Aren't you proud of yourself??

I am going to take you back about 30 years. My brother was in 8th grade so he would have been 14, he is 40 now. He was playing a playoff football game, in the rain and it was cold and nasty. They were loosing the game 30-6 with about two minutes to play. All the player and fans by that point wanted to go home. The referree, then called a penatly, I do not remember what it was for, it was not unsportsmanlike conduct or any 15 yard penalty. One while, maybe the right call, not necessary toward the outcome of the game. I hear my Dad yell to the referree, "AREN"T YOU PROUD OF YOURSELF"?? It was an unpopular call.

That is how I see the health care reform bill. While the system needed to be fixed. It could have been done with some common sense and a bi-partisan fashion. The democrats, who most of them do not like the bill either, thought it was better to pass a bad bill, then pass no bill.

Fifty Five percent of Americans were against the bill while only 38% supported it. The remaining were undecided.

What I do know, is that I have to start paying more in taxes NOW, for an entitlement I can get four years from now. Seems like I have to pre-pay for health care for everyone else.

Here is how bad this bill is for our country.
1) It EXPANDS entitlement spending by over $1 trillion in order to "cover" 30 million more people.

2) It ADDS $500 billion in NEW tax INCREASES
3) It Robs Medicare and Social Security ( already BROKE, if you read my recent blogs). It is cut to FUND this new entitlement.
4) In order to keep the CBO score under $1 Trillion they count this TRANSFER from Medicare to the new entitlement a SAVINGS
5) $468 Billion in additional spending on subsidies to purchase GOVERNMENT APPROVED health insurance.
6)$48 BILLION, I am saying the word BILLION a lot in this, in additional Medicaid spending.
7) A HUGE new capital gains tax of almost 4%, that basically affects anyone with savings.
8) The bill has a DECADE of Medicare cuts and a DECADE of tax increases, but only SIX years of BENEFITS.
9) $70 BILLION long term care premiums will be collected under the "CLASS ACT" again to fund the $1 Trillion entitlement.
10)$132 BILLION in cuts to medicare advantage plans.

You know what is NOT IN THE BILL??? What it will take the Federal Government to ENFORCE the mandates. They are hiring 16,500 new IRS agents, which will cost at least $10 Billion and another $60 billion to enforce all of the mandates.

So I say to our congress.. AREN'T YOU PROUD OF YOURSELF??


Eric Wilson is a health insurance broker in Chicago. He can be reached at 888-448-5370. You can visit him online at www.isellhealth.net.

Thank you for reading.

Health Care Reform- what happens now??

I received probably a dozen phone calls today from my clients, some past clients and other insurance professionals wondering what the bill means.

Here is how I can answer it. Within six months the following will happen..

Children will not be subject to pre-existing conditions

A Government Risk pool will be established- You will have to be uninsured for at least six months to qualify for this.

The will be an EXTERNAL review on all rescission cases. A rescission occurrs when an applicant does not include important information on their application.

Prevenative services will be covered with no co-pay and no deductible.

Tax Credits based upon your income will become available

Children will be able to stay on their parents policy until they are 26 years of age.

In the year 2014 is when the big changes occur. In 2014, all policies will become guarantee issue. And you will be able to shop either through an insurance agent like you do now, or shop through what is being called an insurance exchange.

The insurance agent will be able to help you apply for the available tax credits.

WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT...


Expect your insurance premiums to go up substantially. I currently pay about $300 per month for myself and my children, I am expecting that number to triple. This is for a few reasons. Now my plan is more catestrophic in nature and I pay for my preventative coverage myself. That will be in the plan now. There also will be cost increases, since insurance carriers will be covering expensive conditions.


Should you have any questions on the reform bill, please call Eric Wilson, a Chicago based insurance agent. He can be reached toll free at 888-448-5370. You can visit online at www.isellhealth.net or email him at isellhealth@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading.

Call your congressmen NOW!!

I have spent the day calling not only my calling my congressmen, and for that matter every other congressmen. You can block this bill by calling. Catepillar Equipment announced the bill will cost them $100 million in the first year. How is that cost effective. Please visit the website www.barakhatesthis.com. This is the list of the 33 congressmen that are on the fence.

Please do your part to take back America!!

Eric Wilson is an insurance agent in Chicago. He can be reached toll free at 888-448-5370 or online at www.isellhealth.net

Do we want to trust the U.S. Government with OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM??

Here is something to think about...

The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. The Government has had 235 years to get it right and it is BROKE!!

Social Security was established in 1935. They have had 75 years to get that one right and it is BROKE!!!

Fannie Mae was established in 1938. That is 72 years to get it right and it is BROKE!!

The War on Poverty started in 1964. $1 Trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.

Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. The Government has had 45 years to get that system correct and they are BROKE!!!

Freddie Mac was established in 1970. That is forty years- guess what?? BROKE!!!!!

The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our burden on foreign oil the department now has 16,000 employees and a $24 million budget per year. We now import more oil than ever before!! This one is 33 years and I would say it is well if not a failure at minimum a disapointment.

The GOVERNENT HAS FAILED in pretty much every "Government Service" that has been shoved down our throats, while at the same time OVERSPENDING our tax dollars.

My question to all of my readers is quite simple.

Should we really trust our government with a "Government Run Health Care System".

Please call your Congressmen!!


Eric Wilson is President of I Sell Health, Inc. in Chicago. He can be reached toll free at 888-448-5370. You can also visit online at www.isellhealth.net.


Thanks for reading.

HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS (HSA'S)- The future of health insurance

I get a lot of questions about HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS ( HSA's), these days. I am normally asked what are they and why are they good. What makes them unique.

So he we go, All about HSA's in a 10 minutes or less.

I refer to Health Savings Accounts as more like the Jiffy Lube of health insurance. I say that because with car insurance, if you need tires, your insurance does not pay for it, if you need an oil change your car insurance does not pay for that either. An HSA,kind of works the same way.

HSA's were created in Medicare legislation and signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 8th 2003. They were originally called Medical Savings Accounts (MSA) designed by Senator Bill Archer of Texas.

Mr. Archer realized that the two major benefits of health insurance that added the most cost were having prescription medication and doctor vist co-pays as part of the insurance policy. He believed if you eliminated that part of the plan,but still had the catestropic coverage, you would reduce premiums. He was correct.

IS IT WORTH GIVING UP DOCTOR VISITS???

The same question was proposed to Mr. Archer in the late 1990's. He said we have to make it worth it.

They came up with what in simplifed terms is a MEDICAL IRA. ( which is what the hsa is). It functions like an IRA, grows tax deffered and you fund it the same way. It is a 100% tax deductible account.

You can take the money you put into the account out for doctor visits or any medical expense. You put it in tax deferred, it comes out tax deferred ( for medical expenses).

For the year 2010 single policy holders can fund their HSA up to $3050 per year. A family plan can fund it up to $6150. Like an IRA if you are over age 55 you may add an additional $1000 per year.

The great thing about HSA's is you are not paying for benefits that you are not usings. If you do not see a doctor more than once a year, these plans are ideal for you. Of course, you save on premium.

ADDITIONAL FACTS:(sourse- Government Accountabilty Office)

In 2009 HSA's covered 10.5 Million lives in America

33% of all HSA participants have incomes of less than $35,000 per year.
36% of of all HSA participants did not previously have health insurance.
Consumers save and average of $1900 in the first year of owning the policy.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

www.treas.gov
www.irs.gov/publications/p52/index.html


Eric Wilson, is the owner of the insurance agency I Sell Health, Inc. in the Chicago area. He services, Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Illionis. You can reach him toll free at 888-448-5370 or online at www.isellhealth.net.

Let Me Reform the Healthcare System in America

For about a year now, we have heard almost daily about the Healthcare reform bill in both the house and the senate. We then saw Scott Brown win the Massachusetts Senate seat, which gave the Republicans enough votes to block the health care reform bill.

Let me take the politics out of the program and speak as an AMERICAN BUSINESS OWNER. Yes, I am a business owner who sells health insurance, but I think I could fix this thing in about 20 minutes.

Here are the issues that we need to discuss all encompassing health care reform, NOT JUST INSURANCE COMPANY REFORM.

First we need TORT Reform. We need to put aside some of these malpractice claims and let the Doctors do their job. My doctor in Illinois pays over $100,000 a year just for Malpractice insurance. Now do you think that effects what he charges for an appointment? You bet it does.

HOSPITAL CHARGES- it is interesting when you go to the grocery store you know what everything costs, or if you go to a car dealership, you know what it costs. Have surgery, have no idea what it costs. I am working with one of my clients right now who gave birth by C-section. That is not unusual. The epidural needle that my client was given, any guesses what that cost was? $14,000. I will say that again, $14,000. Now the insurance paid what they thought was "customary" and paid $5000. I think $5,000 is probably a fair price for a needle in the back. I do not know what the customary charges are for that, but $14,000 seems absurd.

PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS- this is one is a hard one for me. If you make covering pre-existing conditions mandatory, either the premiums go up for everyone, or I could go without insurance until I was really sick, so that really does not seem fair to everyone. How about this idea, If you HAVE INSURANCE either through a job or a private policy, you cannot be denied coverage because you played by the right rules, if you chose not to purchase insurance through either your job or a private plan, You can then be denied.

INSURANCE THROUGH YOUR JOB- This is part of the problem with the American System of health care to begin with. I do not know why it is my company's responsibilty to insure me. It is a nice perk, but if we eliminated the "GROUP HEALTH" through a job, Everyone would either buy a private plan when they got off their parents plan, or they would go without insurance. If you got insurance when you are 18 or 19 years old, in most cases, you are healthy enough to purchase a plan. What if we made buying health insurance like a medicare supplement policy. With Medicare Supplement you enter a Guarantee Issue period when you turn 65. You have basically six months, with no underwriting. We could do the same with the under 65 market. When you turn 18, or stop being a full time student, you get a guarantee issue period. If you choose to enroll at that time, you are insurable for the rest of your life, so long as you keep making your premium payments.

If more people purchase insurance especially at a young age, it will off set the sick people when they are older, that will keep premiums down. That combined with my other few topics, should be the blueprint our Congressmen should follow.

I have been writing now for about 20 minutes so I will stop. There are a lot of other good ideas such as allowing to purchase across state lines, making plans more catestrophic in nature, and tax credits for purchasing health care. All should be explored.

Eric Wilson is President of I Sell Health, Inc. He cover the Midwestern States. He can be reached toll free at 888-448-5370 or online at www.isellhealth.net