Blog - Page 11 of 27 - Alison Gordon Insurance Services

PPO, HMO, or EPO? What’s in a name?!

April 13, 2015

What’s with the alphabet soup? What’s it all mean? How will it inform your choices? Understanding the differences in these 3 plan types is essential in understanding health insurance in this new wacky market. HMO Say your toe hurts and you’re on an HMO (aka Health Maintenance Organization.) Where do you go first, the podiatrist? WRONG! With an HMO, you have to get prior approval and referral to a specialist from your PCP (Primary Care Physician.) And, there are NO

Who’s the boss? You the boss?

March 21, 2015

Are you a small business of 2-50 employees? I bet you want to stay competitive AND you want to help take care of your people. Are you trying to offer incentives to your new hires such as health and dental insurance benefits (and be the coolest company in town)? If you don’t have an HR department, The Insurance Mom will help you understand the options and get them started for you. We’ll help you through the entire application process, educate

Why we love John Oliver OR How to get a free lunch!

March 19, 2015

The Insurance Mom is a big fan of “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver. I thoroughly enjoyed his expose (which aired on 2/8/15) about the relationship between doctors and pharmaceutical companies. The gist is this . . . it has been a long-time practice of pharmaceutical companies buying doctors lavish lunches, providing divine holidays, inviting them to be a brand ambassador, speaking at events, and paying the docs handsome sums. It’s one thing to hand out free samples. But some

Limited time only! Didn’t know about the tax penalty? Let’s get you health insurance

March 19, 2015

What’s Open Enrollment? What’s a tax penalty!? If you’re asking these questions, YOU NEED OUR HELP! If you are uninsured and were unaware that there is a tax penalty for not having health insurance, give us a call! We have until April 30th to get you on a new plan… Pronto!

Pop Quiz! Did you study LTC?

March 4, 2015

Whether or not you’ve studied the articles in the last week on Long Term Care Insurance, The Insurance Mom has a pop quiz to see if you’re ready for Long Term Care Insurance! Answer the following for yourself and your family, True or False: I’m between the ages of 40-65 or I have parents in that age range. We’re relatively healthy and have no major medical problems now. We for sure don’t have an extra $90,000 for unexpected expenses

Final of the LTC Study Series

March 2, 2015

Does Medicare cover long-term care expenses? The answer may surprise you! Let’s take a look back at a recent post on LTC to round out our LTC education . . . There was an easy-to-read article in the LA Times about Long-Term Care Insurance which spelled it out very nicely. If you haven’t given much thought to how you’d pay for long term care expenses, you’re not alone. Most of us haven’t. But, the BIG question is: Would you be able to pay for someone

What’s the cost of getting older? $90,000 a year!

February 27, 2015

$90,000. That’s a lot of money! On a national average, it’s what you’ll pay if your Mom or Dad lands in a nursing home for a year (and the average stay is 2.5 years). That’s really a ton o’money!! If your Mom or Dad would prefer to get better at home (and who wouldn’t?), today the cost of home care is about double. Do you have over $225,000 (or more?) to pay for long term care services? No? Do your parents have over $225,000 to pay for long

Repost! 4 Simple Rules About Long Term Care Insurance

February 25, 2015

Another oldie but a goodie (with some updates) about Long Term Care Insurance. Is it time for you or your parents to think about Long Term Care Insurance? Here’s 4 quick rules about LTC . . . — First, always consult with a qualified broker, like The Insurance Mom! Second, buy a plan that’s affordable. Don’t go hog wild and buy a plan that’ll cover 100% of anticipated future costs just because you think it’s better. It is much smarter to buy

Revisiting A Short Course on LTC

February 23, 2015

Now that we have a bit of a handle on Open Enrollment for health insurance, I am getting nostalgic on my old blog posts and found this goodie on LTC: Did you know that at least 60% to 70% of people over 65 will eventually need long term care, either at home or in a nursing home? That can be very expensive. The average stay in a nursing home per year is almost $90,000. Your health insurance does NOT cover this kind

Open Enrollment Announcement! Extension!

February 20, 2015

Hello, kiddies! The emails just started flying in. The new news is that Open Enrollment has been extended on Covered California for those who are currently uninsured. It will now end April 30th. 2015. I was just about to post a funny piece on winding down from Open Enrollment, but I suppose that will wait until April! Call The Insurance Mom if you’re uninsured and need help with getting new health insurance.