We recently interviewed San Luis Obispo-based money coach Garrett Philbin of Be Awesome Not Broke about insurance and making smart money choices—two things that definitely go hand-in-hand. Thanks for joining us today, Garrett! Let's jump right into Question #1. Tell us about your business and what you do as a "money coach"?Garrett: I [...]
With All the Changes Surrounding Obamacare, Will I Be Able to Afford My Insurance? According to a recent survey by AARP, seniors have growing concerns about the future of healthcare. The continued whirl of legislative and legal action surrounding the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare) has made many people nervous and unsure about [...]
40 years of helping San Luis Obispo make the best health insurance decisions. We've been reflecting recently on the privilege of serving the Central Coast since 1988. One thing that we've discussed is that we're just as committed as ever to helping those we serve get the coverage they need at a cost they can [...]
Is Our Health Care System Sick? We were looking through client files recently and came across one of our old newsletters from the winter of 2008. The title of the lead article was, "Is Our Health Care System Sick?" As we re-read that article, it became apparent that little has changed in our health [...]
Meet the September 10th target date, and your drug lists are guaranteed to be reviewed by the December 7th deadline! Why review my PDP-Prescription Drug Plan? Because what you pay could change from year to year. Each year from October 15th to December 7th, Medicare beneficiaries have the opportunity to change their Prescription Drug [...]
What is Medicare's “hold-harmless rule”? How does it relate to cost of living adjustments (COLA) and Medicare Part B premium increases? In short, the rule protects most Social Security recipients, and we think it is important that everyone understand how they are protected. The Hold-Harmless Rule and How It Protects Social Security Recipients Most [...]
Long-term care insurance may be one of the most important financial planning tools you can use to protect your future. Many individuals find themselves unsure of what it is and if they need it. Susan Polk Insurance is here to educate you and help you make the right decision. What is Long-Term Care Insurance? [...]
Medicare, signed into law in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, was a landmark advancement in health care for the United States. With at least 55,000 people receiving Medicare in San Luis Obispo County, plus another 67,000 in Santa Barbara County, it's no understatement to say that the program is important—not only to our [...]
Medicare users in San Luis Obispo County are facing a number of changes in 2018, the most significant of which are in the areas of: New Medicare cards Premiums Deductibles Coinsurance payments Income brackets In this article, we've tried to summarize these changes to help Medicare recipients understand them and see how they might [...]
How much do insurance companies spend? How much do they make? And how does that impact me? These are all important questions. In this article, we're going to try to answer some of that in a way that hopefully makes sense. What is the Medical Loss Ratio? The medical loss ratio is the amount [...]
