Alta Vista News Flash
Lucy Grosz has completed her certification in Wellness and certification in Consumer Driven Health Care (CDHC).
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
Welcome
Issue #24
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.
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What's new with Health Care Reform?
New requirements after September 22, 2010
Here are answers to questions you may have about what is next with Health Care reform:
Q: I buy my own health insurance. How will the health law affect my coverage?
A: For policy years starting after Sept. 23, all health insurance policies in the individual market will be barred from cancelling coverage once you get sick — a practice known as “rescission” — unless you committed fraud when applying for coverage. Insurers will be prohibited from setting lifetime limits on your coverage. The plans must also allow you to keep an adult child up to age 26 on your health plan.
New policies can’t deny coverage for children up to age 19 based on a pre-existing medical condition. But “grandfathered” plans can; they can also set annual dollar limits and require cost-sharing for some preventive services.
Q: I’m on Medicare. Will my benefits change?
A: Your basic package of Medicare benefits will expand under the law. But if you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan — a private plan that offers Medicare benefits — you might lose some extra benefits at some point.
In terms of the overall Medicare program, as of late August, one million Medicare beneficiaries received a $250 check to help cover prescription drug costs in what’s known as the doughnut hole. That’s the gap in coverage where beneficiaries must pay the full cost of their prescriptions until catastrophic coverage kicks in. Starting next year, beneficiaries will receive a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs and a 7 percent discount on generic drugs while they are in the coverage gap. The health law closes the gap entirely by 2020.
In addition, beginning next year, Medicare beneficiaries won’t have to pay co-payments or deductibles on many preventive health care services, including diabetes and cervical cancer screenings. Medicare will also pay for an annual wellness visit to the doctor.
To help pay for the health overhaul, Congress is cutting payments to Medicare Advantage plans, beginning the year after next. Beneficiaries won’t lose any of their basic Medicare benefits as a result of the reductions but some Medicare Advantage insurers could decide to stop offering additional benefits, such as coverage for eyeglasses or gym memberships.
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Doing an Insurance Checkup
Do you have enough coverage?
You purchased life insurance, but have you looked at the policy lately? Have you compared it with you current goals and lifestyle? Will your current coverage provide the protection you want for your family if something happens to you?
Alta Vista Benefits can help you find out quickly and easily. We offer a complimentary insurance checkup that is a very simple process. We'll review your current coverage,assess any life changes since your policy was issued and determine if your coverage still meets your financial goals. You are under no obligation to buy anything.
Get more peace of mind today by getting your no-obligation review. Click here to contact us by e-mail or call Lucy Grosz at 614-889-0934.
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Did you know?
Visit your dentist for better health
The condition of your oral health can offer lots of clues about your overall health. Oral health is connected to many other health conditions beyond the mouth and many times, the first sign of disease shows up in the mouth.
For example, research shows that several types of cardiovascular disease may be linked to oral health. They include heart disease, clogged arteries and stroke. In addition, the first stages of bone loss may show up in teeth, and both AIDS and cancer may first show up as oral problems.
So, stay healthier by visiting your dentist. It is safer and less painful than you think.
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Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934.
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Alta Vista Benefits Aug 2010 Newsletter
Issue #22
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.
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Life Planning
Get your life organized
Have you organized your life so that your family knows your wishes if you cannot make health or financial choices yourself?
Have you thought about the consequences to your loved ones if you should be seriously injured, become frail or have a cognitive impairment and need care over a period of years?
If that happens, what is your plan?
Having an overall life plan is important to:
1) Ensure that your family knows your wishes and is prepared to support you.
2) Maintain your independence for as long as possible without compromising the emotional and physical well being of those you love.
3) Preserve your investment/retirement portfolio so it can be used for income.
You depend on income to provide financial stability and support your lifestyle. When you need care and your portfolio is reallocated to pay for it, it impacts your financial commitments, the financial viability of your spouse, and that of your children who depend on your legacy. If you ever do need care, your family’s life is dramatically changed without a plan.
Key components of a plan:
1) Legal Review -- Work with your attorney to review and update wills, living wills, trusts, durable power of attorney, health care power of attorney and other legal documents. Even if you already have these documents, it is important to review them on a regular basis.
2) Prepare Your Home -- Make sure your home is handicap friendly/accessible. This includes bright lighting, a shower chair, 36 inch doorways, bars in tubs and showers, first floor laundry and bath, a security system and other accommodations to help you stay in your home safely.
3) Communicate Your Plan -- Write down your plan and communicate with loved ones about the location of important documents and accounts, any health concerns you have and what your plan is for care. Have extra keys made and give them to someone you trust.
4) Document Financial Information -- Organize financial information by making a list of accounts and important advisers. Share this information with a spouse and other family members.
5) Review Insurance and Investments -- Make appointments with your trusted advisers to review all of your insurance and investments. Identify the person who will monitor them if you can't.
6) Protect Your Income -- Protect your income from being reallocated to pay for care by determining if disability and/or long term care coverage works for you. People purchase both types of income protection, not because they expect to need care, but to mitigate the consequences if they do.
Protecting you and your family is a necessity, not a choice. For help with your plan, contact us at 614-889-0934 or lucy@altavistaben.com.
Did You Know?
Wellness Benefits
There are now Wellness Benefits available to you as an individual, so you no longer have to depend on an employer to access this type of benefit. Alta Vista Benefits is certified in Wellness and can get you connected to the wellness resources you need.
There are also new tax incentives for small businesses who start a Wellness program, beginning in 2011. If you work for an employer who does not have a plan and are interested in starting one, just let us know.
For more information about how you can get healthier through a wellness program, please contact us.
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.
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Life Planning
Get your life organized
Have you organized your life so that your family knows your wishes if you cannot make health or financial choices yourself?
Have you thought about the consequences to your loved ones if you should be seriously injured, become frail or have a cognitive impairment and need care over a period of years?
If that happens, what is your plan?
Having an overall life plan is important to:
1) Ensure that your family knows your wishes and is prepared to support you.
2) Maintain your independence for as long as possible without compromising the emotional and physical well being of those you love.
3) Preserve your investment/retirement portfolio so it can be used for income.
You depend on income to provide financial stability and support your lifestyle. When you need care and your portfolio is reallocated to pay for it, it impacts your financial commitments, the financial viability of your spouse, and that of your children who depend on your legacy. If you ever do need care, your family’s life is dramatically changed without a plan.
Key components of a plan:
1) Legal Review -- Work with your attorney to review and update wills, living wills, trusts, durable power of attorney, health care power of attorney and other legal documents. Even if you already have these documents, it is important to review them on a regular basis.
2) Prepare Your Home -- Make sure your home is handicap friendly/accessible. This includes bright lighting, a shower chair, 36 inch doorways, bars in tubs and showers, first floor laundry and bath, a security system and other accommodations to help you stay in your home safely.
3) Communicate Your Plan -- Write down your plan and communicate with loved ones about the location of important documents and accounts, any health concerns you have and what your plan is for care. Have extra keys made and give them to someone you trust.
4) Document Financial Information -- Organize financial information by making a list of accounts and important advisers. Share this information with a spouse and other family members.
5) Review Insurance and Investments -- Make appointments with your trusted advisers to review all of your insurance and investments. Identify the person who will monitor them if you can't.
6) Protect Your Income -- Protect your income from being reallocated to pay for care by determining if disability and/or long term care coverage works for you. People purchase both types of income protection, not because they expect to need care, but to mitigate the consequences if they do.
Protecting you and your family is a necessity, not a choice. For help with your plan, contact us at 614-889-0934 or lucy@altavistaben.com.
Did You Know?
Wellness Benefits
There are now Wellness Benefits available to you as an individual, so you no longer have to depend on an employer to access this type of benefit. Alta Vista Benefits is certified in Wellness and can get you connected to the wellness resources you need.
There are also new tax incentives for small businesses who start a Wellness program, beginning in 2011. If you work for an employer who does not have a plan and are interested in starting one, just let us know.
For more information about how you can get healthier through a wellness program, please contact us.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Keeping the Health Plan You Have - Grandfathering under the Affordable Care Act
Issue #21
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.
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Keeping the Health Plan You Have
Grandfathering under the Affordable Care Act
The Department of Health and Human Services today announced the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that affect "grandfathering" status for Americans who currently have health plans. These provisions affect individuals who purchase their own health insurance as well as individuals who have employer-sponsored health coverage.
The new provisions allow plans that existed on March 23, 2010 to make routine changes without losing grandfather status. The routine changes include:
* Cost adjustments to keep pace with medical inflation;
* Adding new benefits;
* Making modest adjustments to existing benefits; and
* Adopting new consumer protections or making changes to comply with Federal or state laws.
Premium changes are not used when determining whether or not a plan is grandfathered. However, changing insurance companies will cause a loss of grandfathered status.
If a health plan loses its grandfathered status, consumers will gain new benefits, including:
* Coverage of recommended prevention services with no cost sharing; and
* Patient protections such as guaranteed access to OB-GYNs and pediatricians.
All health plans regardless if they are grandfathered plans or not must provide certain benefits for plan years starting on or after September 23, 2010, including:
* No lifetime limits on coverage for all plans;
* No recissions of coverage when people get sick and have previously made an unintentional mistake on their application;
* Extension of parents’ coverage to adults under 26 years of age
For Americans who get their health insurance through employers, additional benefits will be offered, whether or not their plan is grandfathered, including:
* No coverage exclusions for children with pre-existing conditions; and
* No “restricted” annual limits
Alta Vista Benefits is committed to giving you information about the Affordable Care Act as quickly as it is made available. If you would like to know more, please contact us today.
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Did You Know?
Life Insurance
Life insurance can provide benefits to your family in addition to a death benefit. Many clients are using whole life policies as a way to save money for college educations, gift money to children and grandchildren or create a retirement fund.
For more information about how you can use life insurance as part of your financial strategy, please contact us.
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Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934.
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keeping the Health Plan You Have
Grandfathering under the Affordable Care Act
The Department of Health and Human Services today announced the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that affect "grandfathering" status for Americans who currently have health plans. These provisions affect individuals who purchase their own health insurance as well as individuals who have employer-sponsored health coverage.
The new provisions allow plans that existed on March 23, 2010 to make routine changes without losing grandfather status. The routine changes include:
* Cost adjustments to keep pace with medical inflation;
* Adding new benefits;
* Making modest adjustments to existing benefits; and
* Adopting new consumer protections or making changes to comply with Federal or state laws.
Premium changes are not used when determining whether or not a plan is grandfathered. However, changing insurance companies will cause a loss of grandfathered status.
If a health plan loses its grandfathered status, consumers will gain new benefits, including:
* Coverage of recommended prevention services with no cost sharing; and
* Patient protections such as guaranteed access to OB-GYNs and pediatricians.
All health plans regardless if they are grandfathered plans or not must provide certain benefits for plan years starting on or after September 23, 2010, including:
* No lifetime limits on coverage for all plans;
* No recissions of coverage when people get sick and have previously made an unintentional mistake on their application;
* Extension of parents’ coverage to adults under 26 years of age
For Americans who get their health insurance through employers, additional benefits will be offered, whether or not their plan is grandfathered, including:
* No coverage exclusions for children with pre-existing conditions; and
* No “restricted” annual limits
Alta Vista Benefits is committed to giving you information about the Affordable Care Act as quickly as it is made available. If you would like to know more, please contact us today.
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Did You Know?
Life Insurance
Life insurance can provide benefits to your family in addition to a death benefit. Many clients are using whole life policies as a way to save money for college educations, gift money to children and grandchildren or create a retirement fund.
For more information about how you can use life insurance as part of your financial strategy, please contact us.
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Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934.
Friday, May 21, 2010
May 2010 Alta Vista Benefits Newsletter
Issue #20
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.
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COBRA Subsidy Extended
Does this affect you?
The COBRA subsidies have been extended again through May 31, 2010. Under ARRA, the Federal government or the insurance carrier pays 65% of COBRA premiums for a period of fifteen (15) months for individuals who were involuntarily terminated. In addition to some income limitations, eligibility is for individuals terminated between September 1, 2008 and May 31, 2010.
If you have questions regarding how this legislation affects you, please contact us today. We will work with you to help you make your COBRA decision.
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Did You Know?
Ten Savvy Job Search Tips
Many of our clients are in a job search and we try to help them network to their next position. We have savvy tips for your job search, courtesy of Change it Forward, a Human Resource and Career Coaching firm.
Here are their job search tips:
1) Consider your job search your new full time position, and plan your day accordingly.
2) Get up and begin your day as if you were going to your office.
3) Designate a space in your home as your "work space" and set it aside for your job search tools.
4) Develop a "job search plan", set up a daily calendar and track your progress against your plan.
5) Create a powerful "master resume" with the idea that you will have to change it with job specific details when you apply for each position.
6) Track every resume that you send out, including company and position. When you are contacted for an interview, you will already have the job details to help with your job search plan.
7) Use online web sites to post for positions, but do not assume that the company only has posted positions.
8) Make a dream list of the 10 companies you are interested in most and network to find internal contacts in each company.
9) Review the web sites of your dream list companies for what postings best fit your background and expertise. Visit the sites weekly to look for changes and new postings.
10) Control your stress by adding daily walking to your schedule. Even a few minutes a day will help you.
If you would like to discuss additional job search tips, contact Deb Crall at 614-296-7424.
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Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934.
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COBRA Subsidy Extended
Does this affect you?
The COBRA subsidies have been extended again through May 31, 2010. Under ARRA, the Federal government or the insurance carrier pays 65% of COBRA premiums for a period of fifteen (15) months for individuals who were involuntarily terminated. In addition to some income limitations, eligibility is for individuals terminated between September 1, 2008 and May 31, 2010.
If you have questions regarding how this legislation affects you, please contact us today. We will work with you to help you make your COBRA decision.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Did You Know?
Ten Savvy Job Search Tips
Many of our clients are in a job search and we try to help them network to their next position. We have savvy tips for your job search, courtesy of Change it Forward, a Human Resource and Career Coaching firm.
Here are their job search tips:
1) Consider your job search your new full time position, and plan your day accordingly.
2) Get up and begin your day as if you were going to your office.
3) Designate a space in your home as your "work space" and set it aside for your job search tools.
4) Develop a "job search plan", set up a daily calendar and track your progress against your plan.
5) Create a powerful "master resume" with the idea that you will have to change it with job specific details when you apply for each position.
6) Track every resume that you send out, including company and position. When you are contacted for an interview, you will already have the job details to help with your job search plan.
7) Use online web sites to post for positions, but do not assume that the company only has posted positions.
8) Make a dream list of the 10 companies you are interested in most and network to find internal contacts in each company.
9) Review the web sites of your dream list companies for what postings best fit your background and expertise. Visit the sites weekly to look for changes and new postings.
10) Control your stress by adding daily walking to your schedule. Even a few minutes a day will help you.
If you would like to discuss additional job search tips, contact Deb Crall at 614-296-7424.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Alta Vista Benefits Dec 2009 Newsletter
Issue #19
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.
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New COBRA Legislation
Does this affect you?
On December 19, 2009, President Obama signed a bill that extends the COBRA subsidies made available earlier this year under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Under this law, the Federal government pays 65% of COBRA premiums for a period of nine (9) months for individuals who were involuntarily terminated. In addition to some income limitations, eligibility was for individuals terminated between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009.
Under the new provisions:
The end date for eligibility has been extended from December 31, 2009 to February 28, 2010.
The subsidy period has been extended to 15 months, up from 9 months.
Coverage is extended to former employees whose original subsidy expired. Those individuals who lost their subsidy because they were at the end of their 9 months in November, 2009 or later are grandfathered under the new law and may receive six more months of assistance.
A new notification is required within 60 days, outlining the changes to all individuals eligible for COBRA on or after October 31, 2009.
If you have questions regarding how this legislation affects you, please contact us today. We will work with you to help you make your COBRA decision.
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Did You Know?
If you are planning to do any travel outside of the country, you should know that your medical insurance generally is not accepted outside of the United States. If you should become sick or injured, a medical evacuation can cost as much as $50,000 or more.
Travel insurance is not just for canceled flights and lost luggage. It can provide protection for both business and personal travel, foreign worker's compensation, international group health insurance, personal medical coverage and medical evacuation services. Best of all, this is very affordable coverage.
Before you take your next foreign business trip or vacation outside of the country, please contact us. We will help you make sure you have the right coverage for your needs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934.
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New COBRA Legislation
Does this affect you?
On December 19, 2009, President Obama signed a bill that extends the COBRA subsidies made available earlier this year under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Under this law, the Federal government pays 65% of COBRA premiums for a period of nine (9) months for individuals who were involuntarily terminated. In addition to some income limitations, eligibility was for individuals terminated between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009.
Under the new provisions:
The end date for eligibility has been extended from December 31, 2009 to February 28, 2010.
The subsidy period has been extended to 15 months, up from 9 months.
Coverage is extended to former employees whose original subsidy expired. Those individuals who lost their subsidy because they were at the end of their 9 months in November, 2009 or later are grandfathered under the new law and may receive six more months of assistance.
A new notification is required within 60 days, outlining the changes to all individuals eligible for COBRA on or after October 31, 2009.
If you have questions regarding how this legislation affects you, please contact us today. We will work with you to help you make your COBRA decision.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Did You Know?
If you are planning to do any travel outside of the country, you should know that your medical insurance generally is not accepted outside of the United States. If you should become sick or injured, a medical evacuation can cost as much as $50,000 or more.
Travel insurance is not just for canceled flights and lost luggage. It can provide protection for both business and personal travel, foreign worker's compensation, international group health insurance, personal medical coverage and medical evacuation services. Best of all, this is very affordable coverage.
Before you take your next foreign business trip or vacation outside of the country, please contact us. We will help you make sure you have the right coverage for your needs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lucy Grosz is the CEO of Alta Vista Benefits and can be reached at lucy@altavistaben.com or by phone at 614-889-0934.
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