Health care in Utah

 With the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act approaching its inception, residents will have a chance to attend a nonpartisan presentation that will educate them about the imminent changes in health insurance.  The presentation will be held at the Weber county library and inform the general public about health care policies and afford-ability which were initiated nearly seven years ago. All age groups are welcome to attend the presentation, which is following on the heels of nearly 50 other presentations made by the Utah Health Policy Project (UHPP).  Today's presentation will go over several points that might impact attendees. Part of it will focus on the beginnings of the Affordable Care Act. Also discussed will be the impact upon seniors, a group UHPP believes will be able to educate their children and grandchildren who will qualify for the new health care laws.  In a surprise move, the Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate in a 5-4 vote that was released this morning, relieving insurance companies of what would have been a heavy burden under the 2010 Health Care Reform Law. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with more liberal justices in considering the penalty a tax that was within Congress' right to enact.

Cashing out

There was a survey that said that 55 percent of seniors have allowed their life insurance policies to lapse, viewing it as a liability instead of an asset. Now why is that? Well no one knows but 80% of the adults 66 and over aren't aware that they can sell an existing life insurance policy for a cash pay out. Now is this worth it? Well no because what if you you sell out then something happens to you? Well that will leave your next to kin in bad shape. The survey also uncovered that for 24 percent of respondents the reason they first bought life insurance has changed, and anxieties about paying for long-term health care still weigh heavily on seniors as two-in-five are concerned they will not be able to pay for long term medical care during their retirement years. The buying company pays the remainder of the policy premiums and collects the full benefit when the policy seller dies. Often a settlement provides five to eight times the amount offered if the policy was surrendered back to the insurance company.

Fall Home Safety Checklist

Here at 1 Stop Shop Insurance, we are concerned about you and your loved ones' safety, which is why we bring you a the Fall Home Safety Checklist. We know how easy it is to forget those small things that end up costing more than they should when a problem arises. This checklist is just a friendly reminder of things to prepare for the upcoming winter so you can keep the small disasters at bay and do what you do best!

• Turn off the lawn irrigation system. This prevents your pipes from bursting in the winter and flooding the house when the spring thaw comes. This can save you anywhere from $10,000 to $75,000!
• Check all the weatherstripping around doors and windows and replace them if needed. This can prevent heat loss from the house and save you money on your heating bill. Not to mention that you won't be as cold in the winter!
• Check for overgrown branches and trim them if needed. These branches that hang over the house can often interfere with power lines or roofing if the icicles are long or heavy enough. This can save you from serious damage to your house.
• Drain all of your outside faucets and make sure that their water supply is turned off as well. This can also prevent flooding.

Just a few things to help make your winter comfortable and your spring disaster-free!

Equal health insureance

some company may be having second thoughts about the health insurance it offers to your spouse. That means you might wind up paying more for that coverage or have to switch your spouse to another plan as early as next year. Some employers are considering adding a surcharge to cover the health care expenses of their workers' spouses. Those surcharges average about 100 a month, or roughly double what they averaged a couple years ago. That's sad really. With the economy is so bad we are working on ways to fix it. Twenty percent of nearly 600 large employers in a survey completed earlier this year charged a spousal surcharge in 2013. An additional 13 percent plan to do so next year, according to the study, which was conducted by benefits consultant and the non profit. The changes, which many companies will announce as part of the open enrollment period this fall for health plans that start , are an effort by employers to control rising health care costs. Benefits consultants say that total could grow next year when the health care overhaul starts requiring most U.S. residents to have insurance. In some cases, benefits experts blame the difference on the fact that the spouse is often a woman. Women tend to use the health care system more as they move through their 20s and into middle age, especially if they have children.

The cost of Medicine

Seeing as the uninsured rate has been around 17% for the last two years, we feel that it is necessary to address the concerns about not being insured. The most predominant reason for not having health insurance is that it isn't affordable. That's not an issue if you come in or call and talk to us. We guarantee that we will find you the most affordable insurance in the market that's just right for you.

What has been happening to the uninsured is unpleasant to say the least. Whenever they end up with an injury requiring immediate medical attention they also end up with a bill. That bill is usually around $17,000 for a broken bone in your hand, which can bury people alive. That kind of money can cover you with insurance for more than 10 years! It really doesn't make sense to try and go without insurance when we can get it to you for a price that doesn't make you sick.

Several people try to set their own bones and go around dangerous routes to get the medicines they need. That's not an issue with unions forfreelancers and several other kinds of unions that fit the needs of uninsured adults. Just do a quick search for your job field and the unions provided, then see us to witness us do better!

ObamaCare is what again?

Did you know that 6.4 million Americans are eligible to buy insurance through the new health exchanges will pay $100 or less a month according to the Department of Health and Human Services. With the health care law Americans without health insurance from their employers, Medicare or Medicaid are required to buy insurance through websites called exchanges that were created for each state.

Americans who make less than 400% of the poverty level, or $94,200 for a family of four, are allowed grants to help make payments. Researchers looked at Census data to estimate costs. Although not all of the states nor the federal exchange have announced their rates yet, researchers determined they could estimate payments without that information. About 41.3 million people don't have insurance.

Out of 25 states that expanded Medicaid, 12.4 million uninsured Americans will be eligible to pay less than $100 a month. The report found they will pay either nothing or a small premium to participate in Medicaid.

 So is this a good thing, requiring that people have health insurance? We'll see eventually. Until then, just stop into our store or call us to see how affordable insurance is!

So what is business liability insurance and why should I care?

Every so often in the United States, a new company is created with the intent of making a difference in the world or providing for a family. When it comes to insurance, many people are hesitant to purchase business liability insurance because they usually do not spend enough time understanding what it is for and why protecting your assets is so important.

Business Liability Insurance is the type of insurance any business needs to protect the assets of the individuals and businesses that make up that business. If a business does not protect its assets, legal action that can be taken in our sue-happy society that make a business's life miserable.

Business Liability insurance can be divided into 5 main categories:

1. Commercial General Liability – covers property and injuries

2. Professional Liability – covers errors, omissions, and malpractice

3. Product Liability – covers accidents and recalls in manufacturing

4. Employment Practices Liability – covers lawsuits from any employees

5. Pollution and Environment Liability – covers disaster clean up insurance

Confused about where to begin assessing if you need business liability insurance? Come visit our website for more information on this important subject at www.1ssinsurance.com We look forward to serving your business insurance needs!   

More fables about insurance

Now that there are a few people reading this blog already, let’s continue where we left off. In the last blog, we were going over what the top insurance myths are. The basic purpose of insurance is to play it safe, and to try to safeguard everything you have from numberless amounts of bad things that can happen to the things you cherish and hold close to you. One kind of insurance that you probably want that wouldn't think of at first glance, and that is renter’s insurance.

Most people that have apartments assume that their valuables are covered by the landlord, but we are here to tell everyone that isn't the case! Landlords usually put it in their rental agreement that they aren't liable for anything that’s damaged or stolen from your apartment. Even if they did though, you would want your own coverage for your valuables. Now that we've got the third fable about insurance let’s summarize this whole idea in one sentence. “Renter’s insurance isn't important,” is a myth that everyone needs to be aware of.

This next one is something that seems to happen to people too often. We don’t know if it’s because they don’t fully understand the reason insurance exists or if it’s because of something entirely different, but here’s the next myth, “It’s okay to fib a little to get the best rate you can.” When anyone does this, and insurance companies find that they lied, their policy usually goes out the window. Then they are left with what insurance could have covered for a little bit more a month.

Again, insurance is about protection and security against disasters or accidents, not getting the lowest quote. That is something we can do though, so come by our store or visit 1 Stop Shop Insurance online. We’ll get you the best of both worlds!

2 Major Lies About Insurance

Like the title says this is all about the two lies or incorrect ideas about insurance you will find most prominent in your local community. For some reason these ideas are running rampant, and that's why we thought that they should be addressed first. These misconceptions need to be addressed immediately and hopefully you will learn something from this blog. In the next 5–6 blog posts, we will be dealing and addressing some issues and misconceptions about insurance. Like the placement of your documents, or even miniscule things you would never think really made a difference but can flip your world upside-down.

Never put you life insurance policy or other policies in a safe deposit box.

This might be the worst thing to do for your beneficiaries of you life insurance, because once you die, only the Executor of your will can get a hold of that box, and who knows how long that will take! So put them in a safe at your house and probably get one that you have to use a key and a combination. That would most likely be sufficient enough.

Don't get natural disaster insurance

Lies, all of the people or agents that say you don't need that are either looking for a quick sale or have never seen a family affected by a natural disaster. Let's start off with a little sore that the U.S.A calls Hurricane Katrina. Destroying all in it's path, houses, buildings, it didn't matter. Nothing was stopping this thing. Now all of the survivors are still referred to as refugees at times. You really, and we mean REALLY, don't want to end up like any of them did.

Well, if you are now thinking about updating your policy, come to ourwebsite and also check our policies in store! We guarantee the lowest prices around!