I always try to keep things positive but when I talk to other people in the Health Insurance industry, they typically look 
at all the negatives about Health Care Reform, which mostly is commission cuts, extra hoops to jump through, and my favorite, the end of the Health Insurance agent!! I usually don’t join in with negative thoughts but instead focus on the positives with Health Care Reform and how it will positively affect millions of people. So I went over all the positive elements to Health Care Reform and narrowed it down to my 5 favorite things about Health Care Reform. Here they are:
1. Insurance companies cannot deny coverage for someone with pre-existing conditions. This one is huge. In 10 years we will look back and wonder how did insurance companies get away with denying coverage for those that need it most.
2. Insurance companies cannot cancel someones coverage because of them getting sick. I know you may read that and think, ‘seriously?’. Yes, before health care reform there were times where insurance companies would cancel coverage after someone would get sick knowing they would have to continue to pay large medical bills.
3. All Health Insurance policies must include preventative care at no charge. I really like this one. When everyone has health insurance and this is included in the coverage, more people will go get check ups and find certain health conditions early.
4. No lifetime or annual limit of needed care. This one is often overlooked, but can you imagine getting a serious illness and reach your limit for the year or lifetime and have to pay out of pocket for everything? This is a huge burden lifted for those in this situation.
5. Small Businesses will get tax credits for providing Group Health Insurance coverage to their employees. This is great news for small businesses. There has been a myth that Health Reform will actually hurt small businesses but in fact they are not required to provide health insurance, but if they do, they get a tax credit. How does that hurt anything?
These 5 things are only a few of the positive impact that Health Care Reform (Obamacare) will have on Health Insurance but there are many more.
If you have any questions or want to discuss your own situation with your health insurance or Group Health Insurance for your business, please don’t hesitate to call me. I can be reached at my office at 248-581-0331 or email at bryan@cransoninsurance.com
Cranson Health is operated by Cranson Insurance Agency. If you are interested in a Michigan Individual Health Insurance quote or a Michigan Group Health Insurance quote, please click here or call Bryan Cranson at (248) 581-0331.
So you have shopped for Health Insurance. You received 127 quotes from 22 different companies. Before you 
started shopping for Health Insurance you felt you understood what you needed and had a general knowledge about Health Insurance coverage. Now you are so confused and frustrated you put off the purchase of Health Insurance altogether. Does this sound like you? It sounds like a lot of clients I talk to. If I could give any advice it would be to first shop for a knowledgeable insurance agent. Find an Independent Insurance agent that has multiple companies to quote insurance through and has some years experience selling Health Insurance. So when you find an Insurance Agent that you are comfortable with it’s time to discuss your specific needs for Health Insurance. This might first seem like a difficult task but lets discuss the basics and then build upon it.
First lets talk about deductibles. What are you comfortable paying out of your pocket if something major happened? Now if it’s only $500 or $1,000 but you can’t afford a plan with that low of a deductible you can look at higher deductible options and then add an accident plan that can help pay some of the out of pockets medical expenses. This is a growing option lately. Companies like Aflac have great options for Accidents or Hospital stays and most Health Insurance companies can even add an accident plan that is inexpensive.
Next part of the policy I like to discuss is Office Visit coverage. Do you go to the doctor very often? Do you only go to the doctor for an annual physical? Have you not seen a doctor for several years and don’t care about doctors visits at all? Having coverage for doctors visits and preventative care (annual physical) can be expensive to add to a health plan. You need to look at the monthly cost and see if it makes sense to add.
Next you should look at prescription coverage. If you are currently taking expensive medications if may be tough to get a Health Insurance company willing to issue a policy with Prescription Coverage without increasing your rate more than the cost of the drug. Now if you take a generic medication you may not even need prescription coverage if the cost of the drug is reasonably priced.
Last thing to consider is a Health Savings Account plan. These are my most popular plans I sell today. Mostly these are popular with me because I believe in them and personal have a Health Savings Account Plan for my family. These plans are typically higher deductible plans staring around a $1,000 deductible up to a $10,000 deductible. The great benefit of these plans is you can put money in to a Health Savings Account and in most cases deduct it from your income taxes similar to a Traditional IRA account. Now when you have a medical expense that is not covered by your Health Insurance, such as co-pays or medications, you can use the money in your Health Savings account and not have to pay taxes on the withdrawal.
So after reading this you are less confused about your health insurance quote process, give me a call. If you are more confused, I apologize, but still call me! You can reach me at (248) 581-0331 or (888) 581-0331.
Bryan Cranson owns an independent Insurance Agency in Northville, Michigan specializing in Business Insurance and Health Insurance. They are licensed in the following states: Arizona, California, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, New Jersey, Ohio, and Oklahoma.
How many of you have asked yourself this: Where do I buy Health Insurance?
Many of you had health insurance through an employer or as kids through your parents and NEVER had to buy health insurance on your own. 
Now we have people losing their job or losing their health insurance benefits and they don’t know where to buy health insurance. Today with technology buying Health Insurance online has become much easier. But is this somethingyou are comfortable with? Or do you want to go down to the local Insurance Agency on the corner and discuss health insurance with them? Either way the price for Health Insurance will be exactly the same regardless of who you buy it from and where you buy it. If you buy one policy through a certain company then the exact same policy from that company by law has to be the same price from a different insurance agent. So take price out of the equation, where is the easiest place to buy anything? Ok, I am biased since I buy most of my goods I use every day online but to me buying anything online is the easiest and most convenient way to buy anything. The only problem is you are not buying a pair of shoes online but you are purchasing one of the most important types of insurance that can affect your life, Health Insurance. It wouldn’t be fair to compare buying Health Insurance to purchasing shoes, so let’s consider a couple things. What do you really lack by getting a Health Insurance quote online versus a Health Insurance quote from an Independent Insurance Agent? One thing I like is that when you go online versus in person there is no pressure to sign the application right then and there. You can do research online and look at all the different options and coverages and see what fits your budget. Another thing is you can shop online and do research when it is convenient to you not the insurance agent. So when you decide to get a Health Insurance quote, try to go online first and do your research. Once you decide on the right Health Insurance Quote then figure out if you want to buy the policy online, through the local insurance agent, or just buy it from me!
Good luck and Happy Health Insurance shopping!
Bryan Cranson owns an independent Insurance Agency in Northville, Michigan specializing in Business Insurance and Health Insurance. They are licensed in the following states: Arizona, California, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, New Jersey, Ohio, and Oklahoma.
Many of you have heard about Health Savings Accounts but aren’t completely sure how they work. If you purchase your own health insurance and haven’t looked at this option, it might be time for a look. A Health Savings Account Health Insurance plan or HSA Plan puts the insured in control of the Health Insurance plan. First you have much lower cost premiums, then you get to put pre-tax dollars in to a Health Savings Account and spend the money tax free on qualified medical expenses. Eventually if you don’t use the money in the Health Savings Account you can use the money in retirement (must follow the IRS guidelines to avoid penalties). You can even purchase items such as Aspirin or Vitamins.
Now when I talk about HSA’s with prospective clients one of their first concerns is ‘What happens at the end of the year if I don’t spend all of the money?’. The answer is: it rolls over to the next year just like your checking or savings account at a bank. People are getting confused about Flexible Spending accounts where you DO need to spend the money by the end of the year or the money is gone. Health Savings Accounts also have much more flexibility when it comes to using the money for medical bills.
Since there is a high deductible attached to these plans you must be disciplined enough to put money aside each month in to your HSA account. Nobody will require you to make those deposits but it is essential when you have an HSA Health Insurance plan. Without having money in the Health Savings Account you will be left with large medical bills if something serious happens. Usually what I recommend when I give a Health Insurance Quote that is an HSA Policy that the money they save each month in premium to put some or all of that money in to a Health Savings account until that money in the account accumulates to equal the deductible. Then if something does happen you won’t have much, if any, out of pocket since you can access the Health Savings Account funds.
Call us today if you want to get a Health Insurance Quote from one of our top HSA Health Insurance providers.
Thanks for reading!
Bryan Cranson owns an independent Insurance Agency in Northville, Michigan specializing in Business Insurance and Health Insurance. They are licensed in the following states: Arizona, California, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, New Jersey, Ohio, and Oklahoma.
