Health insurance is one of those hot-button topics that folks love to complain about but seldom do anything constructive to change. We keep hearing stories (anecdotal or otherwise) about people working past a traditional retirement age so that they can qualify for health insurance. Since I am self-employed, I’m on the hook for my own insurance.
Last Fall, we received yet another notice from my health insurance carrier that my rates were going up. Having not had any type of claim in something like six years, I decided that their practice of routinely jacking up my bill was not going to happen again. It was only then that I embarked on a very interesting journey to secure a new health insurance provider, who would grant solid coverage at a better price.
While I would clearly describe myself as an optimistic person, I must level with you and say that I had no preconceived notions that I was about to get “something for nothing”. After doing some analysis and a little research, it occurred to me that my current health insurance policy featured a deductible that was way too low. Amazingly enough, had I stayed with my old provider and simply adjusted the deductible, I still would not have saved a whole lot of money. Needless to say, I was glad to rid myself of my old insurance company.
Given the wonderful technology age we live in, I wanted to replace my health insurance coverage by doing all of my shopping in cyberspace.
Filling out a few fields online did not phase me, but I should have become suspicious when one of the pieces of information that was requested was “telephone number”. Yes, instead of getting several quotes for health insurance over the Net to choose from, I was the proud recipient of telephone calls from health insurance agents.
As it turns out, the website where I filled out the application shared my “sales lead” with Lord knows how many health insurance agents.
It began the day after I filled out one of the online forms. These health insurance agents were circling like vultures, desperately wanting to get their foot in the door to sell me their wares.
Altogether, over a several day period, I’m sure that there were less than a dozen health insurance providers who contacted me. (My darling wife will try to convince you that there must have been more than that, based on the number of times she had that disgusted look on her face as she handed me the phone.)
As much as I wanted to be able to conduct all of this health insurance business over the phone or Internet, I quickly became resigned to the fact that it probably wasn’t going to happen that way.
Early on, a very affable guy (that would be a euphemism for “fast-talking slicky dude”) found a way to “bond” with me, and we set up an appointment to meet in my home a short time later.
My first mistake in this process was not doing some online research in advance of this health insurance sales call. It is easy for me to claim that there just wasn’t enough time. Trust me to not make that mistake again.
The health insurance salesman acted like a very nice guy, as opposed to many I‘ve encountered. The fact that he drove such a snazzy car is testimony to his ability at salesmanship. He sold me on the fact that his health insurance policy was designed for the self employed, and actually had an “Aflac-like” feature, which would pay me cash for each day that I might be hospitalized.
When I took into consideration the higher deductible, my premiums for this health insurance policy were going to be lowered substantially, with seemingly equal or better coverage.
While he left me with a small mountain of brochures describing this health insurance, it did seem that some of the paperwork he had shown me during his “dog and pony show” found its way permanently into his briefcase. I would have enjoyed being able to take a second look at some of that documentation. This was not something that I lost sleep over, as I knew that I’d have time to rescind the policy in the event that I found any “red flags” upon its arrival.
Had there not been more health insurance “vultures” circling in hopes of making a sale with me, I might not ever have conjured up any suspicions about the quality of the coverage that I had just purchased.
When one inquiring mind politely asked with whom had I decided to purchase my health insurance policy, he told me “that he had gotten a lot of people out of that awful policy and on board with him.” He proceeded to describe in graphic detail some of the shortcomings of that policy.
One of my staunch axioms is that you should never denigrate the competition. If you don’t have anything nice to say about somebody, don’t say anything at all.
In this case, I have to confess that his comments may not have been unjustified. When I “Googled” the name of my new health insurance company, I came up with a variety of articles detailing some horror stories that a huge number of people had with respect to their coverage, many of which ended up in court.
The moral of this story, before I even get to the end of it, is to READ YOUR POLICY. I don’t care how dreadfully boring you may find the typical health insurance policy to be, I actually analyzed mine, and found the following shocking details about my coverage.
Under the category “Surgeon Benefit” it said the following: “Covered Expenses incurred for services by the Physician performing Surgery.
If two or more Surgeries are performed at the same time through separate incisions, We will consider the one providing the largest Benefit. We will also consider 50% of the Benefits otherwise payable for the other Surgeries performed at the same time.
We will not consider more than one Surgery performed through the same incision during the same operation; however, We will consider the Surgery providing the largest Benefit.”
When I spoke to a customer service person with the insurance company, she confirmed that if I had, for example, multiple injuries from an automobile accident, then they would pay on an 80-20 basis for one of those procedures. The balance of the procedures performed would leave me “on the hook” for at least 50% of the costs. Considering what surgeons, anesthesiologists, surgical nurses, etc. charge, it is not difficult to imagine why so many of this companies insured’s had complained demonstrably when they received crippling medical bills after having a major medical event.
No wonder when I conducted a Google search of this insurance company’s name, I read an absolutely heart-rending story of a family that was left in financial chaos after a cancer surgery and treatment.
Never mind the fact that the salesman used all the correct buzzwords to describe his product, upon further review, I was not going to be receiving the coverage that I thought I was getting.
Never mind the fact that many of the problems that other people were having over the years may actually have been rectified by now. I know exactly what I was reading in black and white in my policy, and I know it was something that I wanted no part of. My salesman clearly misrepresented the coverage I was receiving.
It was amazingly easy to unwind this policy. Every cent that I had prepaid was cheerfully refunded in a very timely manner.
Surprisingly enough, when I ultimately got my health insurance coverage with the new provider, everything was handled over the phone, in as painless a manner as you could imagine.
My only reluctance in naming names here is the fact that over the past several months it is entirely possible that this nationally known company has in fact cleaned up its act completely, and may offer health insurance policies that are in line with everyone’s expectations. If you’d really like to know who they are, feel free to email me at the address here on my blog. After all, what’s a little health insurance talk among friends?
Monday, July 23, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Free Information On Internet Marketing A Goldmine
Everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy success in life, as long as they are willing to apply themselves a little in the process.
Success, something of a nebulous term, can be measured by wealth alone, or by the impact had in the lives of others through community service or volunteerism. It can certainly be a combination of the two.
Because we live in the “digital age” and/or the “information age” as its been referred to, opportunities abound for everyday people (that is, folks like you and me who don’t particularly have deep pockets or any technological genius) to create a cash flow via the internet.
Those who kiss-their-job-goodbye and spend their day working in pajamas, as the commonly held image goes, are fewer in number than some would have you believe. But, you can’t deny the fact that for some, simply having a sideline or a “little extra cash” each month can be the difference in sending a child to college, contributing more effectively to church or charity, or simply affording a simple luxury that otherwise would be out of reach.
If the ‘Net income is a means of transitioning to an early retirement, one has to ask themselves “What here could possibly be bad about that?” The answer, of course, is “Nothing.”
A greater question that comes to mind is, “How do I get started?”
That’s the marvelous thing about living in the era that we do. The Internet abounds with information that will help the greenest, most inexperienced person get off to a flying start.
Providing lift to getting any venture off the ground is affiliate marketing. This is the practice of promoting the products of others, in exchange for a commission.
When Amazon.com created affiliate marketing, there were only a few individuals ready to capture this internet income opportunity and make the most of it.
It took years of trial and error before a relatively small group of internet marketing masters hit upon a system for their craft which has brought many of them phenomenal wealth.
These are the types of success stories that make us root for the underdogs of life.
If you were to “Google” a phrase such as “internet marketing” you will see a treasure trove of about 443,000,000 hits to choose from. How can you possibly slog your way through almost a half-billion hits for merely one topic? More importantly, how much is it going to cost you?
Place a value on your time and allow someone else who has navigated these waters already to guide you along the way. There’s one guy who has spent the past ten years experimenting and learning the affiliate marketing ropes the hard way.
His name is Ewen Chia.
Here’s the best part of all. Unlike so many other competitors in this field, Ewen actually gives you some fabulous insights, ideas, and shares from his personal experiences all for free.
If you go to Ewen’s site, found at http://tinyurl.com/256s6r you can absorb unbelievable content posted on his blog, such as “Controversial Email Marketing Secrets Revealed” and “Web Conversion Secrets: 43 Minute Video Teaches You How”. The amazing thing is that Ewen makes all of this powerful content available for free.
Anytime that you can find a person with such a depth of experience who is generous enough to share this valuable expertise without expecting you to dig into your wallet first, you must be ready, willing and able to soak it all up.
The farther you dig down into Ewen’s article archive, you will soon realize that the vein of gold you’ve tapped into is only the beginning.
For example, in the post titled “The Truth About Making Money Online” he offers how to overcome information overload once and for all. Perhaps more importantly, he shares how to get started immediately with your internet business even if you’re a complete beginner.
It’s enough to make a person think that the world isn’t such a cold and crass place after all, when guys like Ewen Chia are sharing so much rich content in exchange for your time.
Success, something of a nebulous term, can be measured by wealth alone, or by the impact had in the lives of others through community service or volunteerism. It can certainly be a combination of the two.
Because we live in the “digital age” and/or the “information age” as its been referred to, opportunities abound for everyday people (that is, folks like you and me who don’t particularly have deep pockets or any technological genius) to create a cash flow via the internet.
Those who kiss-their-job-goodbye and spend their day working in pajamas, as the commonly held image goes, are fewer in number than some would have you believe. But, you can’t deny the fact that for some, simply having a sideline or a “little extra cash” each month can be the difference in sending a child to college, contributing more effectively to church or charity, or simply affording a simple luxury that otherwise would be out of reach.
If the ‘Net income is a means of transitioning to an early retirement, one has to ask themselves “What here could possibly be bad about that?” The answer, of course, is “Nothing.”
A greater question that comes to mind is, “How do I get started?”
That’s the marvelous thing about living in the era that we do. The Internet abounds with information that will help the greenest, most inexperienced person get off to a flying start.
Providing lift to getting any venture off the ground is affiliate marketing. This is the practice of promoting the products of others, in exchange for a commission.
When Amazon.com created affiliate marketing, there were only a few individuals ready to capture this internet income opportunity and make the most of it.
It took years of trial and error before a relatively small group of internet marketing masters hit upon a system for their craft which has brought many of them phenomenal wealth.
These are the types of success stories that make us root for the underdogs of life.
If you were to “Google” a phrase such as “internet marketing” you will see a treasure trove of about 443,000,000 hits to choose from. How can you possibly slog your way through almost a half-billion hits for merely one topic? More importantly, how much is it going to cost you?
Place a value on your time and allow someone else who has navigated these waters already to guide you along the way. There’s one guy who has spent the past ten years experimenting and learning the affiliate marketing ropes the hard way.
His name is Ewen Chia.
Here’s the best part of all. Unlike so many other competitors in this field, Ewen actually gives you some fabulous insights, ideas, and shares from his personal experiences all for free.
If you go to Ewen’s site, found at http://tinyurl.com/256s6r you can absorb unbelievable content posted on his blog, such as “Controversial Email Marketing Secrets Revealed” and “Web Conversion Secrets: 43 Minute Video Teaches You How”. The amazing thing is that Ewen makes all of this powerful content available for free.
Anytime that you can find a person with such a depth of experience who is generous enough to share this valuable expertise without expecting you to dig into your wallet first, you must be ready, willing and able to soak it all up.
The farther you dig down into Ewen’s article archive, you will soon realize that the vein of gold you’ve tapped into is only the beginning.
For example, in the post titled “The Truth About Making Money Online” he offers how to overcome information overload once and for all. Perhaps more importantly, he shares how to get started immediately with your internet business even if you’re a complete beginner.
It’s enough to make a person think that the world isn’t such a cold and crass place after all, when guys like Ewen Chia are sharing so much rich content in exchange for your time.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Cheap eats begin at home!
As you get to know me, you’ll soon find out that I love old sayings, Proverbs, and “words of wisdom” in general.
One of these is “Two can live as cheaply as one.”
At least, this is what people told me before I got married. This would also be the time that most writers would take a “dig” at their beloved spouse to illustrate how this old saying just doesn’t cut it in their situation.
Yours truly, on the other hand, is going to take the high road and leave my wife out of this discussion.
There are ways that we can economize with respect to our spending. The one I am going to focus on today is what we spend to eat.
If you have eaten in a restaurant lately, I can honestly tell you that you cannot possibly eat as much food for a lower price than you can by purchasing the groceries and spending a little time and effort to cook the meal yourself. This is something that I can prove to you in just a moment.
Plus, by preparing the meal yourself you will be in complete control over how the food is cooked, so that you are able to achieve the maximum nutritional benefits while consuming the minimum number of calories.
When you think about it, those who are in the business of running a restaurant are first and foremost interested in selling you food that will look and taste great. Preparing a meal that is also healthy and economical is secondary to their overall number one goal: serve you a meal that you enjoy and will come back to their establishment to dine again.
My favorite kind of prepare-at-home meal is of the one-pot variety. In other words, all ingredients are combined into one large pot on the stove and cooked to perfection. Usually these meals also do not take as long to fix compared to more complex offerings. In addition to saving time, they also taste great!
My friends are incredulous when I tell them that I can fix an entire meal (six servings) for just about $2.00 total. (American currency, of course.) It may take just a little bit of navigating on your part, but it can be done. Here’s how I do it in this case.
One such recipe is called Salsa Surprise. (The surprising fact is just how great it actually tastes!) Here are the ingredients:
2 cups of long grain white rice.
1 32 oz jar of salsa.
1 16 oz can of corn, undrained.
Cook the rice following directions on the bag. Add the jar of salsa and can of corn. Stir and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until finished.
That’s it! Your dinner is served!
Honestly, how on earth in this day and age can someone prepare this meal for about $2.00?
The first trick, I will fully confess, begins with shopping at your friendly Aldi store. Where else can you purchase a three-pound bag of rice for 99 cents? Since this recipe calls for two cups of rice (one pound) that comes to 33 cents. (By the way, all of these referenced prices are effective in the Spring of 2007.)
Your biggest expense is the jar of salsa, still only 99 cents. Follow that up with the can of corn, at 67 cents. Combining the three, .33 + .99 + .67 = $1.99.
If you want to “splurge” a little, you could serve this meal over a small pile of tortilla chips (a medium size bag will only set you back another $.99.)
This meal gives you a very low fat offering, and the nutrition from vegetables (tomato-based salsa which includes peppers), corn, and the rice, which are healthy grains. In fact, the U.S. Government has a great menu planner that will help you calculate calories, fat, and carbohydrates at http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/menuplanner/menu.cgi
Naturally, the fat content and cost remain rock-bottom because there is no meat in this dish. It’s your choice as to whether or not you would add this to the mix.
The benefits to you in preparing this especially tasty meal are incredible cost savings, plus saving on time and effort.
This is another way in which you can be living the balanced life.
One of these is “Two can live as cheaply as one.”
At least, this is what people told me before I got married. This would also be the time that most writers would take a “dig” at their beloved spouse to illustrate how this old saying just doesn’t cut it in their situation.
Yours truly, on the other hand, is going to take the high road and leave my wife out of this discussion.
There are ways that we can economize with respect to our spending. The one I am going to focus on today is what we spend to eat.
If you have eaten in a restaurant lately, I can honestly tell you that you cannot possibly eat as much food for a lower price than you can by purchasing the groceries and spending a little time and effort to cook the meal yourself. This is something that I can prove to you in just a moment.
Plus, by preparing the meal yourself you will be in complete control over how the food is cooked, so that you are able to achieve the maximum nutritional benefits while consuming the minimum number of calories.
When you think about it, those who are in the business of running a restaurant are first and foremost interested in selling you food that will look and taste great. Preparing a meal that is also healthy and economical is secondary to their overall number one goal: serve you a meal that you enjoy and will come back to their establishment to dine again.
My favorite kind of prepare-at-home meal is of the one-pot variety. In other words, all ingredients are combined into one large pot on the stove and cooked to perfection. Usually these meals also do not take as long to fix compared to more complex offerings. In addition to saving time, they also taste great!
My friends are incredulous when I tell them that I can fix an entire meal (six servings) for just about $2.00 total. (American currency, of course.) It may take just a little bit of navigating on your part, but it can be done. Here’s how I do it in this case.
One such recipe is called Salsa Surprise. (The surprising fact is just how great it actually tastes!) Here are the ingredients:
2 cups of long grain white rice.
1 32 oz jar of salsa.
1 16 oz can of corn, undrained.
Cook the rice following directions on the bag. Add the jar of salsa and can of corn. Stir and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until finished.
That’s it! Your dinner is served!
Honestly, how on earth in this day and age can someone prepare this meal for about $2.00?
The first trick, I will fully confess, begins with shopping at your friendly Aldi store. Where else can you purchase a three-pound bag of rice for 99 cents? Since this recipe calls for two cups of rice (one pound) that comes to 33 cents. (By the way, all of these referenced prices are effective in the Spring of 2007.)
Your biggest expense is the jar of salsa, still only 99 cents. Follow that up with the can of corn, at 67 cents. Combining the three, .33 + .99 + .67 = $1.99.
If you want to “splurge” a little, you could serve this meal over a small pile of tortilla chips (a medium size bag will only set you back another $.99.)
This meal gives you a very low fat offering, and the nutrition from vegetables (tomato-based salsa which includes peppers), corn, and the rice, which are healthy grains. In fact, the U.S. Government has a great menu planner that will help you calculate calories, fat, and carbohydrates at http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/menuplanner/menu.cgi
Naturally, the fat content and cost remain rock-bottom because there is no meat in this dish. It’s your choice as to whether or not you would add this to the mix.
The benefits to you in preparing this especially tasty meal are incredible cost savings, plus saving on time and effort.
This is another way in which you can be living the balanced life.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Allow me to introduce myself...
It could be said that I am a man of many passions. No one diversion captures all of my time, as I attempt to strike a healthy balance between work, interpersonal relationships and recreation.
My name is Hans Seiler. In the coming weeks, I welcome you on this journey through my life.
As a firm believer in healthy living, it is important to strike a balance between proper diet and exercise. Cooking is something that I derive great joy from, when the time allows.
One of my favorite passions is beekeeping. Had you told me five years ago that I’d be caring for these magnificent creatures I would have never believed it. Not only has it given me the opportunity to meet a great group of wonderful people sharing the same pursuit, but I have had my eyes opened to a complex universe that only God above could have created. In this relatively short period of time I now find myself correctly answering the questions of other newcomers to the craft.
The health benefits and savory flavor of honey cannot be understated.
History, particularly American history is something that I soak up like a sponge. This is truly a delight to share with others. At times it appears that I was given bad career counseling that I did not pursue this as a life’s work.
Reading is another marvelous passion. While I find myself enamored with all manor of modern media, there is still something magical about the printed word on paper, and all of the images that it conjures in the mind.
Always the champion of the underdog, I posses a passion for preventing others from getting short-changed, and at the same time, granting praises for a good product when praise is due.
Since early childhood I have enjoyed a passion for sports, although this blog will never become a sports column. After supporting too many losing teams over too many seasons, my passion has become diverted to fantasy sports. In this case, the blame for not bringing home a championship falls directly upon my shoulders.
In personal relationships, I am fiercely loyal. Even when some of those relationships are with furry beings on four feet.
Nobody loves to be entertained more than I do. Whether it is enjoying a movie on the big screen, a DVD, or live concert I selectively revel in each of these environments. My wife thinks that I don’t do this often enough, to suit her anyway.
Another passion centers around success. I believe that everyone who works hard is entitled to enjoy success for their labors.
Above all I have a passion for volunteerism, particularly for serving God. It is something that we should all have ingrained in us. Fortunately I have had many mentors.
In the coming weeks, this blog will deal with all of the above and more. You can enjoy product reviews, commentary, and all manner of articles. Come back and see me periodically. We will enjoy the journey together, living the balanced life.
My name is Hans Seiler. In the coming weeks, I welcome you on this journey through my life.
As a firm believer in healthy living, it is important to strike a balance between proper diet and exercise. Cooking is something that I derive great joy from, when the time allows.
One of my favorite passions is beekeeping. Had you told me five years ago that I’d be caring for these magnificent creatures I would have never believed it. Not only has it given me the opportunity to meet a great group of wonderful people sharing the same pursuit, but I have had my eyes opened to a complex universe that only God above could have created. In this relatively short period of time I now find myself correctly answering the questions of other newcomers to the craft.
The health benefits and savory flavor of honey cannot be understated.
History, particularly American history is something that I soak up like a sponge. This is truly a delight to share with others. At times it appears that I was given bad career counseling that I did not pursue this as a life’s work.
Reading is another marvelous passion. While I find myself enamored with all manor of modern media, there is still something magical about the printed word on paper, and all of the images that it conjures in the mind.
Always the champion of the underdog, I posses a passion for preventing others from getting short-changed, and at the same time, granting praises for a good product when praise is due.
Since early childhood I have enjoyed a passion for sports, although this blog will never become a sports column. After supporting too many losing teams over too many seasons, my passion has become diverted to fantasy sports. In this case, the blame for not bringing home a championship falls directly upon my shoulders.
In personal relationships, I am fiercely loyal. Even when some of those relationships are with furry beings on four feet.
Nobody loves to be entertained more than I do. Whether it is enjoying a movie on the big screen, a DVD, or live concert I selectively revel in each of these environments. My wife thinks that I don’t do this often enough, to suit her anyway.
Another passion centers around success. I believe that everyone who works hard is entitled to enjoy success for their labors.
Above all I have a passion for volunteerism, particularly for serving God. It is something that we should all have ingrained in us. Fortunately I have had many mentors.
In the coming weeks, this blog will deal with all of the above and more. You can enjoy product reviews, commentary, and all manner of articles. Come back and see me periodically. We will enjoy the journey together, living the balanced life.
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