Has this happened to you? Your insurance company sends you a statement in the mail about a medical claim and you’re left wondering if that’s what you owe or if you’re supposed to ignore it.
Don’t ignore it!
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Heavy metal is good for your health!
No, not literal heavy metals, which can be toxic and problematic, but heavy metal music. Heavy metal music is a great way to lower blood pressure and believe it or not, reduce anxiety. Experts say that some of the topics sung or screamed about in heavy metal music help fans of the music genre release aggression and deal with some of the existential challenges we all face in our lives. The United States’ high-priced health care system, which includes health care and insurance, affects everyone, sick or well. It has reduced individual spending power for several decades. Salaries for American workers have risen, but net pay has stayed the same because of increasing charges for health insurance.
So, what exactly makes the health care system in the U.S. so expensive? It depends on who you are asking. The concept of a Health Savings Accounts (HSA) was established by Congress in 2003 to allow individuals and families to save for and pay for medical expenses with tax preferred money.
The tax preferences are significant. In fact, HSAs are “triple tax” preferred, which means:
Would you agree that your employees are the best asset for your small business? Hopefully you answered with a resounding YES! It’s important for employers to encourage healthy habits at the office that lead to good heart health.
Building a healthy workplace and workforce has a number of benefits such as: increased productivity, less absenteeism and ample health-spend savings for both employees and employers. Some health plans – like Allied National’s Freedom Plans – even offer a refund at the end of a healthy plan year. February is American Heart Month and so we came up with five easy ways to keep your employees happy and heart healthy. Download our infographic at the end of this blog. Employers looking for an easy, affordable way to add value to their employee benefits packages should consider adding dental and vision benefits to their group health plans.
According to Willis Towers Watson’s 2019/2020 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey, 42% of employees would sacrifice additional pay each month for a more expansive health benefit plan, a sharp increase from 27% in 2013. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has had a profound impact on small group health insurance. Rates have increased significantly as a result of the ACA. These rate increases have been particularly difficult for small groups.
This is where a level-funded health plan could be a good fit for your small business. Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) date back to 1980 when the first PPO was organized to provide contracted rate medical care to a health plan. For providing “steerage” toward the medical providers in the PPO network, the providers granted discounted rates for their services to the health plan.
Over the years, PPOs have changed and morphed into multiple variations, but the end result is the same – health plan members are steered toward PPO providers for their medical care and given favorable discounted rates. The advantage of this type of arrangement is very obvious – it’s price. During the height of the pandemic, telehealth visits accounted for 69% of all provider visits, according to national data from Epic Health Research Network. Although that number has dropped to 21%, that is still higher than before the pandemic when telehealth only accounted for less than 1% of all provider usage.
Having health insurance is one of the most important steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones. We insure our cars, home and other material items, so why would you decide to put yourself last? Car or home repairs can be very costly, but have you thought about what it would cost to fix YOU if something went wrong? Did you know that in 2020, the average cost to treat a concussion in an emergency room is $18,454?
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Welcome to the Allied BlogAllied NationalAllied National is a 90 Degree Benefits Company, a subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama. Founded in 1970, Allied National is one of the nation's oldest and most experienced third-party administrators. We're the small group benefit experts working to provide unique and affordable group health benefits to small business employers. Categories
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