Covid 19 Archives - HealthPlanOptionsToday
Categories
Blog

Upon Which COVID Stands – The Lessons We Have Learned

When the pandemic hit, many were speculative as to how this phenomenon will subtly destroy us. Millions were without food, others without healthcare, and even more so: many suffering from disabilities imposed because of it. However, we neglect to realize how much the world may actually benefit from this caustic tragedy. Think about it: kids have resorted to Zoom sessions in which classes are routinely held virtually; carry-out and delivery services have produced over 200,000 new jobs; telehealth is now being recognized as a convenient manner in which we can now see doctors without ever leaving the house! Though we cannot deny the bad, let us examine the “good.”

  1. Schools are better off. Many complain about the virtual environment schools are now being plagued with, but we fail to realize that this is so new to us that we have yet to adapt to it. In fact, consider the benefits of virtual schooling. Less violence will occur; less bullying will take place; social attitudes and norms are being tested before our very eyes. Though many schools have struggled with this new manner in which our children are taught, this is just the beginning.

    An example comes from a student we worked with on health insurance planning. The school he attended was delivered online, but not in the manner one would think. In fact, it was a virtual world, much like a video game. There were actual characters, booths for career expos, and there was a vast ability to socialize and communicate in a way far surpassing Zoom.

    This, in my opinion, is a step forward for technology.
  2. Carry-out and delivery. It may not seem like such a big deal, but consider the mentality that the “carry-out” or “drop-off” food service runs on. It is much, much more convenient (albeit safer) to have people come out and deliver food to us. We go on an app, pay for our products, and a man or woman comes out and puts the food in our back seats. C’mon, how cool is that?!

    We seem to think to ourselves: “This is to keep us safer,” but in reality it is a step forward for better service. No one likes going to Publix to shop, wait in an aisle, and bag our own groceries. The situation is no different for the Publix staff: they are tipped more for coming out to give us our food, and have less spills to worry about, less clutter, and overall much more calm. Imagine a world where the service industry functions on this mentality!

    It does not seem like much, but once we get better at this, it will be.
  3. Telehealth is upon us. Not many realize that virtual doctoral visits have actually been around for some time. In fact, it was around 2016 that our blog writer encountered the Life Coaching industry, which became exclusively centered around the marginal issue of: “Why treat only those local to us?” In turn, the online movement toward healthcare improved, and when the pandemic hit, this phenomenon grew in size. It is almost routine at this point to go on Zoom, Doxy, or FaceTime to obtain our medical assistance.

    The telehealth industry has grown in size in 2020 with an increase of almost 10 percent. However, it is projected to be worth $266.8 billion by 2026. This is a drastic leap! We must begin to realize that in a technology-run world, even medical issues are being treated by technology. Even before the pandemic, many doctors took to iPads and other embedded computer systems to monitor patient issues, as well as to look up answers to questions (i.e. symptoms or medication interactions) when in doubt.

    What a sincere change.
  4. We are now in touch! We are now in touch with family and friends in a manner far surpassing what we once had. The amount of FaceTime or Zoom calls has increased by tenfold, and we are now in touch with our family and friends so much more than we were pre-pandemic. Furthermore, more adults and Baby Boomers are becoming rather acclimated with programs they did not understand six months ago. Zoom is the best example, which formed in 2010 and has grown substantially since the pandemic.
  5. Safety awareness! Are we now more grateful for our safety? Are we now less likely to avoid sneezing around others? Though the pandemic brought this upon us, it actually made people more aware of the dangers of: standing too close to someone, coughing without covering your mouth, and overall we are beginning to understand the concept of “courtesy” more. Though this may seem like COVID-19’s greatest threat, it is actually humanity’s greatest opportunity to do better at recognizing when others are in trouble.

In fact, the rate of adults actively engaging in safety awareness has risen by 22 percent since the outbreak. We are also now more grateful for our doctors and nurses. I have never once seen so many people saying: “Thank you” to a doctor, an EMT or a nurse. This may actually lead us toward optimistic increases in healthcare spending. Now that we have faced a virus unlike any other, when it is all over we will have conquered something we thought would be too strong to manage or regulate.

In the end, we are not dead, and our fallen brothers and sisters are not held in vain.

I’d like to share with you a quote from Hunter Patch Adams during his defense against privatized medicine:

“What’s wrong with death, sir? What are we so mortally afraid of? Why can’t we treat death with a certain amount of humanity and dignity, and decently, and God forbid, maybe even human. Death is not the enemy, gentlemen. If we’re going to fight a disease, let’s fight the most terrible diseases of all: indifference…

Tell us if in this past year, we can all agree. If you need help with health insurance, contact us and we can assist. We know health insurance premiums are becoming an issue, so we do encourage you to check out the rest of our site and see how we can help.

Categories
Blog

Some Scary Statistics For The Insurance Market (2020 Edition)

Oh, boy. Okay, take a step back and think (honestly, think!) to yourself quietly: “When I was at this point in my life, in this moment, right here, right now…I had a job, a house, food, electricity, insurance…where did it all go? Oh, that is right, my dear readers! This is a “scary statistics” blog, as they always are. I wanted to lighten the mood and give some moody feedback on these issues, as they are going to not only affect the way we buy insurance, but also the world economy in its own merit.

You see, insurance is not that difficult to understand. It is really just like any other service you will ever encounter. Take a college, or a university you once attended (or had some form of relationship with, even if just the football team) and look at the progression of things. Citizens pay taxes; taxes go to government; government goes to school; school goes to individual departments within it; and the students are the ones paying the bills. Just like school, insurance is a service, as in “serve us!”

1. Unemployment rises and so do premiums…

Just like the above stated, insurance is a business, and it is running on empty. With the coronavirus’ death toll surpassing that of the Vietnam War, the stock market has collapsed; IRAs are down forty percent; the unemployment rate is worse than that of the Great Depression; and this is most certainly not a period in history where brilliant changes occur overnight. We will have to build ourselves back up again, and though we all think of insurance as a “backup,” right now it is actually “Plan A.”

 With the rise of unemployed Americans came a wave of sudden angst; the stock market crashed; investors, startups and just about everyone else in-between are now standing as cavaliers of the 96 million unemployed Americans. And if we were uninsured, how on God’s green earth would you be able to pay for a hospital visit?!

2. Bad Credit? No Money? Too Bad…

Just like jobs check credit scores of interviewing candidates for a new position (72 percent of them, in fact), so do insurance companies. Remember, you want guidance before taking on insurance on your own. We highly encourage you to visit our Personal Insurance Plan page and our Employer Alternative Health plans. So, do insurance companies actually look at bad credit? Yes! According to AMFAM.com, the fact is that insurance companies check your credit score when giving you a quote!

Then again, why would we not expect that is the most likely scenario? They are taking a gamble with you. Remember that insurance companies are not the enemy. They are forcing you to pay so-and-so for so-and-so, right? But think about it: you pay a few bones their way for protection, and you may just find yourself saving tens of thousands on Medical bills or copays. Do note that when you are covered by an insurance company, you are guaranteed what they offer, i.e. if you have a problem, we will pay for it if it applies to us. The gamble they take is that when someone does screw up, they have to pay for it. Believe it or not, according to a 2017 study, insurance companies actually lose more money than they obtain! So look into our options on this website for help.

3. COVID, COVID, COVID…

Okay, this one will not take long. 96 million jobless Americans. This is going to hurt the insurance game a lot, both for those trying to maintain keeping their coverage, as well as those who are in the same pickle: how the heck do we pay for all of these procedures and coronavirus tests? The $2 trillion coronavirus aid package clearly states that over $100 billion dollars are to be allocated to hospital and medical needs as priority. But at this point in time, we had no idea the world would end because of it!

Cheer up! You have an option. COVID is not something you ever want to think that you may have (the anxiety of not knowing is enough torture for me) to deal with, but in reality it is a possibility, and if we do not find constructive ways to keep ourselves protected from liabilities outside of our control, then obviously a number of factors can be applied – by us – to assist you in finding the right plan for the right price

4. Government Procedures

Where does the insurance company’s proceedings go? To overhead and then (you guessed it, the place where almost all of our money goes!) the government takes the rest. In turn, they provide the service of survival to you. Not to sound too edgy, but this is a tough one to discuss without political bandwidth clogging up our servers. In the end, however, we all have to realize that the more sick there are, the more the government will have to modify insurance plans, and this could bring about massive changes in both the way health insurance operates, as well as how much it goes (perhaps, even who it goes to). We are in troubling times, so the best thing to do is secure things now!

Contact us!