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!

As small business owners, we have the obligation to do business with other small business owners. Don't expect other small businesses to bring their business to you, if you don't bring your business to them! Tune in to see what we present as your small business challenge this week! Comment below with your accepted challenge to hold yourself accountable.

In order to be eligible for your 2014 deductible to decrease by 20%, policies must be active in June. Last day to apply for a June 1 effective date is Tuesday 5/28.

In this video, Kandi Mensing, SPHR, MBA, describes her reason for starting her company. Small businesses and main street communities are the key to the success of our Country and local economies. How do we bring jobs back to our Country; START A BUSINESS and employ people. Everyone was meant to be an entrepreneur. You see this shift happening in our economy.

Posted on May 16, 2013 by [email protected] 
Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr once famously observed, “Time takes time.” While I’m sure that Ringo Starr wasn’t talking specifically about health insurance as far as I know, his keen observation remains a timely one as we witness the gradual unfolding of health care reform. It makes you think doesn’t it??

The Affordable Care Act is now just five months away from the historic first open enrollment period of the new federal-state health exchanges. It is supposed to provide a simplified, one-stop online source for affordable health insurance for individuals and small businesses. But the on-line 21 page application has our federal government scrambling to find a more “stream-lined” version that will be less demonstrative for the many people that cannot maneuver around a computer let alone a complicated website and application process with no help.

The individual mandate portion of the law, of course, requires all Americans to obtain health insurance or face a penalty on their federal income tax. But many are in the dark and will have to pay more for their coverage through the exchange verses if they would contact us at “Healthcare Solutions team” for the help that they so badly need.

Unfortunately, a health tracking poll done in April by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 4 in 10 of us (42 percent) still don’t know that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. Why? Well, 12 percent think Congress repealed it, 7 percent think the Supreme Court overturned it, and the other 23 percent are just plain confused about it. And because our species tends to be change-averse, more of us (40 percent) have an unfavorable rather than a favorable view (35 percent) of the law just now. With that in mind our insurance agents are ready and able to help all of you face your fear with the change that is looming in the very near future!

Health care reform is a huge change that’s been surrounded by a lot of noise and will take, yes, some time for people to become comfortable with it. President Barack Obama acknowledged as much in a press conference last week, calling health care reform “a big undertaking” with many “glitches and bumps” ahead.

What do we think about this quandary? Most Americans haven’t digested health care reform because it’s not likely to affect them initially. That’s because they now have health insurance through their individual plan that offers all the same benefits as the new exchange plans, is theirs to control and they will still save money!

Oh sure, you all will try to understand the process and the concept of the new exchange plans…or not!

But as Ringo observed, that’s gonna take some time.

Do not sell yourself short on your resume. You only have 20-30 seconds to catch a recruiters attention before they move on to the next resume. In this video we give you a quick tip about listing your education on your resume. We hope you enjoy.

By: Kandi Mensing

We talked with a local business this morning that is being sued for 'wrongful termination' after they fired a new-hire that was still in their probationary period. The former employee is claiming that they were fired because of their sexual orientation. The ex-employee has a good case because of the absence of good documentation and processes in the Company. We try to help businesses BEFORE this happens, and avoid this for our clients. Sometimes, though, it takes the business being exposed to the harsh reality that is workplace compliance before they realize they need us. The average defense costs for wrongful termination are $85,000 and the jury verdict averages $500,000.

Our marketing firm, Design 5, out of Lebanon, IL is amazing! We highly recommend them. We met at a networking event and began working together immediately. It all started with the need for them to design an open house invitation for an upcoming MCS event. They did such a good job that we also asked for them to work on the MCS brand. We were in desperate need of a consistent brand, creativity, and color. Design 5 learned about our operations and worked hard to create a brand that was appropriate. Our brand is now distinct, consistent, and absolutely beautiful thanks to Design 5.
Click the picture to go to their website.

We are working on a workplace employee survey for a client. It is awesome when employers value their employees' needs.

Employee surveys are best done by a third-party administrator (like us!) because employees will feel the most comfortable and be the most honest in our confidential setting. Employers are given summarized feedback on what their employees are saying, but all information is kept confidential as far as what each employee said. We provide the employers with a summary, reports & statistics, and suggested action plan. When employee morale is bad, or when retention is poor an employee survey can uncover what action needs taken to make improvements. Happy employees are the most productive and loyal. Turnover is expense.

By Kandi Mensing:

Are you on COBRA and it is too expensive? Were you offered COBRA and had to decline coverage because you couldn't afford the premiums? Have you ever lost access to your employer's health plan? It could have been because of a layoff, a termination, or reduction in hours. If you have ever seen the cost of COBRA coverage, you know that it is expensive!! Most individuals and families cannot afford to pay for COBRA.

Just to briefly explain for those that don't what COBRA is, COBRA stands for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. It is a Federal law that was enacted in 1986 mandating that employer's allow employees (or ex-employees) that were formerly eligible to join the employer's group health plan access to the group's health plan, even though they're no longer 'eligible,' where coverage would have otherwise been cancelled. The legislation allows that the employer charge the (ex)employee full premium cost plus a 2% administrative fee. This can be very costly.

If you lose group coverage, what are your options?

1. Pay the expensive premiums for group healthcare 
2. Go without healthcare coverage, letting your policy lapse
3. Elect coverage on your new employer's health plan
   (If they offer healthcare, and if you're lucky enough to find another position immediately)
4. OR, purchase your own affordable individual health plan

At Mensing Consulting Solutions, we help people get off of COBRA (or avoid having to elect COBRA) by helping them shop for affordable individual health plans. We find them coverage they can afford without the markups of group healthcare. The last time my family was eligible for COBRA, our family plan through the group coverage was $1,100 per month. Add on a 2% administrative charge and we were looking at about $1,122 per month. Instead, we were able to purchase our family plan under an individually written plan (not group) for less than $400 per month! So, as you can see, there is  a sizable difference between what is paid for coverage under an individually written plan versus a group plan. We saved over $700 each month by purchasing our individual plan instead of electing COBRA coverage.

Group health plans are simply more expensive than plans written on an individual level (i.e. not group). Why is COBRA so expensive, you ask? Well, when you purchase COBRA, you're likely paying a 2% surcharge on the employer's group health plan (the only COBRA fee allowed by the government). Group health plans are accessible by the employer's eligible employees. Group health plans are guaranteed issue, meaning that eligible employees cannot be declined for coverage under the group health plan regardless of pre-existing conditions, lapse of healthcare coverage, or any other reason.  Group health plans do not afford employees the ability to customize their coverage. Some employers may offer several plans for employees to choose from, but not all employers.

When you purchase your own individual plan, you can choose the plan design that fits for you and/or your family at the price that you can afford! 

We work with many large carriers and are very competitive in the market. When you work with us, we don't just write your plan. We're there for you even through your claims process, for any support or assistance that you might need. We are a family business supporting families and other family owned businesses.