Insurance World

1. Health Savings Accounts (HSA)

This is a strategy where the employer buys a health plan with a large deductible. Typically, these are groups that are coming from a plan with a very low deductible. Since the higher deductible plans are usually much less money, the money saved is used to put into the employee’s “Health Savings Account.” The money in this account is used by the employee to pay qualified medical expenses. If it’s not used, the money rolls over to the next year. The money belongs to the employee, even if they leave the company.

2. Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA)

This is very similar to the HSA above but a portion of the qualified medical expenses not covered by the insurance is “pledged” by the employer, that is, the employer only spends the money, if there is a portion of the bill not paid by the insurance. This would be more favorable to the employer since on an HSA the money goes to the employee, whether there are claims or not. The problem with HRAs is that there are very few carriers that offer them right now.

3. Medical Reimbursement Accounts

This is very similar to HRAs above and extremely flexible. It’s otherwise known as partial self-funding. Employer buys a larger deductible and if the employee uses up that deductible, the employer pays all or a portion of it, depending on how a pre-arranged agreement is written. This goes for other expenses not paid by the insurance. The idea is that the employer self insures the typically smaller expenses with their own cash, (presumably, the savings in premium dollars from going to a higher deductible.) The downside to this is that many carriers prohibit the use of this strategy with their plans. It can be very effective but make sure you use an experienced third party administrator as there may be some legal and tax documentation required. Otherwise known as Section 105.

4. Kaiser.

More and more groups are moving to Kaiser. It is typically, benefit for benefit, less money than just about every other plan. Kaiser is spending billions on the future and their quality control is promising.

5. Offering Blue Cross and Kaiser side by side. Blue Cross has a new program where only five employees need to enroll with Blue Cross. The rest can be with Kaiser. This is a ground breaking opportunity in flexibility.

6. Blue Cross Elect. Blue Cross has a portfolio called Elect with 16 plans in it comprised of HMOs, PPOs, and an EPO plan. Each of these plans is priced from low premiums up to a much higher premium.

The beauty of this program is that Blue Cross allows the employer to “define” how much premium they are willing to pay towards an employee’s cost. For example, Blue Cross offers a $10, $20, $25, $30, $35, and a $40 copay PPO plan. The $10 plan is the most expensive of this group.

After viewing all of the premiums for the various plans, the employer can establish, arbitrarily, which plan they are willing to pay, say the employee only premium for. In this case, let’s say it’s the $25 copay plan. The employee can buy the $25 copay plan and it doesn’t cost them anything. However, if they want the more expensive $10 copay plan, the employer would payroll deduct the difference in premium costs.

Let’s say they have dependents they want to cover but the employer only wants to pay for the employee only. The employee could take the lesser expensive $40 copay plan, and use a little bit of the savings to help them with the costs of adding their dependents.

This has been a highly successful program because it gives the employees a greater number of choices, helping the employees be more definitive in their costs and needs, and at the same time, allows the employer to more efficiently define their costs.

This information is time sensitive and can change at anytime. If you have a question or need more information, please contact me at mail@thestrategyguide.com. –Todd Rich

Todd Rich is an expert on California Small Group Health Insurance Plans and has written four books on the subject. To learn more about Todd and his books, please visit www.TheStrategyGuide.com/ezines

If you own a home, then likely you have homeowners insurance on your biggest and most expensive asset. True, if you own your home outright, then there is no law requiring you to have homeowners insurance. Only mortgage companies will insist on insurance if they have a lien on your home. Is it wise to go without insurance? Should you? Keep reading and we shall look at the value of having or getting rid of your homeowners insurance.

Homeowners’ insurance rates are spiking especially for homeowners in areas where hurricane damage has been high, such as Florida. Some homeowners are finding their rates have doubled or tripled in just one year while others are learning that their policy has been cancelled by the insurance company meaning they must shop for new insurance.

The temptation to drop insurance altogether is a big one, but a dangerous choice to make unless you have a bundle of money to absorb the loss.

Home insurance makes sense for the following reason:

–If there is a catastrophic loss, then your home can be completely replaced. Just make certain that your policy has been updated to reflect the current replacement cost of your home. If you live in earthquake or a flood prone area, you will need to purchase separate insurance to cover these disasters.

You can save money on your policy via:

–Comparison shopping. All insurers are different and rates can vary by as much a 10 to 20 percent. Shop around and don’t just go with the best rate. Companies that pay a fast claim are worth more than a slower payer any day, even if there rates are high.

You are your home’s best advocate because:

–You know your home. You are in the best position to determine loss, therefore you must be aware of what is allowed or not allowed before filing for a claim. A tree that falls on your home means that you are covered, while floods and earthquakes are only covered through the writing of a separate policy.

Yes, insurance on your home can certainly seem expensive and almost worth dropping until you need to use it. Your insurance company isn’t always your best friend, but they can be your only friend when disaster hits and able to help restore you financially if you selected the policy with the best coverage.