By: Kandi Mensing

I just put $4,800 directly into a business owner's pockets every year.  $4,800 is the direct premium savings I was able to find them by shopping their plan. For the last 5 years, they were paying $730 per month for their family coverage with a $6,000 family deductible and $15 prescription copays. Their NEW plan, which has a monthly premium of only $330, has only a $5,000 family deductible and their prescriptions are only $4. So, if we want to get technical, we also lowered their expense risk by $1,000 annually in terms of their deductible, and saved them $132 per year on their prescriptions (savings of $11 per month). So, over the course of the next 5 years (as long as they had their old plan) they will have saved nearly $30,000 ($4,800 x 5 = $24,000, $1,000 x 5 = $5,000, and $132 x 5 = $660)! I didn't even mention that for each year that they do not exhaust their deductible, their deductible decreases by 20% the following year, up to a 50% decrease!

How can we save business owners this type of money? That's easy; we are not an insurance agency. Our income is not dependent on the amount of premium we can get you to pay. We believe in small business. We support small business. We want you and your business to feel financially stable and protected. We care about "doing right" by our clients.
What would you do with your extra $30,000?

HST Post of the Week: 
By: [email protected]

How many times do you hear someone say to you “I never get sick?” Or maybe you say that yourself. Why get health insurance coverage if there is nothing wrong with me? As the clock ticks toward the 2014 launch of the Affordable Care Act, health leaders across the nation are embarking on a tough task: persuading young adults to enroll. Their participation will be critical to balance out older, sicker patients more likely to sign up for health insurance as soon as they are able.

This has been the battle that private insurers have faced in the past as well. If any plan regardless if it is a private carrier or the plans in “ObamaCare” the only way it would ever work is if there is a “balance” in the age of the people who apply. The success of the healthcare law depends on reaching everyone who is uninsured, but particularly young people who may feel like they don’t need insurance.

Beginning in 2014, nearly everyone will be required to have insurance or face a fine — $95 or 1% of their household income in the first year. Many young adults who are not covered through work or their parents may be eligible for Medicaid or the new state-based insurance market places known as exchanges.

Health officials worry that the fine, which increases over time isn’t high enough to convince people to sign up for coverage. The penalty itself will not convince a young person or any other person. Young people will need to understand the risks of not having health insurance. If there is a lack of young people signing up there is a concern that the older, sicker generation will use up all the money that is set aside for the “Obamacare” plans

So parents of the younger generation, please call us. We can insure your son or daughter so that you will not have the stress of trying to protect them and answering to the federal government all at the same time.

By Joel Harrison

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been stated by many to be the single most controversial and confusing piece of legislation in United States history. With so many different people and groups interested in healthcare in one form or another everyone has something to say and they are all saying something different.  Like it or not healthcare reform is coming FAST. The countdown is to less than 6 months left in 2013 and the exchanges open in October.   If you’re “just waiting to see what the ACA does” you’re going to be left in the dust and be scrambling to comply with regulations early next year.  This could end up costing you in the end. So here are a few tips to stop worrying and love the ACA.

Drop the politics

OK I’ll admit love is a bit of a stretch. My point is Healthcare reform is coming whether you like it or not.  Congress tried to overturn it… FAILED. The Supreme Court tried to say it was unconstitutional… FAILED. States said they would not participate… FAILED.  It’s time to face the facts… the healthcare reform is here to stay. So stop arguing about who is right and who is wrong and start having intelligent conversations about what solutions work best for your business. The number of businesses who will actually be severely hurt by the new laws is minimal.

Get educated (properly)

Healthcare reform is complex; there is no way around it. If you have not already begun to understand how the ACA will affect you, your time is running out. Now is the time to meet with professionals in the healthcare field. Search out and attend seminars that help you to navigate the pitfalls business owners will have to deal with. Have specific conversations about how reform will help or hurt your business and what strategies are available to make the transition as smooth as possible.  When doing research remember to pay attention to the political affiliations of your sources. Because everyone feels so strongly about healthcare reform there is A LOT of misinformation out there… be careful.

Relax… it’s just the ACA

Once you have made your peace with healthcare reform and found the best solutions for your business you can sit and watch the chaos happen around you. The “wait to see what happens” crowd will be forced to make last-minute, hasty decisions and pay costly fines because they have been too stubborn to just stop worrying and learn to apply and love the ACA. 

Come show your support by coming to Mascoutah and participating in the Ice Cream Social. MCS is competing with our ice cream variation, 'Kandied Maple Bacon Krunch.' It tastes like breakfast ice cream. We also want to remind you to check-in on Facebook at MCS. If we get to 50 check-ins, a video of Kandi getting an ice cream sundae to the face will be uploaded. Come show your support!