Author: Peter Joseph
Source: articleage.com
As a business owner, you’ve come to expect big increases in your employee health insurance premiums of late. Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums increased an average of 11.2 percent in 2004, and this was the fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth, according to the recent Annual Employer
Health Benefits Survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
That’s about five times the rate of inflation nationally, and probably significantly higher than the price increases your company has imposed on its products and services in the same time frame.
The reasons for these increases are not mysterious. The largest share of the ongoing increases track to increased utilization of advanced medical technologies new diagnostic and preventive screenings, and other high-tech therapies and medical hardware the majority of which are delivered at hospital on an inpatient or outpatient basis.
Prescription drugs also continue to play a major role in the rising cost of health care, owing to the higher prices of new formulations, the wider application of combination therapies and greater consumer demand for, and need of, medications in all areas of prevention and treatment. About the only area that has seen relative stability is physician costs.
Such increases, when they are part of the costs of running your business, are naturally cause for concern. It only makes sense that employers who want to continue offering their employees access to quality health care become more knowledgeable about how well their money is being spent by the health care carrier they choose.
For example, did you know that virtually all carriers in Florida spend roughly the same percentage of your premium dollars
on medical claims which works out to a medical loss ratio of 76 percent to 80 percent? They also spend about the same percentage, 10 percent to 12 percent, on administering your plan (processing claims, providing customer service functions,
covering fixed costs).
And most of the carriers factor in a 2 percent profit margin. The balance of your premium dollars go to the commissions,
which carriers pay to the independent health insurance brokers who act as consultants.
Brokers are, of course, a critical element in matching clients with carriers. Most small business employers don’t have the
time or staff to determine the best package of benefits for their group, shop the market for bids and compare product offerings carefully.
They depend on their broker to explore the different options, give them objective recommendations on the best choices and complete their applications. And brokers’ services may often continue after enrollment.
It’s extremely valuable for employers to better understand where their premium dollars go. Don’t hesitate to ask questions to fully recognize why one health plan may be preferred over another.
Employers can exercise some control over their costs by finding a health benefits company that provides the best value for their company’s premium dollars. The way in which you shop a health plan can impact the price.
It’s the same as if your travel agent had a great deal for you air, car, hotel and meals included. You tell your agent to book
it. Coincidently, your neighbors just booked that same trip for $1,000 less through their travel agent.
One agent shopped for the best price, the other agent arranged the trip through his or her vendor of choice. Whether it’s a family vacation, buying a car or choosing a health benefits plan, how you shop can impact your cost.
So why are health care premiums different?
Take a closer look.
Peter Joseph is senior vice president for commercial sales for VISTA, a health benefits company headquartered in South Florida with more than 330,000 members. VISTA, through its affiliated companies, Vista Healthpla Inc., Vista Healthplan of South Florida Inc. and Vista Insurance Plan Inc. offers a choice of health benefit plans, including health maintenance organization (HMO), preferred provider organization (PPO) and point-of-service (POS). Reach Joseph at 954-858-3000 or through VISTA’s website, http://www.vistahealthplan.com.
Author: Adam Singleton
Source: ezinearticles.com
In 2000, there were 56.8 actor visits away fabricated by UK residents, with an estimated two thirds of these accepting for holidays. A anniversary is beheld as capital by abundant of the citizenry and is something a lot of humans accept not to absence out on. The approach of transport, however, can ensure that said anniversary is a ample investment, abnormally if a ancestors chooses to fly.
As able-bodied as generally accepting actual expensive, a flight can be a difficult accident – check-in can be a diffuse and arresting process; there is the achievability of accident baggage; actual little amplitude to move about in, and tourists accept to await on reliable access at both ends. Add to this the abrogating ecology implications of air travel, and award an addition to aerial may become an adorable advantage for some.
Driving may be the solution. With the contempo banking climate, and demography into annual that airlines are accepting beheld as beneath reliable than they already were, British tourists may accept to anniversary by car. As able-bodied as accepting bigger for the ambiance and usually abundant cheaper, there are beneath restrictions on families, so a anniversary can be added relaxed; with the adventure accepting added than just a agency to an end. If they choose, a ancestors can stop area they hadn’t planned, yield a altered avenue or get out and move around, and amplitude their legs at any amount of ‘comfort’ stops.
For humans in the UK, what makes the advantage even added adorable is that so abundant of Europe is on their doorstep. With the approach adit abutting London and Paris, and there accepting a array of sea crossings amid the British bank and Spain, France, Holland, Belgium or Scandinavia, the abstemious is badly accessible.
When planning a road-based anniversary to Europe, however, it is important for families to accompany a few essentials, and to accomplish abiding they’re accessible for what a continued drive may bandy at them. The car should be able-bodied maintained and arrested above-mentioned to ambience off – the tyres should be absolutely aggrandized to their actual pressure, the engine arrested over and the oil and windscreen washer tanks full.
Upon ambience off, there are important things to bethink to take. For the car, a additional tyre – and the accoutrement to fit it; oil and window washer fluid, and additional atom plugs may all appear in useful. For the humans travelling, balmy clothes and additional aliment and baptize are actual important, as is a agency of communication, such as a adaptable buzz or radio. A abundant map, and even a compass, will advice if abyssal and should advice stop families accepting lost. Finally, acknowledged bill (made simple back the addition of the Euro), tax abstracts and anniversary individual’s passport, shouldn’t be forgotten.
When planning a cruise away by car, ensuring a car is insured for use alfresco the UK is addition badly important affair to remember, so award the appropriate car allowance adduce and demography forth all affidavit for the ride may be top of the account of priorities. This way, car owners can adore their cruise after any accidental anguish and maybe even adjudge they never charge fly again.
Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
Author: Brian Stevens
Source: ezinearticles.com
When you’re planning your dream vacation the last thing you want to think about is that someone could be injured or ill and need medical evacuation insurance. But these things do happen – people have heart attacks, break bones, or have other medical emergencies while traveling and need to be air lifted home.
To ease your mind before you begin your trip, you should look into buying an inexpensive medical evacuation insurance policy. It could end up being the best insurance you’ll ever buy.
Your Health Insurance isn’t Enough
Noting that a medical evacuation can cost as much as $50,000, the U.S. Department of State recommends that all international travelers purchase supplemental medical evacuation insurance if their health insurance doesn’t already offer this coverage.
The fact is, few health insurance policies provide you with any coverage while you are overseas, much less coverage for emergency trips home.
Benefits these Policies Offer
A medical evacuation policy typically provides medical coverage, including air evacuation services, medical transportation to the nearest adequate medical facility, and then medical transportation home if necessary.
The coverage may be stand-alone or part of a broader travel insurance policy that also covers such items as trip cancellation and interruption and lost or stolen luggage.
Choosing a Policy
Buying a medical evacuation policy won’t add much cost to your trip – most policies are only a few dollars a day. You can also set the policy up for the exact number of days you’ll be away, whether one day or one year.
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get medical evacuation insurance quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more tips and advice in their Articles section, and get answers to your questions from an insurance expert by using their online chat service.
The authors, Brian Stevens and Stacey Schifferdecker, have spent 30 years in the insurance and finance industries, and have written other articles on medical evacuation insurance.
Author: Alex Gregory
Source: ezinearticles.com
With the recession in full swing many fitness enthusiasts are choosing to exercise at home rather than pay for a gym membership. However, without suitable home insurance in place, this too could be a costly routine.
Research from Sheila’s Wheels home insurance has revealed that indoor exercise cost women a whopping £1.3billion in accidental damage claims alone last year. With motion controlled exercise machines such as the Wii Fit enjoying a surge in popularity, accidental damage to the home caused by indoor exercise has risen by 700 per cent in the last 12 months alone.
Living rooms have become a potential minefield for accidents with eight per cent of women having slipped over their own children while exercising, 18 per cent slipping on flooring or tripping on rugs, and three per cent even smashing windows or hitting the TV screen.
It’s vital therefore to check your home insurance policy to ensure you have accidental damage cover in case you knock over any home items during your routine. Also look for personal injury cover in case you hurt yourself too.
Of course making a claim on a home insurance policy is to be avoided as it will wipe out a no-claims discount. However, if the accident is serious you may need good cover to fall back on so make sure your voluntary excess is only set to a level you can comfortably afford should the worst occur.
Take steps to avoid accidents too. This can be as simple as ensuring that your exercise area is thoroughly cleared before you start a workout. Stand well back from the TV if watching an exercise video and make sure the area is safe with no rugs or carpet to trip on. Finally, get pets and children out of the way before you begin.
If you exercise at home to cut out the expense of gym workouts then you may not want to pay too much for additional cover on a home insurance policy. That is why you should shop around for cheap home insurance with a comparison website to avoid paying over the odds.
Author: Jamy
Source: articlesbase.com
Click Here to Save over $489 on your Car Insurance in 2 minutes HGV Insurance, also called Heavy Goods Vehicle (or Haulage) Insurance, is not a frequently used term and needs proper understanding. Though the concept sounds simple, it contains a lot of unexplained clauses and hidden policies, and the insured may not realise this at the time of applying. A person going to buy HGV Insurance must learn what they are required to do and what the benefits of the policy are. Why does one need a HGV Policy? The prominent reason an insurance policy is required for every vehicle running on the road is per the legal policies of the state. But there are other important reasons as well: * It provides a sense of security and defence against unforeseen losses on account of damage to the vehicle, as well as the goods that the vehicle is carrying. Thus even the customer feels secured, and not just the owner of the truck. * Legal hassles can be much simpler if you have insurance. How expensive is it? The premium amount of an insurance policy depends on the value of the vehicle and the risks it undertakes, which in a HGV’s case are both very high. The cost of insurance of HGVs tends to be on these accounts and operators feel this poses an extra burden on them. But there are certain insurers who now sell HGV designed policies. In such policies, the premium can be paid yearly or even monthly. A full coverage can be expensive, but a HGV insurance package might be reasonable. How to find the right policy? A general policy can be no use for a HGV, because a specific issue needs to be addressed when you’re talking of a Heavy vehicle. The purpose changes altogether. To begin with, the operator should find a HGV Insurance package. Since the volume of both goods and rounds that the HGVs do is particularly high, insurance is needed which runs 24/7 and covers every trip they make. Generally, the insurance companies give discount as an introductory package to new customers, which can up to 60% of the original amount. The owner/operator should try to learn complete knowledge of general trade tariffs and protocol so that he does not ends up paying for an already expensive insurance. Usually, the premium amount should vary according to the extent of coverage the operator wishes to get. What is a good policy? A good HGV insurance policy should cover following areas: * Goods in transit coverage * Public liability coverage * Employer’s liability coverage * The Insurance provider must be easily reachable and have business contacts widely over the country. Is cheap HGV insurance good? A HGV insurance policy is inevitable; even though it’s cheap, it can work for the operator and the customers. It provides safety for the contents as well drivers in case of theft, accident or damage. While a second hand vehicle and an unqualified driver might cut down on costs of running, it will certainly raise the HGV charges and make the effect even.
Click Here to Save over $489 on your Car Insurance in 2 minutes
Author: David Crump
Source: ezinearticles.com
Owning your own restaurant may be your opportunity of a lifetime. A restaurant business is also an intense insurance risk. A realistic plan to reduce your risk coupled with insurance protection can help keep your dream a safe investment.
Kitchen Fires –
Prevention is your best safeguard! Be sure that you have appropriate fire suppression systems in place and maintained. Insurance companies typically require that your heat producing cooking equipment, particularly grease sources (fryers, grills, ranges), have afire suppression system and vent hood overhead. Also, grease handling in the kitchen is very important.Greasepresents ahighrisk of both starting a fireand fuelling a fire startedfrom another source. Note: As of January 1, 2008, Texas Insurance Code requires commercial cooking areas be protected by a UL 300 Wet Foam system. A dry chemical system is now considered obsolete and will be “red tagged” by fire code inspectors. This new higher standard has evolved due to the use of new hotter fryer oils in food preparation. Only a Wet Foam system has the capability to cool a fire sufficiently to keep these cooking oils from reigniting.
Electrical Fire –
Second to a cooking or a grease fire, overloaded or malfunctioning electrical equipment is a particular risk for restaurants. Austin had three restaurants burn to the ground due to electrical malfunctions in 2006 (Chili’s on Stassney, East Austin’s Berts BBQ and a Chinese Buffet). I particularly look for electrical issues in the kitchens when I do a field inspection of a food service prospect. I often see jury-rigged electrical wiring, worn-out appliances and overloaded circuits. There is no good reason to take these risks.
Slip & Fall Lawsuits -
While having a customer slip and fall is a risk for any business open to the public, restaurants are at particular risk because of the large number of customer visits and the addedhazard of food spills. General Liability Insurance protection is critical for your risk to the public. One of our restaurant client’s was sued after apatron tripped in a pothole in the parking lot in 2006. Walk your entire business location and look for any irregular walking surface or other hazard in your public space that can cause a person to trip and fall. Eliminate these hazards if possible and mark potential trip hazards that can’t be removed. Protect stairs with strong handrails. Potential food spills need a response plan and equipment ready.Be sure that your employees and shift managers know how important it is to your guest’s safety (and your financial safety) to have any spills promptly cleaned-up.
Food Related Lawsuits –
Restaurant owners can be sued after a customer becomes ill after eating and contracting a food borne illness. Safe handling of food is an important priority for any restaurant. As an example, in 2008, many patrons of a Minnesota cafebecame ill with salmonella after eating a raw jalapeno pepper garnish. There are no short-cuts in safe food handling. Know your food product sources. Keep your food inventory fresh by ordering sensibly and discarding any food approaching expiration. Keep your food preparation areas clean and uncontaminated.
Liquor Liability –
If you serve beer, wine or other liquor, be sure you are protected from lawsuits resulting from alcohol-related incidents. Don’t risk you Liquor License or a lawsuit by serving intoxicated or under-aged patrons. Have your alcohol servers TABC (Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission) certified and enforce the TABC rules. Beer and Wine can be an important profit center for your restaurant venture with appropriate practices. Be sure to include Liquor Liability coverage in your insurance policy.
Property Risks –
Operating a restaurant often includes considerable equipment, building improvements and food stock. Adequate property insurance protection is critical and may also be required by your lease. Visualize what it would take to restore your restaurant after a major fire. Be sure to include the lease improvements to restore your space, the kitchen equipment & built-ins, tableware and food stocks.
Employee Injury Lawsuits –
A food establishment is very much a people driven business. Your hired help is your biggest asset and one of your biggest lawsuit risks. Food preparation has some inherent hazards for employee injuries. Minimize the kitchen risks with appropriate training and safety appliances. Another typical injury for employees in food service establishments is slipping and falling. Worker’s Compensation Insurance is critical liability protection for any employer. The added risks of working in a restaurant environment increase the need for this protection. Risk reduction is also an important strategy.
Conclusion
Prevention is your best insurance in the restaurant business! Understand the special risks that you have as a restaurant owner and do what you can to reduce them. Buy appropriate commercial insurance protection to help make your food service venture a safer investment. For help on restaurant insurance, please link: http://www.quoteaustininsurance.com/pages/home/restaurant.php
David W. Crump, Ross Gray Insurance Agency
I specialize in Business, Health and Personal Insurance sales and service.
A graduate of Texas Tech University (BBA Marketing), I began my career in retailing of Toy, Hobbies and Games. I have been a business owner but changed careers to insurance after selling my interest in a Dallas area Game Store Chain thirteen years ago. Hobbies include Gardening, Music (Bass Vocal) and Stock Investing.
See our website at http://www.quoteaustininsurance.com/
Ross Gray Insurance Agency has a 30+ year history serving Central Texas on all facets of insurance. We are located in South Austin at 2404 S. IH-35. We are here to help!
Copyright 2009, Ross Gray Insurance Agency, Inc.
Author: Elvin
Source: articledashboard.com
An insurance covering your trip is like a reliable travel companion. Availing this insurance means that you will be looked after appropriately during the tour. And if any trouble persists, you will be aided and compensated as well. But, travel insurance comes to little or no use if insurers have no adequate information about the insurance. Some useful tips about this insurance how you can avail and utilise it in its best way can be of great help.
Financial survey in UK states that almost 10% of all claims are fake. Taking this matter seriously, it becomes difficult for people to get their compensation exactly what they are promised by insurance company to be paid. Thus, it becomes very important for insurance buyers to take precautions at every step, from buying the insurance to making claims to be compensated.
The most important point to consider while you are buying a travel insurance is checking what all are being covered by the insurance. Before you finally make a deal, be sure of the insurance that it is giving you good cover. Usually, the insurance will cover for your lost luggage, stolen cash and other belongings. Though, it will pay you limited amount of cash, but it is of great help during the travel. Hospital treatment is also covered by the insurance.
Even most of the insurance will give give you 24 hour medical and legal assistance. Similarly, you need to be well aware of conditions in which travel insurance will not pay you any compensation. If you have lost your luggage/belongings/cash due to your faults, insurer will not pay you any compensation. Again, if the reason of cancelling trip is not valid, you will not be paid. Besides, some hazardous activities like adventurous sports like scuba diving and mountaineering are not covered. Knowing some of these important information could help you having a memorable trip.
Author: David Collins
Source: articlesbase.com
Surfing is one of the most popular watersports for extreme sports enthusiasts, and with a wide variety of locations worldwide, can be one of the most exhilarating. Many who visit the coastal regions in the southern hemisphere — such as the vast beaches of South Africa and Australia — go for the rich variety of surfing conditions during the warm weather. Surfing is also a popular choice for backpackers who embark on excursions down under. As with all extreme sports, there is an element of danger associated with surfing, ranging from collisions with fellow surfers, marine wildlife and also the risk of drowning. Because of this it is important to arrange some suitable cover before to take the plunge. Take the time to compare travel insurance prices before you embark on your trips, and also for any equipment you might be taking along. Don’t be afraid if you haven’t brought a board with you, surf shacks will usually hire out equipment such as wetsuits and boards. More experienced enthusiasts will also have taken out some form of surf insurance against their possessions, in order to cover against equipment damage — both during transit and when you’re riding the waves – and medical cover in the event of an accident. Or ‘wipeout’ if you prefer the lingo. As popular as surfing is, for a beginner it can be quite difficult to get the hang of, which is why it is important to ensure that before you travel you arrange to take some surfing lessons, as well as doing some travel insurance comparison to ensure that you are covered against any injuries. When embarking on a surfing excursion for the first time it is important to be careful, pay attention to what your instructor says, avoid paddling out too far and don’t try and do too much too quickly. Once you’ve got the hang of it, surfing can be a pretty ‘gnarly’ experience, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
David is an experienced web author based in the UK
Author: Lilly L Fry
Source: ezinearticles.com
If you are planning a business trip, you may be under the impression that if anything was to happen to you while you were away that your employer will cover it. However, the chances are, your employer will be under the assumption you have arranged your own travel insurance, therefore responsibility, as far as your employer is concerned, would lie with you.
Whether you are self employed, or an employee, or an employer, looking to take a trip to improve relations or get a better deal from a supplier, o meet that all important new client, but having business trip travel insurance in place you can be sure that all you need to worry about is the ask at hand, and not anything related to your trip.
Having the insurance is not just sound financially, but, in the event of an emergency, can also help your business make the most of an unfortunate situation, as well as ensure that you business meeting is not too effected by any mishaps that may happen. Your cover could include a replacement colleague clause, so that if you or your employee is sick during their business trip, your insurance will cover most if not all of the costs in replacing that colleague with another member of staff.
Time and time again we hear that our own government officials have left extremely sensitive and important information, appear and digital based, in places they shouldn’t have been left. It happens, and when it does, it can cause a real problem within your business. No matter how comprehensive your insurance is, no amount of money can bring that data back, so be sure you have back up copies of all important documents relating to your business. However, your business trip insurance can cover the cost of a replacement laptop, which at least softens the bow a little when you have o tell your employer the bad news.
No matter what you encounter during your business trip, by taking out the appropriate insurance you can be sure that no matter what unexpected events occur, your business will not be affected. Business trips are a necessary burden to most people, and the burden should not be made any bigger by needing insurance, and not having it.
If your business trip is not all work related, and you plan to have a little fun while you’re away, some providers will be able to offer cover equivalent to a holiday single trip, which will be an extra benefit of your business trip insurance.
Make sure you check with your insurer to find out exactly what your policy covers.
Lilly L Fry writes for Theidol.com specialize in travel insurance and you can compare quotes from the UK’s best known insurers online at http://www.theidol.com.
Author: Dylan
Source: articledashboard.com
If you are taking a holiday, or embarking on a business trip, or perhaps a long stay overseas, it is recommended that you get some travel insurance to cover your travel losses and more. If you happen to have some items stolen or lost, or you have incurred financial and other losses, travel insurance will cover these and give you peace of mind traveling experience.
This article will briefly discuss the type of losses travel insurance covers. Firstly cancellation of a trip can be covered by good travel insurance packages, this can happen quite often. Cancellation is due to unforeseen circumstances, such as bad weather conditions, mechanical failure, personal illness, family death and more. This can lead to heavy financial loss incurred by traveler, then ultimately covered by your chosen travel insurance.
Trip interruptions can also be covered by good travel insurers; this is when your holiday or trip is interrupted for any particular reason out your control, such as illness, or liquidation of pre-paid accommodation or more. Here the travel insurance will cover the financial loss of the traveler during these interruptions.
Luggage and personal item loss is where the traveler’s possessions are lost on airplanes, busses, theft and more. This is a common occurrence for many travelers, often this kind of insurance is recommended for all travelers as your suitcase, camera or bag can go missing before you board your airplane, buss, boat or train. Travel insurance will cover the financial loss of the traveler if their luggage or expensive personal items are lost.
Travel insurance can also cover financial losses due to delayed departure, emergency replacement of essential items, accidental death, injury or disablement benefit, personal liability such as rental car damage, legal assistance, and medical expenses, loss of income and more. If you are traveling to remote or high risk countries, you can also get special travel insurance to protect yourself. Travel insurance can also cover high risk sporting activities and holidays such as skiing and scuba diving and more.
So, if you are planning a trip away, get professional advice from your travel agent or find more information on travel insurance and reliable travel insurance providers from the internet. Travel with peace of mind and have an enjoyable trip, knowing that any unfortunate or unforeseen incident will be covered by travel insurance. Protect yourself and your personal finances by ensuring you have comprehensive travel insurance.