How Obamacare Inadvertently Created Medical Discrimination

If you've bought an #Obamacare policy on the exchange, you may want to consider this scenario. 

 

At the time of your insurance purchase you ask the agent, or whomever is helping you, if your specialist is in this company's network.  You check the insurance company's website and are told that yes, your doctor is part of the network.

Now you make an appointment with the doctor's office and they verify your insurance over the phone but your can't see a doctor for month or so.  Finally, the day arrives, you go to your physician and are told, sorry, but this doctor isn't taking your insurance because it was purchased on the healthcare exchange.

"What?  I was told you took my insurance!" you exclaim.  

This is happening everyday in doctor's offices around this country.  Doctors are turning away patients because the policies that are sold on the exchange have lower reimbursement rates.  So even though everyone is required to have insurance and the government is subsidizing part of the premium, your policy isn't the same as the others.

What can be done to fix this?  Easy. The Affordable Care Act should be amended to require payments to doctors to be the same on or off the exchange.  Or, require insurance carriers to note on their websites which doctors won't be accepting those policies so the patient doesn't waste their time or money.  And while they are fixing it, take the coding out of the policy number that indicates if coverage is sold on the exchange or not.  

In essence, medical practices are using the "we won't get reimbursed as much" reason for keeping away patients that need services.  Unfortunately, congress won't take any action on fixing the problem because too many are focused on repealing the law altogether.  That's a story for a later blog.

Long Term Care Insurance? Use Life Insurance!

As I have mentioned in an earlier blog post, the long term care (LTC) insurance world has gone through many changes.  After the market dropped in 2008, many carriers stripped down their new policies, removing benefits and benefit periods from new policies.  Other carriers raised the rates on their existing policy holders.  Some did both!

I've always said that people that are seriously concerned enough to purchase LTC are "forward thinkers".  However, if you purchased an LTC policy at a younger age, say under 50, you could have been penalized for your forward thinking by having a rate increase.

Fortunately for younger people who have seen a parent or grandparent go through and chronic illness and understand the expenses involve, there may be a solution and it is life insurance.

Many companies now offer life insurance policies with LTC benefits included in some shape or fashion.  If you died before you needed the LTC benefits, the policy will pay a death benefit to your beneficiaries.  On the other hand, if need if for a nursing home, assisted living or home health care, you can use your policy for that instead.  And since most of these policies build cash value, you can also use it for a retirement supplement.

And the best part is you don't have to worry about a rate increase down the road.

Let us at Surf Financial Brokers help you with your long term care and other insurance needs.

Are You Insuring Your Love?

February is when the insurance companies promote life insurance through a campaign called "Insure Your Love".  And as we all know, when someone purchases a life insurance policy on themselves, they do it knowing that they will not directly benefit (or be the beneficiary) of the policy.  Instead, their loved ones are being protected financially.

So we at Surf Financial Brokers ask you to change your way of thinking.  Instead of being concerned about monthly cost (because life insurance is probably less expensive than you think), consider how your spouse can live in a house that is paid off, have no debt, and can still take care of little emergencies like a new refrigerator or tires for the car.  And if you have kids, making sure that they can graduate from college without a mountain of debt. 

We've made it easier for you by updating our life insurance quoting engine which is on our home page.  You can literally look for a quote in around 30 seconds.  Find a policy you like and request an application.  We will call within one business day to get your information forwarded to the insurance company YOU choose.  

When it comes to insuring your love you shouldn't have to worry about costs and with Surf Financial you won't have to.

#nopressureinsurance 

Wishing All a Merry Christmas!

Christmas is the time of year we think of loved ones.  For most of us, having our family with us as we celebrate the holidays is all we ultimately ask for.  Unfortunately many people will be spending the holidays this year without that special loved one or family member.  If you know of such a person, reach out and take a little extra time to talk and spend time with them.

We at Surf Financial Brokers want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a safe, prosperous and Happy New Year!  

How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?

It didn't take long for me to realize that when it comes to helping people with their life insurance needs, no two people are the same.  Regardless of what Suze Orman or Dave Ramsey may say, not everyone should purchase term life insurance, even though it does serve a great purpose.

One should take a holistic approach to all of their financial planning and identify what their needs are.  Questions you should ask yourself are:  Is insurance offered at work?  What does a funeral cost?  What are the costs associated with death?  Do I want to fund my kids' education should I die too soon or pay off the mortgage so I don't leave my loved ones with debt?

A simple way to take care of these things is to use a life insurance calculator.  This valuable tool can help you figure out what you need.  If you have a life insurance policy in place, you can deduct that amount from the total and supplement the rest.  

Give us a call or visit our site and we can help you find a plan in your budget.

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life, disability, long term care, cancer, accident and other insurance coverages in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. He's also is a professional speaker helping sales people be more productive and efficient, and has spoken to professional and civic organizations throughout the Southeast. And please subscribe to this blog!

Return of the Return of Premium (or How to Get Your Money Back If You Don't Die)

Every once in a while I'll be talking with a client about life insurance and the client will say something to the effect of "If I don't die, do I get my money back?"  Typically, I respond with "If you don't get in an automobile accident, do you ask your car insurance company for a refund?"  Most of the time, I get a funny look.

Now I can give a different response.

One of our favorite insurance carriers has brought back the "Return of Premium" rider for their life insurance policies and it works like this:  If you outlive your policy, you can have your money back.  Pretty simple. 

In the name of full disclosure, this rider can nearly double the premium.  But some folks will still want it and those who do consider it to be a savings plan.

These policies can be written as 20 or 30 year terms for up to $250,000.

What would you do with all that money?  Pay off business loans?  Annuitize it for an income stream?  It's your choice! 

What Do You Think Life Insurance Costs?

According to a recent survey by LIMRA and Life Happens, cost is the reason most Americans give for not owning life insurance.  However, 80% of Americans misjudge what the premiums are.  In fact, millennials overestimate the cost by 213% and Gen X'ers by 119%!

Think to yourself "How much is in my budget to make sure my loved ones are taken care of?"  How much are you willing to spend to secure your family's finances?  $20 a month?  $50?  $100?

This is where we make it easy for you.  Simply go to our website at SurfFinancialBrokers.com and find a policy that fits in your budget.  Our quick and easy quoting system will show you policies with all of the major carriers.  There's a good chance you will find a great policy in your price range.  Simply click on "Request Application", answer a few questions and one of our representatives will contact you within one business day.

At Surf Financial Brokers, it's No Pressure Insurance!