Barricks Insurance Blog

Happy Mother’s Day

Jim Barricks — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:24:03 +0000

Just a friendly thought to remind you that Mother’s Day is almost here! Better not forget all the special women in your life. It was so easy when we were kids, the only mom we had to remember on Mother’s Day was our own. But nowadays the list of important “moms” in our lives has grown considerably. Oh well, why not spread the joy around?

Speaking of Mother’s Day, I just learned something interesting about the origins of the day. It seems that an appreciative daughter by the name of Anna Jarvis was the spearhead behind the first national holiday. Thanks to years of work on Anna’s part, President Woodrow Wilson declared a national holiday honoring mothers in 1914. The ironic part of the story is that in no time at all the day became so commercialized that Anna later did an about face and tried to have Mother’s Day done away with! In fact, poor Anna was arrested in 1923 for disturbing the peace at a convention selling carnations for Mother´s Day! So if you regret that Mother’s Day has become so commercialized, just think how Anna Jarvis must have felt!

In case you would like to express your appreciation to your mother in more original ways (or you need some ideas to suggest to your own kids), here are a few ideas:

	A handwritten love note.
	A daily email or card for 7 days leading up to the big day.
	A personal manicure and pedicure by YOU.
	Cook a great meal and don´t let her help with dishes.
	A fat booklet of homemade coupons redeemable for “honey-do” favors throughout the year.
	A photo memory book created by YOU.

I hope you found a great idea somewhere in this list. However you choose to celebrate Mother’s Day, may it be a joyous one for you and yours!

Healthcare Access Found To “Worsen Dramatically” Over Past Decade

Jim Barricks — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:31:22 +0000

McClatchy (5/8, Galewitz) reports on a study by Urban Institute researchers, published in the journal Health Affairs, which found that “tens of millions of adults under age 65 – both those with insurance and those without – saw their access to health care worsen dramatically over the past decade,” which is interpreted to mean that “more privately insured Americans are delaying treatment because of rising out-of-pocket costs, while safety-net programs for the poor and uninsured are failing to keep up with demand for care.” The study noted that while the healthcare reform law “won’t necessarily solve all those access problems,” it “does offer several new strategies, such as new payment methods to control rising costs, which could help improve access, but there’s no guarantee they will work.”

Reuters (5/8, Morgan) quotes the researchers, “If the key coverage provisions in the (law) are ruled unconstitutional or repealed, projections indicate that the numbers of uninsured people will grow. Given what we have observed over the past decade, we would be likely to see further deterioration in access to care for all adults — insured and uninsured alike.”

House GOP Report Says ACA Gives Employers Inventive To End Coverage

Jim Barricks — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:20:09 +0000

The “Healthwatch” blog of The Hill (5/2, Baker) reports House Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee said that the healthcare reform law “gives the country’s biggest businesses a strong incentive to quit offering healthcare benefits” because they “would save billions of dollars.” However, “the Congressional Budget Office has said it does not expect an exodus from employer-based insurance.”

The Washington Times (5/2, Cunningham) reports the Republican’s study said that “companies could save $4,821 per worker if they chose to end coverage and instead pay” the $2,000 fine per worker. However, the report is based on data that 71 companies Fortune 100 companies volunteered. The report said that if companies paid the fine and didn’t offer coverage, “they would pay $9.9 billion and save $28.6 billion.” Meanwhile, “Democrats said the GOP was being ‘cynical’ in its dire predictions.”

Insurers Expected To Pay $1.3 Billion In Rebates This Summer Under ACA

Jim Barricks — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:51:44 +0000

The AP (4/27, Alonso-Zaldivar) reports in a story appearing on over 250 news sites, “More than 3 million health insurance policyholders and thousands of employers will share $1.3 billion in rebates this year, thanks to President Obama’s health care law.” That’s according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. In response, “Democrats are hoping they’ll send an election-year message that Mr. Obama’s much-criticized health care overhaul is starting to pay dividends for consumers. Critics of the law call that wishful thinking.” The story also points out that “with employer coverage averaging about $5,400 a year for an individual, $15,100 for a family, $127 isn’t a whole lot of money.”

Many Fail To Prepare For Long-Term Care.

Jim Barricks — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:33:49 +0000

NPR Morning Edition (4/24) reported that many people find it hard to prepare for the latter years of their parents’ lives when their parents may need special care. According to the story, “While aging is inevitable, planning for the costs associated with dependency in the latter phase of life doesn’t come easily to most Americans. … Only 13 percent of some 4,000 US workers surveyed for the 2011 Aflac WorkForces Report believe that the need for long-term care would affect their families.” The story quotes Jack Hetherington, a certified elder-law attorney in suburban Philadelphia, as saying, “People dread talking about it because we don’t like to face our mortality.”

The New York Times (4/25, Carrns) “Bucks” blog reports on rising long-term care insurance premiums and how some beneficiaries use the benefits more than others. In some cases, “the claims paid under the policies total far more than the premiums paid into the policy.” The total of the largest long-term care claim was $1.7 million in benefits payout. One reason is because policies were “unlimited” and “lifetime,” which have no cap.

Here is a good Long Term Care Glossary: https://www.barricksinsurance.com/long_term_care_glossary.html

US Officials Call Two Insurers’ Premium Increases Excessive

Jim Barricks — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:25:53 +0000

Reuters (4/17, Morgan) reports that on Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services cited two health insurers for excessive premium increases under the consumer protection rules contained in the new healthcare law. According to Reuters, the two insurers, Assurant Inc.’s Time Insurance Co. and Bedford Park, Illinois-based United Security Life and Health Insurance Co., were called upon by HHS to either offer rebates to customers in six states or rescind premium increases up to 24 percent.

Happy Easter

Jim Barricks — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:20:55 +0000

I just want to wish you a very blessed Easter holiday. I hope that you have time to draw close to family and friends and to reflect on the rich symbolism of this special time of year. Easter means many things to many people. To Christians the day celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and promises hope of a new life for believers.

Some historians place the holiday long before the birth of Christ and claim that the early church merely preempted an ancient pagan holiday that welcomed the new birth of spring and honored the goddess of the moon. Go figure.

To our children Easter is the season of the Easter bunny and egg hunts. But whatever view you take you can’t escape the fact that Easter represents new beginnings and fresh starts. I hope that this Easter you are filled with the hope of a new day and the promise of a new life.

And what would Easter be without glazed ham? Here is my favorite recipe. I hope you enjoy it!

Grandma´s Easter Ham

7-8 lb. fully cooked smoked ham
1 cup of genuine maple syrup
2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of prepared mustard
whole cloves

Combine syrup, vinegar and mustard. Place ham, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Pour about 1/2 cup mixture over ham and bake, uncovered, in a preheated 325° oven for 1-1/2 hours. Baste every 30 minutes with additional sauce. Remove ham from oven and score fat into diamond shapes. Insert a clove into each diamond. Bake ham an additional 30 minutes.

Obama: Overturning Of Healthcare Law Would Be “Unprecedented.”

Jim Barricks — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:44:19 +0000

Some media reports interpreted President Obama’s comments on the Supreme Court’s review of the Affordable Care Act as an indication that the White House fears the court will overturn the law, and describe the President as setting the stage for a political fight later this year. The President’s remarks were covered by two of the networks yesterday evening, and received a great deal of print and online coverage.

USA Today (4/3, Wolf, Jackson) reports, “President Obama cautioned the Supreme Court against overturning his landmark health care law Monday, a move he said would be ‘unprecedented’ and ‘extraordinary.’”

According to Jake Tapper, on ABC World News (4/2, story 5, 1:55, Sawyer), the President “fired a warning shot” because “White House officials are concerned” by last week’s “barrage of skepticism” from the justices. On the CBS Evening News (4/2, story 3, 1:30, Pelley), Norah O’Donnell reported that the President’s “strong language…could suggest this White House is bracing for a loss.”

Anthem Blue Cross To Raise Rates 8.2% On Average In California

Jim Barricks — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:44:07 +0000

The Los Angeles Times (3/22, Terhune) reports, “Anthem Blue Cross agreed to trim its rate increases for nearly 600,000 customers in California in response to pressure from state officials, but many families still could see premiums rise 20% starting in May.” The “health insurer will raise rates 8.2% on average, down from its earlier request of 10.4%,” and according to the California Department of Insurance, “the maximum rate hike will be 20% instead of 30%.” The state’s “officials said Anthem’s estimates for future medical expenses were unjustified and they pressed the company to lower premiums.”

Happy St. Patrick´s Day

Jim Barricks — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:15:20 +0000

Can you tell I’m getting into the spirit of St. Patrick´s Day? Speaking of our old buddy Patrick, would you believe that his real name was Maewyn? I´m not making this up! Check it out! It seems young Maewyn was born an Irish pagan in AD 385. After an eventful (if you call being stolen and sold into slavery eventful) youth, Maewyn turned to Christianity and attended a monastery in Gaul (that’s France to you and me). He adopted the name Patrick, and eventually was sent back to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish Druids. And very good at it, he was. Apparently the Druids were always after poor Patrick´s hide, but he escaped them every time and served 30 successful years as Bishop of Ireland.

St. Patrick died in County Down on March 17, AD 461 and St. Patrick´s Day has been celebrated on that date ever since. Ironically, the holiday was originally a religious observance but the American version today bears little resemblance to the original intent.

Well now that you know more than you ever wanted to about St. Patrick´s Day, how about a traditional Irish recipe to cheer on the day?

Corned Beef & Cabbage

3 lb corned beef brisket with spice packet
5 carrots, peeled and julienned
10 small red potatoes
1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges

1. Place corned beef brisket in large Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer about 50 minutes per pound or until tender.

2. Add carrots and whole potatoes, and cook until vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove meat and let it set for 15 minutes.

3. Place vegetables in a large bowl and cover. Add as much broth (cooking liquid reserved in the Dutch oven) as you want. Slice meat across the grain. Serve with plenty of mustard or horseradish if desired.