Linton and Associates Guide to Health Care Terms

If you have been to a health insurance office, talked to a representative on the phone, or ever made a claim on your policy in order to have your insurance company cover something, then you have probably heard a few different health insurance terms at some point or another. 

But, did you understand them or did they perhaps leave you feeling baffled?

At Linton and Associates, we want our customers to be as informed about what their health care involves and what all the technical ‘stuff’ means. This is why we have prepared the is guide to some of the more commonly used health insurance terms and have even explained them for you in plain English.

Key Health Care Terms and What They Mean

There are many health insurance terms and, while we can’t cover them all, we are sharing the ones we find most common and relevant below:

• Alternative Care is the action of visiting a chiropractor or homeopathic doctor for medical treatment. Not all health insurance will cover alternative care treatments.
• The Carry-Over Deductible allows the last three months of the current years deductible to be brought over into next year provided you haven’t used it all up.
• Co-pays are the fees you must pay when visiting your physician; it is typically a small amount anywhere between $10 and $40 per visit.
•  A Deductible is typically the amount you pay per calendar year to be provided health insurance.
• The Gate-Keeper is your primary doctor i.e., the expert you visit for all your medical needs and who decides if you get the prescription or referral that you are requesting.
•  Indemnity is a term used to describe a plan that covers loss, injury, and damages incurred. The amounts that are covered will vary depending on the plan.
• Insurance Broker is a company or individual that sells insurance policies. Linton and Associates is a great example of an Insurance Broker.
•  Limitations are the coverage limits that each plan has and these vary from plan to plan.
• The Waiting Period is the time that you must wait while employed with a company to fall under the company’s health insurance benefits. It is essentially a probationary period that can be compared to the type of waiting period that some companies call ‘training period.’

When it comes to medical insurance terms, the list is extensive. 

At Linton and Associates, we don’t like to keep our customers in the dark, which is why we hope that this glossary has some light on a few things. 

Remember, if you have any questions, always feel free to contact us and we would be happy to help you.

Choosing the Health Insurance that Best Fits You

There are many kinds of insurance available today and they all serve us in different ways. However, with so many choices, it is easy to become confused on which one is the best for you and your particular situation. Maybe you feel like you don’t need a lot of insurance to get by.

At the same time, it can really pay to have more than you really need in the event of a disaster. 

What do you do? What is enough? And, what is too much? In an effort to shed some light on the subject, this blog post breaks down some of the insurance plans and what they offer in relation to what you may or may not need.

Indemnity Plans, HMOs, and Every Insurance Plan In-Between

The pay for service indemnity plan is considered to be a more traditional health insurance plan than the others, yet it is a lesser known and used type of policy. This is mainly because the indemnity plans are known to be quite expensive.

More commonly, we have the Health Maintenance Organizations or HMOs as they are known. HMOs allow you to have a specific range of medical benefits and coverage, but these do require you to pay a fee called a ‘co-pay’ every time you visit a medical office. This co-pay is typically a small fee that is no more than $25.

You are assigned a specific doctor who, from that point on, serves as your go-to man or woman for all of your medical needs. This allows you to schedule an appointment for periodic health checkups, visit when you are feeling ill, and get referrals to specialists and prescriptions when these are necessary.

Preferred provider organizations, or PPOs as they are typically called, are only similar to HMOs because they are also managed care providers. 

There is small co-pay and you have a specific list of people you are allowed to see for treatment. However, you can visit an outside practitioner if the price is lower, but your co-insurance payment will be more.

These are just a few of the many types of health insurance offered. We broke down these select insurance types for you because we have found that many are similar to these types in some way or another.

It should be noted though that when shopping for insurance, it is important to check with all outlets, including your office, as many reputable companies do offer health plans for their employees and families. 

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have about what type of health insurance might work for your specific situation. 

Health Concerns on the Rise: Taking Action in Albuquerque

As an insurance company that serves the insurance needs of businesses and individuals alike, we have an invested interest in the well-being of others everywhere. 

We are the first to tell you that our very own City of Albuquerque also has an interest in preventing health decline.

All over the country, health decline has become a threatening issue. It is a sad thing, especially because with the right knowledge and a little effort, our lives could be reshaped for the better. 

In an effort to work alongside the health and wellness programs of our fine city, we, at Linton and Associates, LLC, have put together a list of a few simple guidelines that can lead to truly life-changing results.

Start Living Healthy

We all hear it all the time -- on the news, the infomercials and even the radio: “Try this new natural miracle weight loss” mumbo-jumbo. Truth be told, living healthy is as easy as it has ever been. 

By simply cutting out fast food and most sugar, you will find yourself living healthier. Of course, it’s not just about what you eat; it’s about what you do, too.

Being active is the next step to a healthy life, something that many find to be harder to achieve than eating healthy. However, it does not take a gym membership to stay active. It can be something as simple as walking your dog to the more strenuous trail running.

Eating healthy and staying (or getting) active are great ways to improve your overall health as a human being, but don’t stop there.

Being Health-wise

If you are a city employee of the City of Albuquerque, being health-wise has never been more achievable than right in this moment. The city offers many great programs dedicated to getting and staying fit in this fast food nation of ours.

For instance, the Live Younger Challenge is a great way to participate with others just like you and to get the encouragement and motivation you need to get fit. Here are some of the benefits:

·         Lose weight and work on sculpting yourself into who you really want to be.

·         Let out the stress of a long day’s work with a good workout.

·         Find yourself with more energy than ever before.

With benefits like these available at your fingertips, why not check them out? For more information on staying fit, visit the City of Albuquerque website today.  

Having Business Insurance can Save You Money, Time, and More

Insurance can be a sore subject with some; it is definitely for one of those “what if” scenarios. If you wind up getting hurt, you will be glad to have medical insurance. 

Of course, it is possible to never have to use it and it just cost you money, but it is often regarded as being worth it. At Linton and Associates, we believe the same for business insurance and we have a local story to back it up.

A Reason to Have Business Insurance

A New Mexico state building was recently discovered to have an asbestos problem. Luckily, it was not life threatening. However, if you know anything about mold and such, asbestos is all around bad news and really could have endangered the lives of the 200 employees in the building. Luckily, it was discovered and is now scheduled for renovation.

Here’s the catch: the renovation is going to cost around $18 million. That is a lot of money and while the damages might not be as high with a local small business, it would still be a massive problem. So what do you do?

The Benefits of Business Insurance

Like other insurances, business insurance is important for those situations that, if they happened, could prove devastating.

 No business wants to have a day so bad that they get stuck repairing thousands of dollars in damages. 

However, it could happen and that is why we suggest all business owners get protection through business insurance, so that if what happened to the state building happens to them, they will be prepared.

Business insurance can protect you from all sorts of unwanted problems that tend to just happen with the age of a building not to mention the possibility of natural or unnatural disasters. 

All of these things maybe unlikely or considered to be a one in a million chance, but they can still happen and it is always best to be safe than sorry. 

Linton & Associates recommends that all business owners, local or not, call their local insurance provider and inquires about business insurance as it really could save time, money, and quite possibly even your business.

It provides peace of mind and has you prepared should anything occur. Thinking about the massive storm that is set to East Coast, this is a perfect example of something that could wipe out a business in less than 24 hours. 

That’s why it is important to have some type of business insurance to ensure your business can recover without the costs and damage weighing on your mind.

Homeowners Insurance is Rapidly Rising

Recently, you may have noticed a rise in your homeowners insurance. Maybe you were getting quotes for a new home for your first, second, or just another for your rental empire, or maybe you got your renewal notice and were shocked at the increase.

There has been talk that homeowners insurance prices are a lot higher than they used to be. As a homeowner or future homeowner, you might be wondering why the homeowners insurance costs are so high and continuing to climb.

Why Homeowners Insurance Costs are on the Rise

The costs associated with this type of insurance have been rising at an alarming rate because of an increased number of claims and the severity of the claims. Essentially, there have been a lot more claims made towards a homeowners insurance company and these claims tend to be on the larger scale.

When an insurance company has to pay out for these claims to fix the issue or problem, they lose money – not the optimum scenario for a business trying to sustain itself. 

Hence, due to the rise in these claims and the higher pay out that they have required, it has been costing many insurance companies the big bucks and forcing them to raise their prices for homeowners insurance.

Ways to Combat Rising Homeowners Costs

When it comes to figuring out how to combat such costs, it can be challenging because all companies around the country have been forced to increase their rates. So, what can one family do to help? There are a few ways to approach this challenge.

First of all, when shopping around, always get quotes and compare them with others. Most companies will honor the quote they gave you; if they don’t honor it, then you really should not give them business. Second, insure your house, but not the land. 

Of course, if you plan on doing a whole lot of landscaping and having a pool and such, you might want to make sure those get covered.

Another great and simple ways to help to lower your homeowners insurance is to use the same insurance provider for everything. They will see you as a loyal customer and that really goes a long way.

Finally, you can also improve it by improving your credit score; believe it or not, your credit score affects pretty much everything so it’s a good idea to start paying off those cards. 

Remember to always go with a local and reputable company who is willing to work with you and perhaps even give you discounts for no claims.

The Benefits of Fire Insurance

Nobody is going to want to hear this, but sometimes there is no good news. Recent polls have shown that some areas of Albuquerque are not as protected by the Fire Department as others. 

This isn’t because somehow the honest men working as firefighters aren’t good at their jobs; it is understaffing, pure and simple.

Take one look at the economy and you have already found the answer to ‘why.’ 

The standard response time for a firefighter is 8 minutes to 90% of the calls and ladder trucks need to be staffed with at least four firefighters.

So, even though Albuquerque’s firefighters will always work their fastest and hardest to save you, your family, animals and even belongings, it is always best to be prepared for the worst.

Prevention is the Best Preparation

It’s true that if there is no fire to begin with then it not only makes your own life easier but the firefighter’s as well. So, how can you do this? The answer is that you and your family need to practice fire prevention.

This could include anything from keeping paper products away from the burners on the stove to checking for faulty wiring can help. 

A combination of common sense, a working smoke detector, and the occasional look over of your home can go a long way in fire prevention.

Accidents can happen though and, in the event of a fire, be sure to quickly and calmly get everyone out of your home or small business. 

Do your very best to stay out of the fire department’s way and let them do their job to save your home. Finally, one last forms of protection is to have a fire insurance plan.

The Benefits of Fire Insurance

There are different ways that a fire insurance plan can be written up. The gist of it though is that under the unfortunate circumstance of your home or property burning down in a fire or even just receiving fire damage, you can be covered.

Insurance is a great way to have peace of mind. No one wants this to happen, but sometimes things just happen and it’s always good to be prepared for the worst.

Remember that prevention is the best preparation, but having a little extra protection in the form of a backup plan never hurt anybody. 

For more information on fire insurance and the services we offer, please fill free to contact us at Linton and Associates. 

Six Million May be Taxed through Affordable Health Care Act

Over the summer, the Affordable Health Care Act was found to be constitutional and was passed. While this Act ensures affordable healthcare to the vast majority of Americans, there is a small group that could be adversely affected by it and forced to purchase healthcare or pay a tax. 

This bill left a number of people disgruntled, believing that their rights were being imposed on; overall, however, the bill will help a many number of people.

Some people have been against the bill because of the fact that it mandates health insurance upon the American citizen. Originally, it was estimated that a mere four million people would be affected by this. 

However, recent speculation has that number at or above six million by the time the bill is fully in play in 2016 with many of these people being in the middle class.

The Bill Still Helps Millions of Citizens

Six million is a lot of people, but it is actually only a mere 2% of the country’s population. The other 98% of Americans are expected to not even notice a ripple effect from the Affordable Health Care Act. 

So, this begs the question:  Does the outcry of 2% of the American population matter when in the big picture so many will be helped?

In the military, there are acceptable casualties, so should this be treated the same? Is it not our civic duty to support this country? We all have different answers to these questions and it’s our own opinions so that is okay.

Remember though, in the end, the bill is constitutional and will help millions. After all, many Americans are already covered under employer health insurance programs, which have been made out to be more enticing to said employers through tax benefits.

Our children will be included on our insurance until the age of 26 to help them along until they can find employment that will help them cover their health costs. 

Medicaid and Medicare are also being revamped in order to make things better for the people of America. Many changes are coming to health care, and these are changes with regular people in mind.

What We Do

At Linton and Associates, we specialize in insurance and we strive to help families and employers. We do this by providing affordable insurance and standing by our word and promise to treat the customer like family. 

Here you will never be just a number; instead, you are a person with specific needs and unique requirements, and we understand and respect that.