The Day of the Discount Plan

I recently read two articles that were really interesting that demonstrate the continued, and in fact, increasing need for Discount Health Care plans.  One article was from the online magazine “LifeHealthPro,” a publication for insurance agents; and the other was from the online version of “The Wall Street Journal.”  These are both highly regarded publications.

Much of the information will come from those two articles.  You can read them in their entirety at http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2013/05/14/ammo-against-ppaca-medical-discount-cards   and http://blogs.wsj.com/cfo/2013/05/20/the-morning-ledger-employers-eye-bare-bones-health-plans/

With the upcoming health care reforms, more and more employers are turning to medical discount cards as a way to provide fair benefits to their employees without spending a fortune.  When the discount cards first were introduced decades ago, there was no regulation.  Eventually, the reputable companies selling discount benefit cards formed the Consumer Health Alliance to establish standards for the industry. 

According to http://ConsumerHealthAlliance.com:  “Millions of consumers across the United States access discount health services offered through associations, senior organizations, educational groups, businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and unions among others. Entities currently offering discount health programs include" the following and many more.

Aetna                                           City of El Paso                     American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees                                  Wells Fargo                          University of Pittsburgh Medical Center MA Plan

Compass Bank                            Bank of America                  American Legion Auxiliary                                

Citigroup                                      Civil Air Patrol                      National Association of Independent Truckers 

E-Bay                                          Texas Farm Bureau             Guaranteed Trust Life Insurance

Gymboree                                   Yeshiva University               Health Insurance Plan of New York

Wachovia                                    Panera Bread                       Houston Independent School District               

Prudential                                  SunTrust                            Texas State Teachers Association                        

Transamerica                              Trustmark Insurance          United American

Tricare                                                                                      Marine Corps Association                  

Urban Outfitters                                                                        Sears Employee Federal Credit Union

The number of Health Insurance Agents selling Discount Health plans, in addition to traditional Health Insurance, is increasing dramatically.   As employers prepare for the full enactment of “Obamacare,” they are realizing that they can avoid penalties under the law by offering “bare-bones” insurance plans that may lack benefits such as hospital coverage, pre-natal care, surgery or X-rays. 

Because so many people will have these “better-than-nothing” insurance plans, the much more affordable Discount Health plans can fill the gap, offering great discounts on those benefits not provided by their health insurance.

I am in the right business at the right time.  As an Affiliate Business Owner with Xpress Healthcare, I am privileged to be able to help those who have no insurance or whose employers offer them only minimal benefits.  Since the four plans we offer cover a variety of different benefits and are priced between $19.95 per immediate family to $49.90 per immediate family, nearly everyone can afford them.

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  

What's Up Doc?

I am so excited!  I knew it was coming, but this morning, Ed Pettola, one of the Founders of Xpress Healthcare phoned me to tell me that TelaDoc has been approved by the State to be included in our benefit plans!  I had suggested TelaDoc to him several months ago, and as usual, our corporate office pays attention to what their Affiliate Business Owners say.

We have so many fabulous benefits already included in our four different discount plans, and this new one is a winner!  I love the thought that if your child gets sick at 1 in the morning, instead of packing him up and taking him to an emergency room, you can call and get advice, even prescriptions, from a doctor licensed in your own State. 

Or, what if you get a rash on Sunday afternoon that is itching like crazy?  Again, you can call TelaDoc, describe the problem, and a doctor can call a prescription into your local pharmacy for pickup.

This service is accessible to Xpress members at no cost!  Some companies charge their members an extra fee to use TelaDoc’s service.  We will not!  It will be included in our Premium Plus benefit package at the current cost of $29.95 per month PER FAMILY!

Xpress will launch TelaDoc within the next few days, as soon as our websites are updated.  A couple other changes are being made to our plans as well, and I know they will be a big hit with our members.

Rather than explaining more about how the program works, here is part of what it says on the TelaDoc website.

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24/7/365 access to a doctor online or by phone.

Fast treatment. TelaDoc doctors respond within 22 minutes, on average.

Talk to a TelaDoc doctor from anywhere: at home, work, or while traveling.

Save money by avoiding expensive urgent care or ER visits.

When you need care now!

If you’re considering the ER or urgent care center for non-emergency issues.

On vacation, on a business trip, or away from home.

For short-term prescription refills.

TelaDoc physicians can treat conditions like:  Cold and flu, Bronchitis, Respiratory infection, Sinus problems, Allergies, Urinary tract infection, Pediatric care, Poison ivy, and Pink eye.

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We’ve had people ask us, “What will happen now with the new healthcare legislation?”  There is a huge place for our discount health and dental care products and our lifestyle benefits. Benefits such as Vision, Chiropractic, Dental, and other ancillaries - and possibly even Prescriptions are going to be among the first things to go when it comes to the mandatory health insurance plans. And health insurance policies will not include TelaDoc services, especially at no extra cost!

None of Xpress Healthcare’s plans are insurance; instead they can save you hundreds, possibly even thousands of dollars!  Our plans will supplement health insurance, not replace it. 

I use my own Xpress Healthcare membership frequently, and it saved me several hundred dollars in 2012 alone!  Please take a look at our website (keeping in mind that there will be changes in the next couple days) to see the many ways our plans can help you too.  http://familyhealthdiscounts.biz

It is so cold… How cold is it?

When most people think of Arizona, they think about the hot desert.  While Phoenix and Tucson and a few other cities have extreme heat, such is not the case where I live.  My town is at 4900 feet elevation. The next town is a mile high.

This past Thursday, we woke up to lots of snow.  We only get snow here two or three times a year, and it is never so deep we have to shovel a drive way.  Even so, we got six inches of snow on Thursday, and it was beautiful to see – from inside my house!

My husband and I woke up this morning to find our house really cold!  We played with the heater, and it simply would not go on.  It was 26 degrees outside.  It was very early, so we planned to wait a couple hours before we called a plumber.

When we started to make oatmeal for breakfast , we discovered that the stove wouldn’t go on.  Light bulb moment!  There was nothing wrong with our stove or heater.  We were out of gas!

We must use propane gas where we live.  For convenience and financial purposes, we are on auto payment and a level pay plan all year.  We also are on auto fill, which means that the propane company tracks the level and fills the tank when necessary.  When we checked the tank, it was at ZERO!

Still very early in the morning, we called the propane company’s “emergency” line. We tried repeatedly and tried a couple other numbers for the company, but no one answered.  Great!

Finally at 8 AM, we made contact with our local propane office. A receptionist answered, but she was alone in the office and could do nothing.  She called their regional office and the General Manager called me. 

Apparently they use a formula of sorts to determine when we will need gas.  It is based on the size of the home (ours is 2250 square feet) and the number of gas appliances in the home.  Although we’ve been with the company for years, for some reason those numbers were not in their computer.  She informed me that we had no delivery since APRIL!

Within an hour, the manager had arranged for someone to deliver propane to our home and relight all the appliances.  She said we would get 50 gallons free due to the inconvenience.  Our tank took 212 gallons to fill. If we weren’t on the level pay plan, it would have cost $742.57!

So, here I sit in my home office wearing a jacket, a wool scarf around my neck with a blanket covering my legs.  I am drinking hot tea and holding the cup to warm my hands.  It will take a couple hours to warm the house up.  I realize that am fortunate compared to all the people who lived in much colder weather for a long time after Hurricane Sandy and other storms.

The moral of this story, we are looking for a new propane company.

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To learn about Julie Klein and the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, please visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  You can work from home and earn residual income.

For information about how you can Save Money on Your Health and Dental Costs AND Save on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and much more, please visit http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings   (NOT insurance)

Hooray for the U.S. Postal Service!

The United States Postal Service was established on July 26, 1775, with Benjamin Franklin being the first Postmaster General.

Throughout my life, I’ve heard jokes about the poor service the USPS provides. Then between 1986 and 1997, more than twenty incidents of workplace rage occurred with dozens of people shot and killed, bringing about the term “going postal.”  These incidents only brought about further negativity toward the USPS.

In more recent years, United Parcel Service and FedEx have grown and expanded their services, competing with the postal service.  During the last couple decades, the Internet and email became commonplace in nearly every home in America, further reducing the need for the USPS. Over the past several years, USPS has contracted with UPS and FedEx for air transportation for US mail.  The price of postage has increased numerous times and will be raised once again in 2013.

“For centuries, our universal mail system has strengthened the bonds of friendship, family, and community. Our system has encouraged civil discourse, disseminated information, and bolstered the national economy — both as the hub of a vital industry and as a trusted courier of the nation’s and world’s business.”

This quote from the USPS website is a brief synopsis of what postal service has done for our country.  Although people complain about lost mail or slow mail service, I find it amazing that they successfully handle and deliver millions of pieces of mail and packages with so few being lost.

Over the years, mail has been delivered by stagecoach, on horseback, on trains, airplanes, boats, cars and trucks, in addition to the thousands of letter carriers that still walk routes delivering mail. 

At one time, mail was hand delivered to the recipient. Over the years mail boxes became the norm, and standards were established for the size of them.  Most people don’t realize it, but it is a Federal offense for anyone other than a letter carrier to place anything in mail boxes.  In fact, mail boxes  belong to the US Postal Service.

Over the last few years to mail packages, I have been creating address labels and paying postage on the USPS website. They now even offer door-to-door pick up of Priority Mail packages.  I use this service frequently for my personal and business packages.  When I sent out all my Christmas packages this year, they were picked up right at my front door. 

The USPS even added a Flat Rate service in a variety of envelope and package sizes. No matter how much it weighs, if it fits inside, you’ll only pay the rate for that size package.  You can pick up the envelopes and boxes at your post office at no charge or order them online to be delivered to you.

I know this seems like a commercial for the post office, but I am simply a fan offering well-deserved praise to the much-maligned USPS.

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To learn about Julie Klein and the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, please visit joinxpresshealthcare.com . You can work from home and earn residual income.

To learn how to Save Money on Your Health and Dental Costs AND Save on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and much more, please visit  ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance) 

What Are You Waiting For?

I avoided all the stores on Christmas Eve day altogether. My husband and I “walked the mall” on Monday as we do early every morning. Normally, all the stores are closed, and the only other people we see are the other “mall walkers.” On Monday, however, though only 8 AM, all the stores were open, and there were many people shopping.

I am not a shopper. I don’t enjoy shopping, and I especially dislike shopping at times when stores are crowded. Obviously, I am in the minority. Driving by Walmart on Monday, I saw that the parking lot was totally full, with people driving in circles looking for a space.

I don’t really understand it. It isn’t like Christmas was a surprise. Everyone knew it was approaching. What makes some people wait until the last week, or the last day in particular? I have a theory when it comes to many men. (This is a generalization and does not apply to all men, so don’t be offended guys.) I believe that in most families, the women do the Christmas shopping, which leaves the men to shop only for their wives' gifts. Men think and think, trying to think what to buy their wives. Finally, in the last couple days, they get desperate and go shopping to get something, anything! Often it ends up being jewelry since nearly all women like receiving jewelry. 

For those in the United States, we’ve been watching our “leaders” in Washington fighting about how to prevent the US from going over the “fiscal cliff.” THEY knew it was coming for months! In this case, the procrastination was pure politics. They weren’t about to begin to discuss it until after the Presidential election. Now, it’s down to the wire, and what do they do? They go on vacation!

Am I the only US citizen who thought they should have stayed in Washington until the situation was resolved? Sure, everyone wants to spend Christmas with their families, but this is an emergency situation. We are paying them to do what is right for the country WHEN it needs to be done – not at their convenience. So they will likely come up with a temporary agreement and kick the can down the road. 

Then there are those who want to work at home. For weeks, maybe even months, they browse the internet looking for a business. They call reps from a variety of businesses, asking question after question. But, for some reason, they are not quite ready or they are afraid to take a chance.

“I don’t like making phone calls.” “I’m no good at sales.” “I don’t think I have enough time to work a business.” “I tried network marketing with the ABC Company and failed.” (Translation, they quit before putting in any effort.) Etc, etc, etc.

Get your holiday shopping done before the crowds get chaotic. Congress and Mr. President, behave like grown-ups and negotiate a deal! If you’re seeking a home business, find one and stop making excuses. 

As Napoleon Hill said, “Don't wait. The time will never be just right.”

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To learn about Julie Klein and the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, please visit  joinxpresshealthcare.com . You can work from home and earn residual income.

To learn how to Save Money on Your Health and Dental Costs AND Save on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and much more, please visit  ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance) 

Another One Bites the Dust

As we approach the end of 2012, I’ve been thinking about the many things that happened, both good and bad, in the United States and worldwide. Before looking on the internet to remind myself of what transpired during 2012, a few things stood out in my mind. Several terrible weather-related events occurred in the United States and in other countries. I am saddened to remember the many mass shootings, mostly in the United States, once again bringing the gun control/gun rights debate to the forefront. The United States Presidential Election was in the news throughout the year, the results of which angered some while others rejoiced. The Summer Olympics was a very bright spot among the many negative events of the year. I was practically glued to my TV for two weeks, cheering on the U.S. team and thrilled that they won so many events; and I was in awe of the athletes from so many countries demonstrating their talent and determination. I did browse the internet after thinking about my quick recollections, and I was reminded of more events and details of those I mentioned above. We lost several celebrities this year. Dick Clark and Whitney Houston were the first to come to my mind. Very recently actors Jack Klugman and Charles Durning died, and Larry Hagman, Andy Williams passed earlier this year. Zig Ziglar, the self-help author and motivational speaker, died not long ago after helping millions of people. We lost Neil Armstrong, the first man to step on the moon last August. Many more actors, singers, politicians and other well-known people passed away this year, but listing them all would fill this page. Each loss saddens us. There were actually 16 mass shootings during 2012. How they can be prevented is a very complicated issue, but I hope the matter remains in the forefront and we begin initiating ways that we can thwart further killings. In total, eighty-four people were needlessly killed this year. All but five were murdered in the United States. I am neither so brilliant nor so bold to think I know how this should be handled, but something must be done. Hurricane Sandy, the “Super Storm,” killed and injured people throughout the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Cuba and the United States. The losses from Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey alone are estimated at $71 billion! There were other hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, floods, fires and extreme snow storms this year as well, causing havoc, deaths, a great deal of damage and injuries. What do you think folks? Is it “Climate Change?” In the United States, there were heated discussions about abortion, gay marriage, immigration, tax cuts, the environment, the national debt, and high gas prices (which have thankfully gone down – at least temporarily). I doubled my Xpress Healthcare business income since 2011, which definitely enhanced my year! My family is healthy and doing well, a very good thing. My husband and I will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary on January 1st to begin 2013. I am looking forward to a wonderful new year, and I pray for far fewer horrible events next year than this one. My wish for us all is that we have a healthy, safe, happy and profitable 2013! ******************************* To learn about Julie Klein and the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, please visit  joinxpresshealthcare.com . You can work from home and earn residual income. To learn how to Save Money on Your Health and Dental Costs AND Save on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and much more, please visit  ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance)

Where is the Network Marketing Mecca

I was on another forum today and saw that someone was taking a survey about where most network marketers live.  This particular poster’s business is in party plans, and she has far more people working with her in the northern part of the United States that other regions.

I found that interesting, because the vast majority of my team lives in the Eastern Time Zone of the USA.  I also have several team members in California and a very few scattered throughout the Central Time Zone.  Besides me, no one on my entire team lives in the Mountain Time Zone or any western States besides California. 

My company operates solely in the USA, so I cannot compare which countries are most involved in network marketing.  I would guess that the USA is among the top, if not number one on that list.

I remember reading a while back that the most network marketers in the United States live in California, New York, Florida and Texas.  There was one other State (it was a top 5 list), but I’m sorry to say I can’t remember which it was.

So, I am curious now.  I would love if anyone who reads this post would respond by saying where they live in the world or in what State in the United States.  I think the responses might be interesting. 

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To learn about Julie Klein and the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, please visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com

To learn how to Reduce Your Health and Dental Costs AND save on Hearing, Vision, Roadside Assistance and much more, please visit http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings   (NOT insurance) 

Do You Miss Snail Mail?

Until the last few years, my mail box was full of envelopes six days a week.  Around the holidays, it sometimes nearly overflowed with the addition of Christmas cards.

Now don’t laugh at us, but both my husband and I looked forward to picking up our mail each day.  It was fun to see what surprises we would find.  Of course, more often than not, until about five years ago, it was mostly bills. 

Now I rarely receive bills by mail since everything is either directly debited or I pay online.  From now until Christmas thoughj, we will have more mail than usual and enjoy receiving – and sending – holiday greetings.

When we pick up our mail these days, it is more advertisements than anything else.  Unless we’re expecting a package, there are rarely surprises in the mail. 

Fortunately, I also rarely receive credit card “approvals” anymore.  With the advent of Identity Theft Protection, we have been removed from virtually all the credit card mailing lists. 

There are far more features included with ID Theft Protection, and for that I am grateful.  ID Theft is such a huge and ever-growing crime, that tens of thousands of people are victimized every year.  Many people believe that if they have no credit cards, they cannot become victims of ID theft. They are very wrong!  Thieves these days have gone so far as to steal people’s health insurance records and receive medical treatment under their victims’ name!

A thief can contact your utility companies and change your address.  They then receive service at a different address under YOUR name!  Many utility companies have tightened their security making it more difficult for this to happen, but it is far from foolproof.

Thieves can also apply for credit cards in your name and destroy your credit.  Do not believe that they cannot do so because they need your social security number.  We have all provided our SSN in so many places that most thieves know exactly how to access your number.

Back to receiving mail… If you are still receiving bills and pay checks through the mail, you are at greater risk of being victimized.  Mail boxes are the quickest and easiest way for thieves to steal your identity.  The flimsy locks on some mail boxes are no challenge to them. 

You can protect your identity with a variety of ID Theft Protection programs, the best of which is LifeLock™.  You have probably seen the LifeLock™ TV commercials.  My company, Xpress Healthcare offers LifeLock™ for $19.95 per month PER FAMILY!  Their WalletLock™ feature assists you in the event your wallet is lost or stolen. They even have a $1 million service guarantee that if one of their members is victimized because of failure of their service, they will help you fix it at their expense up to $1 million!

Here’s some great news! When you join LifeLock™ through Xpress Healthcare, you will also receive Roadside Assistance for all family vehicles and all family members, Pet Care discounts and Legal Service savings.  Pretty great for less than $20 a month!  For details, please visit http://ibourl.net/EverydaySavings.

Now, it is time to go check my mail to see if more Christmas cards have arrived!

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To learn about Julie Klein and the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, please visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com

To learn how to Reduce Your Health and Dental Costs AND save on Hearing, Vision, Roadside Assistance and much more, please visit http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings   (NOT insurance)

Holidays of My Childhood

My mother came from a large family.  She was one of nine children, seven of whom lived to adulthood. Every one of those seven siblings had children of their own.  My mother was “the baby” of the family and was ten years younger than the next youngest.  Most of my cousins were close to my age.

When my family got together for holidays, it was a nice size crowd, often around 40 people. We celebrated holidays that fell during the summer at a park with lots of space and room to play, “pot luck” meals, softball games and lots of love.

When I was very young, I remember that one of my aunts hosted the Thanksgiving dinner.  We had huge portions of all the traditional Thanksgiving foods.  For a few years, my grandmother hosted it, and in later years, one of my cousins took it over.  We ate too much, visited and laughed a lot.

Being Jewish, we celebrated Chanukah.  During my childhood, my mother usually hosted a Chanukah party.  She had a wooden Star of David that stood about five feet tall.  Because of its proximity on the calendar to Christmas, the star became “Americanized” and was covered with foil, garland and blue lights.  It was beautiful. 

Chanukah is eight nights long, and children received eight small gifts, one on each night.  This too was an American tradition, because gifts were not part of the original celebration of Chanukah.  At our party each year, the children received gifts from all our aunts and uncles too.  My siblings and I took turns lighting the menorah (Chanukah candelabra) and saying the prayer that goes with the lighting ceremony every night of the holiday.  On the night of our family party, one of our cousins would light the candles.

When we were very young, my siblings and cousins and I would always put on a show when the family got together.  We would sing and dance for the adults, and everyone would applaud at what must have been terrible performances.  It all just added to the fun and celebration. 

When I became an adult, I began hosting our Chanukah party at my home.  I inherited my mother’s Star of David to decorate for our family party.  We had so much food!  Potato Latkes (pancakes) are the traditional dish served at Chanukah, but we also had Lokshen Kugel (noodle pudding) and myriad other dishes my cousins and aunts brought to the party.  Whether my mother or I hosted, we had at least 25 people in attendance and enjoyed being together.

Although Christmas was not “our” holiday, the family did get together on Christmas at one of my aunt’s homes on that day.  My aunt had what she called a “Chanukah bush,” which was basically a fake white Christmas tree with blue lights. We had no gifts, but we always had tons of food and laughter and fun to go with it.

My parents, aunts and uncles and one of my sisters are gone now.  I live 600 miles away from my family, so my husband and I have no family with whom to celebrate the holidays.

I read about and hear many people talk about how they dread getting together with their families for holidays.  They talk about disagreements and hostility between family members, and I find that very sad. 

I cherish the wonderful memories of holidays gone by, and I miss my family terribly at this time of year.  My wish for everyone is that they will appreciate their family while they have them.  Choose your “battles” carefully so you don’t feel guilty when they are gone.

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To learn about Julie Klein and the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, please visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com

To learn how to Reduce Your Health and Dental Costs AND save on Hearing, Vision, Roadside Assistance and much more, please visit http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings   (NOT insurance)