Health Insurance Online

Why should I even bother to buy a life insurance?

Administrator — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:22:29 +0000

Numerous economic experts believe life insurance to be the basis
of sound economic planning. It is in general a cost-effective
way to take care about your loved ones after you are departed.
It can be an important instrument in many ways.

Income substitute For the majority of people, their main
financial asset is their capability to make a living. If you
have people depending on you, then you need to think about what
would happen to them if they suddenly do not have your income to
count on. Income from a life insurance policy can help
complement retirement income. This can be particularly useful if
the benefits of your surviving other half or family partner will
be reduced after you pass away.

Pay your debts Think of life insurance so that your loved
ones have the money to pay for the funeral, credit card debts
unpaid and medical expenses not covered by health insurance. And
further, life insurance can be used to pay off the house loan,
as extra retirement savings and assist pay college education.

Charitable donations If you have a favourite aid
organization, you can assign some of the money from your life
insurance to go to them.

Okay, you get the picture – you need a life insurance!

How much life insurance do you need? To make a decision
about how much life insurance to get, you need to find out what
your goals are in buying this coverage. Try to find answers for
the following: Should I spare my loved ones for the funeral
costs and other outstanding debts? Am I worried that my wife or
domestic partner will not be able to continue to pay off the
mortgage? Do I have dependents who count on my income? What
about college savings for my children or retirement savings for
my spouse if I die?

Dependents If you have children, or your other half does
not work outside the home. Or maybe your aging parents life with
you, and you financially take care of them. Then you have
dependents. Are your loved ones capable of paying the mortgage
without your financial contribution? Either way, your loved ones
will no longer have your income to help them pay the bills and
keep their lifestyle after you are gone. You will have to buy
enough insurance to provide for their future. Your family may
also need extra money to make some changes after you die. They
may want to move or your other half may have to go back to
school to be in a better position to help support the family.

No dependents If you are young and want to have a family
in the future, you might also want to buy a life insurance now
so that you can lock in a good rate. Just because you do not
have dependents, does not mean you do not have responsibilities.
You may be concerned with not being an economic burden to others
when you die. You may also want to leave some money behind to
your family, friends or a charity. You should buy enough
coverage to pay outstanding debts, tax liabilities and funeral
expenses.

About the author:
Huge amount of Life Insurance Information on this site – Go
there! http://www.lifeinsurance.infostairs.com

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Making Sense of the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan

Administrator — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:15:24 +0000

��The newly added Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, also
referred to as Part D, is due to go into effect January 1, 2006.
And even with all the information that seniors had been
inundated with this past fall, many are still left wondering how
to make sense of this program. Very simply, beginning in January
2006, for the first time Medicare will provide prescription drug
coverage for those that are eligible for the federal
governments Medicare health insurance program. However, the
confusion starts here because enrollment in the Prescription
Drug plan is optional, but if the beneficiaries do not enroll by
the May 15, 2006 deadline, they risk paying a permanent
surcharge on their premium, which increases at a rate of 1% per
month. For instance, delaying enrollment for six months could
increase the monthly premium by 6 percent.

��As a practical matter, the best place to start will be to
look at how it affects your pocketbook. The Medicare
Prescription Drug plans will be offered by insurance companies
and other private companies approved by Medicare, and these
plans will offer at least the standard level of coverage which
consists of the following:

– a monthly premium which will vary depending on the plan you
choose.

- a $250 annual deductible, which is the first $250 of the
annual cost of the drugs.

- a 25% co-pay for the next $2,000 in drug costs with the
Medicare Prescription Drug plan paying the other 75% of these
costs.

- There is also a coverage gap period, referred to as the
“doughnut hole”, where the beneficiary pays 100% of the next
$2,850 in drug costs.

- After that, the beneficiary has a 5% co-pay for the rest of
the calendar year after the $3,600 in out-of-pocket costs.

��Of all the features in the new Medicare Prescription Drug
plan, the most confusing and probably the most controversial
aspect appears to be this “doughnut hole” coverage gap period,
where the beneficiary is responsible for not only 100% of the
prescription drug costs, but also the monthly premium. And this
is also why before enrolling in a plan, beneficiaries will want
to crunch some numbers to determine which plan is best suited
for their particular situation.

��The first thing beneficiaries will need to consider is the
drug formularies that they will be using during the year. Before
deciding on a Medicare Prescription Drug plan, beneficiaries
will want to confirm that their drug formularies are covered by
that plan, and they will want to compare the co-pays that will
be required for their particular drug formularies. The Medicare website has a
useful tool for comparing the various prescription drug
plans.

��Here is an example of three Medicare Prescription Drug plans
selected for comparison with the Prescription Drug Plan Finder
tool found on the Medicare website, using the following
assumptions:

– Beneficiary is adding coverage to the Original Medicare
fee-for-service plan;

- is not eligible for additional help for people with low
income;

- is a resident of Ellicott City, MD using the 21042 zip code;

- and uses three commonly prescribed drug formularies: Diovan
(High Blood Pressure Angiotensin Blockers), Mobic
(Anti-inflammatory NSAIDs) and Lipitor (High Cholesterol Statins)

��The search result listed a total of 48 plans available to
Medicare beneficiaries in the Ellicott City area. The
Prescription Drug Plan Finder tool on the Medicare website
allows for comparison of three plans at a time, and the results
for the plans selected for comparison are below.

(1) AARP MedicareRx Plan (Contract ID: S5820, Plan ID: 004)

- Monthly premium $28.61 and $0.00 deductible

- Annual Total Drug Plan Cost to Beneficiaries – $1,756

(2) WellCare Signature (Contract ID: S5967, Plan ID: 039

- Monthly premium $19.80 and $0.00 deductible

- Annual Total Drug Plan Cost to Beneficiaries – $2,925

(3) Humana PDP Standard S5884-063 (Contract ID: S5884, Plan ID:
063)

- Monthly premium $6.44 and $250.00 deductible

- Annual Total Drug Plan Cost to Beneficiaries – $1,038

��Only by comparing the prescription drug plans based on an
individuals specific drug formulary needs, can the consumers
make an informed decision. As we can see from the above example,
there are some significant differences on the annual total drug
plan cost using our assumptions. As it turns out, the most
important variable in determining the total annual drug plan
costs to the beneficiaries are not the premium and deductible,
but whether or not a particular drug formulary is covered under
the plan. Another important variable is the amount of co-pay
that the beneficiary has to pay for a particular drug formulary.
The amount of co-pay that is required of the beneficiary will
depend on which tier group a particular drug formulary is listed
under by the prescription drug plan.

��In our example, the AARP and the WellCare plans did not
require an annual $250 deductible, but they varied in the level
of coverage for our drug formularies. In the case of WellCare,
the beneficiary would have had to pay 100% of the cost of the
drugs (and also pay the monthly premium!) since this plan did
not cover any of the three formularies, while the AARP plan
covered the drugs but required a co-payment ranging from 40% for
Lipitor to 66% for Mobic. The best plan in our example, the
Humana Standard plan, had the lowest monthly premium and they
also provided standard coverage for all three of our drugs,
requiring just the 25% co-pay before reaching the initial
coverage limit. All three of these plans had 6 local drug stores
including CVS, Giant, RiteAid among others, conveniently located
in the area that accepted their plans.

��While the new Medicare Prescription Drug plan can be
confusing, with a bit of research and some number crunching,
consumers can make an informed decision. With the rising cost of
healthcare and prescription drugs in general, the new Medicare
Prescription Drug plan has the potential to be a positive new
benefit for Medicare beneficiaries, and an important part of a
personal financial plan. Keep in mind also that, you are not
locked into a particular plan forever. After May 15, 2006 there
will be an annual open enrollment period from November 15
through December 31 of each year when beneficiaries can change
their plans.

About the author:
Mr. John J. Lah, MBA, CFA is a Principal with Waverly Tax
Service and the Waverly
Financial Group, a no commissions, no product sales,
Fee-Only financial advisory firm located in Ellicott City, MD,
specializing in portfolio management with Exchange Traded Funds.
Mr. Lah received his MBA from James Madison University in
Harrisonburg, VA and is a CFA charter holder. For more
information on the CFA

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When You Do Not Feel Well And Your Doctor Tells You That You Are Perfect

Administrator — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:15:20 +0000

For many years I had patients complaining that they were not feeling well and after many consultations referrals and tests I came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with them.

However the patients kept complaining and they explored many avenues including complementary Medicine and sometimes some therapies, which have no scientific rationales.

I became interested in many of the modalities, learned about them and practiced them I will like to share some of my conclusions of more than 20 years of practice in places as different as Ndola Africa, St. Martin French West Indies, Paris France and Paita New Caledonia where I practiced.

This situation �Do not feel well and is perfect� is very common for many doctors and patients and is very costly, frustrating and avoidable.

With time the misunderstanding and aggravation on both sides increase, the doctor labeling his or her patient as an hypochondriac, a border line personality or in non academic settings as a �pain in the butt�, the doctor try to avoid seeing the patient facing his own incompetence.

The patient label is Doctor as uncaring, cold, dreadful, unable to understand the condition, the medical bills increases, after many years of frustration and hundreds of tests sometimes the Doctor is happy, triumphant �You have a Cancer� finally the �Do not feel well and is perfect� has been diagnosed and the patient can go back to a long series of new tests, treatment and suffering.

This ordeal from unrecognizable symptoms of ill feeling to diagnosis is the most important time for both the doctor and patient to correct �undiagnosable diseases.�

There are three main categories of �undiagnosable diseases�

Category One: Not in the Doctor scope of Practice

The disturbances do not fit the education of the Doctor; he or she is used to diseases with tissular or biological markers and they are not familiar with Energy Medicine. Some practitioners have been trained in energy evaluation the Acupuncturists evaluate the �Chi� The Homeopaths �The Life Force� the �Nutritional imbalance� of the nutritionist.

The Doctor should accept his or her lack of training in the field and refer to a fully qualified Doctor of Health professional trained in Energy (or Functional) Medicine.

Category Two: Not diagnosable by standard testing

The disturbance does not fit the classical biological testing, as you may know from reviewing the history of Medicine, many patients suffering from diagnosable diseases where misdiagnosed as psychiatric patients in the past, this has been documented for many diabetics and patient suffering from hypoglycemia and also for patient suffering from metabolic diseases.

There are many tests which may not be used by your Doctor because they are not known to him or not covered by the health insurance.

I had an adolescent suffering from epileptic fits of unknown origin, he had seen the best Doctors in town and had regular evaluation including EEG and Pet Scan, he was under standard treatment but was still experiencing fits at regular intervals, I convinced his mother to test for hundred of biological markers of body composition and we found out that he had a very low level of Omega 3 (an essential fatty acid) after supplementation all epileptic fits disappeared, this association has been described in the literature such testing are rarely reimbursed.

I had a toodler with chronic eczema seen by a pediatrician, an allergy specialist, a dermatologist who both concluded that he will do well with corticosteroids, I happened to decide to think out of the box and explored him with a hair analysis which revealed high level of lead and aluminum, we subsequently found out that he was eating lead paint from the wall of the old house of his grand mother where he was staying.

Removing the exposure, homeopathic and nutritional intervention cured the case.

Category Three: Environmental toxicity

We are all toxic we carry many substances which may not create the condition as an individual substance but may as an overload create body disturbances.

In fact that toxicity started at birth A recent study of newborn by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in collaboration with Commonweal, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood from 10 babies born in August and September of 2004 in U.S. hospitals. Tests revealed a total of 287 chemicals in the group. The umbilical cord blood of these 10 children harbored pesticides, consumer product ingredients, and wastes from burning coal, gasoline, and garbage.

Chemicals and pollutants detected in human umbilical cord blood

Mercury (Hg) – Pollutant from coal-fired power plants, mercury-containing products, and certain industrial processes. Accumulates in seafood. Harms brain development and function.

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – Pollutants from burning gasoline and garbage. Linked to cancer. Accumulates in food chain.

Polybrominated dibenzodioxins and furans (PBDD/F) – Contaminants in brominated flame retardants. Pollutants and byproducts from plastic production and incineration. Accumulate in food chain. Toxic to developing endocrine (hormone) system

Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) – Active ingredients or breakdown products of Teflon, Scotchgard, fabric and carpet protectors, food wrap coatings. Global contaminants. Accumulate in the environment and the food chain. Linked to cancer, birth defects, and more.

Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and furans (PBCD/F) Pollutants, by-products of PVC production, industrial bleaching, and incineration. Cause cancer in humans. Persist for decades in the environment. Very toxic to developing endocrine (hormone) system.

Organochlorine pesticides (OCs) DDT, chlordane and other pesticides. Largely banned in the U.S. Persist for decades in the environment. Accumulate up the food chain, to man. Cause cancer and numerous reproductive effects.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) Flame retardant in furniture foam, computers, and televisions. Accumulates in the food chain and human tissues. Adversely affects brain development and the thyroid.

Polychlorinated Naphthalenes (PCNs) Wood preservatives, varnishes, machine lubricating oils, waste incineration. Common PCB contaminant. Contaminate the food chain. Cause liver and kidney damage.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) – Industrial insulators and lubricants. Banned in the U.S. in 1976. Persist for decades in the environment. Accumulate up the food chain, to man. Cause cancer and nervous system problems.

While your Doctor may not want to test you for the above toxicants, while you may not be able to afford the testing many strategies exist to diminish the body burden

- Nutritional intervention
- Hydratation (our body contains a large quantity of water not sodas)
- Amino-acid supplementation
- Green Food
- Homeopathic therapies (using low dose of toxicants to stimulate elimination)
- Acupuncture (to reestablish energy flow)
- Chiropraxie (body posture)
- Yoga (body posture, mind-body connection, sweating)
- Exercise (activation of the metabolism, sweating)
- Herbal (mainly herbs having an effect on the liver and kidneys)

By understanding the situation you will be able to focus your energy on new therapies and strategies which will �make you feel well even if you are not perfect�.About the Author: Richard Clement is a French Medical Doctor with more than 20 years of practice worldwide he teaches Homeopathy and Pharmacology at the ATOM school of Acupuncture in Fort Lauderdale Florida and has developed his own line of homeopathics and nutritional products http://www.web-outpatients.com
Source: www.isnare.com

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Speech Pathology Jobs

Administrator — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 04:15:27 +0000

Speech pathology jobs are expected to see a rise in coming years due to the growing population of aging people, who may end up more prone to conditions requiring a speech pathologist�s care. In this respect, you may be considering a career in speech pathology, and wondering how to get speech pathology jobs. There are a number of factors to consider like education and the nature of a speech pathologist�s work before you start looking for speech pathology jobs.

First, you should have an understanding about what speech pathology jobs entail. Speech pathology jobs usually entail assessing, diagnosing, and treating speech disorders. Also, there is a preventative aspect to speech pathology jobs in which the speech pathologist will work to prevent speech, language, cognitive, communication, swallowing, and other disorders. Most speech pathology jobs involve the speech pathologist working with those who cannot make speech sounds at all or those who cannot make them very clearly. A common example of a potential speech pathologist�s client would be a person struggling with a stuttering problem.

If you are looking for employment in a comfortable setting, speech pathology jobs can allow you to work in your own office. However, speech pathology jobs in hospitals or other medical settings will also allow you more flexibility and mobility as you are able to go from patient to patient. Even in schools, speech pathology jobs can involve going from classroom to classroom. Also, most speech pathology jobs will require you to work full-time, though there are some speech pathology jobs that allow you to work part-time or on a contract basis.

Speech pathology jobs are currently on the increase, and they can be found in a variety of settings. In 2002, almost half of all speech pathology jobs were found in educational settings ranging from preschools to universities. The remaining speech pathology jobs were found in medical facilities like hospitals, nursing care centers, and outpatient services. Some speech pathology jobs can even be found in day care centers and in private practice.

Almost all states require that a speech pathologist have a master�s degree before being offered speech pathology jobs. Also, speech pathology jobs in those states will require you to pass a licensing test in order to be able to accept speech pathology jobs. Other requirements for speech pathology jobs and licensing involve between 300 to 375 hours of supervised clinical experience and 9 months of post-graduate clinical experience. Plus, 38 states require continuing education so that you can keep renewing your license. Also, if you find speech pathology jobs where Medicaid, Medicare, and health insurance are factors in reimbursement, then licensure is a necessary requirement.

Speech pathology jobs are expected to grow faster than the national average for other occupations through 2012. Since the baby boomer generation is entering into middle age, they may become more prone to neurological disorders affecting speech. Since this is a rather large population, speech pathology jobs will also continue to increase. Also, there is new legislation requiring that newborns be screened for hearing loss and receive services right away, also increasing the number of speech pathology jobs available. If you are willing to put in the time and schooling required to be a speech pathologist, the amount of speech pathology jobs available will offer you many options for your employment outlook.About the Author: Copyright � Charles Fuchs is an established online marketer who specializes in helping people start their very own Home Based Business. He specializes in showing people how Starting a Business can be easy. http://www.home-based-business-world.com/articles/speech-pathology-jobs.htm
Source: www.isnare.com

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DISABILITY and WORKING: Making the Systems Work For You

Administrator — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:20:05 +0000

In a previous article, we discussed the JAN � the Job Accommodation Network, and just how valuable a resource that link is to those of us who are disabled, yet still working.
Alsoin that article, we left me as the VP-HR for an entire Ship Repair Yard. As you can probably imagine, my job description was very extensive. For example, consider the following.
� I was responsible for, and/or did all the work for Employee Relations; Labor Relations; compensation; benefits; Workers Compensation (averaging 300-400 incidents per year). We had a Training Center, on site that was my responsibility. I also personally handled all of the Employment litigation. This meant representing the Shipyard in court and other legal/labor proceedings.
� Each day was crammed full of meetings, crises, activities, etc.
� The job required extensive patience, experience, maturity, tact, expertise, and the ability to remain calm in the middle of multiple crises.
So, I received the conclusive diagnosis, and, probably like you, I thought I could still do my job. The day I knew that I had to cut back will remain always in my mind: I had a Craft Manager (Painters) and his Union Business Agent and Shop Steward in my office, very agitated; I had the Safety Director and an employee out in the hallway; I had the Executive VP for Production on my cell phone; and I had the Owner on my land line (phone). All were talking (yelling) at me at once. Now, this was typical, but for the first time I froze; I could not multi-task effectively to provide the customer service to all of these clients in the manner that they deserved. My vision left (big black holes in my right eye; �heat waves� in my left � Optic Neuritis); my MS had reached the stage that I was too tired and too befuddled to effectively manage the work.
So, what was I to do? Now remember, even w-a-y back then I was an Expert Patient; a Chronic Disease Self-Manager; and practiced Patient-Oriented health care with my Doctors. It is probably not a surprise to you that I also was a very collaborative Executive with my fellow Ship Repair Yard Executives, including the Owner. I knew that he would work with me to come up with a plan to allow me to continue working to the full extent of my capabilities, but I NEEDED TO ACCEPT AND TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY for describing WHAT that looked like, HOW that would happen, WHO needed to do what, WHEN all steps needed to happen, and HOW to ensure that the process followed all relevant federal, state, local laws, company policy, vendor regulations, etc.
Sounds like a big job, doesn�t it? Well, looking back, it was. But, in the moment, at the time, I did what I recommend that you do as you begin the process. DO NOT think of the entire process; focus on the end result, always keep it in mind, but set up a plan, stick to the plan, and take things one step at a time. (Just the way one eats an elephant � one bite at a time!)
AND, you get a big advantage over what I was facing! I�ve been there before you; I faced the problem, worked out the following process, and have been blessed with the ability to share it with you. Hopefully, you too will be successful with your own journey.
The Journey From Working Full Time to Working With a Disability.[1] (Note: this blog is only describing the steps in the process. For greater detail and copies of the documents in the process, they, and the actual examples I used, can be found at the www.disabilitykey.com website, in the Disabilitykey Workbook.)
Step #1: Know where you are going, and begin your journey in enough time to keep control over the process of getting there!
� Recognize that the end goal is to create a process that will be a �win-win� for both you and your company. The goal for the company is to retain you, a valuable employee, and your knowledges, skills and abilities. Define this goal for yourself; do you want to go on LTD (long term disability); do you want to retain your income at a level amount; what do you want?
� Start this process early enough so that you retain control over your future, as I did. Do NOT wait until your supervisor comes to you and says that you have a problem � you aren�t getting your work done, etc. At that time, you have already lost control, because your supervisor would have talked to your Human Resources Department, and they would have attempted to set up a plan for you. Now, not to sound too paranoid, but in my experience, most HR folks are woefully deficient in knowing what to do in these circumstances (yes, I know, another challenge for me to accept, and I do have plans to address this situation); and, any plan that they would/could come up with probably would not benefit you as well as the company.
� DO NOT TALK to your supervisor or to Human Resources until after you have developed your plan.
Step #2: Gather up all relevant documents.
� Collect all copies of your benefit Summary Plan Descriptions (SPD).
� Get a copy of your Company�s Employee Handbook.
� Get your Job Description. Also, go to your Human Resources department, and see if you can get copies of other job descriptions for jobs other than your own that you believe that you might be able to do, in spite of your condition�s symptom impairments.
� Access the JAN website and print out the information about your specific condition. Look particularly at the examples other companies have made as reasonable accommodations for employees with symptom impairments similar to yours. It is important to do some research here. Look at conditions similar to yours, and the symptom impairments for those conditions. Continue to research until you find just what matches YOUR specific situation.
Step #3: Specifically, set your goal.
� It is easier in the following steps to have an actual example to work with, so I will use my own. (NOTE: as you begin your process and have questions, remember that you can ask them as a comment to this blog and get not only my response, but those of thousands of your new best friends in your exact circumstances! And, as you ask questions and receive answers, you will also be helping others like yourself. So, y�all unshy people, ask and answer away!)
� MY SITUATION: 1) I decided that I still had something to offer to my company, in a lesser position; 2) I wanted to go on LTD yet still work; 3) I wanted to maintain my pay, if I could figure out how to do it; 4) I wanted to keep my health insurance and other benefits (like vacation and sick leave) benefits. THIS BECAME MY GOAL.
� MY RESULTS: As a result of using this process, I was successful in working through my LTD elimination period of 6 months (180 days) and 1 year on LTD for my own occupation for a year, at a lesser job, at full pay, while maintaining my health insurance and other company benefits.
Step #4: List the questions you need to answer in support of your goal, and answer them by researching your previously gathered documentation.
� I started with goal #2 first, because I needed to know what �triggered� my LTD. It may not surprise you, but it REALLY surprised me that what triggered LTD eligibility wasn�t having a disabling disease/condition or accident, but a pay cut specifically caused by symptom impairment of that disease/condition or accident on my ability to perform the essential duties of my job! Once I knew this, it made sense, as LTD is an insurance policy; its purpose is to augment pay lost due a �pay-impacting disability�! DUH! Now all I had to do is figure out just how much of a pay cut triggered the eligibility.
� In my case, it was a 20% pay cut. BUT, I also discovered that my LTD had a 180 day �Elimination period� that I would need to fulfill before being eligible to receive any money from my LTD insurance. Also, since my LTD insurance paid 60% of my base pay, if I wanted my pay to continue at 100%, I needed to figure out how to get the 40% back while on LTD.
� As for goal #4, I read in my Employee Handbook that I had to keep working at least 32 hours per week to retain eligibility for my company�s health insurance plan.
� For goal #3, if I was only going to work for 32 hours, and going to 32 hours per week equated to a 20% pay cut! BUT, as I wanted to retain my pay, I had to figure out how to get income for the other 8 hours per week.
� So, if you are paying attention, I needed to work my own job for 180 days (six months) for 32 hours; I needed documentation that what caused me to take this action was my condition�s symptom impairments; I needed to figure out how to �earn back� income for the additional 8 hours per week; and, I needed to figure out what job(s) I could go to after my LTD elimination period for 60% of my base pay paid by LTD insurance, and what I could do in partnership with my company that would pay me the additional 40% of my base pay to get it back up to 100%.
� First of all, it WAS NOT EASY AT ALL to literally wring information out of my LTD insurance Carrier! When I started asking them questions, their first reaction was why would I want to continue to work? No one ever had before, why should I? It took me about a month to go through enough folks to get the answers to my questions, but it should not be a shock to y�all that I prevailed. Here�s what I learned.
1. My specific LTD plan said that I could earn income during the elimination period, and for the first year of coverage, as long as the amount earned, added to the LTD amount, did NOT EXCEED the amount of my full pay prior to triggering LTD.
2. The 20% pay cut action that triggered my LTD was for actual �work� pay; it did not cover sick and vacation pay. So, I worked it out with my company[2] that I was going to keep my current job and pay during the 180 day LTD elimination period. Each week I would get a check cut from payroll for 32 hours �worked�. I then would get a check for 8 hours of sick and/or vacation pay. The 2 together kept my pay whole; the process complied with my LTD requirements, and met my stated goals. (As an aside, this is another reason why it is a good idea to keep a �bank� of useable sick and vacation pay. Also, my timing was such that my 180 days covered 2 different calendar years, and our company had the policy of �granting� all vacation time at the beginning of each calendar year. This was how I was able to use the 28 days of combination sick and vacation time to augment my work pay and keep my �total� pay complete.)
3. At the end of the 180 day elimination period, I accepted another job that my company, my doctors, the LTD insurance company and I agreed that I could perform.[3] Again, keeping my end goals in mind, and knowing that my LTD insurance would pay me 60% of my base pay, and I wanted to continue to earn benefits, I negotiated a position that would allow me to work for 32 hours a week, in a contributing capacity, that paid 40% of my base pay. As you can probably see, this arrangement was GREAT for both me and for my company.
Well, folks, this had again been a long blog, but I hope that it will be helpful for you. GOOD LUCK!!!
[1] Note: This process does NOT cover working while on SSDI, nor does it cover going back to work FROM SSDI coverage. If there is interest in those processes, let me know and I�ll create them for you.
[2] Actually, I did an entire proposal for my Company after I did all of the research, and had all of the answers. It included my goals, what I had learned, the steps I needed to take, what Jobs I thought I could do, the entire kit and caboodle as my kids would say. Again, it is this �Expert Patient�, being in control, doing the work ahead of time that got and keeps getting me results!
[3] Again, the process of working with your Doctors and completing what is called a Residual Functional Capacity analysis and all that this entails to first qualify for LTD, and, next, to qualify for a job you, your company, your doctors and the LTD company are OK with is covered in great detail in the Disabilitykey Workbook.

About The Author

Carolyn Magura
Disabilitykey.com (http://www.disabilitykey.com) is a website designed to assist each person in his/her own unique quest to navigate through the difficult and often conflicting and misleading information about coping with disabilities.
Carolyn Magura, noted disability / ADA expert, has written an e-Book documenting the process that allowed her to:
a) continue to work and receive her �full salary� while on Long Term Disability; and
b) become the first person in her State to qualify for Social Security Disability the FIRST TIME, in UNDER 30 DAYS.
Click here (http://www.disabilitykey.com/products.htm) to receive Carolyn s easy-to-read, easy-to-follow direct guide through this difficult, trying process. If you are disabled, dont let this disabiling process disable you. Read Carolyns Disability Key Blog (http://www.disabilitykey.com/disabilitykeyblog.shtml).

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Herbal Formula Replaces Conventional Medicine For Diabetics

Administrator — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 04:15:36 +0000

Diabetes has afflicted my life physically, emotionally and spiritually for the last sixteen years of my life. My wife of twelve years and daughter has had to live with an abnormal functioning husband and father. As the years went by as a diabetic, it became more and more difficult to control my blood sugar levels. My diet had to consist of a lot of calories because I have a fast metabolism and twenty pounds underweight. The increasing periods of uncontrolled blood sugar interfered with my thought processes at work and especially with my family.
The most detrimental effect of high blood sugar happened when I had to be hospitalized during the birth of my only daughter. My wife was hurt because it appeared that I purposely used the excuse of diabetes to not want to be with her for my daughter�s birth. It seemed I could never get close to anyone because I was living in a world of dysfunctional blood sugar all the time. I woke up in the morning with high blood sugar and grouchy. During the day it was a guessing game to keep my blood sugar at a normal level. I was always just getting by with life and never fully enjoying anything, not even a close relationship with God.
As the years went by, I became desperate and would buy a lot of products to help me try to manage my disease with no results. I could not afford health insurance and Doctor�s visits. This would always get me into trouble with my wife because we would fight about me not trusting God for the answer and wasting money. The people that would sell me products were out to take my money and take up too much of my personal time which took me away from my family.
One late evening after work, I vented my frustrations on a forum for diabetics. A response came back from Dr. Joseph Khoo from Singapore. Dr. Khoo approached me as a brother in Christ and offered me an herbal formula called Combetic on the honor system. I began taking Combetic with Dr. Khoo calling me on the phone everyday to make sure I was safely controlling my blood sugar. Having a new friend caring about me meant more to me than the remedy of my condition. After three days on Combetic, we had results and my hope grew by each passing week. I continued to decrease my insulin and I became an easier husband and father to live with. I could think better and I felt as though a fog had lifted off of me. My wife and I thanked God she had a husband to love. Dr. Khoo needed distributors for Combetic so we agreed to help as a team. Dr. Khoo visited us a few months later and we formed a corporation to market Combetic called Third Day Resources. We are now a growing team to help diabetics get freedom from the imprisonment diabetes causes. Diabetics can now go to: http://www.thirddayresources.com to get informed about diabetes and order Combetic. Dr. Khoo and professional staff offers free consultation in order to provide safe effective advice for every diabetic needing freedom from the �prison� of high blood sugar so they can get back to their lives and their families.

About The Author

Robin Roberts is President of Third Day Resources with a B.S. in Recreation and an eleven year career working with the disabled. Robin enjoys his family living in Eastern Tennessee by the Smokey Mountains.

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Saving money on auto insurance

Administrator — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:17:01 +0000

Auto insurance can dig deep holes in your pockets and you can save substantial amounts of money each year by choosing the right auto insurance. Taking the time to check out different car insurance companies and comparing their quotes can be a very good investment. You can often save several hundred dollars by choosing a licensed low-price car insurance company instead of some of the more expensive insurance companies. Today, the Internet has made it easier than ever before to rapidly gather information about insurance coverage and insurance rates from a multitude of insurance companies. Some sites will even collect the information for you and display easy-to-read spread sheets where all vital factors can be easily weighed against each other.
You can usually lower your car insurance rate further by installing an air bag, since the medical part of your car insurance will be cheaper. The car insurance company knows that you are less likely to sustain sever injuries in a car equipped with air bags. Some car insurance companies will offer you an even lower insurance rate if you install air bags not only for the driver but for the passengers as well. The same risk analysis will make your insurance rate drop when you install an anti-theft system, if you have a car insurance policy that covers theft.
Many insurance companies will offer discounts for certain groups, such a mature drivers, multi car families and militaries. Members of the National Guard and the Reserves are usually offered the same discount as militaries. Mature drivers receive a discount since they are statistically less accident prone than younger drivers. If you have a young driver in your family, you can however lower your insurance cost with some insurance companies by showing that the young driver has completed a drivers education program. Such insurance companies will usually also offer discounts for mature drivers that have completed a course in defense driving. If you are a multi-car family you should always bring this up when you negotiate your insurance rate with the insurance company and ask how large the discount will be if you insure all your cars with the company. Sometimes the car insurance rate can be decreased even further by insuring your car with your home insurance company or health insurance company. It is common for insurance companies to offer a wide range of different insurance policies.
If you have been fortunate and skilled enough to stay accident free for many years, you should find out how different car insurance companies will award you for this. The discount for accident free drivers can vary significantly between different car insurance companies and you can therefore save substantial amounts of money by shopping around. A five year long period that has been free of accidents is usually long enough to make you qualified for some type of discount. With some car insurance companies you will be offered a �surcharge waiver�. With a surcharge waiver, you will not loose your discount even if you are involved in one accident.

About The Author

William Berg
The auto insurance is not the only thing you should look at to improve your auto economy. Lets for example say that you where to buy a hummer (lets dream for a minute) than you shouldnt just check the Hummer Price but also other factors that effect the total auto cost like the Hummer gas mileage – MPG . By doing this you might find that a more expensive car actually can be cheaper all things considered.
robert@williambergs.com

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Teaching Jobs

Administrator — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:15:52 +0000

Education is a fundamental of any industrialized nation, and so
it is natural that qualified teachers remain in demand
throughout the world. In the U.S., there were over 3.8 million
teaching jobs for 2004 including preschool, kindergarten,
elementary, middle school, and secondary school teachers. If you
are seeking a career that will see good growth and with high
employment availability, then becoming qualified for teaching
jobs may be a proper career choice for you.

If you find pleasure helping people learn, then becoming
qualified for teaching jobs may be in your best interest.
Teaching jobs are found in a number of environments, each of
which has different requirements for working in those particular
teaching jobs. In some cases, you may have to obtain a two to
four year degree and pass a certification exam, and in other
cases your job experience may qualify you for certain teaching
jobs. There is no federal requirements for teaching jobs that
occur in schools, so often requirements for teaching jobs in
schools are dictated by local or state laws.

If you are considering teaching jobs in schools, it is likely
that your state requires that you obtain a four-year degree and
pass a certification or licensing examination. Teaching jobs in
early childhood education, though, will sometimes only require a
two year degree with certification. If you do not want to take a
certification exam to obtain licensure, some school districts
will allow you to become substitute teacher with only a
baccalaureate degree. There is also the option in some areas
that have difficulty finding qualified individuals to fill
teaching jobs, where you can obtain a teaching job in an area of
expertise as long as you have a degree in that area. If you are
considering teaching jobs in schools, you may also need to
understand that you will be subject to a background check.

If you are not necessarily interested in traditional teaching
jobs in schools, there are other kinds of teaching jobs
available to you. You can work in areas of training, tutoring,
adult education, and more, which are teaching jobs in
non-traditional settings. However, the greatest area of growth
in teaching jobs will continue to be in schools.

As student enrollment in schools slowly increases, older
teachers will be moving out of their positions at the same rate,
so growth in teaching jobs is expected to be fairly steady over
the next 10 years. The teachers who are able to be mobile will
have the best chance of finding teaching jobs. Vocational
teaching jobs are also expected to grow in the coming years, as
schools are now offering many specialized programs to their
students.

If you are interested in teaching jobs in school administration
or policy development, you will need to prepare by getting a
masters degree. Getting the advanced degree, though, is usually
made simpler through teaching jobs that offer tuition
reimbursement as a benefit alongside health insurance and
pensions.

Read the rest of the article here: Teaching Jobs.

Download the Home Based Business Manual (Free $97 Value!) and
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Copyright � Charles Fuchs is an established online marketer who
specializes in helping people start their very own Home Based
Business. He specializes in showing people the Best Work at home
and Las
Vegas Jobs online.

About the author:
Copyright � Charles Fuchs is an established online marketer who
specializes in helping people start their very own Home Based
Business. He specializes in showing people the Best Work at home
and Las Vegas Jobs online.

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Why Disability Insurance Is So Important

Administrator — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 04:16:03 +0000

When you have a disability of any type, your time, energy, and emotions are all heightened as you begin the journey to learn all you can so that you can regain the best quality of life that you can, given your particular circumstances. And, if you are married, and/or if you have children, trying to communicate with them what is going on with you, as well as to your doctors, becomes a difficult chore also.
With all of this chaos in your life, the absolute last thing that you need to worry about is money! What if I can�t work any longer? How will the bills be paid?
Perhaps you are saying that you do not need any disability insurance. Consider the following.
Disability Statistics[1] The odds of a person having at least one long term disability (LTD) that lasts three months or longer before that person reaches age 65.
DISABLED: (1999) According to the Disability Management Sourcebook, the number of folks between 17 and 44 with severe disabilities has increased 400 percent over the past 25 years. One in seven people will become disabled for five years or more before they reach 65. ODDS, STATISTICS AND DISABILITIES: (1999) The chances of using your homeowners insurance are about 1 in 88. The odds of using your auto insurance at about 1 in 47. The chances of using your LTC insurance is about 2 in 5. One out of two women and one out of three men will spend some time in a nursing home. (Journal of the American Society of CLU, 1996) More than 12 million older Americans will require some form of long term care by 2020. (Health Insurance Association of America). 72% of residents in a nursing home are women 90% of nursing home residents are over the age of 65. 22% of the disabled population is under age 65. (Puget Sound Life Underwriters Journal 1996). Functionally disabled people between the ages of 18 and 64 represent 40% of Americans needing long term care services. (Life Insurance Selling 1995)
The likelihood of needing LTC (obviously) increases with age. In 1991, 29.2% if those age 45- 64 had a disability; 44.6% between 65 and 74 had a disability; 63.7% between the ages of 75 to 84. 15.3% and 41.5% respectively had a severe disability. (Employee Benefit Research Institute, 1995) 80% of disabled persons are cared for at home or in adult day care centers. 72% of caregivers are family or friends. (Puget Sound Underwriters Journal). The cost of home care can run from $4.25 to over $200 daily depending on the level of skill needed (SF Chronicle, 1995). Caring for each Alzheimers patient will cost more than $213,000- on top of other medical expenses- over the remaining five years of their lives. (American Journal of Public Health, 1994). Over 99% of nursing home care is either custodial or intermediate care, not skilled care, and is not covered by Medicare or Medicare supplements (Journal of the American Society of CLUs, 1996).
Reasons People Take STD and LTD Leading the list of Top 5 causes of short-term disability (STD) workplace absence for 2001 was pregnancy (normal), followed by complications from pregnancy, injuries (excluding back), back conditions and digestive/intestinal conditions. The causes of claims and the percentage received for each cause were as follows: LTD – 13 percent � Cancer, 12 percent � Complications from Pregnancy, 11 percent � Back, 9 percent � Cardiovascular, 5 percent � Depression (2003) every year 12% of the adult U.S. population suffers a long-term disability. One out of every seven workers will suffer a five-year or longer period of disability before age 65, and if you�re 35 now, your chances of experiencing a three-month or longer disability before you reach age 65 are 50%. If you�re 45, the figure is 44% STD – 20 percent � Pregnancy (Normal), 9 percent � Pregnancy (Complications), 9 percent � Injuries (Excluding Back), 8 percent � Back, 8 percent � Digestive/Intestinal
The primary sources of disability insurance are STD and LTD. It is important to see if your company offers these insurances. If they do, make sure that you are covered. If they don�t, you can get personal STD and LTD. By visiting the following website, you can get more information about disability insurances.
How Much Disability Insurance is “Enough”? Research shows the following about employer-offered STD (short term disability) and LTD (long term disability).
Disability Insurance: ( 2003) In small private firms, fewer than one-quarter of workers have short-term disability coverage (22%), and just 13 percent have long-term disability income insurance, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Half of workers at large employers (100 or more employees) have short-term disability income insurance (47%), and more than one-third have long-term disability coverage (40%).
Disability coverage (American Council of Insurers 2004) 82% of employees are lacking in adequate coverage.
The Society of Actuaries says that only 2.5% of employees have individual disability coverage (i.e., paid for by the employee and not the company).
If you have already read the other blogs about Disability insurance, you know how important it is to know about what types of insurance you have, and how much each insurance will pay out, if and when you need it.
Now, you know how much your STD and LTD will pay out each month. The question is, how much SHOULD YOU HAVE?
There are some simple ways to determine just how much is “enough”, and it varies for each family.
1) Sick leave – maintain at minimum 5 days, and, at best, 10 days. In this way, you will be able to meet a usual time gap before your STD kicks in.
2) STD – most STD policies cover up to 26 weeks. To make sure that you have “enough” STD TIME coverage, the weeks should cover your LTDs elimination period.
3) LTD – timewise, you will want your LTD plan to cover you until your retirement age. (Note, not all retirement ages are at 65. The retirement ages are increasing; make sure that you know your specific retirement age.)
Now, lets talk about money. To calculate how much money is needed by you and your family, consider the following.
For each month, note the following.
1) OUTGO Your “must pay” expenses (including, but not limited to the following: house payment; utilities; car and gasoline; medical expenses; any child care; any loans, credit cards, etc.)
2) INCOME ON DISABILITY Add together any income other than yours (i.e., spouses income) plus whatever you will receive on a monthly basis from your company-paid STD and/or LTD. Add to this amount whatever savings you have, and how long this would last.
The gap between income on disability and outgo would be the amount of income that you might want to offset with a private LTD policy.
WHY THE NEED FOR DISABILITY INSURANCE BENEFITS? What are the odds?: (2005) in the next hour 194 people will be injured in car accidents, 57 homes will catch fire, 230 people will die, and 1,027 will become disabled.
Here are the latest disability trends that concern you. � Today, we live harder, work harder and play harder than ever before. As a consequence, there has been a dramatic increase in disabling injuries and illnesses. � In the past 25 years, the number of severely disabled people ages 17 to 44 has increased 400 percent. While the number of people with protection has also increased, most Americans still have a disability income protection gap. � This is alarming when you consider in a years time, chances are only one in 1,200 of you will need your fire insurance�generally considered a necessity for homeowners�but one in eight (8) of you will be sick, injured or killed. � The risk of becoming disabled will continue to increase.
Aging is a main factor. � Because of advanced trauma and cancer care, more people today survive illnesses and injuries that were deadly 20 years ago. In 1930, the average U.S. life expectancy was 61; today, it is 76; and by the year 2050, it will be 82. Today, there are 3.6 million Americans over age 65; by 2040, there will be 13.8 million. � With Americans now living longer, age has and will continue to have a profound impact on disabilities. According to the National Association of Health Underwriters, there are 3.74 disabilities per 1,000 people ages 45 to 49. This increases nearly five times more with age, to 15.18 disabilities per 1,000 people ages 60 to 64. � In addition, the traditional retirement age is moving up, and more people are likely to work part-time after retirement, thus increasing the risk of a disability later in their life.
Changing workforce � More than 10.5 million people are starting their own businesses, consulting or working at home, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And more women than ever are now working; many families today rely on two incomes. In the early 1900s, there were only 500,000 married women in the labor force. They represented just 4.5 percent of all married women. Today, there are about 39 million married women working outside the home (representing 60 percent of all married women), and 17 million of them have children under age six. � With more women working and families relying on two incomes, the need for disability protection has become greater, especially since women are twice as likely to suffer a disabling illness than men. And with more people working out of their homes and earning substantial incomes, the need for more flexible, individualized protection is on the rise.
Increase in workplace disabilities � Over the years, the causes of disabilities have changed in the workplace. � Today, disabilities due to psychiatric conditions, severe back pains, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, muscle/tissue disorders and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are increasing dramatically. Among the most common long-term disabilities (those lasting longer than three years) are circulatory and heart conditions, back disorders, psychiatric conditions, general sickness and subjective pain. � Common short-term disabilities (those lasting less than three years) include normal pregnancies as well as pregnancies with complications, injuries, muscular or skeletal problems, and psychiatric or substance abuse problems.

About The Author

Carolyn Magura
Disabilitykey.com (www.disabilitykey.com) is a website designed to assist each person in his/her own unique quest to navigate through the difficult and often conflicting and misleading information about coping with disabilities.
Carolyn Magura, noted disability / ADA expert, has written an e-Book documenting the process that allowed her to:
a) continue to work and receive her �full salary� while on Long Term Disability; and
b) become the first person in her State to qualify for Social Security Disability the FIRST TIME, in UNDER 30 DAYS.
Click here (“www.disabilitykey.com/products.htm) to receive Carolyn s easy-to-read, easy-to-follow direct guide through this difficult, trying process. If you are disabled, dont let this disabiling process disable you. Read Carolyns Disability Key Blog (www.disabilitykey.com/disabilitykeyblog.shtml).

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Choose the Work at Home Business for You

Administrator — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 04:16:04 +0000

When your office feels like a prison and the boss is really getting you down, working from home seems to be the ideal. You can work from home by starting a business from scratch or joining a legitimate work at home business opportunity, affiliate program or franchise. Working at home means you can do something you enjoy, “sack” difficult clients, put difficult bosses behind you, and avoid a lot of the daily stress faced by employees. The home based business industry is expanding rapidly and research suggests that revenue from home-based businesses will increase by up to 17% a year for the next five years. Home based business can mean a consultancy, franchise, affiliate program, network marketing, party plan, internet sales, and many more.
Its a big step from being employed to working for yourself, so plan as far ahead as possible. You will need to think about the effects on all areas of your life to prepare yourself, before you actually leave your job. With corporate cutbacks, redundancy can be the trigger for starting a home based business, and in this case you may have no scope for planning ahead. If you are made redundant try to negotiate as many extra benefits as you can from your employer: for example pay in lieu of notice, use of company equipment such as mobile phone or computer. Also see if there is any training your employer could pay for, to help you in your business, such as internet skills.
If you have no other income, you will need some savings to carry you through your business start-up period: work out basic living expenses for six months and try to put at least that sum aside. Dont forget that you will need to provide for benefits you may have received from employment, such as health insurance, pension contributions or a use of a company vehicle. Of course, if you have a spouse or partner who is employed and is willing to provide these necessities during your start up phase, you are buying yourself extra startup time.
Of course you will want a comfortable and quiet work area, ideally away from the rest of your household. This is important not only to reduce noise, but also to create the psychology of being “at work” and not “at home” when you need to concentrate. While some lucky people do manage to start their home business from the kitchen table, youll find the separation will help you run your business much more efficiently. Dont forget to allow space for storage and meeting visitors, if your business involves this.
When you are working from home to help your business succeed, sometimes long and unusual hours, it is easy to ignore both your physical and mental health. The usual advice applies – proper diet and exercise, and even if you dont have a family at home, dont work all the time. Entrepreneurs often report that the one aspect they miss in home working is the contact with colleagues, so be sure to maintain a social life, possibly through a business networking or support group. Try to surround yourself with positive, supportive people, and be sure to explain your business idea fully to your family. They will be a critical part of your support system. Those who love you the most arent usually trying to stand in your way – its just that starting a home business may be something unknown to them, and like everyone, they tend to be fearful of something they dont understand.
Benefits of a home based business
Working from home is a different way of life from 9-5 employment and offers benefits – monetary or lifestyle � that can far outweigh those found as an employee. Whether you work at home already, are thinking about it, or your life circumstances now make working from home necessary or possible, be sure to think these benefits through as you choose your employment options.
Financial benefits are not always the prime motivator. Many people are willing to take a reduction in income to enjoy the lifestyle benefits of working from home. There is a huge sense of freedom in being able to plan your own timetable. You can make appointments, do your shopping, and run other errands without trying to fit everything into a lunch hour or on the way home from work when everyone else is doing the same thing. You can take advantage of a glorious day to take your dog for a long walk, or stop to watch sport for an hour in the afternoon. You may need to start earlier or finish later to compensate – but the point is that you have this freedom when working for yourself.
In addition to time freedom, another big benefit of working at home is a reduction in stress. Of course, any business will bring its own pressures, but there are certain stressful situations that can be avoided by working at home. and the less stressed you are, the more energy and enthusiasm you have, energy that can be spent on your family or business! The daily commute can literally be a few feet to an office or other work area. You can avoid the stress, time and wear and tear involved in the traditional daily commute, and literally add two hours to your working day.
Choosing the right business for you
Many escapees from the corporate world don�t have a clear, transferable set of skills that they can use in their own business. For example, an engineer can see a number of uses for the skills used in their former job. For the rest of us a little more imagination may be needed.
The key to success is to keep an open mind and do not dismiss an opportunity because it is different form things you have done before. Look around at the opportunities available for online and offline businesses, surf the net, visit sites that offer advice. Also remember that you could be involved in more than one business.
There is a wide range of business opportunities to consider, including Affiliate programs, Internet based businesses, retail sales, network marketing, party planning. Many are highly reputable companies with successful track records. Its important to find out as much as possible about the company and to contact those already involved so you understand any risks you may be taking, how long before you can reasonably expect to make serious money, and what amount of work is required to make that money.
Be practical in your expectations of a homebased business: enormous income in a very short time is unrealistic, and a legitimate home business will not promise this. However, many offer a steady income stream that can increase gradually. It takes a certain amount of time to build any successful business. By starting and maintaining a legitimate home-based business, you can achieve your dream of being your own boss.

About The Author

Adrienne Davis runs www.homebusinessadvisers.com and has extensive experience in marketing, business start up, training and employment law. She publishes a regular FREE newsletter, and you can sign up at http://www.homebusinessadvisers.com. Adrienne offers unbiased advice from on working at home, business ideas and affiliate programs. See which ideas work and how to get free advertising. Learn about buying a franchise, hiring and firing staff, network marketing, and business investment. Don�t miss the website and newsletter, or contact me with any questions at adrienneadrienne@btinternet.com.

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