The Ameriplan Opportunity

Why You Need A Professional Wedding Photographer

2011-01-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

By S Porter

A wedding is often one of the biggest days in a persons life and an experience that no one wants to go through more than once. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a marriage last a lifetime, but that is the assumption we all have going into it. The economy is in bad shape right now and it may be for some time, but a wedding can't be put off until things improve. If your big day is approaching you may be thinking that not hiring a professional photographer is a good way to save some money, but there are many reasons not to skimp on pictures. The wedding day will come and go, and the only thing you will have to remember it by is your wedding pictures.

Since the invention of the digital camera, the common held belief has become that anyone can take a picture as good as the next guy. A family member is often recruited to take some pictures at the wedding and that seems good enough; until the day is over and you see what you are left with. We can all buy hammers and chisels, but we can't all sculpt eye pleasing statues. Getting people in their proper places for wedding pictures along with proper lighting can be a real pain if you don't know what your doing. Without this kind of experience, you will be left with a bunch of blurry moving pictures that don't really capture the moment.

Professional photographers are artists with the ability to see a perfect moment in time amongst all the movement around it. They come prepared with high grade equipment to test lighting conditions, and extra lights and reflectors to remove shadows and red eye. Their cameras are far better than the average point and shoot purchased at the local electronics store. Digital programs for retouching photos put the finishing touches on your pictures to make them as perfect as they can be. The result is a set of wedding pictures created with years of experience that can't be reproduced by uncle Jim.

Once the wedding day has gone by, your pictures will be delivered in a number of different formats depending on your preference. If your wedding was shot on film, then you may receive the proofs and the negatives; but if the photographer used digital, then you will get a disk with pictures on it. These pictures can be taken to a local photo shop and copied to be sent to family and friends, or blown up to be framed and placed on your wall. Photographers used to control the copyright of the pictures they took and you had to pay them for every picture that you wanted a copy of; but since scanners and digital pictures became so common, most now just pass the copyright on to you along with your photos. If you do hire a professional, make sure that they will give you free reign to use the pictures any way you want after they give them to you.

Hiring a wedding photographer can require some shopping, but it's well worth the cost to have a professional on your big day. More experience is better, but some times a good photographer can have just a few years under their belt with natural ability. An affordable wedding photographer doesn't mean their work is sub standard; it could just mean they are competitive. Some photographers charge outrageous prices to try and pass themselves off as the best, but it's important to see examples of their work and make the judgment yourself. Your wedding will be in your memory for the rest of your life; hire a good wedding photographer and the quality of the pictures will match the way you remember it.

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How To Choose A Dental Plan

2010-12-23T04:39:00.000-08:00

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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What Can A Thief Do With My ID?

2010-12-17T00:22:00.000-08:00

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.

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Repeal and Replace the Healthcare Bill, or Just Revise

2010-12-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

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.

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How to Run an Ameriplan Business Online

2010-12-01T22:08:00.000-08:00

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!

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When Swine Flu Attacks

2010-11-24T22:28:00.000-08:00

By S Porter

As a nation, we haven’t had to worry about a major flu outbreak for many years. Swine Flu made an appearance about 30 years ago, but didn’t do the damage that many people thought it would. At times in our history, a flu epidemic has caused large death counts but Americans today aren’t very worried about a repeat. We keep hearing that another big flu is on its way, but is the swine flu the one we all have to worry about? Our medical care is far better today than it was during great epidemics of the past, but as of right now there is no vaccine for this particular strain.

The symptoms of swine flu are exactly the same as every other flu; lack of energy accompanied by a slight fever. Some people have stomach problems along with diarrhea and various other discomforts. Unfortunately there really isn’t a way to tell the difference between this flu or any other, so once you’re infected you won’t know if it’s swine flu or not. The flu and a cold feel very much alike, but the fever only comes with the flu so you know you have the flu if you have a high temperature. If you do start to display symptoms; bed rest and plenty of fluids are the best remedy.

The good news about the swine flu is that it isn’t very dangerous. Many people die from the regular flu every year, but those in danger already have some sort of health problem. Infants with underdeveloped immune systems, the elderly and people with other health difficulties are the most at risk. Fewer people die from this flu strain than every other strain that we see on a yearly basis. All the things we normally do to fight the regular flu also work with this strain; like bed rest and flu medication.

Now for the bad news; the majority of the population has no immunity to this strain because it hasn’t circulated in so long. The World Health Organization believes that once this strain has run its course, almost 2 billion people world wide will have caught it. Nearly 1/3 of earth’s entire population will have to deal with the effects of this flu as it spreads from person to person across the entire world. There is a vaccine in the works right now that still needs to go through human trials and the side effects examined, but it won’t be ready for use until most of the damage has already been done. Nevertheless, our government will spend billions of dollars developing this vaccine for future use.

We all have a one in three chance of catching this strain, but the danger of getting it isn’t any greater than catching a regular flu was before. Once we get through this flu season, swine flu will again disappear for a generation and we can all breath a sigh of relief. Life throws many curves at us, but having a good discount plan like Ameriplan health or good health insurance will help to ease the mind. I hate getting sick and I don’t know anyone who is anxious to go through this, but it would appear that we don’t have any choice. The good thing about events like this is that they bring us together as a single force, and give us a reason to band together and rely on each other.

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Dental Care for the Masses

2010-11-12T02:13:00.000-08:00

By S Porter

Healthcare reform is being hotly debated across the country right now, but the need for dental services isn’t being discussed. The cost for just healthcare is in the trillions and just like employer based insurance, dental is an afterthought. Everyone needs to have their teeth checked and the price for these services isn’t going down any time soon. Many people no longer get dental through their employer and the government health reforms won’t have any affect on that; the government also won’t be providing it through a public health system. The good news is that there are many options available to the general public to keep your families teeth in good shape.

Dental insurance is the most common type of plan that people think of when they are shopping around. Companies like Delta Dental, Cigna and Metlife all offer these plans and they usually cost in the hundreds each month for a family of four. They usually have some limits on how many times you can go to the dentist and what kinds of things you can have done. Teeth whitening and other cosmetic work isn’t covered, but most of the services your family needs are taken care of with a small co-pay. Depending on your budget, these plans work for most Americans as long as you are willing to pay on a monthly basis.

A dental plan through your dentist is something a lot of the larger dental chains have started doing. These plans are cheaper than insurance, but slightly more expensive than dental discount plans. The biggest problem with getting one of these programs is that they only work at the dental chain you purchased it from. If you have no preference about the state of your dental care then this isn’t a big deal, but many people don’t like the impersonal feel of ‘factory dental’. Large chains have many dentists all working at the same location and it’s rare that you get to see the same dentist from visit to visit.

Dental discount plans are also very common today and offer more than just dental benefits with their services. Ameriplan and Aetna carry these kinds of benefits and they also include things like vision or hearing programs as well. These plans are usually the least expensive on a monthly basis, but what you pay on a per visit basis is higher. Discount plans are my personal favorites because they give the customer the greatest amount of choice in the care they receive. Cosmetic dentistry is also included in these programs, but if you don’t want to pay for it you don’t have to. There are also no limits on visits or services with a discount plan, so you can go as often as you like and have whatever work you want done depending on your budget.

Paying for dental today has many choices, but as time goes on it becomes more the customer’s responsibility to arrange payment than it was in the past. Employer based plans and insurance through the government are becoming less likely, but the need for us to go to the dentist is the same. Maybe it’s for the best that we are given the full array of choices, but some people will always want to have things taken care of for them. A bright white smile is something we all take pride in and paying for it will always be a difficult decision. Taking care of your health is essential to a happy life and that includes you teeth and mouth.

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Government Motors and the Death of the Free Market

2010-11-05T03:29:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

When the government interferes with the free market, the results are never good. The same progressive steps have happened repeatedly over the course of our history and yet we do them over and over again. Now we are running down the same path; determined that this time will be different. General Motors is the latest pawn in the game for who has best ideas to run our economy, but the fundamentals of the free market have been thrown out the window. Over 35 years ago, Amtrak was the government pawn and the talk was about making it profitable in less than 3 years so we didn’t lose the passenger rail system. Today we still own Amtrak, it’s still losing money, and the government has prevented any competition from taking them down.

Normal free market operation happens when a company produces a product or service and based on its merit, we the people purchase what it sells because we like it. The company must be run well and as demand for what they sell rises, other companies will compete for your dollars. This competition will keep prices low and quality high to attract your attention. If the product becomes unpopular, too expensive or the company is run badly; the business will die and be replaced by something you will spend your money on. This is the natural business cycle that is propelled by YOU; the free market.

GM has been deemed too big to fail, and the government has stepped in to try to save the thousands of jobs that depend on the automakers success. Unions have driven up the price of labor along with legacy costs in the billions to pay workers who have long retired. The result is a company that cannot sustain its own weight, and for a long time GM has spent more money on labor than the car itself. We the people like the cars they make and we really enjoy our SUVs, but the company is so badly run at this point that it has no hope of survival. The government took billions of your money and gave it to GM to keep them in business, but that won’t stop the ship from sinking under its own weight. GM has declared bankruptcy anyway, and now the government is getting even more involved. The white house has fired their executives, is now limiting their compensation terms and even dictating what kind of cars they must build. The government can’t tell a company how to be successful; YOU do with your dollars. GM didn’t produce these cars before because we didn’t buy them, now they don’t have a choice.

Ford should be the big winner in this situation, but the government will make them the big loser. They didn’t need bailout money because they are a good company and their cars are popular around the world, but now they must pay to keep their competition in operation with their tax money. The government is telling GM to produce cars that we don’t want to buy, so it will be a black hole for years to come. In an attempt to make them profitable, the government will change the rules of the game in GMs favor by giving you incentives to buy their products. Tax deductions and green standards will make GM’s cars cheaper to buy, all while penalizing Ford for being a profitable company. In the end, no company can compete with a government entity because the government can always tilt things in their favor. Every private car company will be driven out of business by Government Motors because it’s the only way GM can compete and you will pay the tab for all the loses. The government can’t tell you what to buy, but they sure will try.

Rather than letting bad banks fail and good banks succeed, the government has disrupted the financial industry and produced the opposite. Now the government is getting involved in the energy sector and deciding for you what types of energy you should buy and shouldn’t. Rather than allowing free market solutions to healthcare like Ameriplan and other health plan alternatives, the government created public plans in Medicare and Medicaid which have raised healthcare prices through the roof. The next step will be to expand the public healthcare system and eventually put 2.3 million people in the insurance industry out of work. This type of economic “justice” is socialism no matter what they try to call it, and it will ultimately cost your freedom of choice, your tax money, your opportunity for success and eventually your job. The free market dies a little more each day and leaves many of us wondering; which industry will the government try to “save” next?

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Healthcare Reform and the Collapse of Health in America

2009-09-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

Healthcare in this country has hit a major roadblock, but most people don't have any idea why or what caused the problem. The cost of a good health plan has gone through the roof in the last several years, and the reason is Medicare and Medicaid. These programs seem like a good idea because they provide healthcare for people who don't have any way to pay for their own medical expenses. Someone has to pay for them so some of the money is taken through higher taxes on all of us, and the rest is added to your health insurance premiums. The government won't pay hospitals and doctors their asking price, so the doctors have to charge private insurance programs higher prices.

The cost of healthcare is the real concern that Americans have about their health insurance plans. The more people that can't pay for treatment; the higher the cost of health insurance becomes for those paying for it. As the cost goes up more people can't afford it and have to get it for free, this causes the price for the payers to go up even more. Now the government is talking about healthcare reform, but their ideas will only make the problem much worse. A public health plan offered by the government will completely destroy our healthcare system and bankrupt our country at the same time.

The government's idea to fix the problem is to offer their own health plan that essentially is more Medicare and Medicaid. We have to pay for it with our tax dollars and the private healthcare industry can't compete with a plan that everyone is already paying for. In the future, private health insurance will rise in price to a level that will force everyone onto the government plan. Once that happens you no longer have a choice, a substandard health plan that you have to take that takes away all of your options and limits the amount of healthcare you can receive. They will argue that it won't happen that way, but we have seen several other countries go through this process. When everyone goes to the doctor for every little reason because they don't think they are paying for it, the national healthcare bill goes through the roof.

The bill for all this wonderful healthcare will end up costing us about 3 trillion dollars per year. That's twice as much as our national budget for everything including defense. We can't afford this no matter what our tax rates are, so the government will have to start limiting what people can get. The UK now has a government body that examines cases to decide if a person's needed healthcare is worth the expense. Without the ability to make good money as a doctor, the number of people who want to be doctors goes way down. In Canada, there is a waiting list years long to receive life saving treatments because there just isn't enough doctors to go around.

Healthcare needs to be fixed with free market solutions like Ameriplan and other discount health plans. Medicare and Medicaid need to be severely cut to drive prices down, so every American can afford to get a health plan. Once the government gets its fingers in the healthcare industry, it will be nearly impossible to get them back out. Our government is on an eternal quest to control our lives, and this would be a big step in the wrong direction. Their public health plan will only lead to the government telling us what healthy living is and forcing us to live by it. As Ronald Reagan once said, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help".

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Cap and Trade or Cap and Tax

2009-08-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

The Obama administration is now pushing its cap and trade bill through congress. It sounds harmless enough, but the effects it will have on middle class Americans is staggering. There seems to be a never ending battle to take more and more of your money for all of the projects the current congress has slated, but this one will impact your wallet in a way most people never saw coming. Global warming, global cooling or climate change all mean the same thing; get ready to pay. Global temperatures have gone down for the last three years and most Americans no longer believe the hysteria, but that isn't going to stop the government from implementing sweeping reforms that put you on the hook.

Cap and trade essentially puts a cap on the amount of carbon dioxide that any company can produce. The problem is that the biggest offenders are power generation facilities that we all get our energy from. They well exceed the limits that congress would like for them to stay under, so they will need to pay a hefty tax for everything they produce beyond the cap. I'm sure this sounds like a great idea to the extreme environmentalists out there, but power companies aren't just going to pay the tab. In order to remain profitable, they will need to pass that expense on to their customers and we will end up paying for their extra taxes.

We the people don't have a choice in what company produces the energy that we use in our homes, so this new tax will hit us square in the face. It's still far too expensive to convert everything we use to renewable energy, so the power bill will go up considerably. The standard rate for electricity and natural gas is expected to double in the next couple of years, and it will come strait from us to the power company, then to the government. Everything we use and buy in the United States is produced using power and shipped around using power, so the cost of everything else will rise along with it. The government knows this is going to happen and they say it's acceptable because it will FORCE us to use less, but should the government really be telling US what to do?

For years the hype over global warming has had major repercussions in our way of thinking. A recent poll showed that three out of five children now believe the world will no longer exist when they grow up. Scientists have told us that major sea level rise and melting polar ice caps would devastate our shore lines and make the earth unlivable, but then the earth began cooling again and nothing happened. Obviously we don't know as much about how these things work as we would like to think we do, but the government is going to bankrupt us based on a guess. Over the last several thousand years, there have been times when the world was MUCH hotter and much cooler; but here we all are thinking the end is next week.

The government, the people and companies are all out of money, but we keep getting squeezed for more. Healthcare reform will bankrupt us because the government won't use free market solutions like Ameriplan. Social security will bankrupt us because the government won't make tough decisions. Inflation will kill us because the government just keeps borrowing more money, and now cap and trade has come along to put the final nail in our coffin. At some point the people of this country are going to have to stand up and say enough is enough; we tell you what to do and how much to spend, not the other way around!

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5 Ways YOU Can Fix the Economy

2009-08-25T02:30:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

1. Go on a date. Most people overlook the little things that people can do to improve the economy around them. Your community thrives by money flowing from person to person and an economic downturn happens when that stops. You may not have the money to go out and splurge on the big ticket items, but any amount of money flow goes a long way if everyone is doing it. Reconnecting with your spouse through dinner and a movie will also stimulate more than just your local vendors!

2. Go on vacation. President Obama recently said that taking a trip to Las Vegas is irresponsible when the economy is down, and that immediately put thousands of people in Las Vegas out of work. Travel and tourism usually takes the biggest hit when things are bad, but that also means they are offering great deals for anyone who wants to take a trip. Vacation costs more than a date, but not as much as it usually does and you may be saving a few jobs all by yourself. If you have the money to get away there isn’t a better time than right now, and you can do it for a good cause as well.

3. Buy something from another person. Many people need to downsize their own household right now, so they are trying to sell a lot of things they don’t really need. You can but these items for unbelievable prices and you will be helping them out at the same time. They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure; and with the economy down right now, you may be helping them pay their mortgage this month. Some people feel bad when they see someone selling personal items because they need the money, but I see it as initiative to survive. Doing whatever it takes to meet your obligations is a valuable skill that more people should learn, and they will be stronger when they come out the other side.

4. Invest in something. Stocks have been down at levels we have not seen in more than a decade. If you are a long term investor, you won’t see a better situation for decades to come. No one can tell you if the stock market is done going down or not, but if you are investing for the long term; I can tell you with 99% certainty that the stock market will be higher in ten years. Many businesses out there are good companies that need your investment money to grow and expand, and ultimately, to hire new employees and pay more in taxes.

5. Start a business. This is the all time number one thing anyone can do to help the economy and everyone around them. When the economy is down, large companies are laying people off and small business is doing all of the job creation. I chose to start an Ameriplan business, because it helps people with high healthcare costs and it allows me to generate an extra income for my family. If your business has a strong base, you can begin to hire new employees and help provide for their families as well. Businesses provide the majority of economic growth, and the big businesses of tomorrow are starting right now.

Saving money isn’t a bad thing; in fact it’s a necessity for any responsible family to do to ensure a good quality of life. The problem occurs when everyone stops spending all together and starts saving everything they have. Businesses can’t survive in this climate so they begin laying people off and the downward spiral continues. Giving to charity and helping the poor is a noble cause; but unless we all begin to spend something again, we will all need someone else to donate to us! Get out there and help your community and your fellow Americans, by doing something for yourself.

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The Traditional Wedding Photographer Makes A Comeback

2009-08-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

For the last several years, the photography industry has been in a very steady decline. There are many different factors that have caused this, but the bottom line is the same; thousands of businesses have gone under. The very idea of starting a photography studio that does weddings and senior pictures is a little crazy right now. The market works in cycles and eventually there will be a demand for these services again, but when? Until then, most people who want their wedding photographed by a professional have two choices; have Uncle Fred do it or pay thousands of dollars for someone who fancies themselves an artist.

Six years ago, digital cameras really moved into the mainstream and people began to ask their family members and friends to photograph their weddings. With film leaving and being replaced by memory sticks, most people really thought that they could do it on their own and save some money. After all, can’t you move people where you want them and hit a button? If you don’t like the picture you’ve taken, you can always just delete it and take another without losing a frame like you did with film. The simple fact is, you can hand a chisel and hammer to anyone and teach them how to use them, but that doesn’t make them a sculptor.

Cameras are everywhere now; in our phones, hovering over every street intersection, on the dashboard of every police car and inside every public building. The fact that they are so common now has had a very interesting effect on the photography industry. Years ago when it started, people thought they could take their own photographs because they could afford a good camera like the professionals. Time has passed and like the hammer and chisel, people have begun to realize that they are not photographers; they are just people with cameras. The traditional photographer is now making a comeback because we’ve all seen how bad our own pictures are, and we don’t want our wedding pictures to look like that.

The recent economic downturn has changed all of our lives dramatically in a short period of time. During this part of the economic cycle, people stop valuing money as much and reconnect with the important things in life; family, friends and memories. When the economy is down, weddings and childbirths go up. This has created resurgence in the photography industry as people are looking for a professional who doesn’t charge a months salary. There aren’t very many of these professionals around anymore, but supply and demand dictates that this hole will be filled as more people need it.

If you are looking to get married or just need to have some pictures taken of your family, don’t make the same old mistakes. Hire a professional and preserve your memories the way they were meant to be, by someone who knows what they are doing. “I have seen a huge slow down in business, but it seems to be building up again”, says Harold Porter, a Colorado wedding photographer. Weddings are on the rise and wedding photographers are going up with them, but a complete recovery may be years away. The people who love to take pictures and are good at it today may be photographing your wedding a few years from now!

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The Inflation Nation of the Next Generation

2009-08-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

Most people don’t think about inflation and don’t have any idea how it affects our lives, but the implications are very real. Inflation is the process by which all the goods and services that we purchase become higher in price. If inflation goes up at a faster rate than wages, more money is leaving your wallet to buy all the things you need than your income can keep up with. There are three reasons why inflation goes up and we usually have only one of them at a time, but right now there is a perfect storm brewing that may seriously hurt us all. Knowing what causes inflation and what to expect can help us prepare for the inevitable.

The first reason for inflation is debt. When the United States needs to borrow money from another country like China, the value of our dollar goes down compared to their currency. We buy many things from China and lots of the things we make and use are built with Chinese parts. If the dollar is worth less in China, then all the things we buy from them go up in price and all of the things we make with Chinese parts go up in price as well. We have been borrowing money from China for many years, but right now we are about to borrow huge amounts of money all at once.

The second reason for inflation is printing more money. It is the most dangerous and it is the next step in paying for our huge government spending spree. Many people think that if the government needs more money they can just print it, but this is a huge mistake and only used as a last resort. The country’s total production has a particular value and it is divided up amongst all the currency that is in circulation. When you print more money, you don’t have more money; you have the same value divided up amongst more currency so it all goes down in value. This makes the cost of everything go up even though your wages aren’t, and when we print more money the cost goes up almost instantly.

The third reason for inflation is the most common and happens on a regular basis when the economy is recovering and going up. When the economy is going down or crashes like it did recently, manufacturers quickly cut production to meet the lower demand. As the economy recovers, people have more money to spend; but there aren’t enough products to meet the demand. This makes the value of those products go up because they are more valuable. If you want to buy a new car, and so does everyone else, the value of the car goes up because they aren’t making enough cars to meet the new needs. We usually keep this kind of inflation in check by raising the interest rate to borrow money; this slows people’s spending down and the rate of inflation slows down as well.

Rather than pushing free market solutions to healthcare like Ameriplan and other discount plans, or providing lower taxes so people can purchase their own health plans; the government has elected to spend more money on healthcare reform. Other entitlement programs and massive bailouts for failed companies have caused the government to spend almost twice as much as it brings in. China will lend us huge sums of money, but it isn’t enough so we will need to print a lot of money as well. At the same time, banks are being encouraged to lend us more money at very low interest rates. All three inflation causes are being exploited at the same time and the perfect storm is coming. Over the next few years the cost of everything you buy from gasoline to groceries will rise in value very quickly but your wages will not… if you aren’t already a victim of unemployment because of an unfriendly business environment due to rising taxes needed to pay for all of this. Plan ahead and don’t get caught unaware of what’s on the horizon! Our children and grandchildren will be feeling the effects of this for years to come.

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Chiropractic for the Body, Not Just the Back

2009-08-08T00:44:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

When most people think of chiropractic they think strictly of back and spine problems, but the truth is most problems with pain are associated with the alignment of your entire skeletal system. A pain in your foot can be caused by misalignment in the spine, and a pain in your neck can be caused by a problem in your lower back. An injury involving a muscle anywhere in your body will display itself with pain in the entire surrounding region. A bone injury will have similar consequences, but you may feel the pain in a completely different area of the body. Injury can also happen slowly over the course of time, instead of all at once like most people are used to.

Chiropractic has been around for a very long time in one form or another, but the chiropractic profession as we know it hasn’t been around for very long. We have always known that the back and spine is the core of our ability to move and bend, but we are only now learning that pain all over the body can be affected by every other muscle and bone in the body. Chiropractic is not a quick fix though, it can take several sessions and many weeks to fix a problem that’s been brewing for a long time. Hunching over a computer all day for years or driving a truck while spending the majority of your time in the cab will slowly change your body to fit that form. You may not even realize it’s happening until one day you notice that your range of motion has become limited.

Depending on the doctor you see, a different treatment will be recommended. A physician will prescribe drugs, a surgeon will cut you open and a therapist will want you talk about your mother, all for the same problem. If you know that your injury is a muscle or bone problem, then a chiropractor is just what you need. For a problem you can’t identify see your doctor first, and then go to a chiropractor if the problem is related. Your chiropractic professional will want to see you more than once, depending on your problem it may be many visits. You may find that a chiropractor can fix problems you didn’t know you had and will make you feel better than you have in years.

Alternative medicine is treatment that isn’t completely accepted by the medical community and chiropractic falls under that heading. It has become much more main-stream over the last decade, but if you ask ten doctors their opinion of chiropractic you will get ten different answers. Everyone agrees that there are benefits to using a chiropractor, but the extent of the benefit is what is debatable. Because this type of treatment is still in limbo, regular health insurance is reluctant to allow people to use it at their discretion. Ameriplan chiropractic or a payment arrangement with your chiropractor will allow you to get your treatment after health insurance has stopped paying for it.

As time moves on, chiropractic will become more part of everyone’s life and less a part of alternative medicine. If you have never seen a chiropractor before, you may find that seeing one is far less intimidating than going to a doctor or hospital. Chiropractors are friendly individuals that can help fix you up and you will enjoy your appointments with them. A very good friend of mine is a Denver chiropractor and I have always appreciated his views on healthcare. Now that I am familiar with chiropractic care, I can’t see a healthcare system without it!

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The Demise of Social Security

2009-08-04T04:43:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

Social security in the United States began in 1935 with the social security act signed by President Roosevelt. The idea was a noble one, and the elderly applauded the idea of economic security after their working years were finished. Over the years many changes have been made to social security, but the idea of taking care of the older portion of the population has stayed the same. The funds set aside for retirement have been shifted around and used for different things over the years, but the government has always tried to have reserves in place to continue to take care of retirees regardless of what happens with the economy. Today we are at a crossroads with the program that may lead to its demise if we don’t do something immediately.

There are opposing views to the need for social security that are as old as the program is. One side of the debate claims that the needs of the elderly cannot be ignored, but the other side sees the program as a move toward socialism. Capitalists claim that social security is a program provided by a government that doesn’t believe its people can take care of themselves. That the government takes a portion a person’s wages against their will, only to return it years later because the person is too irresponsible to save the money themselves. If wage earners were to take the same amount of money from their own paychecks and put it in a savings account, or invest it; the return at retirement would be almost twice as much as the government gives them for social security.

Today, the program is bankrupting the country. Years ago the government began using the funds collected for social security for other things and now relies heavily on the working population to pay for the needs of retired Americans. The pay as you go system seemed to work for a long time and freed up funds for the government to do other things, but the lack of future planning has now put the program in serious jeopardy. The baby boomer generation is reaching retirement age; which means there will be more retirees and a smaller work force to support them. New projections show that social security will pay more out than it brings in by 2017.

Medicare is facing similar problems, but it is much further along. The government already pays out more than it brings in and estimations show that the country will not be able to afford it at all by 2020. Ameriplan offers an alternative to government healthcare at an affordable price, but there isn’t an alternative to social security besides people saving for retirement on their own. Environmental initiatives and other entitlement programs threaten to bring bankruptcy ever closer, and the economic downturn is speeding the process up.

The government is considering many solutions to the problem, but no one solution will make everyone happy. Raising the retirement age from 65 to 72, or lowering the amount of benefit checks are both being considered. Either way, we can’t continue on the path we are on for much longer without risking the complete collapse of the social security program. People in younger generations are already being taught that their retirement security is in their own hands and many have begun saving on their own. No one wants to see the elderly lose the support they need to live out their golden years, but we would all be better off if we just accept that we can’t rely on the government forever.

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We, The Healthcare Dependent People

2009-07-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

By Frank Menkal

How does paying a little over eight hundred dollars a month as a retiree for your healthcare sound? If you have a mind set that is anything like mine, then you are not looking forward to retiring… at least when it comes to your healthcare and what your family will have to pay for it! Far too many people these days suffer when it comes to paying there monthly health insurance bill.

Over the past several years the healthcare world as we know it has drastically changed for the worst. The cost to just live a healthy life has dramatically increased in price. So to make up for the lack of good and cheap health care, several companies have stepped up to take on that responsibility. One of the companies to make its mark is now taking the lead in the discount healthcare industry. Ameriplan started 16 years ago as a small company that offered discount dental to small businesses. Now 16 years later, the company has grown significantly and offers not only discount dental, vision, chiropractic, and prescription coverage, but also a discount health program. Over the last few years the company has revamped its health care network by adding proprietary doctors nationwide.

Due to the innumerable amounts of individuals that are now using Medicare and Medicaid, our healthcare costs have exploded beyond our control. The more the government has their hands in our healthcare the more doctors have to charge patients for their services. These government funded programs are supposed to help those in need and eliminate the high medical costs that come with age and low income. Due to the easy access and availability of these government funded programs, our society has become more dependent on them. In response to this dependency on Medicare and Medicaid, the cost for good health care continues to climb.

We as a nation need to turn from this destructive path by not depending on the government to provide healthcare, but instead to depend on our hard work and determination to provide care for our families. With this kind of mindset we as a country can drive down healthcare costs by eliminating the need for the government to provide healthcare for our families. Thus, saving us all money in the long run and leading us back to affordable health care again.

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Denver Wedding Photographer Announces Copyright Free Picture Releases

2009-07-06T05:58:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

All Pro Portrait Studios is announcing the release of copyrighted material to its customers. This will allow all wedding photography customers to reproduce their wedding pictures at will for anyone they want. In the past, customers needed to purchase all pictures from the photographer because the photographer owned the copyright.

Customers will now receive a CD or DVD with all the photography taken at their wedding. These pictures are copyright free and can be emailed to family members or taken to any photo shop for printing.

There are many Colorado wedding photographers in the market, and holding the rights to the pictures they take has always been the norm. Owing the rights to their work protects them from people taking their pictures to another studio and not paying the original photographer for his or her work.

All Pro Portrait Studios now offers several price packages that include a set amount of time at the wedding and reception, along with a particular amount of sized and printed pictures. When the pictures are delivered, a CD or DVD with all of the retouched pictures on it will be included with no additional obligation to the photographer.

“People have always wanted to own the rights to their wedding pictures and it’s always been a point of contention between artist and customer. With digital pictures it only seems right to allow people to share them with family members”, says Harold Porter, a Denver wedding photographer.

All Pro Portrait Studios has been operating in the Denver Colorado area for more than 27 years. Offering competitive prices and the highest quality photos have always been the cause for their success, but digital pictures have changed the entire photography industry and left many studios looking for ways to stay in business.

Wedding packages begin at $599 and go up to $1499, with an engagement session costing only $50. All packages include an album full of pictures and the CD with all of the originals. The wedding will be photographed by a seasoned professional with years of experience in the field.
The future of photography is in digital images that can be shared with family and friends all over the world in seconds. Film cameras and copyrights may disappear in the near future, but there will always be a need for a professional to capture the moment the way it should be remembered.

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Ameriplan Launches New Basic Wellness Program

2009-07-04T04:48:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

Ameriplan USA is announcing the launch of its new basic wellness program that will replace basic health. Basic wellness is a package of benefits meant to fill in the gaps left by limited health insurance plans offered by employers. Vision, Prescription and other benefits that have been cut by these insurance plans are included in the package.

As health insurance has become increasingly expensive, more and more employers have decided to cut back on the level of benefits they offer their employees. Higher deductibles, limited visits and decreased services are all being used to cut costs. Many people are now left without these benefits and are forced to pay full price out of pocket when they need them.

Supplemental benefits are easy to ignore when you aren’t using them. Vision and prescription are often overlooked until they are needed, but by then it’s too late. Hearing services and Nurse line are also part of the package.

Everyone needs to take care of their eyesight, and prescription medications are inevitable at some point to heal an ailment or help lower cholesterol. Good hearing is just as important and nurse line can help give you advice about when a trip to the doctor is in order. We all need these services occasionally, but without these benefits the cost can become very high.

“I have insurance from my employer, but it’s a very limited health plan that doesn’t include any extras. Getting a discount on these services would be very helpful to keep my cost out of pocket as low as possible”, says Tom Nordquist, a part time employee.

Ameriplan insurance is a 17 year old company that offers discount fee for service programs at a low cost to its members. 2 million members nationwide and over half a million providers are all part of the Ameriplan network. Health, Dental, Vision, Prescription, Chiropractic and other programs are also available.

Basic wellness includes vision, prescription, hearing services and nurse line. The cost of the program is $14.95 per month and includes every person who lives in your household, even if they are not family members. This program has replaced basic health which is now being phased out of Ameriplan permanently.

Soon Ameriplan will launch Secure Net, a package of benefits that include many services often overlooked in our lives. Identity theft assistance, Auto club and other benefits are badly needed by all of us, but we rarely consider them until someone has already stolen our credit card or we are broken down on the side of the road.

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Are You Happy With Your Smile

2009-06-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

By Frank Menkal

How important is our dental care anyways? Well for starters if you smoke or chew tobacco, you have a greater risk for gum disease and oral cancer. Men are affected twice as often as women, and 90 percent of oral cancers occur in those over 45 years of age. Studies have also shown that diabetics are more susceptible to the development of oral infections and periodontal disease than those who do not have diabetes. To prevent problems with bacterial infections in the mouth, your dentist may prescribe antibiotics, medicated mouth rinses, and more frequent cleanings.

What are my options when it comes to dental plans? Well let me tell you, typically when it comes to dental coverage, most would take care of their dental needs through there job or even from an insurance provider, for a small monthly fee of course. But these days, that is far to impractical, with the development of great discount plans now widely available, one could save “Hugely” with this type of plan!

Here are some examples of your typical dental insurance plan vs. your dental discount plan and the kind of money a family could be saving. First of all, when it comes to your dental insurance offered through your employer, the monthly fees are much smaller when your not buying the converge on your own. . This is due to the fact that your employer pays most of the monthly cost passing the savings on to you! What you don’t realize is that in the end, the typical family pays more on a yearly basis.

Let me tell you that most families only go to the dentist when they need to. If your only going to the dentist when your teeth are in trouble, instead of getting your regular check up’s and teeth cleanings twice a year, those monthly fee’s add up to quite a bit when your looking at it on a yearly basis. When members of your family do make it to the dentist, they come to find out that not all procedure are covered and the paper work may get out of hand! In the end the insurance company wins making your family the losers (I’m just telling it how it is folks):

Now when it comes to picking a great discount plan, there are many options out there. Among these plans, I found that after doing some digging, that Ameriplan offers a plan that one would need in order to save more on a yearly basis On top of their discount dental program, you would automatically receive discount vision, discount prescription and discount chiropractic. To give you an idea on how your family would save more money with this type of dental program, all you need to understand are the basics about how it works.

First of all, anyone can sign up for this dental program and the monthly costs are fifteen dollars for and individual and twenty dollars for an entire house hold. Secondly, when you do decided to make an appointment for that mean tooth of yours, you get the discounted rate at the time of the appointment. Meaning, no wasted high monthly insurance cost when your family is not using the plan. I also found that when you do pay for all your treatments, most if not all are discounted up to eighty percent, “Wow”! If you ask me, this plan is worth looking into.

Other Facts that you might have not heard until now! 50% consider the smile the first facial feature they notice, and 80% are not happy with their smile! Maybe if you had the right motivation with the right dental program, your family would not just be another average statistic. Smokers remain three times more likely than non-smokers to lose all their teeth. This figure has not changed from a decade ago. “Yikes” if you smoke, one should consider the future and how not taking care of your teeth could really affect you later in life!

If you are a person that is concerned about not being a part of that 80% of people that are not happy with their smiles, I would highly recommend getting enrolled in a discount dental plan like Ameriplan. For only a small fee a month you can be on your way to a healthier smile without having to pay and arm and a leg for it! Dental care can get expensive but thanks to companies like this we now have an outlet to save money on our smiles!

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A Cold, The Flu Or Something More Serious

2009-06-27T02:27:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

Getting a cold or the flu is a common problem. We often go to extremes to ensure that we don’t get sick; but the inevitable will happen, and life will be unpleasant for a few days. You can’t catch the same cold or flu virus twice, but they are constantly mutating and each new strain may feel slightly different. When you get sick they all feel bad, but you may not know if you have a cold, the flu or something more sinister right away. There are many illnesses that can display similar symptoms, but almost all of them aren’t dangerous unless you have a compromised immune system. Some people go to the doctor with the slightest sniffle, and others won’t go to the doctor even on their deathbed.

A cold virus usually presents itself 3 or 4 days after you have caught it and starts with a soar back of the nose or throat. Keep in mind that each person’s reaction is different and it could be a little shorter or longer for you. Symptoms come on slowly over the course of several hours and may not feel full blown until you wake up the following morning. Coughing, sneezing, congestion and minor muscle aches are common for a cold and the flu. You are contagious within hours of catching it so you can give it to someone else days before you even know you have it, and you stay contagious for about a week. The symptoms are at their worst about 2 days after you start to feel it and will last around 48 hours, but you may remain congested for up to 2 weeks.

The flu virus is very much like a cold, but with a few added bonuses. The most noticeable difference is that the flu comes with a fever and a cold doesn’t, so if you have a fever you don’t have a cold. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can also accompany the flu and the symptoms will come on much faster than a cold; maybe even in minutes. You don’t start to feel bad for about 3 days after you get the flu, but just like a cold, you are contagious before you even know you have it. Also like a cold, the worst of it lasts about 48 hours but the symptoms can linger for up to 2 weeks. The flu can be very dangerous to the elderly, young children and people with compromised immune systems or heart disease, so see your doctor if you know you’re a high risk.

Infections and other diseases can display symptoms very much like a cold or the flu; but unlike a cold or the flu, they won’t get better in a few days. You know it’s time to see a doctor if you keep getting worse 4 days after you start having symptoms. A fever is common with the flu, but if your temperature goes above 102 it’s time to get to the hospital right away. You may also consider a trip to your doctor if any of the symptoms seem unusually severe; like serious pain in your sinuses or coughing that nearly knocks you over. You can usually tell if something feels far worse than what you would expect from a common cold or the flu.

There are many over the counter medications that can help alleviate the symptoms, but there is no cure for the most common ailments we face every year. The rates at which these two viruses mutate make them impossible to get rid of completely and they will continue to plague us for a long time to come. If you need to go to the doctor or the hospital for an emergency, a good health insurance plan or a discount plan like Ameriplan will help with the cost; but they won’t make you feel any better. No one wants to go to the doctor with an illness too late, but we also feel bad rushing to the hospital only to find out it’s a just a cold. A little common sense can help keep you healthy so long as you are willing to visit the doctor when you need to, and stay home when you don’t.

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Blogging A Small Business

2009-06-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

People have always looked for a good way to communicate, and through time the most important advances have always been better ways for people to talk to each other. Today there are dozens of different ways for people to get in touch with each other, but the internet is king for talking with many people at once. Chat rooms, bulletin boards, email, blogs and instant messages are all available along with everything from Twitter to Facebook, and each one has its purpose. Blogs are great for small business to get word of mouth circulating through the public by starting a conversation with many people. They also have several different functions to get customers to your website and buying your products.

The first and most important thing that a blog will do for your business is to introduce you to the public and get the ball rolling. Blogs are giant social conversations that involve lots of people, and those people know lots of other people, and so on. If you are offering a product or service, this is the perfect medium to get people fired up about it and inspire them to tell others. Most small businesses survive by word of mouth advertising, and blogs provide that for free.

The second big advantage to using blogs is the increased traffic to your website. Including a link to your website along with your post will help customers find you after reading your blog post. If you have a brand name that matches your website URL, then including a link with your post is a no-brainer. Your website link will remain on that blog post forever, and people will continue to find it for months and years after you posted it. The more blog conversations you participate in, the more of your links will be out there for people to find and in turn find you.

The third part of blog posts is their usefulness in getting your website to score well in the search engine results. The more links you have pointing to your site from other sites, the more important the search engines think your website is. You may even find your website on the front page of Google for your keyword after many conversations on blogs. Scoring high in the search engines will give you the largest amount of customers and getting there with blog posts is completely free. Companies that rank high in the search engines usually have to pay SEO companies thousands of dollars a month, and those SEO companies work their magic through blogs.

Through the years advances in communication have come faster and faster. There is no telling what the next big thing will be, but blogs are it for now. I started my Ameriplan Opportunity blog several years ago and it has revolutionized my business, not to mention making lots of new friends that I otherwise wouldn’t have met. If you own a small business and you want to make it into a large business, don’t underestimate the simple little blog!

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Why Healthcare Is In Bad Shape and the Government Can't Fix It

2009-06-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

Most people in the United States are upset with the state of our healthcare system, and I have heard many different explanations why it’s this bad. The main complaint about our healthcare system is the price tag because the cost of health insurance has gone through the roof. In addition, healthcare providers have become more distant and less responsive to Americans questions about how to take care of themselves. The worse it gets, the louder the cries become for some kind of healthcare reform; including a government based program or universal healthcare. The reasons for the problems in our healthcare system are easy to understand, but many people have no idea what’s really going on.

For starters, our system is already partially socialized. Medicare and Medicaid are government based programs that give free health services to the underprivileged and the elderly. When healthcare is free, people go much more often and for every imaginable reason; so the 20% on these programs create a larger bill than the other 80% that are paying for it. The government is on an eternal quest to make these costs go down, so they have limited how much doctors and hospitals can charge Uncle Sam for these services. As a result, healthcare providers must raise costs for the people who are paying for it and their health insurance premiums go up. Obama’s administration has decided to try and fix this problem by further socializing the system and offering free healthcare to about 40%, but this will only lead to even higher costs for the population that is already paying for it.

The other big reason for price hikes in the health field is our culture of sue now, sue later and then sue some more. Doctors are people just like you and me, and occasionally they make mistakes. Today Americans can sue their doctors for any reason they feel like and the more we do, the more expensive insurance becomes for the doctor. These costs then get passed on to the people who are paying for their health insurance and doctors become even more hesitant to help patients. If the doctor tells you that a treatment will help your condition, but it doesn’t and they get sued for it; then the next time around they are much less likely to even try to fix your condition. Once again, the government doesn’t see this as a large problem and encourages patients to sue more.

As a result of all these price increases, health insurance companies are also looking for ways to cut costs. The easiest way for them to do this is to limit the amount and types of services that consumers can get from their healthcare providers. As long as private insurance exists, you can shop around until you find one that covers what you want; but if we move to universal healthcare, that choice will go away. I’ve heard many people including the president himself say that private insurance won’t disappear with government healthcare, but there isn’t any way for insurance companies to really compete with a “free” plan that everyone is already paying for anyway. In the UK and Canada they have already adopted a universal healthcare system and their citizens now have to wait in very long lines to get the simplest of procedures. To keep their costs down, their governments now decide who is worth saving and who isn’t by a committee of bureaucrats!

There are free market solutions to these problems, but the outcry for reform is so great now that I don’t know if people are willing to listen. Limiting lawsuits to very serious matters would bring healthcare costs down, and weaning people off Medicare and Medicaid would bring them down much further. I think we can all agree that some form of healthcare should exist for those that can’t care for themselves, but is that really 40% of this entire country? One free market solution is discount health programs like Ameriplan. These programs are very inexpensive, but they only provide a discount at the doctor rather than just paying for it; this way you only go to the doctor when you need to, and you get a discount on services when you do.

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Panic Over the Not So New Swine Flu

2009-06-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

For several years the media has been cautiously following the possibility of a bird flu outbreak, but swine flu has beaten it to the punch. Influenza is a nasty little virus that can be deadly under the right conditions, and bird flu is a particularly bad strain that is deadly more often. No matter which strain happens to be floating around; the symptoms are the same; coughing, sneezing, aching and fever. If you have a cold, this could also describe how you feel except for the fever; which only occurs with the flu. Education is always the best way to combat fear, so knowing the facts about influenza can help ease the mind.

There are dozens of different possible flu strains that can circulate through the population at any one time. Once you get one of these strains, your body learns to produce a defense against that particular strain and you can’t get it again after your body beats it. If you could get all of them, you would never get the flu again; but only a few strains float around at once. As time passes and new people are born, old strains begin to come back and infect a whole new population with no immunity. About 2% of all the people who catch the flu will die from it due to complications like old age and compromised immune systems. The worst outbreak happened in 1918 and killed about 20% of everyone who contracted the virus, but our knowledge is far greater now than it was then.

The first thing to remember about swine flu is that it’s just another flu strain; and this isn’t the first time we have seen it. Every year doctors guess which strains will float around the population and they produce a vaccine to fight them. Swine flu wasn’t what they guessed for this year, but even last years flu vaccine seems to be partially effective in preventing people from getting this strain. It also responds very well to every type of treatment we currently use to fight influenza. All in all, less than 1% of people who catch swine flu die from it; so it’s even lighter than just a regular flu.

The last time swine flu showed up was in 1976, and just like now there was a large panic in the population because of bad information. The government spent millions of dollars on a flu vaccine that did little to help with the strain, and people were urged to get the shot for the whole family. When it was all said and done, more people had died from the vaccine than from the flu itself because the strain never swept through the population. This time around, it is more widespread and it appears to be hitting the population with a fury. A feverish, achy, take a couple days off and you will be fine fury. You may get it and you may not, but unless you are at risk from any other virus; it isn’t anything to really worry about.

If you have a fever and it rises over 102, it’s time to go get treatment; regardless of the cause of the fever itself. Health insurance or discount plans like Ameriplan will help with the cost, so don’t hesitate to go to the doctor if you find yourself in this situation. Another warning sign that you may be at risk is if the symptoms are still getting worse after the fourth day. Most people have had at least one strain of the flu in their lives, and it isn’t much fun; but the panic that is currently in the media is unfounded. Over the course of 2009 we will most likely see this strain slow down and then resurge later in the year, and some people will die from it. Given the choice though, swine flu is easier to deal with than the various other flu strains we see every other year.

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How To Survive Getting Your Wisdom Teeth Pulled

2009-06-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

Wisdom teeth can be a real pain. Some people are fortunate enough to be born without wisdom teeth and others have enough room in their jaw for the teeth to come in, but the majority of us will have to have them removed. Having them pulled is an unpleasant event no matter how it’s done, so this article is to help those who are facing the same dilemma. Once you’ve made the choice to have them taken out, or the pain has made the choice for you, planning for the procedure can make all the difference. Putting it off will only delay the inevitable, but failing to plan for it will also cause lots of problems.

If you’re not in terrible pain, it’s best to plan for a week of healing time. You may still be able to work, but for at least a few day after you may have a swelling problem that will make your face look like a chipmunk. If you can avoid going in public during the first few days, then you won’t have to worry about people staring at you. The rest of the week eating solid food will be a problem, but using common sense with your diet will help avoid getting an infection or worse. Before you go in for your appointment, eat a full meal and brush your teeth because the rest of the day you won’t want to put anything in your mouth.

The procedure itself doesn’t take very long if you have a good dentist. After a quick look inside your mouth, maybe some x-rays, they will determine the best way to get them out. If your wisdom teeth are impacted, it will be more difficult to remove them, but certainly not impossible. This will also determine what type of anesthetic they will give you, as some people will have the option to get knocked out and others will get Novocain. Either way, you shouldn’t drive yourself home so make sure you have a ride to get back to your house. I got Novocain and it takes about 10 minutes to kick in; then it took about 5 minutes per tooth to remove. I spent the rest of the day with big pieces of gauss jammed in the back of my mouth to stop the bleeding.

After the first 24 hours things get a little easier, but not being able to eat regular food is very hard. A salt water rinse after every meal and once before bedtime will help keep food particles out of the healing areas, and the antibiotics will kill any infections that may occur. If you’re a smoker, it’s best to avoid having a cigarette for the first 48 hours so you don’t get dry socket; a very painful condition in the space where the tooth was. Over the course of the first week, most of the healing will take place and the gums will grow over the holes. The healing process will continue for awhile after this, but things should be back to normal for the most part.

The only other thing to take into consideration is the cost. About half of the population of the United States has dental insurance, but the other half is responsible for paying the entire bill. I use Ameriplan; a program that gives me a discount on all dental services, so it cost me just under $100 per tooth. Using insurance is a little more complicated as it depends on what your deductible is and if your policy even covers the procedure. Without a discount plan or insurance, the going rate is around $800 to $1,000 for all four wisdom teeth. I didn’t enjoy anything about having this done, but I am happy it’s over with. Good luck with your extraction and I hope that your good planning will make it as tolerable as possible!

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Chiropractic After A Car Accident

2009-06-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

Transportation in our time has become all about motorized vehicles that move us from place to place. Short distances, long distances and everything in between happen at speeds much faster than walking. All this moving has led to the inevitable sudden stopping that happens in a car accident, and if you live in America you are almost guaranteed to be in one at some point. Although safety has become much better in the last 20 years, the human body just isn’t made to handle the kind of punishment that a car accident creates. Depending on how serious the crash is, a trip to the hospital may be in order; but during the healing process a chiropractor may become your best friend.

Fender benders are the most common type of car accident and take place at speeds below 20 MPH. Keep in mind that we are dealing with the usual outcome in these situations; not every possibility that can happen. Sometimes as a fluke, a person can die from the smallest crash or walk away from the most serious one. In an accident under 20 MPH; the most common problem is a soft tissue injury, a hurt muscle, in the neck or lower back. Muscles attach to bones, and when they get injured they constrict and can pull bones slightly out of alignment; causing discomfort and immobility. A few simple trips to the chiropractor can fix this problem and cut your recovery time down considerably.

A medium accident happens between 20 and 45 MPH and causes a lot more damage to the body. You may or may not feel hurt right after the crash, but you definitely are. This type of accident can cause lots of different injuries including hairline fractures in bones and whiplash in the neck, but you may not feel the pain for a couple of days. Realignment of the spine and other bones is crucial in this situation; otherwise recovery will just be weeks or months of constant pain every time you take a step or turn your head. See your doctor right away to get checked out; then be prepared to visit your chiropractor ten to twenty times to get in good working order.

Anything above 45 MPH is a serious accident and can have major repercussions to your health for the rest of your life. I got in one of these crashes more than ten years ago and my neck still gets tight every time the temperature begins to fall dramatically. It doesn’t matter if you walk away from this accident, or are transported by an ambulance; you need to see your doctor right away to look for problems you may not even know you have. Internal bleeding and broken bones need to be fixed right away and the adrenaline released into your system during an accident can cover up the pain completely. Once the immediate problems have been addressed; you will be left with a long recovery process before you really feel like yourself again. Chiropractic care in this situation is long term and may require regular visits for months or even years.

Chiropractic care is a more recent advancement in healthcare and still hasn’t fully moved into the mainstream. Most insurance plans do cover chiropractic now, but the norm is to limit the number of visits a person can have in a year. Discount plans like Ameriplan dental plans don’t have any limits on visits, but only provide a cut in the chiropractor’s asking price. A combination of the two could be just what the doctor ordered if you find yourself in this situation, but even if you don’t have either, seeing a chiropractor is essential to your recovery. Who knows; when it’s all over with, you may even have a new addition to your Christmas card list!

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Aging Eyes Need Glasses, Contacts or Surgery

2009-06-06T02:48:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

The third decade of my life has been very interesting with all of the bodily changes that are taking place. I never used to even think about my teeth or my eyes, but these days invincibility is starting to slip away. My eyes have always just worked for me and I took for granted the 20/20 vision I was born with; but now things are starting to get a little fuzzy if they are too small or too far away. I know it’s only a matter of time before I have to get an exam, and eventually join the less than perfect portion of population. Vision correction has advanced a long way in the last 100 years, and today we have many choices to fix the problem. It’s a matter of opinion which is the best but I’ve been told that the solution depends on the person.

Glasses are the oldest form of vision correction, but they don’t really correct vision; they just alter the light that reaches the eye. People do judge you, at least a little, based on what you look like, and glasses alter how other people see you. Good or bad depends on how you want to be seen, and you can change your glasses to be seen a little differently. Glasses are easy to put on and take off, and they don’t need to be sterilized; they are also inexpensive and don’t need to be thrown away like contacts do. On the down side, glasses make your field of vision smaller and they can fog up in colder weather.

Contacts are a newer technology that basically put glasses directly on your eyes. The principle is the same; alter the light that reaches the eye so the picture is in focus. Unlike glasses though, contact don’t alter your natural appearance to other people. Some people look very good in glasses, and other people just can’t find a set that look right on them. Contacts need to be sterilized frequently and putting them in and taking them out is more of a hassle than glasses. They won’t fog up or shrink your field of vision, but they are more expensive because they need to be thrown away and replaced. I don’t know how I would react to contacts because I have never been comfortable with things in my eyes, but I suppose everyone says that until they try them.

LASIK eye surgery is the newest form of vision correction and it actually permanently corrects eyesight rather than just temporarily altering it. It’s able to fix most common vision problems, but it is surgery and carries a small level of risk. Corrective eye surgery is also expensive compared to glasses, but some insurance plans and discount plans like Ameriplan can help lower the cost. Eyesight continues to degrade as we age, so an option like surgery is best used after your eyesight has gotten bad enough to no longer be ignored. If you have it done early in your life, you will most likely need to have it done again later on. There is also a period of down time for your eyes while they get used to the changes and heal from the surgery.

Most people in my situation will eventually use all three of these options. In my late thirties I will start with a basic pair of glasses for reading and driving at night. Ten years from now, I will need to use them all of the time so I will switch to contacts. Then in my fifties it will be time to get corrective surgery which will hopefully keep my eyesight in good shape until my seventies. If you are more adventurous than I, then your schedule for healthy eyesight may be different; but all of us will feel the effects of time on our eyes. Count your blessings if your eyesight is still perfect; who knows what the future will bring for your eyesight and vision technology.

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Starting A Home Based Business For Beginners

2009-06-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

A home based business is almost anything you can make money with from home. Most of the multi million dollar mega companies that exist today started in someone’s basement or garage. With the advent of the internet, there is a never-ending list of different money making possibilities out there. They may not make you a millionaire but it is a great way to make some extra money in your spare time. Lots of people would love to go full time from home and leave the office for good, but it isn’t for everyone.

The hardest part of working from home is discipline. Almost everyone dreams of working for themselves, but few are prepared for the level of commitment that’s needed to make it happen. If you feel that working 40 hours a week for an employer is tough, then how do you think 80 hours a week or more will feel? No matter what business you decide you want to try, there won’t be anyone looking over your shoulder and telling you what to do. That may sound like perfection, but most people have problems finding direction without help. When you’re working for yourself, you need to find a way to solve every problem without someone else giving you the answer. You also need the discipline to make yourself keep going when you don’t want to, or before you know it, weeks and months will have passed without making any headway.

Starting a new business from scratch may not be the way to go at first. If you have a great idea or special skills you may have the makings of a future successful company, but you have to learn how to run a business before even getting started. Finding a way to produce a new product or service and replicate it is a big job; then you have to worry about taxes and employees and many other big concerns. Big business started as small business and grew over time. The larger and more successful your business becomes; the more of your attention and time it will need to stay alive.

A packaged business is a great way to get started working for yourself. Programs like Amway, Herbalife and Ameriplan dental insurance are easy businesses to get into without investing your life savings. Working one of these programs can give you a good idea if you have the discipline to make things happen without someone else telling you what to do. Starting a business from scratch takes a lot of money and know how, but a packaged business is ready to go as soon as you are. They already have a good product or service, and they already have an established name and customer service routine. If you can make one of these work for you, then you are ready to move on to the bigger stuff. If you can’t make it work for you; at least you haven’t lost much money.

You are always better off doing something you want to do for a living. If you are looking for second source of income, or something to become your primary source of income, starting a home based business may be just what you need. Only about one in ten people can really make it work, but you won’t know if you’re the one until you try it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained; but even if it doesn’t work out you may find that you are happier working for someone else. Most small businesses start when the economy is at its worst. This may not seem like a good time to try, but Google, EBay and many others got their start when someone got fired and then got fired up.

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Debt Settlement Assistance for Ameriplan Independent Business Owners

2009-06-02T01:37:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

Over the last 20 years, Americans have accumulated a large amount of debt. The United States owes 4 times more than every man and woman produces in a year, and the average household has over $12,000 in credit card debt alone. To help with this overwhelming problem, Ameriplan has announced it’s teaming up with Halo Group Consulting Inc. to offer debt planning assistance to their independent business owners.

With many people looking to reduce the amount of debt they have; these tools are targeted at debt counseling and credit repair. A free consultation will determine the level of help they can provide; then they can usually negotiate to reduce payments and interest.

"Everyone is thinking about getting their finances in order with all the problems in the economy. I wasn’t sure where to turn before, but now I can get some help with the details," says Frank Menkal; an Ameriplan independent business owner.

Solving this problem alone has become very difficult for most people because they now owe more each month than they make. Living with high debt will ruin a person’s credit score and that will make everything else harder. Employers, banks, auto insurance and many other people now check credit reports to determine who they will work with.

One in twelve Americans now face bankruptcy and foreclosure without any real help or advice on how to deal with these problems. Halo Group Consulting Inc. also offers services in this area that may even help prevent them from happening in the first place.

Ameriplan is a seventeen year old company that offers discount health and dental programs to members. Anyone who wants to build an income can become an IBO (independent business owner) for a small fee per month and collect residual income from the members they personally sign up. IBOs also have a list of benefits available to them from partner companies including the new debt settlement assistance.

The debt planning, credit repair, bankruptcy and foreclosure services are offered together to the general public for $99 but Ameriplan IBOs will get the same package for $29. The initial consultation is free and a counselor will be able to tell what kind of help is needed for the individual situation. After a plan has been established and the fee paid, the IBO will have a real person to help walk them through the process.

Ameriplan currently has 5 discount programs available and in the near future they will introduce 2 new programs available to the general public. One is another discount health program that includes vision and hearing, and the other is a package of programs that include identity theft assistance and auto club.

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Health and Dental Insurance vs Discount Plans

2009-05-30T02:16:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

There are many options available to Americans for health and dental plans. The most common health plan is regular insurance provided by employers, but there are other types of plans that don’t cost as much. Dental plans are also usually provided by the workplace, but they are disappearing as employers are trying to cope with rising health costs. 46 million Americans are without health insurance and nearly 50% of this country has no dental insurance. As we live longer and demand more from our health and dental providers, the price tag for these plans will continue to go up.

Health insurance is what everyone is familiar with, but most people don’t really know how it works. You and your employer pay the insurance company a regular monthly premium, and you are responsible for a small co-pay when you go see the doctor or get a prescription. Over time, the money you pay the insurance company adds up to much more than the average person will ever use in healthcare. If something tragic happens, you will thank your lucky stars that you have insurance, but even major surgery will not offset a lifetime of paying into the system. Insurance companies only pay the doctor a small percentage of what they bill and the result is multi-million dollar insurance companies.

Dental insurance works almost exactly the same way that health insurance does but dental insurance companies are usually much smaller. Like healthcare, you will pay into the system much more than you will ever use for the comfort of having it when you need it. Most employers have stopped offering dental to their employees because it’s not as important as health, but still expensive. You can also get a dental plan directly from some dentists that work in a dental chain, but they don’t usually cover the big expenses like braces. This leaves most people stuck with nothing and they just pay full price when they need to go to the dentist.

Discount plans like Ameriplan insurance are the alternative to regular health and dental insurance. With these programs, you pay a very small monthly fee and in return the health and dental providers give you a large discount on their services. The down side to these plans is that 80% off a $100,000 bill is still a $20,000 bill. You pay the discounted price that insurance companies enjoy, but this can still leave you stuck if something really bad happens. Dental is better than health with these programs because no one is going to lose their house over a dental bill. These plans are good for people that have no health or dental at all because something is better than nothing, and the cost is hundreds of dollars less per month.

Each person’s situation is different and the plan that’s best for them depends on their needs. If you are in good health and don’t have any coverage, a discount plan is going to be your best option. This will give you the option to save money for an emergency while enjoying a good discount on your everyday health needs like regular checkups. Another great option for most people is a discount plan combined with catastrophic health insurance. Catastrophic health insurance covers you in case of a big problem, but has a large deductible so it won’t help with everyday healthcare. Together you can have good coverage for substantially less than regular health insurance premiums. Health and dental care have a huge impact on your life, and it’s in your best interest to learn as much as you can about them so you can get the perfect plan for you.

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How to Keep Your Vision Healthy

2009-05-28T01:43:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

Health vision is something many of us take for granted, and if your eyesight has always been good, you may have never been to an optometrist. As we age though, the body requires more and more maintenance and this includes your eyes. People with bad eyesight are familiar with seeing an eye doctor, but everyone needs to take care of their eyes so they last as long as you do. There are many ways to take care of your eyes and most of them are just common sense, like don’t stick things in them. Other things are not so obvious but can have long lasting effects.

Diet can have an affect on healthy vision, although there is some argument as to how much. Vitamin C and E, along with calcium and folic acid can help you avoid macular degeneration and cataracts. There are also many different types of eye drops that do various things, like helping cataracts and glaucoma, but many optometrists say that regular eye drops bought off the store shelf can actually hurt your vision. Swimming can have an adverse affect on your vision, but it depends on the individual and most doctors agree that it takes years of constant exposure. Other environmental concerns include airborne pollution and other chemicals in enclosed spaces, which can also slowly degrade your vision over time.

Seeing an eye doctor is also a part of good vision health and is also the most overlooked by people with good eyesight. Newborns are usually checked at birth and again at 6 months. Children are due at ages 3, 6 and 13, but they will need to go more often if there is a family history of vision problems or if a problem is found during a routine checkup. Adults older than 18 need to go every 3 years until they turn 40; then they need to go every 2 years or as often as the optometrist recommends depending on how fast their sight is diminishing. Many late vision problems can now be corrected with LASIK surgery if you have the money or the insurance and you are looking for a more permanent solution than thicker glasses.

To offset the cost of vision care, especially if your eyesight is bad, many people have some type of vision plan. Health insurance usually includes some type of vision benefits, but they don’t cover much or there is a large deductible. Discount plans like the Ameriplan dental plan are also an option, and they can also provide savings on expensive procedures like LASIK eye surgery. You can also get a vision plan directly from some vision providers which can be the perfect solution if you only need vision insurance. If your eyesight is good and you only need regular checkups, you may not need to get a vision plan at all.

Preventative checkups and a good diet will keep your eyes seeing things as they should be seen. If your eyes are good now, don’t wait until they aren’t to take care of them. Like health care and dental care, waiting until you have a problem may already be too late to prevent permanent damage. If you have a more serious problem, such as glaucoma, and you ignore it; blindness and extreme eye pain will result. As with anything else, living well and taking care of yourself can add years of life and more importantly keep you happy longer into life.

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Starting an Ameriplan Business Is Now Permanently Less Expensive

2009-05-26T01:47:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

Ameriplan is now offering a choice for new independent business owners (IBOs) to sign up without purchasing the traditional IBO packet. IBOs pay a $50 monthly fee and receive the ability to sign up members and build a residual income. Until the new pricing was launched, they also paid a one time $45 fee at sign up for the IBO packet that included mail-in forms to sign up members and IBOs alike.

Over the last decade, Ameriplan has really moved on to the internet by offering its IBOs websites and the ability to sign up members instantly online. Because of the increasing use of these websites, the need to sign people up with mail-in forms has become obsolete.

“I’ve been with Ameriplan for more than 6 years, and during that time I have never signed up a member with a mail-in form. I’m sure some people still use them, but my business is completely online,” says Jason Pachello; an Ameriplan IBO.

There are still a few holdouts to the new online way, and there will still be some need for these mail-in forms for years to come. For those who still want to work with pen and paper, the IBO packet is still available during sign-up for an additional $45. Those that don’t need them can opt out of the IBO packet and just pay the regular monthly fee with no additional charges at sign-up.

One of the better unintended consequences of the internet is the shrinking need for paper. Thousands of trees are cut down each year just too print bills and other disposable forms of record keeping. Ameriplan now joins a very long list of companies that are helping our environment by making the constant need for paper ever smaller.

Ameriplan is a seventeen year old company that offers discount health and dental programs to members. Anyone who wants to build an income can join Ameriplan as an IBO (independent business owner) for a small fee per month and collect residual income from the members they personally sign up. Becoming an IBO now includes the websites needed to sign-up members and IBOs online without the need for any mail-in forms.

Along with the mail-in forms, the IBO packet also includes some sales aids like DVDs and brochures. All of these materials have also been reproduced on the internet now, and customers have the ability to watch the movies and look at the program details any time they want.
Ameriplan is constantly expanding its member, provider and IBO bases. In the last few years, they have begun to offer several new discount programs that don’t have anything to do with health or dental. Two new programs will soon be available; one is another discount health program that includes vision and hearing, and the other is a package of programs that include identity theft assistance and auto club.

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The Argument Against Universal Healthcare

2009-05-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

The idea of a nationalized healthcare system has been around for a long time, and like most other social ideas, it sounds good when you first hear it. Healthcare for everyone in the United States would be a dream come true for lots of families but the problems with universal healthcare far outweigh the benefits. Many countries have tried this and failed because of some basic ideas that aren’t even being considered.

1. The Competition – or lack there of. One of the things that made this country great is the free market principle of competition. Doctors spend years in medical school to graduate and join the ranks of practicing MDs. When they do, they usually have huge debts to repay and big dreams of being successful, rich doctors. Competition creates winners and these doctors strive to be the best so they can make a name for themselves and ultimately make more money. In a universal healthcare system, the government decides what a doctor can charge and they all make the same amount. There is no longer a reason for a doctor to strive to be the best because there is no reward for doing so. This hinders medical advancement and makes everyone take the same sub-standard healthcare; it also greatly reduces the drive for people to become doctors at all. I understand that the need to help others should always come first, but that won’t pay off years of student loans and put food on the table.

2. The Cost – somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 trillion per year. That makes the recent stimulus package from congress seem small by comparison. Large numbers like this tend to fall on deaf ears because no one really knows how much that is. To give you an idea, it’s $10,000 per year for every person living in this country. The reason healthcare costs have risen to where they are is because we have already begun moving toward socialized healthcare for several years now. It works like this: Medicare and Medicaid put about 20% of the country in a free healthcare program, but someone has to pay for it; so the other 80% see a rise in their healthcare costs. This causes more people from the 80% to lose their healthcare because they can no longer afford it and they join the other 20% who are getting it for free. Healthcare costs continue to rise for those who are paying for it as more and more people get it for free; but in the end, this money has to come from somewhere. The only way to fix this problem is to un-socialize the system and make healthcare affordable to more people. One company with a solution is Ameriplan Health. In this health program, doctors offer big discounts for all their services in exchange for payment from the patient… no insurance or big government to get in the way.

3. The Government – can’t do anything efficiently. Every program that our government has taken over dies a slow death. They have ruined retirement with social security, and forced more people into poverty through welfare. This is the same group of people that pay $5,000 for a toilet seat. Most of the people on capital hill have never had to worry about healthcare and have no idea how it works. They are interested in your vote; and if universal healthcare sounds good to you, they will be happy to do it regardless of right or wrong. Good healthcare is not a right… it’s a privilege that should be worked for and cherished, not handed out.

I wish everyone could have the best healthcare but that is not the world we live in. We should endeavor to make it as affordable as possible for as many people as possible, but the more “free” it becomes, the worse it will get.

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Does Anyone Really Need Health Insurance

2009-05-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

We have all heard the numbers by now; 46 million people in this country are uninsured. This is a disturbing number, but it’s important to understand who these people are and why they are uninsured. Medicare and Medicaid are government programs that have been set up to take care of many of these people, but not all of them. Government programs take money from the taxpayers and use it to cover the uninsured, but the more government intervenes; the more expensive healthcare gets for all of us. The government tells healthcare providers what they can legally charge someone on Medicare and Medicaid, but it’s not enough to cover operating costs for the hospitals and doctors so they have to overcharge the people with private insurance to cover the difference. This makes healthcare more expensive for the people who are paying and less affordable for lower income families who then have to start relying on the government as well. There are a little over 300 million people in the United States and 1 in 6 of us doesn’t have any health insurance at all because the cost keeps going up to cover those who can’t pay.

People who are 18 to 30 years old make up about half of the uninsured. Simply put, they believe they are invincible and really don’t see much of a need for health insurance. They rarely to never need to see a doctor so if they don’t get health insurance from their employer, they won’t buy it themselves at any price. The people I know from this age group that do need to see a doctor quickly realize that if they are in a lower income bracket, the government will take care of them, so why buy health insurance?

The 30 to 65 age group is the backbone of our healthcare system and this is where all the money comes from. These people are in moderate health and they are in the prime money making years of their lives. The other half of the uninsured are from this group; 11 million of them are uninsured and another 11 million of their children. If we are to fix the healthcare system and bring down costs, this is where we need to start. Low income families are covered by Medicaid but these 11 million families make a little too much, don’t have health through their employers and can’t afford to get insurance. Discount fee for service plans like Ameriplan are designed for this group. Combined with catastrophic health insurance they can provide the right cost vs. coverage to supply this need.

Those aged 65 and older are eligible for Medicare at one level or another. Medicare also covers the disabled and the government is on an eternal quest to expand these benefits to cover every procedure in existence. We are living longer lives and the older we get, the more healthcare we need. Baby boomers are just starting to hit retirement age and over time, there will be more people in this age group and less in the 30 to 65 age group. This is a recipe for trouble as there will be many more healthcare users and fewer healthcare payers. One solution to this problem is government subsidized elderly healthcare combined with tax credits to offset the premiums. This way healthcare is still not run by the government and companies can compete to offer the best rates.

There is a deep debate going on across the country about healthcare reform. Some people, like me, believe that the answer is always a capitalist solution and the government can only get in the way and make things more expensive. Others think that a socialist approach would work better with the government completely taking over the industry, offering universal healthcare and then charging the people for it. One thing is for sure; if we do nothing, healthcare costs will continue to go up and more people won’t be able to afford insurance.

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Filling Your Prescription, Over the Border

2009-05-19T01:55:00.000-07:00

By S Porter

Medications have been going up in price for years now, and many people have no choice but to keep paying for them. We are living longer lives in the United States and senior citizens are relying on prescription drugs to keep them healthy. Drugs today focus on treating various problems, but not on curing them. If we as a country want to continue to this cycle, we can expect that drug prices will keep going up and more people will need more of them to live healthy. As we age we are more prone to have health problems in our lives and there is no cure for aging.

There is a delicate balance that needs to be maintained between supply and demand for medical advancement and consumer prices. Drug companies spend billions of dollars on medical research and it takes years for these drugs to be approved by the FDA. Once they are approved, the pharmaceutical company that created the drug gets to patent it for a limited amount of time. They charge inflated prices during this time to recover the capital spent to develop the drugs and to start researching and developing new drugs for the future. Without the ability to recover this money, drug advancement would grind to a halt. Once the patent expires, the drugs are reproduced by generic companies for a fraction of the cost and they become more affordable to the general public.

One way that people in the United States have been dealing with the high price of new drugs is to buy them from Canada and Mexico. The government is usually opposed to doing this because the FDA has no say in how Canadian drugs are produced or how safe they are. Most people have the idea that you can get these medications from across the border for a significant discount, but the average price difference for these drugs is less than 5%. If you buy your prescriptions from another country and you get something that hurts you instead of helping you, then you have no way to hold them responsible. All of these negative points make it hard to say that importing your medications is a good idea, but many people do it anyway.

To deal with the cost of medications in the United States, we have created many different prescription plans. Some are from the private sector, like private health insurance that includes drug benefits. Some are from the government in the form of Medicare and Medicaid for lower income families and seniors. Still others are discount plans from private companies like Ameriplan that offer discount prices on prescriptions to its members. You can also get a prescription plan directly from most pharmacies you get your medications from. The big problem with prescription plans is that they all have different prices for different drugs and people that have many prescriptions end up needing several plans to meet their needs.

As a nation, we have a great healthcare system that has doubled our life expectancy over the last 100 years, but it’s become too expensive. Compared with other countries, ours costs the most. Importing your prescription drugs can help to bring down your expenses, but not by much, and the upside doesn’t outweigh the risk. We have become dependant on our healthcare system and our need continues to increase as we live longer. Many years ago if you went to the doctor with a problem, you were given a checkup and a couple pills and everything was right in the world. Now if you go to the doctor with a problem, you get a checkup and a couple pills you need to take for the rest of your life. If we can switch our focus back to fixing health problems rather than just treating them, the world can be right once again!

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Important Times in a Child’s Dental Schedule

2009-05-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

by: S Porter

Dental and health topics are talked about frequently in the
United States and it seems that the do’s and don’ts change on a
daily basis. We all know that we should see a dentist every six
months for preventative care because that hasn’t changed for
many years, but what about your children? Teeth are easily
maintained after they all come in and nothing else changes, but
while children grow they need several checkups to ensure long
lasting healthy teeth. What happens during the first 12 years of
your child’s life will impact their teeth for as long as they
live.

Children begin to get their baby teeth between 3 and 6 months
and it’s easy to tell when this is happening because of their
need to bite. After their baby teeth begin to come in, they can
be cleaned by a light rubbing with a wash cloth until they are 1
year old. From 1 to 7 years old, children need a soft toothbrush
and a pea sized dab of toothpaste. Dentists recommend that
children make their first trip before they are 3 years old, but
it’s time to make a decision at 1 year. If your child has high
risk factors for tooth problems, 1 year is a good time to make
your first appointment. High risk factors include; lots of
juice, going to bed with something to drink, thumb sucking and
most of all… the health of YOUR teeth.

From 6 months to about 7 years, children have their baby teeth
and they need to be treated well to last even that long.
Fluoride and calcium are chemicals that bonds to teeth and makes
them much stronger, but too much fluoride and it can cause teeth
to become brown stained. It is essential that children receive
the right amount of these chemicals and the only person
who can tell you how much is your dentist. Some parts of the
country have more naturally occurring fluoride in the water and
food supply than other parts of the country and your local
dentist will be able to tell you how much your child is getting.
Fluoride and calcium are even more important after your child’s
adult teeth come in between 6 and 7 years old. These are the
teeth they will have for the rest of their lives and
strengthening them very early on will help protect them until
they have children and grandchildren of their own.

Research has always shown that children who don’t receive proper
dental care early on have tooth problems most of their lives.
Not getting enough strengthening chemicals in their food due to
malnourishment and lack of dental care has always plagued the
poorer sections of the country and the children pay for it. Over
half of the country has no dental insurance through their
employer and dental appointments can become very expensive if
your child needs braces or has cavities. One solution to this
problem is a dental discount program like Ameriplan. In one
of these programs, dentists offer big discounts to their
patients in exchange for cash payment. These programs cost less
than $20 a month but they can cut the cost of braces in half.
Other portions of the population may get assistance through
Medicare and Medicaid, but lots of people will have to just suck
it up and pay out of pocket.

New advances in mouthwash and toothpaste can allow you to whiten
your teeth or strengthen them from the inside, but children have
no idea what they need and don’t need. It’s up to us as parents
to see to their health and dental and provide them with long,
happy and productive lives. When our children have children of
their own, most of these dental do’s and don’ts will have
changed. Until then, we can only do what we feel is best and
what we know works!

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