Why Talk To Me About Insurance?
I’ll tell you the complete unvarnished truth.
Take for instance all the talk about bad insurance companies. Now, there is no doubt that there are some bad apples out there. But is the talk you hear in the news really honest and truthful?
For instance …
- According to the American Medical Association, in 2008 the government’s health plan (Medicare) denied medical claims at close to double the insurance industry. The government ran health care plan denied 6.85% of all claims. That is more than one in fifteen.
- What about the insurance industry? Aetna denied the most (and came in second to Medicare), but the average in the industy, according to this report was 3.88%, which is about 1 in 26, nearly twice as good as the government run program.
- Now to be fair, some claims should be denied. But in view of all the rheteric, a little truth would be nice for the sake of our sanity.
- And 2009 was better than 2008. But who denied the most again? The government ran health insurance program.
So whereas I cannot do anything about all the rhetoric (I wouldn’t even try), I can help you by telling you the truth. I give my clients good advice, based on their circumstances. And I’ve been doing it for 30 years.
Call me at 209-390-1163 if I can answer any questions for you. I’m here to help.
Michael Myers
Six Reasons to Apply Online
Health insurance has always been something that I have advocated people talk to me about before applying.
Why?
For two simple but very important reasons;
- People have different expectations when they purchase health insurance, and
- Health insurance companies only give you the reasons to buy their product. They rarely discuss the thinking that goes into selecting a plan. They will give you all the legally required language (which no one reads), and they will stress the benefits, but they do not discuss things like, underwriting or how this particular health insurance plan fits into your particular goals, or how it fits into your budget (or doesn’t fit into your budget).
That is where I come in. I help a person think about those things – I provide the facts that a person needs to make a decision, before they get to the point of actually selecting a health insurance plan.
So why the heading: “Six Reasons to Apply Online” if I am telling you that you should talk to me first?
Because it’s irrelevant what I think. It’s what you think that matters. And the truth is, many people just want to do it that way.
So that is my first reason: it’s what you want to do. So in order, here are my “Six Reasons to Apply Online”:
- It’s what many people want to do.
- It saves time.
- You may do it in the privacy of your home, office, or the local Wi-Fi equipped coffee house.
- You can do it at midnight, if that is when you have time to do it.
- Privacy.
- It’s what you want to do.
Okay, the sixth reason is a repeat, but twice for emphasis, right? Really it comes down to the one reason. You don’t want to meet with someone, as this makes you feel obligated, and you want to just do it yourself.
I understand. And that is fine.
But remember my reasons that you should meet with me first? I’d like you to consider those reasons as being of benefit to you. And so the rest of what I write will deal with those specific things, and hopefully, what I write will benefit you. (But I am always here to help you, either on the phone or in person, should you find you need to know more).
So which of these scenarios fits your thinking best?
Scenario One: I think I’m in pretty good health. I don’t need health insurance for small stuff, but I do worry about something major happening. California Residents Click Here
Scenario Two: I am in pretty good health, but it really hurts to have to come up with $1,500 for a doctor visit and a few lab tests! I want something that I know what it’s going to cost me if I go to the doctor just like what I use to have when I worked for XYZ Widget Company. California Residents Click Here
Scenario Three: I have some health issues and I don’t know if they will accept me. I know I can’t expect to get the same quality of health insurance I had when I worked for XYZ Widget Company, but I need to have something that will pay toward my costs if I have to go to the doctor or worse, the hospital. California, Kansas and Nevada Residents Click Here
And if you have health insurance, but would like to save money on Dental Expenses, Click Here
And of course, if you cannot find what you are looking for, or have questions, or just need some help sorting it all out, call me. I’m here to help.
Save Money in Health Insurance and Improve Benefits
Can this be done? In almost all cases, the answer is yes. This will work in groups of 2-50 and the principles of this can even be done by individuals.
I have tried to write a post on how this is done, but my post includes a graph that compares the typical PPO that most people purchase with my Out-Of-The-Typical-Box solution. Unfortunately, if there is a way to put a graph into a blog post, apparently I do not know how to do it.
But if you’d like to know more, please call me 209-390-1163 or email me at michaelpmyers @ gmail.com and I will send the complete post.
Insurance and The Lottery
It’s not uncommon for people to have the view that insurance is like the lottery … a big gamble.
For a person who has never filed a claim, I guess I understand them having this view. However, I want to examine this conclusion for just a moment.
According to information posted on the Internet:
The odds of winning the California Super Lotto Jackpot are 1 in 18 million! Other lotteries may have slightly better “odds”, such as 1 in 15 million! (Feel better now?) Here is another way of looking at it: If one person purchases 50 Lotto tickets each week, they will win the jackpot about once every 5,000 years.
How do those odds compare to the odds of an insurance claim being filed? For instance, what about the chances of ever needing disability income?
If you are currently 25 years of age, there is a 1 in 44 chance you will be disabled and unable to work at some point in your life. This statistic increases with age, so that, when you are 55 years of age, the chances have increased to 1 in 27!
Similarly, what about the chances of needing some type of in-home or facility care (non-hospital) when a person gets older? To answer this, I will quote from the respected, Wall Street Journal, which stated
… a couple turning 65 has a 75% chance that one of them will need long term care.
This high risk can also affect the entire family where the children are at risk of a negative inheritance, also according to the Wall Street Journal.
Along these same lines, The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys did a study and compared the risk of needing long term care with the risk of other financially devastating risks, such as a major auto accident, or a fire in a person’s home. According to that study, the rates of risk were:
- Automobile accident 1 out of 240 [0.4%]
- Fire damaging your home 1 out of 1,200 [0.08%]
- Needing long term care assistance 1 out of 2 [50%]
Of course the chance of dying is 1 in 1 [100%].
The biggest difference between the two “products” is – the lottery appeals to peoples desires, while properly selected insurance provides “Real Solutions for Real Risks”. Sometimes the real reason we do not make decisions about insurance coverage, is that we “know” we can’t afford all the types of insurance we could buy, so we just kind of dismiss them all.
I am here to help you.
I will never pressure you to buy this or buy that. I will provide you objective and well-researched information to tailor the product to your need and circumstances. This is true whether you’ve bought insurance in the past, or if you’ve put off buying insurance. I will help youget the best value for your hard earned dollars.
What is the cost of the insurance? Obviously this depends on you and your needs, but one thing I will assure you: it’s a lot less than buying lottery tickets!
Just ask … I can help! Call me at 209-390-1163 and I will show you the best way for you.
Employers Save Big Bucks on Health Care
With the push toward required health insurance, and the ever changing Topsy-Turvy world of politics, how does an employer plan? And what can be done about the spiraling costs?
Actually the answer to both of these questions is the same. Plan for change, but do what is good for you and your employees now.
But it keeps going up and I’m trying to run a business”.
Exactly!
The answer is not in “the beltway”, nor in “the box”. It’s well outside the traditional thinking that we (meaning both you as an employer/employee and us Insurance Guys) are told to think.
It’s really quite simple. It has to do with reallocation of both monies and priorities. You actually can improve your overall package and save money - a lot of money!
Its kind of like the old “work smarter, not harder” adage. Just because some say to do it a certain way, this does not mean its correct. In fact, I want to state clearly that you should not accept what you’ve been told is correct … because in most cases, I find that it is not.
How much can you save? Depending on the size of your business, your prior choices and the ages of your employees, it could easily be 25% to 45% of your total benefits package!The best thing is this, most would agree that your package will be better than it was before.
I have actual examples I could share with you. But better than that, why not get a real illustration as it applies to your situation?
To see how much you can save, call me at 209-390-1163 or 866-301-9652 today and I will get to work with an illustration as it relates to your business.
Call me today and be saving money by next month.
Michael Myers
