits too soon. If you start benefits at age 62, your benefits could be reduced by 20% or more. If you wait until age 70, you could receive as much as 50% higher. According to "The Guide to Social Security", the correct timing for the use of your money in retirement is: 1) Use IRA and 401K monies first (qualified funds) 2) Delay Social Security as long as possible 3) Use non-qualified money last To find out more, e-mail me to request a copy of the "Guide to Social Security" by Dr. Shelby Smith. Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934. Need a better web site? Can't be found in Google? Call Tom Anderson at 614-679-0912 or visit www.excelleweb.com

March 2008 Newsletter

In The News Our new web site is now available! Alta Vista Benefits was mentioned in Business First on February 22, 2008.

Welcome Issue #3 The monthly Alta Vista Benefits newsletter is provided as a service to help with issues in your every day life. Your suggestions and feedback can be e-mailed to lucy@altavistaben.com. Health Care Consent Forms Protecting your children and grandchildren Many of us have children and grandchildren now and we all want what is best for them. We also have very busy lives and sometimes must leave our children in the care of someone else. The reasons could be a dinner out, a weekend away or even an out of town business trip. How many times do we think about what would happen if our children/grandchildren needed medical care and we were not available to help them or give consent for medical services? There is a document called the "Consent for Medical Treatment of a Minor Child" which gives another person the authorization to give medical consent on behalf of you and your children. This is not a legal requirement to get medical care, but it does show that you have given written consent for medical treatment. Since I am not an attorney, I asked for a copy of this document from a local attorney and he gave me permission to provide it to you. Please contact me if you are interested in getting a copy of this form. Did you know? Insurance brief Did you know that COBRA is not always the most affordable or best option to use when leaving a company? Many times, shopping the open market is a better option than just settling for COBRA. Rates can be significantly less with individual insurance, especially with healthy families. In addition, the open market provides the option of selecting from multiple carriers -- increasing the opportunity to find an affordable option. Standard Plans versus HSA's The standard 80/20 medical plans are what most people know about, what many companies offer and the type of plans people ask for with individual coverage. These plans have co-pays and lower deductibles and a typical cost share for consumers of 20%. These plans are usually very expensive. In addition, when you have this type of plan, medical expenses are not deductible unless you have expenses totaling at least 7.5% of your gross annual income. HSA plans do not have the same restrictions. There are two parts to an HSA: a medical plan, along with a savings account at a financial institution. An HSA medical plan offers the benefit of network discounts on medical services and prescriptions. The plans are designed to encourage you to know the pricing of services before you go to the doctor, as well as negotiate with the doctor for "cash customer" pricing. There are tax advantages with the savings account that help you save for retirement. You get a tax deduction for the amount of money you save, up to the annual limits. However, the best feature of these plans is that, under the age of 65, HSA withdrawals are not taxed as long as they are used for medical expenses. Once you reach the age of 65, any withdrawals from an HSA are not taxed even if you use the money for vacation. Hard to believe, isn't it? Call today to learn more about how an HSA can help you plan for your future. Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934. Need a better web site? Can't be found in Google? Call Tom Anderson at 614-679-0912 or visit www.excelleweb.com

January 2008 Newsletter

In The News In November 2007, Alta Vista Benefits became accredited by the Better Business Bureau .

Welcome Launching a newsletter Welcome to the Alta Vista Benefits newsletter. This information is provided as a service to you to help with issues in your every day life. Your suggestions and feedback can be e-mailed to lucy@altavistaben.com. HSA's Contributions for 2007 If you started a high deductible health plan in 2007 and have not opened your HSA account yet, it is not too late. In order to take advantage of the tax deduction for 2007, HSA contributions must be made by the time you file your taxes for 2007. Just a reminder that the contribution limits have changed for 2008. The new limits are $2900 for an individual and $5800 for a family. Time to Review Now is a great time to review the life and health coverage you have in place. We offer free reviews and can make appointments at your convenience. Please call us at 614-889-0934. Did you know? Did you know that a durable power of attorney does not cover medical decisions? Did you know that wills are important to review periodically? This is a good time of year to contact an attorney to review the legal documents you may or may not have in place. The documents listed below enable you to control what will happen with your property and allows you to choose who will be taking care of your affairs rather than letting the Courts do it. It can also save money and great amounts of frustration. My attorney recommends that you have these documents in place and update them periodically: Will Durable Power of Attorney Health Care Power of Attorney Living Will . Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934. Need a better web site? Can't be found in Google? Call Tom Anderson at 614-679-0912 or visit www.excelleweb.com

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