Newsletter - Columbia River Insurance Services

If you are new to Medicare, it may seem like there is a lot to learn and adsorb. We are here to help you. Keep this information close to you, and then call us today.  We are always available to answer your Medicare questions.

Medicare was created to provide health insurance for all people 65 years of age or older. It has gone through many changes over the years. More recently, a new program was added to help cover prescription drug costs.

Here are some Medicare facts to remember:

1.Using an agent does not cost you anymore.
2.When you are first eligible for Medicare, you have a 7-month Initial Enrollment Period to sign up for Part A and/or Part B.
3.January 1 to March 31 each year is the standard enrollment period. If you didn't sign up for Part A and/or Part B when you were first eligible, and you aren’t eligible for a Special Enrollment Period (see below), you can sign up during the General Enrollment.
any more your Initial Enrollment Period ends, you may have the chance to sign up for Medicare during a Special Enrollment Period. If you are covered under a group health plan based on current employment, and that plan ends, you can call us for enrollment options

The Affordable Care Act puts consumers back in charge of their health care. Under the law, a new “Patient’s Bill of Rights” gives the American people the stability and flexibility they need to make informed choices about their health.

A healthy body is a happy body, and there’s no better way to preserve your health and your family’s health than with a health insurance policy from Columbia River Insurance Services.

Let’s face it, medical treatments aren’t cheap. Without health insurance coverage you could end up paying off medical bills for the rest of your life. Columbia River Insurance Services can help you find an affordable healthcare plan that’s right for you. Contact one of our friendly agents today to learn more.

 

For years, employers have struggled with the idea of wellness programs.  Some employers think that wellness programs are too expensive or just don’t work because employees will do what they want during off time.  However, according to the latest studies, an inactive employee will cost as much as $1,500 more per year than an active employee.  Twenty-seven percent of medical claims can be related to inactivity, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).  The CDC report encourages employers who are serious about lowering health care costs, to encourage a more active lifestyle for their employees. The CDC research says that every $1.00 invested in physical activity leads to $3.20 in medical cost savings.

• Wellness Benefits For Employers
• Reduced absenteeism by 32% on average.
• Reduced health care costs by 30% on average.
• Increased productivity by 52%.
• Happier workforce.
• Connected and energized workforce.

How To Start An Employee Wellness Program

• Determine your needs.
• Create a simple plan.
• Communicate.
• Include incentives

If you've had Medicare Part B for longer than 12 months, you can have an annual wellness visit. One big advantage of this wellness visit is to develop or update your personalized health prevention help plan.  Your provider will ask you to fill out a questionnaire, called a “Health Risk Assessment,” as part of this visit. Answering these questions can help you and your provider develop a personalized prevention plan to help you stay healthy and get the most out of your visit. It also includes:

• A review of your medical and family history
• Developing or updating a list of current providers and prescriptions
• Height, weight, blood pressure, and other routine measurements
• Detection of any cognitive impairment
• Personalized health advice
• A list of risk factors and treatment options for you
• A screening schedule (like a checklist) for appropriate preventive services. 

Wellness visits can actually increase your health by creating an illness prevention plan. It is important for your healthcare professional to get involved in your health management, especially if you have specific health conditions, such as high blood pressure, or diabetes. 
Since the first day that we opened our agency, it has been our focus and desire to offer our clients the best insurance options available to meet their needs.

As a local independent agency, we represent many companies. We always maintain and deliver personal attention and strive for first class customer service. Our expertise lies within our well trained and experienced agents.

We value your feedback and we want to hear from you. There are a number of ways for you to get in touch with us.

If you would like to speak to us right away, please call us today and speak to any of our experienced Medicare insurance agents. In Vancouver, please call us at 360.883.5776. In Portland, please call us at 503.382.9091. If email is your preference, you may email us at [email protected]

In the fast-paced world that we live in it can be easy to neglect our health and wellness. We're so busy racing through our day to day lives family, friends, work, social engagements that we don't take the time to look after ourselves. It is no wonder that so many of us are tired and run down. What are some simple things that we can do to improve our quality of life?

Drink, Drink, Drink

You've heard it a million times, and you'll probably hear it a million more drink more water!
Think about it: The human body is 72% water. A 5% drop in fluids creates a 25-30% loss in energy. A 15% drop in fluids causes death! At this point, 66% of us aren't drinking enough water, so over half the population is not running on all six cylinders, to begin with before things like bad air, bad food and stress take their toll.
It's not really a difficult thing to remedy. Just drink one glass of water every half hour or so or 10-12 glasses of water per day, and you'll notice a huge jump in your energy levels.

Living Food Loving Life!

A little-known fact is that heating food above 116F destroys much of the nutrient content. Considering that we already aren't eating enough veggies, that's a fairly substantial problem. Nutritionists recommend five serves of fresh vegetables per day. How many of us are taking that advice?

A great way to get the nutrients found in fresh veggies without spending all day at the stove or eating raw celery sticks is to juice your veggies. Make sure that you own a good juicer (some juicers expose vegetables to heat created by friction during juicing, which breaks down important enzymes), grab some fresh vegetables and drink your way to good health. It takes a fraction of the time (there's no cooking involved, for one thing) and it's convenient. You can take your juice to work and even give some to the littlies for school lunches!
Wheatgrass, in particular, is an excellent source of nutrition. Its high in chlorophyll (sometimes described as plant blood because it closely resembles human red blood cell molecules) and has over 100 elements that the body needs. Fresh grains are another excellent source for vitamins and minerals.
 
 

A healthy body is a happy body, and there’s no better way to preserve your health and your family’s health than with a health insurance policy from Columbia River Insurance Services.

Let’s face it, medical treatments aren’t cheap. Without health insurance coverage you could end up paying off medical bills for the rest of your life. Columbia River Insurance Services can help you find an affordable healthcare plan that’s right for you. Contact one of our friendly agents today to learn more.

 
 


 

There are two types of disability policies: Short-Term Disability (STD) and Long-Term Disability (LTD):

1. Short-Term Disability policies (STD) have a waiting period of 0 to 14 days with a maximum benefit period of no longer than two years.
2. Long-Term Disability policies (LTD) have a waiting period of several weeks to several months with a maximum benefit period ranging from a few years to the rest of your life.

Disability policies have two different protection features that are important to understand.

1. Noncancelable means the policy cannot be canceled by the insurance company, except for nonpayment of premiums. This gives you the right to renew the policy every year without an increase in the premium or a reduction in benefits.
2. Guaranteed renewable gives you the right to renew the policy with the same benefits and not have the policy canceled by the company. However, your insurer has the right to increase your premiums as long as it does so for all other policyholders in the same rating class as you.

In addition to the traditional disability policies, there are several options you should consider when purchasing a policy:

• Additional purchase options 
  Your insurance company gives you the right to buy additional insurance at a later time.
• Coordination of benefits 
  The amount of benefits you receive from your insurance company is dependent on other benefits you receive because of your disability. Your policy specifies a target amount you will receive from all the policies combined, so this policy will make up the difference not paid by other policies.
• Cost of living adjustment (COLA) 
  The COLA increases your disability benefits over time based on the increased cost of living measured by the Consumer Price Index. You will pay a higher premium if you select the COLA.
• Residual or partial disability rider  
  This provision allows you to return to work part-time, collect part of your salary and receive a partial disability payment if you are still partially disabled.
• Return of premium 
  This provision requires the insurance company to refund part of your premium if no claims are made for a specific period of time declared in the policy.
• Waiver of premium provision
  This clause means that you do not have to pay premiums on the policy after you’re disabled for 90 days.