What is the Fastest Growing Crime in America?

What is the Fastest Growing Crime in America?

I am always shocked that so many people think they do not need ID Theft Protection! Some people have poor credit and think, “They can have my ID.” Others had no credit cards, so they believed they were safe from ID Theft.

Do these people have their heads in the sand?  Do they not read or listen to the news? Over 11 MILLION adults became of identity theft victims in the United States alone.

Those who use social media and mobile devices are at higher risk than those who do not, and they have higher incidents of ID fraud.  In addition, 7% of smart phone users were victims of identity fraud. Although we have been warned repeatedly, we are still placing too much personal information online. 

You need not own a credit card to have your ID stolen. A thief can use your personal information to acquire a credit card in your name. You may think you are safe, thinking that without your social security number, it is not possible. You would be wrong! Your social security number and all the personal data a thief needs is already in various databases that may be breached at any time. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon.

Lost or stolen wallets, checkbooks or credit card accounts, corrupt businesses or employees and breaches of consumer data are other ways thieves “become you.”

I recently spoke with a woman who was an ID Theft victim in the mid-1990’s. She is still – today, years later - receiving bills and phone calls from creditors demanding payment for accounts she never opened.

Possibly the worst identity theft, is stolen health records.  A thief can acquire your health insurance card number without too much difficulty.   They can then go to a hospital and have surgery – say having their appendix removed. Years later, you may get appendicitis. Since your medical records say you have no appendix, they don’t consider appendicitis as the cause of your pain, possibly endangering your life. Health-related ID theft is one of the newest and common forms of fraud.

Please, no matter whom you are, where you live, whether or not you have credit cards, sign up for Identity Theft Protection now, today, before you forget - before you become a victim!

LifeLock™ has a million dollar guarantee if you become a victim due to their error, and it is rated among the best ID theft protection programs available. When you purchase LifeLock™ directly from them, you’ll pay $10 per month per person. With Xpress Healthcare’s Lifestyle Select program for only $19.95 per month per FAMILY, you’ll get LifeLock™ for your entire immediate family, PLUS you’ll receive discounted roadside assistance, reduced pet care costs and legal services and more. 

Feel free to go to http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings to join Lifestyle Select. Even if you prefer to select another ID theft protection program, please register today!

A Huge and Growing Problem

I believe that everyone today is aware of identity theft.  It is unfortunate, but many people assume that since they do not use credit or debit cards, they are safe from ID theft.  There are myriad ways that thieves can gain access to your checking or savings account records and your social security number.

One of the more recent areas where thieves are targeting identities is in medical records.  Let’s say you order a copy of your credit file.   When it arrives, you are surprised to discover that there are collection notices against you for several emergency hospital visits, with thousands of dollars unpaid.  Once you begin investigating this entry in your credit report, you find the report states that you were involved in a serious car accident and had your leg amputated after you were air lifted to a hospital for treatment.

Since you have both your legs, and you have not been involved in a traffic accident or been admitted to a hospital, you assume it was a simple error on your report. This is a typical and all-too-common example of medical identity theft.  You may make the discovery from that credit report, or a hospital may start sending you bills for treatment you never had.  You may be contacted by the hospital or police who tell you that they believe you are a potential victim of a fraud they are investigation.   

Medical records are exposed to theft via the internet in ever increasing numbers; therefore, medical fraud is quite simple for a thief to commit.  The fraud may go undetected for months or even years.  More medical records are also being digitalized and shared with health care providers, health insurance companies and consumers, making them more vulnerable to theft.  How about your medical chart? Are the charts in the receptionist’s office within easy reach of anyone?

It’s not just about the health insurance and health service options, but it’s also about ensuring patient medical records are accurate and shared only with authorized people, and that health services and charges are applied to the rightful account owner.

Prescribing the wrong medication to a patient based on fraudulent medical records can cause death in which case the impact of medical identity theft is irreversible.  How can doctors and hospitals reconcile a patient’s past and recorded information with the identity thief’s medical information acquired with a recent blood analysis even after a case of medical identity theft is detected?  As you can see, the impact of the health identity theft is huge to the victim’s life, privacy and financial losses.

In general, consumers have more protection against credit identity theft than medical identity fraud. If a consumer discovers credit identity theft promptly after it is committed, they can notify their banks, credit card companies, the FCC and the police. The victims seldom are responsible to pay more than $50 no matter how much was actually stolen. 

With medical identity theft, the identity theft victim whose social security number appears on the record is responsible for paying the fraud charges.  Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Medical privacy laws in place to protect consumers, there is only limited protection against medical fraud.  Unfortunately, HIPAA also equally protects the identity thief when the personal information of both the thief and the victim are combined.  When the thief receives medical care using your name and medical records, your records are then updated with the thief’s medical information. So, not only can this commingling be detrimental to your life during your future doctor visits, you also may be prohibited from separating your records from those of the thief, because the thief is also protected by HIPAA. 

Medical identity theft is more difficult to track, because only a name and social security is necessary to receive medical care in most cases. It is, therefore, critical for you to monitor your credit report.  If you detect possible medical identity fraud, immediately contact your health insurance company, the health service provider and the credit reporting agencies. In addition, file a police report to document your case, and inform all parties that you are a victim of identity theft. 

With all this information, I hope all readers can now recognize the importance of having an Identity Theft Protection Plan in place to monitor your records for you.  They will detect fraudulent activity before you do.

Do you still believe having no credit or debit cards protects you from ID Theft?  I personally recommend that you join the LifeLock® Identity Theft Protection Plan through Xpress Healthcare® for two reasons: 

     1)     LifeLock®  has years of proven excellent service, and it provides the best monitoring services; and

     2)     Joining LifeLock®  through Xpress Healthcare® costs you less ($20 per month, per FAMILY), and along with LifeLock®  services, at no extra charge, you will also receive a Roadside Assistance program, discounted pet care services and products and discounted legal services (9 of the most common services are free!)      

     3)     To join LifeLock®  through Xpress Healthcare, visit http://ibourl.net/EverydaySavings                                                                                                                                                           

Whether you join LifeLock® through Xpress Healthcare® or join another ID Theft Protection company, don’t wait!  Get the protection you need today!

Help! Thief!

I believe most people realize that identity theft is a huge problem today.  How safe are you?  Are you taking measures to protect yourself from identity theft?  (Correct answers appear at the bottom.  No cheating now!)

Take the quiz below to see how much you know about ID theft.

1.    How frequently is someone victimized by identity theft? Enter your response as a comment below.

A.    Every 3 seconds

B.    Every 30 seconds

C.    Every two minutes

D.    Every 10 minutes

2.    Which three US states have the highest per capita ID theft ranking? Leave your answer in comments below.

A.  CA, GA, FL
B.  NY, TX, DC 

C.  TX, FL, NV

D.  DC, CA, LA

3.    In which age range was the victim of the single highest (dollar amount) case of ID theft?

 A. Elderly
 B. Young Adult
 C. Teenager
 D. Young Child

4.    How many people reported that they were victims of ID Theft in the United States during 2012? Leave your guess as a comment below.

 A. 5 million
 B. 10 million
 C. 12 million
 D. 20 million

5.    What is the percentage of increased likelihood of fraud for smartphone owners? Enter your answer as a comment below.

 A. 10%
 B. 25%
 C. 35%
 D. 50%

6.    Which age group is the most likely to become a victim of identity theft? Leave your response in comments below.

 A. Elderly
 B. Young Adults
 C. Teenagers
 D. Young Children

Correct quiz answers:  1=A     2=A     3=D (In one case, over $700,000 was stolen.  Children are often victimized, because no one usually checks their credit until they are 18 years old, too late to do anything about it.)     4=C (Actually 12.6 million)     5=C     6=B (Young adults are more digitalized. They often provide their personal information in a variety of places online, an invitation to identity thieves.)

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To protect your identity, join Lifelock™ through Xpress Healthcare for only $20/month/family.  Plan also includes discounts on Roadside Assistance, Legal services, Pet care and more. Details?  Visit:  http:ibourl.net/LifestyleSelectSavings  

ID Theft - of Your Health?

I frequently hear people say that they have no need for ID Theft Protection, like LifeLock®, because they don’t use credit cards.  They don’t seem to realize that credit card theft is not the only way a thief can steal your identity, and perhaps ruin your life. ID Theft is one of the worst and fastest growing crimes today.  Its victims’ lives can be virtually destroyed.  However, what I don’t believe many people think about when they reflect on ID theft is that even their health records can be stolen. Today, in most doctors’ offices, it is likely that at least some of your private information - from your social security number, details of your last blood tests, your last mammogram to your family history – is stored electronically.  My personal physician walks around with a laptop to refer to my records, not a chart as he used to do.  All my records are neatly stored in that computer.  What if the laptop ended up in the wrong hands? The staff might even take my records – or yours - home on a flash drive.  Doctors also use smart phones, receiving, inputting and sending patient records over cell phone lines. There have been security measures put in place, passwords required to access the information, but as we know, computers are not 100% secure, no matter what measures are taken. According to a report by the Ponemon Institute, a Traverse City, Michigan-based firm that conducts research about privacy and security: •Health data breaches have grown nationally over the past few years by 32%.  Not because of blatant stealing of records by employees, but rather, because of employee negligence and lack of oversight. •72 organizations were surveyed, and nearly all reported that they had at least one incident of lost or stolen medical information in the previous year. •Of the four out of five doctors who claim they use smart phones, over half reported they are not taking precautions to encrypt information. •According to the report by Ponemon Institute, there are three main causes for data breaches.  1) Lost or stolen computing devices, 2) Unintentional release of information by contractors; and unintentional employee action. •Of those who responded, more than half reported they had little or no confidence that their particular system would be able to detect allbreaches. Throughout the U.S., medical records of more than 19 million people have been reported breached since September 2009.  (That is when the new federal Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health – HITECH - Act increased the penalties for providers whose data are stolen, lost or otherwise breached, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights.)  Plus, thousands of smaller breaches occur annually. A Detroit-area woman recently filed a lawsuit after a transcription service inadvertently put her medical information on the Internet, her name, medical record number and diagnosis of "cervical dysplasia secondary to HPV (human papillomavirus)," according to the law suit. Let’s say someone gained access to your health insurance card and visited a physician.  That person is then diagnosed and treated for diabetes using your insurance card.  From that point forward, every time you see a physician or visit a hospital, you will have that diabetes diagnoses in your medical records, which may well cause treatment that could result in injury or even your death – because you don’t truly have diabetes.  Once your medical records are breached, it is nearly impossible to get them reinstated to their original state.  This is a Crime that may well go unnoticed, until it is too late.  It isn’t clear how often medical information is misused; a person who steals an ID to get prescription drugs might slip through for years unnoticed. A stolen laptop with patient data might be reported to local police, but never be linked to fraudulent billing in another jurisdiction. According to Pam Dixon, founder of the California-based World Privacy Forum testified before Congress on the subject of medical ID theft, reported that medical information is worth $50 on the street, compared to $1 or $2 for a Social Security number.  There are few safeguards for medical ID theft.  If you are one of those people who believe they have no need for ID Theft Protection, think again.  Your financial life, your credit, and yes, even your life and health can be ruined without this protection. My company, Xpress Healthcare, offers a Lifestyle Select Discount Plan, which includes LifeLock® for only $19.95 per month for your entire immediate family in your home!  Prior to having this plan, I paid $12.95 for myself and another $12.95 for my husband for ID Theft Protection.  Now, both of us are covered for $5.95 less than we were paying before, PLUS the Lifestyle Select Discount Plan includes discounts on Pet Care, Roadside Assistance, Legal Access and more at no additional cost!  If you don’t have ID Theft Protection, please look at our plans at http://ibourl.net/EverydaySavings.  Even if you already have protection, please compare our coverage and the cost of our plan.  Perhaps you can save money and get an even better protection using LifeLock®. Please don’t risk losing everything!  It could happen to you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The source for some of this information was found here: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2012-02-12/Data-breaches-put-patients-at-risk-for-identity-theft/53065576/1 ************************ Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more athttp://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).   Please visit my Facebook Page athttp://www.facebook.com/XpressHealthcareTheWinnersCircle   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.

When is the Best Time to Join the Network Marketing Industry?

I can almost hear everyone reading this post responding to this question with a resounding, “Now!” 

The first network marketing companies began decades ago.  Fuller Brush, Avon, Tupperware and Mary Kay are highly respected network marketing companies, and some have been around for over a century.  Somewhere along the line, the reputation of the industry changed due to unscrupulous companies coming on the scene and defaming the industry in a variety of ways.

Over the last 20 years or so, the field of network marketing as grown tremendously with hundreds, perhaps even thousands of new companies emerging.  Unfortunately not all of the new companies were reputable.  So, the industry still suffers the “bad rap” to a degree.

People have been involved with direct selling far longer than multi-level marketing, but MLM’s added a twist.  Although MLM’s, often referred to as network marketing companies, are a form of direct sales.  In MLM’s, however, distributors can earn money in two ways, by selling a product or service and by building a sales organization through which they can also earn commission.  Distributors can earn money from the sales made by their organization, also known as their team or downline.  Since their teams may consist of multiple levels, the term multi-level marketing was coined. 

By gleaning a several websites, I discovered that there are an estimated 50 million network marketing distributors worldwide.  About 55,000 people join the industry every week, and 150,000 join throughout the globe.  The United States leads the pack in MLM earnings, with Japan in a close second place.  About a dozen other countries have at least $1 billion in sales.

About 3% of MLM distributors earn more than $35,000 a year.  About .5 % earns the often-hyped six-figure income. The vast majority in the industry work their business part-time, with the hope of simply supplementing their income.  Only about 20% work their business full time.

I believe we would all guess that there are more women than men in MLM’s, and we would be right.  About 25% of those in the industry are men.  The number of males in MLM’s is growing since more companies that are not in the “beauty” arena are enjoying rapid growth.

The MLM industry is an excellent choice for people with physical disabilities, and they total about 8% of direct sellers.  The largest percentage of those in direct marketing is in the “stay-at-home mom” age range, between 25 and 44 years of age.  Seniors are a growing part of MLM distributors, not yet a major presence, but as more “baby boomers” retire, it is likely that the “seasoned citizen” percentage will grow.

Network Marketing is an ever-growing industry, with a huge growth spurt during the past decade.  For anyone considering joining an MLM now is definitely a great time to do so!

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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.  

New Target for Identity Thieves

Most parents have never given it a thought.  They may be concerned that their child might become ill, be bullied or not do well in school.  Parents of young children should add to that list.

A report released in December 2012 by Identity Theft Assistance Center, a non-profit organization, stated that among children under 18 years of age, one in every 40 households have been effected by child identity fraud.

Among adult who have their identity stolen, it is difficult to track down the thief and repair the damage.  With children, however, it is even more difficult.

Cyberthieves use children’s Social Security numbers more than any other piece of information.  Most parents apply for Social Security cards for their children when they are born.  Then they file or lock away the card, never giving it another thought.

Unfortunately, thieves now often attach these freshly-issued Social Security numbers to a variety of names and birthdates and set up new identities.  They then use the fraudulent identifications to obtain credit, apply for driver’s licenses, apply for government benefits and even access medical care.

Because the parents haven’t looked at their children’s Social Security or credit rating, the illegal activity may not be discovered for years.  A study conducted in 2011 found that the Social Security numbers of 10.2% of children in the United States were used by someone, a far higher rate than those of adults at 0.2%.

The possibility of how the child’s future will be impacted is dreadful to think about.  The child’s application for student loans may be denied; they may not be able to get a job, a mobile phone or even a place to live.

Children should not have a credit record.  If they do, it is a “red flag” that someone has fraudulently used their identity.

There are a few steps parents can take to prevent their child’s ID from being used.  Shred any and all papers containing account or Social Security numbers for everyone in the family. Do not carry your child’s or your own Social Security number (SSN) with you.  If your child’s school asks for their SSN, ask it is optional. If not, find out from the school’s district office how the information is safeguarded.  Teach your children that it is dangerous to give out personal information over the phone or internet.  This also applies to adults.  Check with your child’s physician’s office to see what precautions they use to protect their records.

No matter how careful we are, we cannot possibly guarantee that our children or our own identity will not be stolen, but taking these steps can greatly reduce the possibility.

Finally EVERYONE should have Identity Theft Protection, no matter their age.  There are several companies that provide ID Theft Protection.  Among the best is Lifelock® ID Theft Protection. 

Xpress Healthcare offers Lifelock® for only $19.95 per month for your immediate family that lives with you.  With Xpress Healthcare, Lifelock® is included in a package of discount benefits that includes Pet Care, Roadside Assistance, Legal Services and a Cash Back Rewards mall. 

All five discount services in our Lifestyle Select plan will cost you and your immediate family less than $20 per month!  You can even take a 14-day trial to check out the benefits for only $4.95 (shipping & handling fee).  You can learn more about this discount plan at http://ibourl.net/EverydaySavings.

YOUR Identity for Sale

I have known for years that identity theft is a huge problem in the United States and most other countries.  However, I was unaware that there are actually auctions held regularly where ID thieves bid for identities.  The auction will go something like this…

The room is filled with many people ready to bid.  The auctioneer will show a picture on a screen of a driver’s license, for instance.  Then, he’ll go on to say, “Mr. Jones has excellent credit, and we are offering all his vital records, including his license, social security and his health insurance card.  Let’s start out the bidding at $500…”  The winning bidder will then set out to destroy your life.

We are all aware that there are thieves hacking into computer records, stealing records from individuals, major corporations and even government data systems.  Did you also know that many of those thieves sell lists of stolen credit card numbers by the thousands, even by the millions, to other thieves?

There are websites called “carding sites” that buy and sell identities.  The Better Business Bureau, FBI, United States Postal Inspection Service and Federal Trade Commission all are investigating and closing down organizations and websites, but the numbers are too huge for them to keep up with them.  Most law enforcement agencies today – from City Police to the FBI – have ID Theft prevention programs in place, but the “industry” is growing constantly.

The Identity Theft business is organized crime on an international scale.  There are even “carding” forums.    These carding sites sometimes offer tutorials to those who buy stolen personal information.  They are showing them how to make crime pay – and all at the victims’ expense.

The U.S. Secret Service conducted an undercover operation and finally shut down one organization that had trafficked in at least 1.5 million stolen credit card numbers, resulting in more than $4 million in losses to banks, financial institutions and credit card companies.

The ID theft problem is big, organized and out of control. Unfortunately, there is no way to totally protect yourself.  There are, however, steps to take that can defeat many scammers.  If you follow these steps, if (more likely, when) your identity is stolen, you can reduce the amount of damage to your credit.

Enter your credit card toll-free numbers in your cell phone contacts, and keep your phone with you.  Keep an eye out for data skimmers that crooks place on gas pumps, even on ATM machines. Don’t allow restaurant servers take your card out of your site.  Instead, go with the server wherever they process your card.  NEVER carry your Social Security card in your wallet!   

Treat every bit of personal information like gold, whether on the phone, in e-mails or postal mail.  Remember that thieves can establish a false identity, make illegal purchases with your credit cards, obtain medical treatment using YOUR health insurance, and empty your accounts.  It may seem paranoid, but it is necessary to be more than careful to protect your personal information today.

When applying for a job, do not provide your Social Security number to the employer!  Only when and if they hire you do they need it.  If your doctor or dentist office requests it, you need not provide it.  In these larcenous times, be sure that antivirus software and firewalls are installed on your computer and current at all times! 

In addition to these steps, be sure that you and your entire family have an identity theft protection plan.  That includes young children!  Oftentimes, when a child reaches 18 years of age and applies for their first credit card, they discover that years earlier their credit was destroyed by a thief.

There are many ID theft protection plans, but the best one available is LifeLock™. They offer a $1 million total service guarantee. Their TrueAddress™ program notifies you when a change of address is filed in your name. They offer WalletLock™ that assists you if your wallet is lost or stolen and their eRecon™ system searches for your information being sold or traded online.  Their members’ junk mail is drastically reduced and they’ll receive fewer pre-approved credit card solicitations.

If you join LifeLock™ through Xpress Healthcare, your entire family will be covered for only $19.95 per month!  Also, when your LifeLock™ membership is through Xpress, you’ll also receive discounted pet care, roadside assistance, free and reduced-cost legal services for you and your family at no additional cost.

It is unfortunate that identity theft is so out of control that we must take all these precautions.  But take them we must.  Protect yourself in every way possible, and please, enroll in LifeLock™ today.  http://ibourl.net/everydaysavings

No Man (or Woman) is an Island

Teamwork is vital to the success of virtually any business – a restaurant, retail store, huge corporation or a network marketing business.  No one stands alone and expects to accomplish all that needs to be done.  In retail and corporations, each person serves a specific purpose, and if one person is not holding up their end, the remaining people must pick up the slack.  In most situations, the “slacker” would not last very long with their company.  They would be fired.

In network marketing, teamwork is a bit different.  Unless a team member violates company rules, they generally cannot be “fired.”  There are a few elements that are needed to keep a team running smoothly. 

·         A common purpose.  With network marketing, each individual in a team is an independent business owner, but each joined the network to achieve success.  Yes, I know that not all the team members will ever be successful, but I’m talking common purpose.

·         Interdependence.  Each member of a network marketing team depends on at least one other person to reach their goals.  They depend on their sponsor to train them and support them along their path.  Team leaders depend on each of their members to work their business, thus helping both the member and leader to grow their businesses.

·         Roles and contributions.  Each person can play more than one role in network marketing.  If they are recruiting a team, they are a team leader.  However, that leader also has their own sponsor, and they are a member of that person’s team, helping their own sponsor by making sales.  How much each individual contributes to the team can greatly effect the success of many.

·         Accountability, both individual and mutual.  Each individual within a team is responsible to themselves to grow their personal business.  At the same time, they are also accountable to the team as a whole.  It is true that, in network marketing, there are always going to be those who do not take this responsibility seriously, either to themselves or their team.  These people never succeed.

·         Empowerment.  Independent business owners have the power to create an empire, make a decent living or supplement their income.  They are empowered to make their choices and work their businesses accordingly.  There is both freedom and challenges that come with empowerment.

Those individuals in network marketing who do not consider themselves part of a team are rarely successful.  Working together to achieve that common purpose drives each individual to work harder to help themselves and the team. 

·         Team meetings, Webinars and conference calls can help members of a team to see how important they are to the team as a whole. 

·         Competition between different teams can inspire team members to work harder to earn the prize and to help the team at the same time. 

·         For those who have team members residing in the same area, having local team events can help to strengthen a team. 

No matter how we do it, those leading a team must encourage their teams to work for the benefit of the company as a whole, for the team and for themselves.  They are all intertwined, and when everyone on a team works for the same common purpose, they are helping to create and maintain both a strong team and a successful business.

http://julie.xpressabo.com/xhc1?=blogger 

Are You Leadership Material?

When growing a team of powerful leaders, it helps to know what you believe qualifies someone to be a leader.  The following is what I look for in a leader.

·         The main characteristic of a leader – and of a good team member – is that they are coachable.  If you ask 10 people if they’re coachable, they will all answer yes.  In reality, many are not.  Those who are coachable are open to new ideas, to what works for others.  They are willing and able to step out of their comfort zone to grow their business.

·         My team members who have imagination, creativity, self-determination and self-motivation are making sales and growing their business.

·         I don’t believe we can motivate someone to work who is not self-motivated.  We can, however, inspire our team members by doing what we have taught them to do.

·         We can lead by example, so our team members can see that what we teach them to do actually works.  The top team members don’t need someone to hold their hand every step of the way.  They watch, listen and learn from the leaders, and then they get to work!

·         We all run across prospective team members who tell us how great they are.  That doesn’t work for me.  As the old adage says, ‘action speaks much louder than words.”  Show me!  We need team members we can count on to do their part, without having to remind them or urge them on.

·         Leaders are responsible for coaching, teaching, serving people, setting a good example and being available to those they lead.

·         By setting a good example for our team members, we encourage them to grow.

·         A good leader won’t pretend they’re experts in every aspect of their business, nor will they ignore the suggestions and ideas of their team members.  Good leaders encourage their team members to make suggestions and to ask for assistance and problem solving help.

·         Team members are always a priority to a good leader.  If you work your business part time, be sure your team members know your work schedule.  And, be sure they have contact information for who else they can call for help if you are unavailable.

I believe nearly everyone can – if they wish – become a good leader.  However, they must listen to those who have been successful with the company.  Creating your own unique path may seem like a good idea, but in reality, its best not to reinvent the wheel.

http://julie.xpressabo.com/xhc1?=blogger

Advantages of Xpress Healthcare for Those on Medicare

I recently researched how my company, Xpress Healthcare, can help Senior Citizens in the USA who are on Medicare.  For those who don’t know what Medicare is, it is a hospital and healthcare benefit plan offered to those 65 years and better.  Throughout our lives, we pay into the Medicare fund, so when we reach 65, we will qualify for the benefits.

Medicare is a very good plan, however, it does not cover all aspects of healthcare all the time.  During my research, I found that Medicare recipients have no dental, vision or hearing coverage.  They have to pay out of pocket for these expenses, which do tend to increase as we grow older.

Medicare also does not pay for prescriptions needed by those on Medicare.  Anyone who is on any type of maintenance medication for hypertension, high cholesterol or any other drugs knows how expensive they can be.  There are many people who simply do without their medications, because they cannot afford them, thus jeopardizing their health.

There are Medicare Supplement plans available for seniors, which vary in price depending on the coverage they provide.  Even with the supplements, if someone’s prescriptions exceed a certain dollar amount, there is a break in their prescription coverage.  That break ends either at the beginning of the following year or when the member’s prescriptions reach a much higher out-of-pocket amount.  We are talking about several thousand dollars here.  Sadly, many seniors require several medications and do, therefore, reach that gap in coverage, often referred to as “the donut hole.”

Coming back to how my company’s discount benefit plans can help those on Medicare.  We actually have two excellent plans that can save them a great deal of money.

Our Premium Plan offers discounts on dental, vision, hearing, medical supplies (like wheel chairs, oxygen), prescriptions and vitamins.  The plan is only $19.95 per month for our member and their immediate family.  So, if both a husband and wife, for instance, are on Medicare, it will only cost them a total of $19.95 per month for this plan.

Our second plan that can offer savings for seniors is our Lifestyle Select Plan.  This plan offers some amazing savings on Life Lock® Identity Theft Protection, Pet Care, Roadside Assistance, Legal Access and a Cash Back Rewards Mall.  This plan too is only $19.95 per month per family.

Seniors have often built more wealth and have higher credit limits than many younger people, but they’re less likely to guard their identity. So they are frequently targets of identity thieves.  Unfortunately Seniors are also less likely to report a case of identity theft than their younger counterparts for fear that their families or caregivers may deem them incapable of handling their own affairs and try to take control. Identity thieves are well aware of this, so they take advantage of it as much as possible.  With Life Lock® Identity Theft Protection, they are far more secure and less likely to become victimized.

Many seniors, of course, have pets, like the general population.  Many are living on limited budgets, and Pet Assure, part of our Lifestyle Select plan can save them hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

Roadside Assistance is also a part of our Lifestyle Select, and since some seniors would be unable to change a flat tire, or taking trips to see their grandchildren, they may need help along the road, this too is a great feature for them.

Our legal assistance program can be invaluable to seniors who may be revising or writing new wills, selling their homes to move into a smaller one or a senior facility.  Our Legal discounts offer nine free services for some of the most commonly used legal services.  There are pre-negotiated discounts on other services.

Everyone can benefit from the Cash Back Rewards program.  Since many seniors have health issues preventing them from shopping, this could be beneficial to them.  In addition, everyone today is trying to save money, and the Cash Back Rewards Mall offer savings at hundreds of online stores.

I am so glad that Xpress Healthcare offers these two programs.  Of course, they can help anyone at any age, but for Senior citizens on Medicare, they can be of ever greater benefit.

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