Insurance Brokers ---- for you!

Not everyone is aware of the concept of brokerage in Insurance. Well, people are not even aware of benefits of insurance, that’s why only 3% of Indians are insured. Irony is that 2% are insured either by govt. or by employer. If we want to define Insurance in one line, it will be ‘Insurance is all about transferring your risks’. Wow! In an economy where health expenditure can easily make a whole in your pockets, if given a chance why will not anyone go for health insurance or mediclaim? Sometimes…in fact most of the times, we think….this is not the right time….we are healthy enough….but think again…are you really healthy enough and there is no probability that you will fall sick? We feel that adversity will never knock on your door before arriving.

Trust us…BEST TIME to buy a health insurance policy IS NOW! Most of the policies have waiting period of 3/4 years for pre-existing diseases and for certain other diseases; there is a waiting period involved. Think about your parents, your dependent children….giving them a healthy future is the perfect gift.

So, where brokers come in picture? Brokers are an IRDA (Insurance Regulatory Development Authority) accredited firm who deal with all the insurance companies. The basic difference between an insurance agent and a broker is: broker will represent a client to the insurance company as compared to an agent who represents an insurance company to the client. Brokers under the strict guidelines of IRDA should have sound technical employees to deal with the clients. Brokers take full responsibility for your policy documentation, renewal and claim settlement.

HEALTH INSURANCE IS OUR BIRTH RIGHT and we all should avail it. Taking few minutes out of our busy schedules to invest for a healthy future is not at all a bad bargain. 

Some health tips :)

I know, you all must have read lot of health tips...and trust me its necessary....definitely...so some of the tips which I follow:

1.        Green tea is very helpful for preventing tooth decay, foot odor, diarrhea, stress, depression, heart diseases etc.
2.     Vegetables should be sliced in bigger pieces so that its vitamin content remains intact...can tell your cook to do that
3.       Try and avoid excess sugar in your drinks like tea, coffee, fresh juice etc.....doable...very easily
4.       Mixture of lemon and honey not only helps in cough, but also lowers the cholesterol levels and keeps check on your waist line :) ....this one is the best one :P
5.       Including basils in your diet can be very effective for preventing many diseases like hepatitis, typhoid etc
6.       Dehydration is the worst we can do with our bodies since our bodies are made up of 70% of water, hence it’s important to drink sufficient water in order to keep your skin and body healthy... I always keep a water bottle handy
7.       Laughter is the best medicine as we all know, smiling on simple jokes relaxes your facial muscles.....life is too short to live....I can't afford to loose my time for stress, tension ...
8.       Try and take out some time for workout every day. This will not only keep you fit but also bring discipline to your body.....oh yeah
9.       The National Sleep Foundation recommends you switch to decaf--or nothing--at least six hours before bedtime to ensure your body is ready for rest
10.   Cigarettes contain strong stimulants that can keep you jittery for hours. And while you might feel drowsy after you have a drink or two, alcohol also has a stimulating quality that can keep you up at night
11.   Avoid escalators and lift whenever possible, take staircase instead....not when your office is on 15th floor....may be till 3rd floor take the staircase...then lift zindabad :)

Medicare Change Smooth So Far

One of the most significant savings envisioned in the new health- care law - limiting payments to the private health plans that cover 11 million older Americans under Medicare - is, so far, bringing little of the turbulence that the insurance industry and many Republicans predicted.

The law, which sets in motion the broadest changes to the U.S. health-care system in decades, will hold down the amount of money the government gives to Medicare Advantage plans, which are available to patients who prefer a managed-care version of the program. The savings is forecast to amount to $145 billion by the end of the decade.

Whether the payment changes are warranted was a contentious subplot in the protracted debate over the legislation. Democrats argued successfully that the private plans were being overpaid and could withstand the changes. Republicans warned that such plans would raise prices, lower benefits or cause defections from the program, stranding the elderly people who rely on them. 

New Rules Require Insurers To Spend More On Health Care

Here a radical idea: What if health insurance companies had to spend most of the money they collect in premiums to provide actual health care for people they insure?

As part of the health care reform enacted by Congress, new federal rules announced last week will require exactly that.

Beginning next year, insurers will have to spend at least 80 percent of every premium dollar on health care. Those selling large-group coverage will have to spend 85 percent on care.

Insurance companies refer to the amount they spend on your health care as their "medical loss ratio" Those that do not meet the new standard will have to give rebates to their customers. As many as 9 million Americans could receive such rebates in 2012.

For about 180 million Americans with private health insurance — everyone who gets insurance through his job or buys it on his own — the new rules are a very good thing.

That especially true for people in the so-called individual market. Most Missourians who buy insurance on their own are covered by companies that now do not meet the new standard.