Preventative Medical Care
Did you know your health insurance offers preventative services for FREE – that’s right! There is a whole list of preventative services that you can get for FREE as long as you are seeing a provider who is contracted with your insurance carrier (in-network).
What are these services? The list is extensive. Check with your insurance carrier, or read through your medical policy (Say WHAT? Yes, you really should). Health insurance is expensive, no doubt, but medical services are even more costly. Taking good care of yourself is essential! How often do you take your car in for its regular maintenance, oil changes, tire rotation, etc. You are more important than your car! Don’t neglect yourself but instead, take advantage of services designed to keep you healthy!
Here is a short list of what services are considered preventive for adults and are covered at 100%.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm one-time screening for men of specified ages who have ever smoked
Alcohol misuse screening and counseling
Aspirin use to prevent cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer for adults 50 to 59 years with a high cardiovascular risk
Blood pressure screening
Cholesterol screening for adults of certain ages or at higher risk
Colorectal cancer screening for adults 50 to 75
Depression screening
Diabetes (Type 2) screening for adults 40 to 70 years who are overweight or obese
Diet counseling for adults at higher risk for chronic disease
Falls prevention (with exercise or physical therapy and vitamin D use) for adults 65 years and over, living in a community setting
Hepatitis B screening
Hepatitis C screening for adults at increased risk, and one time for everyone born 1945–1965
HIV screening for everyone ages 15 to 65, and other ages at increased risk
Immunization vaccines for adults — doses, recommended ages, and recommended populations vary:
Diphtheria
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Herpes Zoster
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Influenza (flu shot)
Measles
Meningococcal
Mumps
Pertussis
Pneumococcal
Rubella
Tetanus
Varicella (Chickenpox)
Lung cancer screening
Obesity screening and counseling
Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention counseling for adults at higher risk
Statin preventive medication for adults 40 to 75 at high risk
Syphilis screening for adults at higher risk
Tobacco use screening for all adults and cessation interventions for tobacco users
Tuberculosis screening for certain adults without symptoms at high risk
WHEW – and there are other lists for children and specific to women! Time to take advantage of your FREE preventative medical screenings!
Understand Your COBRA Benefits
Don’t say NO to COBRA right away! COBRA beneficiaries have 60 days to decide whether they want COBRA coverage. If you enroll in COBRA before the 60 days are up, your coverage is then retroactive, as long as you pay the retroactive premiums. This means that if you incur medical bills during your “election period,” you can retroactively — and legally — elect COBRA and have those bills covered.
What Is Replacement Cost Coverage?
What is “Replacement Cost”?
One of the most important distinctions you’ll need to know as a homeowner is the difference between replacement cost and market value. Why? Because if you insure your home based on its market value – i.e., its selling price – you may be insuring it for just a fraction of what it would cost to rebuild.
A replacement cost takes into account many of the same factors as the market value – age, size, condition and location – but adds in other factors such as debris removal, contractors’ fees and architects’ fees. Insuring your home to its replacement cost is the only way to guarantee the kind of full protection and peace of mind that an investment of this size requires.
For more information on insuring your home at its replacement cost, contact us ~ 907-562-3020
Understanding Personal Umbrella Insurance in Alaska
CONSIDER THIS SCENARIO: One of your children’s friends is using your hot tub, slips and falls, and severely injures themselves. While you did not intend for this to happen, you could be held personally liable for this child’s injury and the resulting damages could quickly exceed your insurance limits.
Accidents happen. Unanticipated events—such as auto accidents resulting in permanent injury of others, a family pet attacking a neighbor, or a campfire getting out of hand and starting a forest fire—can result in expensive lawsuits. These lawsuits often exceed the coverage offered by your personal auto, homeowner, condo unit owner, or renter policies. Personal umbrella insurance offers you an extra layer of protection, increasing your limit to $1 million or more, for a modest price.
To evaluate whether or not you need personal umbrella insurance, consider your risk. Individuals with teenage drivers, pets, hot tubs, boats, snowmobiles, hunting equipment, and other large or dangerous personal property have a higher risk of unforeseen lawsuits. In addition, personal umbrella insurance is advantageous for individuals with significant assets to protect.
Personal umbrella insurance can bring you peace of mind and protect your family from financial devastation. We can help you determine if personal umbrella insurance is right for you.
Assigned Risk Pools – What You Need To Know
No POOL for you! The Assigned Risk Pool was established by each state to make sure employers could obtain workers compensation insurance even if standard market insurance companies were not willing to provide coverage for their business. Assigned Risk Pool rates are HIGHER than those for the same classification codes in the standard market. Assigned Risk Pool Plans are generally the market of last resort. You DO NOT want to be in THIS pool! You will pay more just to dip your toes here.
You’ll find that somewhere around 10% of all insured employers found within NCCI governed states are swimming in the pool! A significant number of insureds!
Why are you in the “Pool”?
Possibly you are a high-risk industry such as oil drilling operations or roofing;
Maybe because you have significant past work comp losses and are no longer acceptable to insurers who operate in the standard market place;
Or you are a new business and not considered acceptable in the standard market and are thus forced to secure workers comp coverage through the Assigned Risk Pool.
Sadly, we also find sometimes employers are in the “Pool” because their broker doesn’t have access to standard markets for them, or didn’t move them out once they were no longer considered a new business.
We have GREAT work comp carriers who LOVE to insure high risk markets. Let us hand you a virtual towel and get you out of the “Pool”! Call ANI 907-562-3020.
Insurance Coverage For Dog Bites in Alaska
Many people are taking advantage of the longer summer days by spending time outdoors with their pets. If you are a dog owner, that may mean that your dog is out around more people. What happens if your dog bites someone? Do you know if you are covered?
Most homeowner insurance policies cover dog bites and other related incidents, but coverage could be dependent on the dog breed and whether you have notified your insurance carrier that you own a dog. Insurance companies often have a list of dogs that are not eligible for coverage. Your family pet may be gentle with no signs of aggression. However, if it is a breed on your insurer’s list, you may not be eligible for coverage. In these situations, a dog liability insurance policy may be an option.
As an independent agency, we represent many carriers but for one of our carriers, Safeco, here is their “Breeds of Concern” list:
– Akita
– Chow
– Doberman Pinscher
– Presa Canario
– Pit Bull
– Rottweiler
– Staffordshire Bull Terrier
– Wolf hybrid
– Any mixture of the above breed of dogs
The best advice is to check with us to ensure you are adequately protected for exposures related to your pets.
ANI – 907-562-3020
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