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Fire safety – October marks the first real change in the weather. The temperatures are beginning to get colder, which means that people are going to begin cranking up the heat as well as making use of their fireplaces. It’s important that fire safety becomes a priority through both the fall season and the following winter season. Everyone should make sure that they have smoke alarms installed on every level of their home. Replace the batteries and test every smoke alarm in the house to make sure it’s working properly. Record fall memories – Fall is easily one of the most beautiful times of the year. Begin photographing the trees as the colors begin changing color and dropping off. The addition of more foggy and misty days adds can add mystery and atmosphere to these photographs. Amateur and professional photographers alike should keep an eye out for reflections of these beautiful scenes in water, such as small ponds or lakes, in order to capture particularly striking images. Begin planting for next year – For anyone that wants a bit more color on their property, plan ahead for next October by planting trees and shrubs known for their colorful aesthetic now, such as Japanese maples, sassafras, baldcypress, euonymous bushes and more. Eat healthy to fight seasonal depression – The days are beginning to grow shorter and the weather does take a turn for the gloomy – especially when compared to the preceding summer season. Everyone should make sure that they eat foods that are rich in omega-3s, such as salmon and walnuts. Foods rich in tryptophan, such as spinach and turkey, can help people avoid the seasonal depression as well. Keep this October checklist in mind this month and be sure to contact us at The Benefits Store for health insurance advice.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month was established as a way to spread awareness of breast cancer and to encourage women to get a mammogram, which is a screening test that can identify breast cancer. By identifying signs of breast cancer during the earlier stages of development, there is a much better chance of treating it. So far, around 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer have been reported in 2015. Around 60,290 non-invasive cases have been reported as well. An estimated 40,290 women are expected to die in 2015 due to breast cancer. However, the death rate caused by breast cancer has been dropping steadily since 1989. This is due in part to efforts to spread awareness about breast cancer and to encourage women to get tested early. Earlier detection allows for more effective treatment. Because one of the risk factors of breast cancer is aging, women between the ages of 40 and 49 should speak with their doctors about when they should get a mammogram. Women between the ages of 50 and 74 should begin getting mammograms every two years. Women that have had a first-degree relative, such as a sister or mother, diagnosed with breast cancer are twice as at risk to develop breast cancer.  In fact, less than 15 percent of women who have breast cancer have had a family member who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Because it is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we encourage all women to speak with their doctors about receiving a mammogram and we encourage everyone to speak with the women in their families about breast cancer. For more information, contact us at The Benefits Store today.

What is the purpose of the Cadillac Tax? The Cadillac Tax has been put into place as a way to reduce the tax preferred treatment of employers that provide health care as well as to reduce any excess health care spending by both employees and employers. Additionally, the Cadillac Tax will assist with financing health care coverage expansion under the PPACA (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). The tax will be 40 percent of the health coverage cost that exceeds the threshold amounts that were predetermined—$27,500 for family coverage and $10,200 for individual coverage. However, these thresholds will be updated by 2018 to reflect inflation. This will include the contributions made by both the employer and their employees. What is the potential impact of the Cadillac Tax? The 40 percent tax is not something employers are going to want to pay, which is why many employers are already beginning to review and trim down their health plans in order to help minimize the impact of the Cadillac Tax. Employers with generous health plans that include flexible spending accounts will be heavily affected by the Cadillac Tax. Flexible spending accounts are popular with employees since they let them put aside tax-free money for medical expenses. The tax threshold doesn’t just take into account the premiums, but will also factor in other benefits offered to employees by their employers, such as any money that’s put into their flexible spending accounts. What does this mean? Many employers are likely to begin limiting how much their employees can add to their FSA accounts—or they may simply stop offering them altogether. In addition to trimming down their health plans, this could lead to lower quality health plan options for employees. For more information about the upcoming Cadillac Tax, contact us at the Benefits Store today.

The new scam involves criminals that already have millions of stolen credit card account numbers. The scam they are pulling involves tricking the holders of those accounts to reveal their three-digit or four-digit security pin numbers that are printed on the backs of all credit cards. You’re probably wondering, “How exactly do they do this?” What will happen is that you’ll receive a phone call from someone claiming to work for the fraud-prevention department of your credit card issuer. As “proof” that they are from your credit card company, they will read the number of your account to you. Remember, they have your credit card information and not your actual credit card—you are probably still in possession of it. They will then ask you about a recent purchase and whether or not you made it. They will identify this purchase as a “suspicious transaction.” When you tell them that you did not make the purchase, they will recommend that you get a new account number—and that you won’t have to worry about the fraudulent charges since they will be removed. The catch is, you’ll have to provide them with that three-digit or four-digit code on the back of your card to prove to them that it is still in your possession. So how do you know if you’re speaking to a legitimate representative of your credit issuer? Ask for their name and employee ID. Then hang up and call the 800-number listed on the back of your card. Ask to speak to the fraud-prevention department and provide the information you have. They will be able to verify whether or not it was a scam. Always be careful when giving out credit card information. Contact us at the Benefits Store today for advice concerning protecting your information with IDShield today.

The Los Angeles Times recently reported that one of the biggest insurers that was affected by this new regulation was Blue Shield of California. They did not meet the 80 percent figure – according to the Times, they only spent 76.8 percent of their premiums on medical care, falling just short of the Affordable Care Act’s required number. This has resulted in Blue Shield of California owing a total of $82.8 million in rebates to its customers, including both consumers and small employers. Broken down further, they will have to pay roughly 400,000 individual consumers around $61.7 million in total. This works out to an average rebate of $136. They will have to pay roughly 19,000 small businesses a total of $21.1 million. According to Blue Shield of California, it plans on sending out rebate checks and letters to all of its eligible consumers by September 30th of this year. The main reason that they missed the 80 percent threshold established by the Affordable Care Act, according to Blue Shield of California, is because of the enrollment uncertainty of the new act. However, Blue Shield of California is the only major insurer that is being forced to send out rebates to their individual customers and small employers. The other major California-area insurers, including Anthem Blue Cross and Kaiser Permanente, have released statements that they were able to meet the 80 percent threshold and that they do not owe any refunds for this year. For additional information about the rebates owed by Blue Shield of California, or for information about the Affordable Care Act and health insurance in general, be sure to contact us at the Benefits Store today.

The inflammation stage – Bleeding caused by the fracture within the bone and the tissue surrounding it will cause the affected area to swell. This inflammation will likely occur the first day the bone is fractured and can continue for upwards of two to three weeks. The soft callus stage – After two or three weeks, the pain and inflammation should begin to decrease. Once this happens, the fractured bone will begin to stiffen and new bone will begin forming; however, this new bone won’t be visible by x-ray yet. The soft callus stage will last between four and eight weeks after the fracture occurred. The hard callus stage – After the soft callus has formed, the new bone will begin to bridge the bone fracture. It’s at this point where the new bone can be spotted via x-rays. It should take between eight and 12 weeks for the hard callus to completely fill the fracture. The bone remodeling stage – Once the new bone has filled the fracture, the affected area will begin to remodel itself, which means that any deformities caused by the original injury will be corrected. Depending on the severity of these deformities, the bone remodeling stage could end up taking up to a few years to complete. Although bone fractures typically heal without issue for most patients, there are a few problems that can occur in particularly severe bone fractures. The biggest potential issue is compartment syndrome, in which severe swelling results in not enough blood getting to the muscles in the affected area. This can lead to long-term disability. For more information about related health insurance advice, contact us at the Benefits Store today.

It can get pretty hot during the summer here in California. In addition to purchasing health insurance to protect you financially should anything happen to your health, you should also take precautions against the summer heat in order to ensure that you don’t have to use your health insurance. Source: iStock.com/andresrimaging The following are five summer health tips that you should be sure to follow: Protect your skin – Wear loose-fitting clothing to help keep cool and to protect your skin from being burned by the sun as well as from mosquitoes. You should also apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before you go outside and reapply it every two hours. Protecting your skin against the sun will help to prevent skin cancer, which is the number one type of cancer that affects Californians. Don’t leave anyone in the car – Whether you’re running inside somewhere for a minute or just unloading groceries, don’t leave children, seniors or pets in the car without the air conditioning on. It can takes as little as ten minutes for the temperature to reach deadly levels in the heat. Protect your eyes – Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection in order to prevent chronic exposure to the sun, which can cause cataracts and even lead to blindness in some cases. Supervise your kids – If you plan on going to the beach or using the pool, do not leave your kids unsupervised. Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related deaths for children under the age of five. Remain hydrated – Drink plenty of water throughout the day in order to stay hydrated. If you get thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Keep these five summer health tips in mind and be sure to contact us at The Benefits Store for helpful information concerning California health insurance. #healthtips

While private-sector health care market growth is predicted to continue to increase throughout next year and will most likely still grow more quickly than the rest of the American economy, it is expected to slow down according to a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers report. Source: iStock.com/Esben_H The report has predicted that spending in the private-sector health care market will go up by roughly 6.5 percent in 2016, which will be down from the 6.8 percent increase in health care spending that is expected this year. Private-sector health care spending increased by 10 percent back in 2008. The report also revealed that health care spending accounts for around 17.4 percent of the U.S. economy and that health care spending will still be growing at a higher rate than the overall economy of the country. The report predicts that two of the factors that will drive down spending include the Cadillac Tax, which is a tax on costly health plans that will be implemented in 2018, as well as the increased use of new health advisers and telehealth. Not to mention that more employers are offering high deductible plans and shifting the costs of health plans to consumers, which will most likely result in many individuals becoming more aware of health care expenses, thereby resulting in lower spending. Average deductibles have grown by $500 since 2009, during which the number of employers that have offered such plans have tripled. The signs of slow down in Private-Sector health care market growth are not something that most experts are worried about. In fact, the projected slow down is considered good news by many since the medical cost trend is roughly double the rate of overall inflation. For more information about the private-sector health care market, be sure to contact us at The Benefits Store today. #Californiahealthinsurance

The California Senate recently approved a bill that would provide California health coverage for illegal immigrant children. This will make California the first state in the United States to provide health care coverage to kids who are in the country illegally, which means that they are requesting federal authorization to be able to sell private insurance to immigrants without requiring documentation. Source: iStock.com/Dangubic There are between 195,000 and 240,000 children under the age of 19 from low-income families that would be able to benefit from state-funded Medi-Cal, which is the state’s version of Medicaid, even if they are illegal immigrants. The legislation will also seek a federal waiver that would allow the state to sell unsubsidized private health care insurance through Covered California, which is California’s health exchange. Now that the legislation has been approved by the State Senate, the bill only needs to be passed and signed by the Governor in order to go into effect. While many Senators believe that this is an important step in helping to expand access to health care throughout the state, some believe that the bill will amount to nothing more than an empty promise, believing that it won’t actually help illegal immigrants to obtain access to doctors since there already is a shortage of providers that accept Medi-Cal. Although President Obama recently enacted an executive order that helped keep some immigrants from being deported because of a lack of comprehensive immigration reform, his action excludes any immigrants that came to the United States illegally from being able to qualify for federal health benefits. The cost to expand Medi-Cal to immigrant children could end up costing $135 million a year even without an executive action by the President. For more about California health coverage for illegal immigrant children, contact us at the Benefits Store today. #Californiahealthinsurance

According to a recent report by the California Healthcare Foundation, individual health insurance coverage in California has surged over the last few years, growing by 47 percent in 2014 and surpassing the coverage in the small-business market, which declined 11 percent last year. Source: iStock.com/shironosov The data shows the impact that Obamacare has had on the state of California. The individual health insurance market has been booming over the last two years because of the Covered California marketplace, which was established in part to offer premium assistance to those with lower incomes. Not only is it easier for California residents to obtain individual health insurance, they also have a financial incentive to do so – not buying health insurance will result in a fee that they will have to pay under Obamacare law. This fee grows by the year – in 2014, it was 1 percent of your household income or $95 per person – whichever was higher. This year, it’s 2 percent of your household income or $325 per person – whichever is higher. The number of small businesses that have dropped benefits in the last few years has risen substantially, although the number of businesses that have done this to let employees get their own health insurance through Covered California remains unclear. This is the first time that individual health insurance has surpassed small employer group coverage, although there is no old data to compare it to since it wasn’t until 2012 that legislation required the California Department of Managed Health Care and the California Department of Insurance to publicly release its end-of-the-year enrollment figures for the insurers and health plans that they regulate. Individual health insurance coverage in California continues to grow while small employer group coverage has been declining. For more information about health insurance coverage in California, contact the Benefits Store. #Californiahealthinsurance

There have been a lot of California health care reform initiatives over the last few years, and this doesn’t look to change any time soon now that another case looks to influence health care reform as it is brought before the Supreme Court. Source: iStock.com/iodrakon There are actually several pending cases that could result in national healthcare repercussions. The one you may have heard about is King v. Burwell, which challenges federal subsidies for health insurance. However, a new case has popped up in Vermont that involves claims data reporting that could have a huge impact on the way the government collects and analyzes healthcare data. Over the last ten years, 16 states have established mandatory APCD (All-Payer Claims Database Systems) that collect and analyze information from health insurers in order to guide payment reform efforts. Around 30 other states are either considering or pursuing some type of data gathering similar to APCD. The issue is that Liberty Mutual Insurance, an insurer in Vermont, which is one of the 16 states with mandatory APCD systems, is refusing to provide its information to the state. The insurer’s argument is that Vermont law is superseded by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. They are contending that self-insured plans require claims data reporting already and that the state’s laws are interfering. Experts believe that this case could have a huge effect not only on Vermont but the entire country as well. While the results of the case may not have a direct impact on California health care reform initiatives, all states will take the decision into account before they consider making a long-term investment in APCDs. The Liberty Mutual Insurance case in Vermont could affect healthcare reform throughout the country. For more healthcare information, contact us at the Benefits Store today. #Californiahealthinsurance

Data from a new report has revealed that the California individual health insurance market has grown leaps and bounds since Obamacare went into effect last year – this shouldn’t be too big of a surprise considering the fact that individuals who chose not to purchase health insurance would be penalized by increasingly bigger fees. Source: iStock.com/kadmy According to the report, there are roughly 2.2 million Californians that now have individual health insurance – an increase of 64 percent. As of December 31st, 2014, 843,607 Californians jointed the individual market both on the inside and outside of the Covered California insurance exchange. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the California individual health insurance market along with those of Florida, Georgia and Texas, account for half of the country’s enrollment growth of individual policies. By the end of 2014, a total of 15.5 million people across the country have purchased their own health insurance policy. This is a 46 percent increase from 2013. While the fact that the Affordable Care Act requires most Americans to pay a penalty if they do not purchase health insurance, another factor in the huge increase in health insurance purchases is the fact that everyone in the country is guaranteed coverage regardless of what their medical conditions are. The act also provides financial subsidies to lower-income consumers. Roughly 50 percent of California residents get their health benefits through their employer; however, the percentage of California businesses that provide coverage to employees has been decreasing. Only 58 percent of the state’s employers offered employees coverage in 2014, while almost 69 percent had offered coverage back in 2010. Around 1.4 million people are currently enrolled in the Covered California exchange. For more information or advice about purchasing health insurance in California, be sure to contact us at the Benefits Store today. #Californiahealthinsurance