Take Care of your Heart!

February is American Heart Month. Having a healthy heart is the best
Valentine's Day gift you could ever give yourself or the people who
love you.

Medicare will cover a cardiovascular screening at no cost to you every
5 years. The test are covered by Medicare Part B and will cover screening
tests for cholesterol, lipid, and triglyceride levels.

If you and your doctor discover that you are at risk for a heart attack
or stroke there are steps you can take to help prevent these conditions.
Lifestyle changes might help like increasing your activity level,
exercising and changing your diet to lower your cholesterol and stay healthy.

Talk to your doctor about resources and information on how to take care of
your heart and live a healthy life.   (Medicaregov.com)

Sincerely,
Tom Caress
760-413-9749
medicareplansdirect.net

Medicare Right and Protections Part 1

Be treated with dignity and respect at all times.

Be protected from discrimination. Every company or agency that works
with Medicare must obey the law, and can't treat you differently because
of your race, color, national origin, disability, age, religion or sex.

Get emergency care when and where you need it.

Have your personal and health information kept private.

Get information in a way you understand from Medicare, health care providers,
and under certain circumstances, contractors.

Sincerely,
Tom Caress
760-413-9749
medicareplansdirect.net

W-2s list cost of providing a Health Plan

It is going to be a surprise, maybe even a shock when workers open their W-2 forms this
months, many will see a new box with information on the total cost of employer-sponsored
health insurance coverage. 

Workers ofter have little idea how much they and their employers are paying for coverage.
In a lot of cases workers give up cash compensation to get and keep health benefits.

The 2010 health care law that requires the disclosures of this information are meant to
make workers more cost-conscious. Health benefits are still tax-free. But some labor
unions and employer groups say it could be easier to tax them in the future, now that
employers must report their value to the government.

The new information appears in Box 12 of the standard W-2 form, with a two-letter code,
DD. The box shows the "cost of employer-sponsored health coverage" And that amount
is not taxable, the Internal Revenue Service says on the back of the form.


Sincerely,
Tom Caress
760-413-9749
medicareplansdirect.net

Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period

Just a reminder, The Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP)
for seniors who are interested in returning to original Medicare
ends Feb 14, 2013.

Seniors who are returning to original Medicare and interested in purchasing
a Medicare Supplement plan we can assist you.

We specialize in Medicare Advantage plans and  Medicare Supplement plans so contact our
agency and an agent can assist you and make sure you fully understand your options and make
sure you get the best rates available. We cover Southern California,counties of Riverside,
San Bernardino and surrounding area's. We also cover Nevada and all of Utah.  Please visit
 us online at Medicareplansdirect.net or call 760-413-9749.

Sincerely,
Tom Caress
760-413-9749

Health Insurance rejections rate

According to HealthPocket Inc. Health insurance application rejections rate
is at 22 percent, one-in five  applications are rejected. That is an increase
from one-in-seven back in 2010. There clearly is a great variability across
states and within states in terms of how frequently an insurer rejects a
health insurance application, but nationally it seem to be occurring more
frequently than assumed.

Sincerely,
Tom Caress
760-413-9749
medicareplansdirect.net

More on Health Care Exchange

Insurance policies that will be offered inside and outside the exchange
will be given a "metal rating" - platinum, gold, silver or bronze.

If you buy insurance through the California state's health exchange,
you'll be able to choose among a platinum rating for 90 percent coverage;
gold for 80 percent coverage, silver for 70 percent coverage, or bronze
for 60 percent coverage.

Example: If you get the bronze plan you will pay 40 percent of the costs
out of pocket if you get sick. With a platinum plan you will pay 10 percent
of your bill but you'll likely pay quite a bit more overall for the plan.

We specialize in Medicare Advantage plans and  Medicare Supplement plans so contact our
agency and an agent can assist you and make sure you fully understand your options and make
sure you get the best rates available. We cover Southern California,counties of Riverside,
San Bernardino and surrounding area's. We also cover Nevada and all of Utah.  Please visit
 us online at Medicareplansdirect.net or call 760-413-9749.

Sincerely,
Tom Caress
760-413-9749

Health Care Reform Update

Covered California was bolstered by a federal grant of $674 million
last Thursday that helps keep the state health exchange on pace for
a full-scale launch on Jan. 1, 2014.

Officials have laid out an action plan that includes signing up translators
fluent in 13 languages common in California. Some of the money will be
used to develop a fully operational Web portal where consumers can shop
for insurance policies.

Sincerely,
Tom Caress
760-413-9749
medicareplansdirect.net