By S Porter
Many families in the United States do not have any type of dental coverage, and the recent healthcare bill does not include any real guide lines regarding dental plans. We all still need to get our teeth fixed, but nothing has changed in several years regarding dental plans. When you or your family need to see a dentist, shopping around for a new plan is a good idea; but it can be very overwhelming if you don't know what you're looking for. Depending on how much dental work you need and how soon you need it, there are 3 major types of plans to consider.
The first is a regular dental insurance plan provided by a major company like Delta Dental. These insurance plans are the most expensive on a monthly basis but they require the least amount of money out of pocket at the dental office. They also have a waiting period, usually consisting of several months, that you need to wait before you can have any work done. If you need dental tomorrow this is not the right plan for you, but if you need a lot of work done this can be the cheapest in the long run. It is also important to note that these plans usually have a limit on how much they will pay out in a calendar year. Traditional insurance is usually the best bet if you can afford it, and you plan far enough ahead to let the waiting period expire; otherwise one of the other two types of plans may be a better fit for you and your family.
The second option is very much like traditional insurance but its offered by the dentist or dental chain you are seeing for your work. These plans aren't quite as expensive on a monthly basis, but you have to pay more at the dentist office when you have your work done. You can only see the dentist you have the plan through, or one of their affiliated offices if its a dental chain like perfect teeth. The limit on how much work you can have done is a little bit higher than with regular insurance because the dentist would like you to keep coming in. This middle of the road plan is a good arrangement for most people, but it limits your ability to change dentists and specialists aren't usually covered; so if you need some type of oral surgery be prepared to pay full price. Some plans have a small waiting period and some don't, but that is one of the many things to consider when you purchase one of these plans directly from the dentist.
The third type of dental plan is a discount fee for service plan like Ameriplan, and they have become very popular over the last decade as more and more employers drop coverage for their employees. These plans cost the least on a monthly basis, but the most out of pocket for each procedure at the dentist office. There are no limits on how often you see the dentist or how much dental work you have done, and there is no paperwork or contracts to fill out. If you need to see the dentist as soon as possible, this is the best way to go because there are no waiting periods either.
Dealing with health and dental plans can be a huge headache; but with a little information you can make a difficult decision much easier. Delta Dental, Ameriplan and chain dentists are all good options if you know exactly what you are looking for. Regular insurance is great if you need lots of dental work but don't mind waiting. Discount plans are great if you need dental right away, and chain insurance is great if you already have a dentist that offers it. You can't put off dental work forever but that doesn't mean you have to pay too much for it!
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Thursday, December 23, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
What Can A Thief Do With My ID?
By S Porter
Everyone has heard of identity theft, even though 10 years ago we all used our social security numbers for almost everything. Now, 1 in 13 people will have their identity compromised this year alone. The type of identity theft ranges from minimal to very serious, but once it has happened it will change the way you see your id forever. The average dollar value of damage is between $3,000 and $5,000 and it takes hundreds of hours of time to repair all of the problems with your id. These are pretty common figures but what can a thief actually do with your identity?
The simplest form of identity theft involves small amounts of money that can be easily overlooked. Someone gets your credit card number and name, and they can make charges to your card by online shopping. If they have your bank account number and name, they can access your checking and savings and clean them out. With the same information they can also put cable, telephone, electric, water and various other bills in your name and leave you with the bill after they have already moved on to another identity. This type of theft is a big deal, but not as serious as some of the more long term id problems they can do with your information.
With your social security number and few other pieces of info, a thief can begin opening lines of credit in your name. They don't need to steal your credit card number, they can simply open several new credit cards in your name and max them out before you even know what's happening. After 1 month, your credit is shot and the thief will move on to someone else's credit; but creditors may not start hounding you for another 3 months. Monitoring your credit report is a good idea, but it won't protect you from this kind of theft because creditors won't report it until it's already too late. Dumpster divers can use the pre approved credit card offers in your trash, but they can also just apply for credit online using your social security number.
Medical Theft is one of the more serious forms of identity theft, and it is becoming more common with the rising costs of healthcare. Hospitals don't start sending you bills until your problem has been taken care of, so by the time you hear about it the damage has already been done. A thief only needs your name and social security number to do this, but an insurance card will work even better. Medical bills can rack up quickly to hundreds of thousands of dollars and convincing the hospital that it wasn't you can be a very difficult task. The medical bill collectors can have liens places against your home or have your wages garnished for years until the debt is settled.
The most serious forms of identity theft are more rare, but they can ruin your entire life. A major purchase like a luxury car or boat can seriously hurt your credit, but what about a criminal record in your name? A thief committing crimes in your name will stick with you a lot longer than a bad credit score and it is much harder to explain. Even worse, someone could steal you passport info and use it for terrorist activities overseas. This type of theft could get you on a terror watch list or arrested and charged with a crime in a foreign nation; leaving you holding the bag with little to defend yourself.
There are companies that can help with identity theft problems, but most people don't see a need for them until its already too late. LifeLock and TrustedID are both companies that will make it almost impossible for someone to pose as you. Other companies like Ameriplan offer a service that will help you repair your good name after your ID has already been stolen. You can do everything they do yourself, but it requires a lot of time and constant vigilance to stay on top of your credit report and identification. As time moves on, technology will advance and make it more difficult for our id to be stolen; but until then the duty of protecting yourself is up to you.
Article showing at EzineArticles, GoArticles, ArticlesBase, DimeCo, Amazines, ArticleAlley
Everyone has heard of identity theft, even though 10 years ago we all used our social security numbers for almost everything. Now, 1 in 13 people will have their identity compromised this year alone. The type of identity theft ranges from minimal to very serious, but once it has happened it will change the way you see your id forever. The average dollar value of damage is between $3,000 and $5,000 and it takes hundreds of hours of time to repair all of the problems with your id. These are pretty common figures but what can a thief actually do with your identity?
The simplest form of identity theft involves small amounts of money that can be easily overlooked. Someone gets your credit card number and name, and they can make charges to your card by online shopping. If they have your bank account number and name, they can access your checking and savings and clean them out. With the same information they can also put cable, telephone, electric, water and various other bills in your name and leave you with the bill after they have already moved on to another identity. This type of theft is a big deal, but not as serious as some of the more long term id problems they can do with your information.
With your social security number and few other pieces of info, a thief can begin opening lines of credit in your name. They don't need to steal your credit card number, they can simply open several new credit cards in your name and max them out before you even know what's happening. After 1 month, your credit is shot and the thief will move on to someone else's credit; but creditors may not start hounding you for another 3 months. Monitoring your credit report is a good idea, but it won't protect you from this kind of theft because creditors won't report it until it's already too late. Dumpster divers can use the pre approved credit card offers in your trash, but they can also just apply for credit online using your social security number.
Medical Theft is one of the more serious forms of identity theft, and it is becoming more common with the rising costs of healthcare. Hospitals don't start sending you bills until your problem has been taken care of, so by the time you hear about it the damage has already been done. A thief only needs your name and social security number to do this, but an insurance card will work even better. Medical bills can rack up quickly to hundreds of thousands of dollars and convincing the hospital that it wasn't you can be a very difficult task. The medical bill collectors can have liens places against your home or have your wages garnished for years until the debt is settled.
The most serious forms of identity theft are more rare, but they can ruin your entire life. A major purchase like a luxury car or boat can seriously hurt your credit, but what about a criminal record in your name? A thief committing crimes in your name will stick with you a lot longer than a bad credit score and it is much harder to explain. Even worse, someone could steal you passport info and use it for terrorist activities overseas. This type of theft could get you on a terror watch list or arrested and charged with a crime in a foreign nation; leaving you holding the bag with little to defend yourself.
There are companies that can help with identity theft problems, but most people don't see a need for them until its already too late. LifeLock and TrustedID are both companies that will make it almost impossible for someone to pose as you. Other companies like Ameriplan offer a service that will help you repair your good name after your ID has already been stolen. You can do everything they do yourself, but it requires a lot of time and constant vigilance to stay on top of your credit report and identification. As time moves on, technology will advance and make it more difficult for our id to be stolen; but until then the duty of protecting yourself is up to you.
Article showing at EzineArticles, GoArticles, ArticlesBase, DimeCo, Amazines, ArticleAlley
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Repeal and Replace the Healthcare Bill, or Just Revise
By S Porter
Its been several months since the healthcare bill passed and despite the fact that most of it hasn't taken effect, we are already seeing how it will impact our lives. Insurance companies are now required to take people with pre existing conditions and young adults up to the age of 25 are now on their parents plan. The result is that now there are a lot more people that need health insurance dollars, but they aren't making up the difference. Health insurance companies only make about 4 percent of the total they bring in as profit, so they have to pass on to the customer the bulk of the cost increase. Healthcare premiums are now going up at a staggering pace and the mandate for everyone to buy health insurance doesn't begin for another 2 years.
It is true that healthcare costs would have gone up if we had done nothing, but now they are going up much faster and we were told the healthcare bill would make them go down. New taxes on medical equipment have kicked in causing the overhead for hospitals and private practices to go up and be passed on to us, along with Medicare cuts which are also being passed on to us. None of this comes as a shock to those of us in the healthcare field, and the American people were warned about this before the bill was passed. Congress was aware of the unpopularity of the measure and decided to pass it anyway. Americans have now cleaned out their house and given control back to Republicans in the mid term elections.
The logical course of action would be to repeal the whole bill and then work on it piece by piece, but as we all know; politics have nothing to do with logic. Republicans may try to repeal the bill, and they could get it through the house but not the Democrat controlled Senate. Even if they could get it through the Senate, President Obama would simply veto the measure making the whole exercise a waste of time. The next step they might try would be to defund the new bill but even if they succeeded, it wouldn't have any effect on the new taxes and mandates that are already making our premiums go up. The only course of action left is to revise certain parts of the legislation that both Republicans and Democrats can agree on.
Now we come to the real problem with politics; the only things that everyone can agree on will make the situation worse for those of us paying for our heath insurance. The healthcare bill will already cost far more than we were told and the most popular part of the bill to repeal is the mandate that everyone purchase health insurance; which will make it cost much more. If we were to repeal the Medicare cuts or tax increases, the result would also be a greatly increased cost of the bill. Repealing the pre existing conditions part of the law would reduce the costs of our premiums, but no politician would do that and risk being seen as insensitive. They could add some of the Republicans ideas to the bill like tort reform and purchasing health insurance over state lines, but none of their ideas will be useful if private health insurance companies start going out of business.
In the end, we are stuck with the government's "help" for at least the next 2 years. We have all been assured that we could keep the health insurance we had if we wanted to keep it, but there are some hitches to that statement. Most Americans get their health insurance from their employers, and if it becomes more cost effective to just pay the tax for not insuring their employees then you will lose the choice to keep your plan. No one mentioned how much your plan will cost to keep either. All of this is designed to drive everyone to a single payer program run by the government that will drive the quality of healthcare down and the cost to the tax payer beyond our limits. We need real solutions that don't involve government intervention, like discount fee for service plans and group employer plans purchased over state lines. Ameriplan, AARP and various other private companies have these plans, but we have been convinced that private companies are the enemy. Until we get common sense leaders and change our viewpoint on private industry, the sky is the limit on the amount of "help" we are going to get.
Article showing at EzineArticles, ArticlesBase, Amazines, ArticleAlley
Its been several months since the healthcare bill passed and despite the fact that most of it hasn't taken effect, we are already seeing how it will impact our lives. Insurance companies are now required to take people with pre existing conditions and young adults up to the age of 25 are now on their parents plan. The result is that now there are a lot more people that need health insurance dollars, but they aren't making up the difference. Health insurance companies only make about 4 percent of the total they bring in as profit, so they have to pass on to the customer the bulk of the cost increase. Healthcare premiums are now going up at a staggering pace and the mandate for everyone to buy health insurance doesn't begin for another 2 years.
It is true that healthcare costs would have gone up if we had done nothing, but now they are going up much faster and we were told the healthcare bill would make them go down. New taxes on medical equipment have kicked in causing the overhead for hospitals and private practices to go up and be passed on to us, along with Medicare cuts which are also being passed on to us. None of this comes as a shock to those of us in the healthcare field, and the American people were warned about this before the bill was passed. Congress was aware of the unpopularity of the measure and decided to pass it anyway. Americans have now cleaned out their house and given control back to Republicans in the mid term elections.
The logical course of action would be to repeal the whole bill and then work on it piece by piece, but as we all know; politics have nothing to do with logic. Republicans may try to repeal the bill, and they could get it through the house but not the Democrat controlled Senate. Even if they could get it through the Senate, President Obama would simply veto the measure making the whole exercise a waste of time. The next step they might try would be to defund the new bill but even if they succeeded, it wouldn't have any effect on the new taxes and mandates that are already making our premiums go up. The only course of action left is to revise certain parts of the legislation that both Republicans and Democrats can agree on.
Now we come to the real problem with politics; the only things that everyone can agree on will make the situation worse for those of us paying for our heath insurance. The healthcare bill will already cost far more than we were told and the most popular part of the bill to repeal is the mandate that everyone purchase health insurance; which will make it cost much more. If we were to repeal the Medicare cuts or tax increases, the result would also be a greatly increased cost of the bill. Repealing the pre existing conditions part of the law would reduce the costs of our premiums, but no politician would do that and risk being seen as insensitive. They could add some of the Republicans ideas to the bill like tort reform and purchasing health insurance over state lines, but none of their ideas will be useful if private health insurance companies start going out of business.
In the end, we are stuck with the government's "help" for at least the next 2 years. We have all been assured that we could keep the health insurance we had if we wanted to keep it, but there are some hitches to that statement. Most Americans get their health insurance from their employers, and if it becomes more cost effective to just pay the tax for not insuring their employees then you will lose the choice to keep your plan. No one mentioned how much your plan will cost to keep either. All of this is designed to drive everyone to a single payer program run by the government that will drive the quality of healthcare down and the cost to the tax payer beyond our limits. We need real solutions that don't involve government intervention, like discount fee for service plans and group employer plans purchased over state lines. Ameriplan, AARP and various other private companies have these plans, but we have been convinced that private companies are the enemy. Until we get common sense leaders and change our viewpoint on private industry, the sky is the limit on the amount of "help" we are going to get.
Article showing at EzineArticles, ArticlesBase, Amazines, ArticleAlley
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
How to Run an Ameriplan Business Online
By S Porter
Starting an Ameriplan business is a very popular opportunity right now and many people are interested in giving it a try. Opening a restaurant or another traditional business can cost thousands of dollars and requires a business license; along with a great amount of knowledge about the field you are getting into. Ameriplan is cheap to start and doesn’t require a license, so it’s a great way to get your feet wet in personal business. They deal with discount health and dental programs, so there is a great need for what they provide. This all sounds great, until you actually get started and realize that you have no idea what to do next.
There are thousands of different ways to advertise and most people stick to the basics, like flyers and business cards. Finding customers is the most difficult part of any business and success or failure depends on your ability to find them and close the deal. The most common way that beginners get customers is to go get them one by one, but when you advertise they begin to come to you. Everyone is familiar with the internet, but few people know how to run their business with it. Like regular advertising there are thousands of ways to advertise online, and finding the way that works for you can launch your business to all new heights.
I can’t possibly describe all the ways to advertise online, so instead I will describe some of the ways that worked in the past. The best thing to remember is to go where the people are, but most other IBOs haven’t gone yet. Years ago, an IBO named Bill Bertha began using Pay Per Click advertising on Yahoo and Google and made a killing. He paid for a sponsored result spot under the Ameriplan keyword so that when people went to a search engine and typed in Ameriplan they found his website right at the top. To this day he has signed up more members than almost anyone else ever has, but other IBOs eventually caught on to this method and its no longer cheap or easy to try this.
Craig’s list and other free classified ads were big for awhile, but now they are flooded with spam and other business opportunities. One of the ways that I have seen recently is to purchase a banner ad in your local area online newspaper. There are still many opportunities to use this method if you are willing to pay for the banner ad but as soon as you have to compete with another IBO in your local area, the price will go up. Another way that still works is social networking sites like the many work at home mom websites. On these websites, many people come together looking for good ways to make money from home and save money on their families benefits. Finding new websites where future entrepreneurs come together will work perfectly for people just getting started, and they are free to talk to people on.
As old ways of online advertising go out of style, there are always new ways replacing them. Millions of people are currently obsessed with sites like My space and Twitter, but it’s only a matter of time before someone figures out how to use them. Having a good feel for where people are flocking to on the internet can give you the upper hand, but if you don’t use the internet much you may want to stick with what you know. Advertising in the real world always works, but the internet changes every day. If you see a good opportunity to advertise your Ameriplan business online, jump on it because it may not work tomorrow!
Article showing at GoArticles, ArticleDashboard, ArticlesBase, DimeCo, Amazines, ArticleAlley
Starting an Ameriplan business is a very popular opportunity right now and many people are interested in giving it a try. Opening a restaurant or another traditional business can cost thousands of dollars and requires a business license; along with a great amount of knowledge about the field you are getting into. Ameriplan is cheap to start and doesn’t require a license, so it’s a great way to get your feet wet in personal business. They deal with discount health and dental programs, so there is a great need for what they provide. This all sounds great, until you actually get started and realize that you have no idea what to do next.
There are thousands of different ways to advertise and most people stick to the basics, like flyers and business cards. Finding customers is the most difficult part of any business and success or failure depends on your ability to find them and close the deal. The most common way that beginners get customers is to go get them one by one, but when you advertise they begin to come to you. Everyone is familiar with the internet, but few people know how to run their business with it. Like regular advertising there are thousands of ways to advertise online, and finding the way that works for you can launch your business to all new heights.
I can’t possibly describe all the ways to advertise online, so instead I will describe some of the ways that worked in the past. The best thing to remember is to go where the people are, but most other IBOs haven’t gone yet. Years ago, an IBO named Bill Bertha began using Pay Per Click advertising on Yahoo and Google and made a killing. He paid for a sponsored result spot under the Ameriplan keyword so that when people went to a search engine and typed in Ameriplan they found his website right at the top. To this day he has signed up more members than almost anyone else ever has, but other IBOs eventually caught on to this method and its no longer cheap or easy to try this.
Craig’s list and other free classified ads were big for awhile, but now they are flooded with spam and other business opportunities. One of the ways that I have seen recently is to purchase a banner ad in your local area online newspaper. There are still many opportunities to use this method if you are willing to pay for the banner ad but as soon as you have to compete with another IBO in your local area, the price will go up. Another way that still works is social networking sites like the many work at home mom websites. On these websites, many people come together looking for good ways to make money from home and save money on their families benefits. Finding new websites where future entrepreneurs come together will work perfectly for people just getting started, and they are free to talk to people on.
As old ways of online advertising go out of style, there are always new ways replacing them. Millions of people are currently obsessed with sites like My space and Twitter, but it’s only a matter of time before someone figures out how to use them. Having a good feel for where people are flocking to on the internet can give you the upper hand, but if you don’t use the internet much you may want to stick with what you know. Advertising in the real world always works, but the internet changes every day. If you see a good opportunity to advertise your Ameriplan business online, jump on it because it may not work tomorrow!
Article showing at GoArticles, ArticleDashboard, ArticlesBase, DimeCo, Amazines, ArticleAlley
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