Alta Vista Benefits October 2009 Newsletter

Issue #18

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.

The Value of an Agent

What does "Independent Agent" mean?

We often say to people that Alta Vista Benefits is an independent insurance agency. Did you ever wonder what that really means for you as our client?

Independent agents like us represent many different insurance companies. What that means is that we give you more choices about the coverage you are looking for. We shop rates with all of the relevant carriers so you don't have to pay too much for what you need. This gives you the best value for your insurance dollar.

Once we find affordable coverage, we help you understand what you are buying and educate you about all of your choices. We help you make a choice that fits with insurance you already have and complements your personal and financial goals. We help you through the application process and keep you informed during underwriting until you are have final approval.

Alta Vista Benefits views continuing education as the best way to stay current with new products and market trends. As such, we attend educational classes well beyond what is required by the Ohio Department of Insurance. In addition, we have made several trips to Washington to visit members of Congress on your behalf. As an independent agency, we are committed to provide you with uncompromising service and up-to-date information on insurance products and legislation affecting your coverage.

If you have questions about your current coverage and whether it is right for your needs, please contact us (lucy@altavistaben.com) today. We will review all of your coverage to make sure it fits your personal situation.

Did You Know?

Annual enrollment for Medicare begins on November 15th and ends on December 31st, 2009. If you have a standalone Part D plan or a Medicare Advantage plan that includes Part D coverage, this is the time of year you can review and choose a new plan.

We will be making appointments beginning November 1st with all of our Medicare clients who want to make changes for 2010. If you have any questions before then, please contact us at (lucy@altavistaben.com).

Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934.

Alta Vista Benefits September 2009 Newsletter

Issue #17

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.

Life Insurance Awareness Month

Are you sure you are protected?

Life insurance is an important way to protect your family lifestyle. It provides for final expenses as well as a replacement for family income in the event of an untimely death.

We often purchase life insurance and don't review it to make sure it is performing the way we expected. Since life insurance buyers typically hold policies for a long time, they may not consider the impact that market fluctuations have on the cash values. In addition, the potential for life insurance to create retirement income is often overlooked.

Chances are, your life has changed since you made your last life insurance purchase. The insurance industry has also changed significantly in the last ten years and interest rates have declined. Some policies may actually be losing value because the current interest rates no longer fund the policy appropriately. Do you know if you still have the right coverage?

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month, which is the perfect time to review your current life insurance needs. You can get started by visiting the free on-line Needs Calculator http://www.lifehappens.org/life-insurance/life-calculator. This calculator will help you make sure you have the proper coverage.

Once you have done that, contact us at lucy@altavistaben.com to do a free review of all your life insurance coverage. We will help you determine if new products and features are worth considering for your current life stage.

You can't control the future, but you can take steps now to safeguard your family. Contact us today to help you (lucy@altavistaben.com).

Did You Know?

Long Term Care -- Carriers continue to refine Long Term Care policies and many carriers now offer a Return of Premium (ROP) option. This means that if you purchase a policy and never use the benefits, you can get back all of the premium you paid, less any benefits you have used. For more information, please contact us (lucy@altavistaben.com)

Alta Vista Benefits August 2009 Newsletter

Issue #16

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 Reform: What You Can Do

Health Care Reform is an extremely important issue for all Americans and there is pressure on Congress to come up with a solution by the end of 2009. To meet this goal, Congress continues to work on several versions of health care legislation. However, the August recess is coming up, so it is unlikely that any legislation will be brought to the floor right now.

During the recess, many of the legislators will be in their home states holding Town Hall meetings and meeting with constituents. This recess is a critical time for all of us to weigh in with our legislators in the House and Senate to ensure that the final bill is what we all want.

As a consumer advocate for health care, Alta Vista Benefits wants to make sure that you have timely information about the proposed legislation. The link for the House Bill for Health Care Reform is the actual HR3200 House bill.

Even if you don't read the entire document, there a several sections that are worth reading. Page 50 defines that health care and health insurance will be available to everyone, regardless of citizenship. Pages 58 and 59 gives the Federal Government the right to access all of our personal financial information, including the right to do electronic transfers. Page 253 gives the Federal Government the right to assess a doctor's judgment and skills to determine his billing value.

Please take the opportunity to read House Bill 3200, evaluate it yourself and let your representatives know what you want.

Did You Know?

The limits for HSA contributions are changing for 2010. An individual will be able to contribute $3,050 in 2010 and the family limit will be $6,150.

Long term care premiums can be paid out of an HSA and deducted. If you would like to know more about HSA accounts, please contact us at 614-889-0934.

Healthy News from Alta Vista Benefits April 2009

Issue #15

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: Consumers Can Help Control Costs

The purpose of health insurance is to help you pay for health care and it protects you and your family financially when you have an unexpected illness or injury. Since you cannot predict what your medical bills will be, your health insurance helps cover those unexpected costs.

As the cost of health care has risen, so has the cost of health insurance. Some of the rise cost is due to overuse of the services available to us. Whether intentional or not, overuse contributes to the rising cost of care.

As consumers, we can all help drive down the cost of health care by asking some questions of our providers. Here are some suggestions for all health care consumers:

1) Choose health care the way other goods and services are selected -- based on the best quality for the best price. A higher prices does not necessarily mean that the quality of the care is better. Find out before a service is provided about the cost involved versus the quality.

2) Obtain care only when medically necessary and use the emergency room for real emergencies.

3) Ask your medical providers about the care they are prescribing and find out what other treatment options are available.

4) Talk with your doctor and pharmacist about using less costly generic drugs.

5) Make sure you get regular checkups to stay in good health. Prevention is the most powerful medicine.

6) Take care of yourself and your family by eating a balanced diet, getting enough exercise and making healthy lifestyle choices.

Did You Know?

Strawberries are one of nature's most nutritious foods. One cup of raw strawberries contains 3 grams of fiber, 49 calories, 1.02 grams of protein and has more Vitamin C than orange juice. Strawberries also contain phytochemicals that help prevent certain cancers.


Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934.

Back Issues

Previous versions of newsletters are posted on the Alta Vista web site. If you missed an issue or there is a previous issue you would like to reference, please visit: http://www.altavistaben.com

Need a better web site? Can't be found in Google? Call Tom Anderson at 614-679-0912 or visit www.excelleweb.com

Alta Vista Benefits Feb 2009 Newsletter

Community News

Many of us are facing the realities of having a friend, parent or loved one in a non-medical care giving situation. We are forced to have difficult conversations with them about staying in their home and about how to fund the cost of care giving.

If you are interested in finding out more, please attend the free
"Love Your Parents + Live Your Life" seminar on March 12, 2009 at Trillium Place, 3500 Trillium Crossing, Columbus, OH 43235. Registration begins at 5:45 PM and the program begins promptly at 6 PM. You will have the opportunity to ask your questions of the Moving Forward Senior Solutions panel.

Please RSVP by Friday, March 6th to Lucy Grosz at 624-889-0934 or lucy@altavistaben.com

Back Issues

Previous versions of newsletters are posted on the Alta Vista web site. If you missed an issue or there is a previous issue you would like to reference, please visit:
http://www.altavistaben.com

Issue #14

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.

Stimulus Package: New COBRA legislation

As you are aware, President Obama recently signed into law a $790 billion economic stimulus package – the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This plan combines $281 billion in tax cuts, $311 billion in programs funded by appropriation committees and $193 billion for benefits programs.

Here are the major COBRA provisions:

1. The act provides a subsidy of 65% of the COBRA premiums for individuals who were involuntarily terminated between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. This is not available for people who voluntarily resigned. Eligibility for this program ends when the individual becomes eligible for Medicare or a new employer-sponsored health plan.

2. This assistance will be available beginning March 1, 2009 and will last a maximum of nine (9) months. It is not a retroactive benefit.

3. Participants in this plan will also have to attest that their individual income is less than $125,000 and family income is less than $250,000.

4. Individuals who were involuntarily terminated between September 1, 2008 and February 17, 2009 who failed to elect COBRA because it was unaffordable, have an additional 60 days to make the election and receive the subsidy.

An individual's former employer will be responsible for paying the 65% COBRA assistance. In return, the employer will receive a credit against payroll taxes. My understanding is that payment by the employer will be triggered when the individual pays the remaining 35% of the premium.

Many of my clients are taking advantage of this subsidy while they are in a job search. Please keep in mind that the COBRA premiums return to the full amount after nine months. If you and your family want to shop for individual coverage at the end of the subsidy period, you must prove that you are insurable with any of the carriers.

If you have further questions about this legislation, please contact us. We will be happy to help you.

Did You Know?

A total of 15% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is used on health care spending. You have undoubtedly heard about the efforts on a national level to address health care issues.

The State of Ohio is also examining ways to make access to health care more affordable. If you would like more information about what Ohio is doing, please consult the frequently asked questions (FAQ) area on http://www.recovery.ohio.gov.

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.

Alta Vista Benefits Jan 2009 Newsletter

Community News

Many of us are facing the realities of having a friend, parent or loved one in a non-medical care giving situation. We are forced to have difficult conversations with them about staying in their home and about how to fund the cost of care giving.

If you are interested in finding out more, please attend the free
"Love Your Parents + Live Your Life" seminar on March 12, 2009 at Trillium Place, 3500 Trillium Crossing, Columbus, OH 43235. Registration begins at 5:45 PM and the program begins promptly at 6 PM. You will have the opportunity to ask your questions of the Moving Forward Senior Solutions panel.

Please RSVP by Friday, March 6th to Lucy Grosz at 624-889-0934 or lucy@altavistaben.com

Back Issues

Previous versions of newsletters are posted on the Alta Vista web site. If you missed an issue or there is a previous issue you would like to reference, please visit:
http://www.altavistaben.com

Happy New Year from Alta Vista Benefits!!

Issue #12

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.

Are You Protected?: Losing Your Income

Your income could possibly be the most important asset you have. Your lifestyle, standard of living and financial goals are all tied directly to your income. Since you have worked hard to get to your current earnings, keeping your income flowing is a critical part of protecting your family and you. There are many options to do this with disability income protection.

It may surprise you to know that most disabilities are caused by illness, and less than 14% are caused by injuries. If you are disabled, it can be as financially devastating to your family as a death. Not only do you lose your income, your expenses can increase as a result of caring for you.

If you have not reviewed your disability policy lately, you only have coverage through your employer, or have no coverage at all, please contact us. We can help you find affordable coverage to protect the valuable asset of your income.

Did You Know?

It is important to know the definition of a disability that is stated in any policy you have. A disability can be a full or partial disability and the interpretation of that varies by carrier.

The definition of occupation (your "own" occupation or "any occupation) also has a bearing on the type of policy you choose. Definitions of "own" occupation can also vary by carrier.

We can help you make the right choice for your situation. We work with a team of people that can help you ensure that you choose a financially sound company and the right policy for the right price. To learn more, contact us today.

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.