lance cashion: remote control

A Lesson in Intimidation Tactics by Kathleen Sebelius

For SHAME!!!!

In the spirit of the 1st Amendment, I submit that the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius is employing Eastern European intimidation tactics (Circa 1938) by issuing an ‘official’ letter to Karen Ignagni (AHIP). Read the letter for yourself and draw your own conclusions. Download Sebelius-Karen-Ignagni

SHAME on YOU Ms. Sebelius! First, we live in the United States of America. We have laws. If Ms. Ignagni has broken the law, take legal action. Your position as Secretary of HHS (questionable if you are qualified), does not allow you to usurp law. I’m sorry Fraulein Sebelius, but you’ll have to play by the rules.Here we go… 

Lesson 1: Misrepresent Your Target’s Position
“….sending letters to their enrollees falsely blaming premium increases for 2011 on the Patient Protections in the Affordable Care Act.” – Kathleen Sebelius

Question: Is Fraulein Sebelius an actuary? I don’t think so. Does she have a firm understanding of how insurance works? No. She is a career politician who slid down the A-list from a possible VP nomination to her present position at HHS. Currently sitting bench on the junior varsity squad, but believes she carries the ‘big stick’, therefore wielding her limited power to make up for career shortcomings.

Lesson 2: Issue Veiled Threat disguised as a ‘Warning’
“I urge you to inform your members that there will be zero tolerance for this type of misinformation and unjustified rate increases.” – Kathleen Sebelius

Let’s call this what it is… a Threat. Please note; there are two threats contained in the letter.

Lesson 3: Parrot Official Propaganda (repeat it often)
Most of the letter is the official “re-sale” of Obamacare. I guess Fraulein Sebelius has never ‘worked’ in sales.

I stop here to give a piece of advice that an old wise man told me when I was younger.

“A turd is a turd, you can’t polish a turd." Obamacare is a turd and everyone knows it. You can wrap it in a pretty box with pretty ribbon and a little bow, but it still stinks! All of the repackaging and remarketing of the product ‘Obamacare’ is not going to change what it really is.

The ‘primary’ design of PPACA (Obamacare) was to change the relationship between the electorate and the elected through creating/increasing dependency on the Federal Government. That is the truth. Paint it whatever color you want. Wrap it in a security blanket and sell it. As we say down here… “That dog won’t hunt!”

“Health insurance companies do not control the cost of healthcare. Health insurance is expensive because HEALTH CARE is expensive. Instead of tackling real problems, you decide to muddy the waters to push your ideals. I get it. But, I don’t buy it.”

Finally, I submit that Fraulein Sebelius is a holier-than-thou bureaucrat, an ideologue with an ax to grind, and a Planned Parenthood operative. (Did I miss anything?)  I am not attacking her personally, I'm attacking her behavior and actions (measurable outcomes of past behavior).

Ms Sebelius,
I welcome you climb down from your ivory tower and join me in the trenches of reality.

To mirror the language that you used in regard to Ms Ignagni; "I urge you to inform your party that there will be zero tolerance for this type of intimidation and veiled threats". The END of your political career begins on November 2nd! I suggest you correct your current course or get packing.

Join the tribe on our crusade to change Washington DC by purchasing an “OVER Nov 2nd” bumper sticker!

Thanks
Lance Cashion

Save by gettng creative with your health insurance

I've taken some time off from the ole blog... I'm back!

As you get older, your premiums are going to increase.  That is the truth.  There is no getting around it.  Don’t panic! 

Get creative! 

For instance, I had a 35 yr old young lady who is opening her own business and needed insurance (she was being dropped from her group and COBRA was too expensive).  Her budget was around $130 per month.   That can be a tough one.  The key is to get her on something to cover catastrophic events for a year or two, while she’s building her business.  Keeping in mind that her situation will eventually change and she’ll have a bigger budget for her health insurance. 

The plan of action:
1. We start looking at high deductible HSA (Health Savings Account qualified) plans
2. We hedge against accident with a $5000 Accident Benefit for $29.95/mo
3. We address her desire for physician consultations with a free CallMD benefit (included with the Accident Benefit)
4. We agree that a $5000 (100%) HSA is what she needs for now at $109.00/mo

The result is a hybrid of Health Insurance and essential risk hedges that provide security and protect against catastrophic health events that could jeopardize her finances.  I'm willing to bet that when she does have the extra budget for health insurance, she won't use it.  Why would she?  She got a solid plan to begin with ;)

Budget Target: $130/mo
Cost: $138.95/mo
Benefit: $5 Million in coverage, $5000 accident benefit, CallMD, $5000 Max out of pocket for illness, $250 out of pocket for Accident ($250 deductible on benefit).

We got within $8.95 of her budget and other agents were quoting her $250-$300!  How can a new small business owner with a budget of around $130/mo survive and thrive with premiums eating her budget.  I’ll tell you what happens with most folks, they end up dropping their health coverage to meet payroll, pay a vendor or deal with an emergency.  That is dangerous and there is NO need for it when you get creative! 

Lesson over for today!

Thanks for reading

Lance Cashion

Question Day: Tuesday July 27

Today is Question Day!

Every day, I get several emails, calls and messages from folks with various insurance questions. So, I've decided to dedicate a day to giving you answers to your questions. My goal is to build a reliable reference for the people I serve without sales pressure.

I will prove that I provide the BEST customer service in the insurance industry!  Even if you are not a customer, I'll treat you like one.

We're going to keep this simple. You can ask your questions the following ways:

1. Comment Below

2. Email Me

If you have questions that must be held in confidence (ie. pre-existing conditions, health history, etc), please email me. By law, I cannot share information given by clients without permission.

Here are the areas I'll be covering this week:

-Individual Health Insurance

-HSAs

-Term Life

-Medicare Supplements

Let's see how this works out.

Thanks in advance for being a part of the process!

What is your question?

intel: generating leads - What's more valuable?

People are constantly being bombarded with ads, solicitations, marketing materials, etc.  We get more spam, unwanted calls and junk mail than we can handle.  

In social situations or events where there is no time or opportunity to close a sale, you must connect quickly and effectively. 

At one point, it may have been good to leave a prospect with a stack of crap about your product or service in the hope that they would contact you and buy.  This is what I call 'lame marketing' and its down right lazy.

Stop doing this!

Instead, gather your prospect's information and tell them you will email them in the next couple hours. Better yet, schedule a call with them right then and there.

"Joe, it was great meeting you today, I can schedule a call with you tomorrow at 9:30am to finish our discussion."  (write time down on your business card when you part ways, send a follow-up email ASAP)

Get their info and get their permission to connect.  Do not load them down with crap.

Acquiring a potential client's contact info and permission is more effective and valuable than giving them yours!

Have a good one

Lance Cashion

American Health Underwriters

Intel: Lessons from MassCare and What We Can Expect

Well, it’s been nearly a month since my last blog entry.  I’ve been working with my team on the task of repositioning our organization in light of Healthcare Reform Legislation.  That said, I have posted an article below by Mark Gaunya who is the president of the Massachusetts Association of Health Underwriters (MAHU).He provides solid insight into what we can expect from Obamacare.

I think this quote from Mark sums it up; “Health Insurance is expensive because health CARE is expensive”.  The article explains that Obamacare is focused on symptoms of rising costs, not the disease.  Furthermore, I submit that this legislation misses the mark completely.  The question begs to be asked…  Is Healthcare Reform REALLY about lower costs OR is HealthCare Reform just an expansion of bureaucracy and Government power. Read more on Bureaucracy here.

Decide for yourself!

Article Link: Download Be Careful what you wish for, America-INN article.

The original article is from Insurance News Net Magazine

http://www.insurancenewsnetmagazine.com

Have a good day.

Lance Cashion

American Health Underwriters

Life Insurance Planning: Remember, No One Gets Out Alive

Life Insurance is one of the most important things you can do for your family.  It is YOUR responsibility to have enough life insurance to replace your income if you were to die.

There are two irrefutable facts in life; 
1. You were born 
2. You are going to die.

No one gets out of this alive my friends.  Create a plan for your family in the event you die.  Create a plan for your family if your spouse dies.  If your spouse cares for the children and home, buy life insurance on that person.  Why?  Try focusing on your career when you have to take care of a house and children if your spouse dies.  Figure out how much you will need to spend to hire someone else to do that job for you.  Get the picture?

• Life Insurance is about loving your family
• Life Insurance provides money at the point of need (without dealing with probate)
• Life Insurance establishes an immediate estate

Think about it.  Pray about it.  Talk about it.  Ask about it.

Buy a good Term Life Insurance plan (10x your income).  Do the same for your spouse, service in the home is NO different than producing income.  Stay away from life products you do not understand!

In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps. (Prov 16:9)

Contact me if you would like to know more or if you need advice.

Look up, because that is where I'm headed

Lance Cashion

email

ps.Thanks to Dr. Sims for reminding me about this.

Taking Care of Your People: The Art of the Referral pt 1

It feels good when a client sends family or friends to me for help with their health or life insurance.  What does it say about me and my work when this occurs?  It tells me that the work, product and service I provide matter.  Over the last several years, a brand has emerged around what I do and the service I provide.  This is not an accident.  When people in my network think “insurance” my face and name pop into their minds.  Many have Google or MSN set as their default homepage on their PCs.  My people have 'Lance Cashion' set as the default in their minds when it comes to insurance.  I’ve built a reputation for serving people and helping them navigate the sometimes expensive, always confusing world of insurance.

Staying in constant, but non-intrusive contact with my clients is essential in solidifying and growing my brand.  Here are a few things I do to keep this process going and growing.

Thank You Cards: I hand write one to each of my clients when their policy issues.  It is a short note in sincere gratitude for the trust they have given me and the commission that will feed my family.  I always include a couple business cards and a refrigerator magnet.  As of late, I have been including a $5 Starbucks gift card (insurance agents are limited by regulations of how much we can give to an applicant).  In the note, I always ask them to share my information with anyone who could use my service.  more here...

Birthdays: I record each of my clients and children’s birthdays into my Outlook Calendar.  I set a reminder 5 days before their birthday.  My clients will receive a card and email from me.  Their kids will receive a $10 iTunes gift card or an age appropriate gift card on their birthdays.  Have you ever received a call from one of your client’s kids thanking you for something?  I have!  In today’s world, who does this stuff?  I do.......  And it has made all the difference.

Referral Reward Program: I have set up a reward program for my clients who send customers my way.  It’s very basic and very effective.  Imagine sending your brother to me for insurance help and you get a $50 or $100 Gift card in the mail.  I don’t care how much money you have, this is effective!  I’ve now sent my client and their family to dinner or paid for groceries.  Again, I always send the gift card with a Thank You card and remind them that I am here to serve anyone they may know.

To be continued….

It’s taken me several years to develop a system where MY people know they are taken care of and want to share my service with the world.  At one point, I wanted to keep my system to myself.  Now, I see that by sharing it, I can have a positive effect on the world around me.  Send me a referral and see what happens!

See you next time and let me know if you have any questions.
 
Lance Cashion

Intel: Health Insurance Premiums Increasing in Six Months

Now is the time to purchase health insurance. 

Below is some information based on my research and some ideas that can help you and your family navigate this environment.

As you are well aware, on Sunday March 21, 2010 The United States Congress passed the Healthcare Reform Bill.  We are seeing positive effects of the legislation within the market.

In the short-term (6 months), we see a major catalyst on the horizon that our agents, current policyholders and prospective clients need to know about.  Individual Health Premiums are going to increase significantly in 6 months.  Some major factors for this increase include; the first wave of guarantee issue applicants joining current risk pools (children with pre-existing conditions), elimination of policy lifetime maximum amounts, and the requirement that all policies cover preventative care.  For families with children with pre-existing conditions, this portion of the legislation is a good idea.

What can you do, as the consumer to be proactive?

-Act with a sense of URGENCY! It is time to buy a health insurance plan that you and your family can stay on for several years without feeling the effects of these major increases.

-Buy Major Medical Plans and HSAs that have 24-36 month Rate Guarantees (for additional premium, you can lock your rate for up to 3 years)  Note: I have one insurer that offers an HSA with a 4 year fixed rate!

-Look at this as getting a discount on your health insurance.  Six months from now will be too late.

-If you have a child with a Pre-existing condition.  You may want move the rest of the family to a new plan now and leave the one child on your current plan.  The goal is to move your child with pre-ex to a guaranteed issue plan in 6 months.  This will save you money in the long run.

-Consider the HSA!  If you don't know about it, research it or ask me.

As you can see, actively engaging this process is the only way to go!  Hopefully this information is helpful.

Thanks

Lance Cashion

email here

Intel: Healthcare Reform Timeline (House Reconciliation Revision)

Here we go.  Below is a timeline for the current Healthcare Reform legislation (House Reconciliation Revision- Apr 1st enactment).  This gives the basics as we know them now.  For the record, I do not support this legislation.  I will save my opinions for a later time.

Link to Timeline document file (PDF): Download HC Reform Bill Timeline_6

Have a nice day

Lance Cashion

ps. If you have questions about health insurance or the effects of this reform on premiums, please feel free to email me.

tip of the day: open enrollment and your family

Don't get frustrated!  When your employer offers open enrollment in their group health insurance, it may be time to investigate options for the rest of your family.  If you have ever had group insurance, you know how expensive it can be to add your spouse and/or dependents. 

Employer-base health insurance is the most expensive form of health insurance in the world.

Many folks are not aware that individual health coverage is comparable to group insurance at a fraction of the cost.  At the end of the day, paying 4X the retail cost of a product is not economically responsible. 

Would you pay $35,000 for a car at one dealership, when you could buy the same exact car at the dealership across the street for $22,000?

Investigate options for your family.  Individual health insurance may be the solution you are looking for.  Note: If your spouse/child has a serious pre-existing condition, you may be left with only one alternative, group.  However, in most cases, you can buy a comprehensive individual policy.

If in doubt, ask me.

Lance Cashion