CalCPA ProtectPlus

When an elderly family member became ill and was hospitalized, I realized that not knowing the medications that she was taking, was a real problem. My solution was to literally bring the doctors a large bowl containing all of her medications so that they could enter the information into her medical record. The doctors asked questions including her blood type and drug allergies and I had no answers. Although she recovered, this experience brought to my attention just how important it is to have a personal health record for each and every family member.

A personal health record, or PHR,  is a health record that that you keep for yourself and your loved ones. Your health records are in different places and possibly with many different providers – some information may even be stored online. You can simplify life by putting together a health record that will give you peace of mind and provide healthcare professionals with a complete and accurate summary of your health and medical history. You can do this by gathering the following information: 

• personal identification, including name and birth date
• emergency contact(s)
• names, addresses, and phone numbers of your physician, dentist, and specialists
• health insurance information
• living wills, advance directives, or medical power of attorney
• organ donor authorization
• allergies
• allergic reactions to medications (including latex)
• medications (dose and how often taken)
• over the counter medications and herbal remedies (dose and how often taken)
• family health history (hereditary illnesses)
• blood type
• hospitalizations
• significant illnesses (dates they occurred)
• surgeries (dates they occurred)
• vaccinations (dates they were received)
• test results from lab work performed
• physical exam records
• eye and dental records
• dietary habits
• exercise routines
• track past and present health conditions
• any other changes in your health (continue reading…)

The following information is from the Department of Labor’s website and is full of valuable information for all of us!

The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) administers several important health benefit laws covering employer-based health plans. They govern your basic rights to information about how your health plan works, how to qualify for benefits, and how to make claims for benefits. In addition, there are specific laws protecting your right to health benefits when you lose coverage or change jobs. EBSA oversees health care laws covering special medical conditions. For more information on the laws that protect your benefits, see EBSA’s Web site at www.dol.gov/ebsa. Or, call the agency’s toll-free help line at 1.866.444.3272 to reach a regional office near you. These 10 tips can help make your health benefits work better for you.

Realize that Your Options are Important

There are many different types of health benefit plans. Find out which one your employer offers, then check out the plan, or plans, offered. Your employer’s human resource office, the health plan administrator, or your union can provide information to help you match your needs and preferences with the available plans. If your employer offers a high deductible health plan, look into setting up a Health Savings Account to save money for future medical expenses on a tax-free basis. The more information you have, the better your health care decisions will be.

Review the Benefits Available

Do the plans offered cover preventive care, well-baby care, vision or dental care? Are there deductibles? Answers to these questions can help determine the out-of-pocket expenses you may face. Matching your needs and those of your family members will result in the best possible benefits. Cheapest may not always be best. Your goal is high quality health benefits.

Read Your Plan’s Summary Plan Description (SPD) for the Wealth of Information It Provides

Your health plan administrator should provide a copy. It outlines your benefits and your legal rights under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the federal law that protects your health benefits. It should contain information about the coverage of dependents, what services will require a co-pay, and the circumstances under which your employer can change or terminate a health benefits plan. Save the SPD and all other health plan brochures and documents, along with memos or correspondence from your employer relating to health benefits. (continue reading…)

 Before we go to bed tomorrow night we need to remember to set our clocks one hour ahead. Daylight saving time officially begins at 2 a.m. on March 14th. Each Spring we move our clocks one hour ahead (“Spring forward”) which means we lose an hour during the night. This occurs on the second Sunday in March at 2 a.m.when we move one hour ahead of Standard Time. We do this again in the Fall on the first Sunday in November at 2 a.m. and we set our clocks back one hour and return to Standard Time which means we gain an extra hour.  

Daylight Saving Time was first seen in the United States during World War I in order to save energy for war production by taking advantage of longer hours of daylight between April and October. It came up again during World War II and the government required the states to observe the time change. During the wars and the years following, some states and communities chose to observe Daylight Saving Time and others did not. In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act and that set the standard of the length of Daylight Saving Time.

Since 2007, Daylight Saving Time is four weeks longer than it had been over the past decades due to the passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005. The intent of this Act was to save 10,000 barrels of oil daily because of the reduced use of power by businesses during the day.

If you live in Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, those areas don’t observe Daylight Saving Time and therefore, won’t be loosing any sleep!

TIP:  This is also the perfect time to check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

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Approximately 3 months before your 65th birthday you will receive a letter from Banyan Administrators, LLC outlining your options. ProtectPlus is not a Medicare supplement and in most cases we do not recommend maintaining your ProtectPlus coverage once you are eligible for Medicare. However, factors that may affect your decision include: the size of your firm, whether or not you have a younger spouse and/or dependent children and when you plan to retire. You may contact Banyan Administrators, LLC  at 877-480-7923 to discuss your options.

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It is hard to keep up with all of the immunizations that your child(ren) should have. This is a great tool provided by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.gov). All you need to do is simply put your child’s birth date  in and it automatically shows you the types of vaccines and the dosage, what that vaccine protects against, the recommended vaccination date, and then the spot where you can put in the date the vaccination was given. [Check it out!]

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Many of us often have concerns about whether or not it is safe to take certain medications while taking other prescription or over-the-counter drugs. The effects of drug interactions may cause unexpected side effects such as allergies, heart palpitations or dizziness. It can make your other medication(s) less effective or it can also increase the effects of your medication(s) which can be harmful to your health – even life threatening.

You should make it a habit to read the label of prescription and over-the-counter medications – often times there are warnings of other medications that should not be taken at the same time. It is important that you learn about drug interactions which may be critical to your health and by having this knowledge you can reduce the risk of potentially harmful interactions and its side effects.

Anthem Blue Cross offers a great tool that allows you to search  for information on thousands of prescription and over-the-counter medications. [Click here to check it out.] Of course, this is an online tool that can help you get some general information - but you should always check with your doctor and pharmacist for detailed information and instructions. Make sure to them all of the medications you are taking – even vitamins and herbal supplements since those can interact with medications as well. Some people have more than one doctor, so remember to always inform them of what medications you are taking, or better yet, bring the bottle to the appointment. That way they can see the exact information including the dosage you are taking. These are very simple precautions that we can take to insure ourselves a healthier life!

Hospice is an agency or organization primarily engaged in providing palliative care (pain control and symptom relief) to terminally ill persons and supportive care to those persons and their families to help them cope with terminal illness. This care may be provided in the home or on an inpatient basis. A hospice must be: (i) certified by Medicare as a hospice; (ii) recognized by Medicare as a hospice demonstration site; or (iii) accredited as a hospice by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals. A list of hospices meeting these criteria is available upon request.

The following information is from Medicare.gov.

Question: Will my Medicare Part B premium increase in 2010?

Answer:  Most Medicare beneficiaries will continue to pay the same $96.40 Part B premium amount in 2010. Beneficiaries who currently have the Social Security Administration (SSA) withhold their Part B premium and have incomes of $85,000 or less (or $170,000 or less for joint filers) will not have an increase in their Part B premium for 2010.

For all others, the standard Medicare Part B monthly premium will be $110.50 in 2010, which is a 15% increase over the 2009 premium. The Medicare Part B premium is increasing in 2010 due to possible increases in Part B costs.  If your income is above $85,000 (single) or $170,000 (married couple), then your Medicare Part B premium may be higher than $110.50 per month.  In 2010:

• New Part B beneficiaries will pay $110.50 (because they did not have the premium withheld from their Social Security benefit in the previous year).
• Beneficiaries who do not currently have the Part B premium withheld from their Social Security benefit will pay $110.50.
• Higher-income beneficiaries pay $110.50 plus an additional amount,  based on the income-related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA).

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The Super Bowl is the second biggest day for food consumption in the United States after Thanksgiving! Super Bowl menus are full of salt, sugar, fat and all the other bad things you can think of. But oh…they are so good right? “It’s only one day”, you may say. But you can actually put  on five pounds in one day of eating fattening foods…the types of foods that may be at that Super Bowl party you are going to this Sunday.

I heard this following information on the radio the other day looked it up on Dietdetective.com. It really put things into perspective and may make you think twice before taking that next bite!

• 1/2 A DIGIORNO PIZZA CHEESE STUFFED CRUST LIMITED EDITION BACON/SAUSAGE/PEPPERONI = 299 TOUCHDOWN DANCES IN THE END ZONE

That’s 975 calories per half.  Each dance should last for 15 to 20 seconds.

Fit Tip: There are frozen and delivery pizza choices with a lot fewer calories. If you choose thin crust and avoid meats and extra cheese you can drop the calories down to about 720 for half a 12-inch pizza.

• SIX T.G.I. FRIDAY’S LOADED POTATO SKINS = DOING “THE WAVE” 6,389 TIMES

Each potato skin (half a potato) is 218 calories. That’s a lot when you consider that an entire potato is 160 calories. But these potato skins are deep fried and topped with cheese, bacon and even sour cream.

Fit Tip: These are so easy to make yourself. Microwave the potato, then cut it in half and put it in the toaster oven with some cooking spray.

• LARGE MEATBALL SUB FROM QUIZNOS = CLIMBING THE STADIUM STAIRS FOR 109 MINUTES

It has meatballs, mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce on a hero roll, adding up to 1,020 calories.

Fit Tip: How about turkey meatballs (made with breast meat), low-fat mozzarella and a whole-grain hero.

• 6 KFC HONEY BARBECUE WINGS WITH DIPPING SAUCE = PLAYING PRO FOOTBALL FOR 59 MINUTES

Keep in mind, this is 59 minutes of actual playing time — standing on the sidelines or in the huddle doesn’t count. Each wing has 90 calories, and the dipping sauce is about 50 calories per container.

Fit Tip: You can certainly make your own chicken wings. Go skinless and bake instead of deep frying them.

• ONE PINT OF BEN & JERRY’S CHUBBY HUBBY ICE CREAM = CLEANING THE STADIUM AFTER THE GAME FOR 322 MINUTES

That’s almost 5 1/2 hours of cleaning — no breaks. And yes, that pint has 1,320 calories.

Fit Tip: There are so many very tasty low-calorie ice creams. For instance, Breyers All-Natural Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry is 110 calories per 1/2 cup or 440 calories for a pint, so you save nearly 900 calories. (continue reading…)

The following information is from IRS.gov and is very beneficial to those who have an HSA account.

You may enjoy several benefits from having an HSA. Here are some of the benefits:

• You can claim a tax deduction for contributions you, or someone other than your employer, make to your HSA even if you do not itemize your deductions on Form 1040.
• Contributions to your HSA made by your employer (including contributions made through a cafeteria plan) may be excluded from your gross income.
• The contributions remain in your account from year to year until you use them.
• The interest or other earnings on the assets in the account are tax free.
• Distributions may be tax free if you pay qualified medical expenses. See qualified medical expenses below.
• An HSA is “portable” so it stays with you if you change employers or leave the work force.

Qualified medical expenses.  Qualified medical expenses are those expenses that would generally qualify for the medical and dental expenses deduction. However, even though non-prescription medicines (other than insulin) do not qualify for the medical and dental expenses deduction, they do qualify as expenses for HSA purposes. (continue reading…)

Omega 3s are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acids. There are three types of omega 3 essential fatty acids and your body benefits greatly by having all of these omega 3s to help perform different functions. The three types of omega 3s are:

• Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA): EPA is usually found in fish and fish oil.
• Docosahexanoic Acid (DHA): DHA is important to your body, and is also found mainly in fish.
• Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA): ALA is found mostly in seeds, vegetable oils, and leafy green vegetables. It is converted into EPA and then into DHA in your body.

Omega 3s are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acids and they are found in various foods such as oily fish – mackerel, herring, sardines and salmon. It is important to keep in mind that fish can be contaminated with mercury and PCBs, so make sure that you choose safe types of fish. Omega 3 can also be found in non-fish sources as well and those would include fortified foods such as eggs, bread, juice, dark green vegetables, walnuts and flax-seed oils.

While there are three types of omega 3s, there has been special attention brought to the omega 3 fish oil in medical news reports over the past few years.  The reports say that you should take fish oil if you are pregnant, if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, if you have a bad heart, and the list goes on. Here are some things studies have shown:

• It has been found that omega 3 helps to lower triglycerides, which are know to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, by 20% to 50%.
• Fish oils have been shown to help lower cases of high blood pressure due to cardiovascular disease.
• It helps to reduce high cholesterol.
• Several studies report that in people with a history of heart attack, that regularly eat oily fish or take fish oil supplements reduce the risk of heart rhythm problems, heart attack, and sudden death. A large Japanese study showed 19% fewer heart-related events (like a heart attack) in adults taking a fish oil supplement plus a statin drug, compared with those taking only a statin. (Statins are drugs that lower cholesterol levels in people with or at risk of cardiovascular disease).
• Fish oils with omega 3 help to prevent blood clots, help stimulate your blood circulation and help you to avoid issues such as varicose veins.
• Many studies have shown that fish oils improve your brain function.
• A lack of omega 3 has been linked to depression - fish oils are known to benefit you greatly if you suffer from depression.
• Taking fish oil with omega 3 while pregnant may help the baby with brain development, form the retinas and helps develop the nervous system. My doctor had me take flax-seed oil and fish oil with omega 3. It is key to the well-being and healthy development of the baby while in the womb.

If you are not taking fish oil with omega 3, you may want to think about doing so…especially if you are suffering from any of the above conditions. Fish oil with omega 3 now comes in prescription form. If you buy it over the counter, however, remember that  fish oil comes from real fish and mercury content is something to consider – stick with a name brand and ask your doctor what they would recommend for you. Remember to always check with your doctor before using supplements because some can interact with other drugs you take. Some women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take supplements other than prenatal vitamins unless their doctor recommends them to.                            

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This winter season we have all been on alert about the H1N1 virus and how it is lurking just about everywhere.  It is ever so important to take the necessary precautions to keep our health in tip top shape and our immune system strong. We may not be able to ward off the H1N1 since it is so powerful, but we could help increase our chances of bypassing that irritating common cold.

It was thought that there were 100 variants of rhinoviruses which are the most common cause of the common cold. Now they have discovered with more screening tests, a whole new group of rhinoviruses. “It’s beginning to look as if there may be as many as 200” cold viruses, says cold expert Owen Hendley, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and one of the world’s leading experts on cold viruses. Yes, it is the cold that just about every other person has at work and every other child has at school. Americans on average gets 3 to 4 colds and children average about 6 each year! Follow these tips below, and hopefully you can protect yourself and lower these averages! (continue reading…)

This short video reviews what you can do to make sure you don’t get the flu, including the new H1N1 flu, and how you can be sure not to spread the flu to others. Also, find out how to reduce your risk of becoming ill with an influenza virus.

Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Running Time: (1:47) Release Date: 10/30/2009

Tylenol recently announced a voluntary recall of Tylenol Arthritis Pain 100 count bottles, which can be easily identified by its red EZ-open cap. Apparently the company decided to recall the product after identifying “an unusual smell or taste associated with these lots that led to a small number of people reporting nausea and related symptoms.” If you are using this product, or would like more information please visit Tylenol for information about the recall and discontinued use of the product.

How To: Print a Temporary ID Cards

Via Anthem Blue Cross–If you have not yet received your permanent ID card and want to access health care services, you can print a temporary ID card online through anthem.com/ca.

It’s a simple four-step process:

1. Before starting, check with your employer to confirm your information has been added into Anthem’s system. Your name, date of birth and ZIP code must match exactly what is on file with Anthem.
2. Go to anthem.com/ca, click Members in the top-left corner and log in to the secure Member site. If you have not visited this site before, on “Register.” When you are asked for a member ID number during online registration, you may use your Social Security number if you do not yet have a member ID number.
3. Select the “Print Temporary ID Card” option under “Things You Can Do” and follow the instructions on how to create and print the temporary ID card.
4. You can print the ID card using your own printer and use the card at your next doctor’s appointment.

Your temporary ID card expires 30 days after its issue date and is not meant to replace your permanent ID card, which you will still receive. Take a look at a sample below.

Note: The temporary ID card may not include all of your benefit information. If you have any questions, a Customer Service number is on the temporary ID card.

If you’ve ever wanted to keep track of your health and health progress, now you can do it right inside your Anthem Blue Cross user profile using the new Health Tracker.

Here’s how you get started:
1.   Log in to MyAnthem
2.   Go to the 360º Health®tab
3.   Click MyHealth@Anthem > Health Trackers

The Trackers allow you to enter stats and track your health progress easily. Whether you’re focus is diet and exercise or blood pressure and heart rate, Health Trackers can track it for you. And you can create personalized trackers specific to your unique needs.

There are also charts & graphs so you don’t have to do any additional number crunching (since you do enough of that at work).

Check it out.

We’d all like to wish you a happy and healthy new year!!

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A note from Gale L. Case–Chairman of the Board of Directors

As we enter the second decade of the 21st Century, much is happening in the medical care realm. The House and Senate have each passed different versions of health care reform and the final outcome awaits conference committee negotiations and final action by Congress early in 2010. It seems likely that something will be adopted, but what it will be is pretty much anyone’s guess.

Meanwhile, the CalCPA Group Insurance Trust has just completed 50 years in the medical insurance business and continues to serve the needs of California CPA firms, their employees and dependents. The Trust is proud to have helped its customers control their medical care costs by keeping premium increases to roughly 7 percent per year for the past 6 years, at a time when average premium increases in the California small-group market have ranged from 9 to 14 percent.  The Trust is also proud to be the only entity of its type in the U.S. to achieve and maintain an A.M. Best rating (B++).

Because the ProtectPlus program is “for CPAs, by CPAs” we listen to members’ suggestions and beginning in 2010, several of our Preferred Provider (PPO) plans offer, as a standard provision, the first 6 office visits of the year free from copay.  This has been a popular feature and another way in which the Trust helps you save money on your healthcare.

Another 2010 money saver comes from a reduction in pharmacy copays from $15 to $10 for generic drugs. The use of generic drugs rather than much more expensive brand drugs is a major way to control growth in health care costs.

The Trust continues to see CPA firms moving to the use of high-deductible HSA-eligible plans as a way to control the cost of providing health care coverage for their employees.  As a result, the Trust increased the number of HSA-eligible plans and now offers three high deductible healthcare plans – with deductibles of $1,500, $2,500 and $2,850 – to provide a range of choices to employers.

We hope that 2010 is a year of prosperity and good health for all CalCPA members and their families and we thank you for your continued support.

Best wishes for a joyous and healthy New Year,
Gale L. Case
Chairman of the Board of Trustees

“It may be a cliché,” says Stu Weinstein, chair of the Group Insurance Trust Claims and Plan Design Committee, “but I have gotten a lot out of my relationship with CalCPA as member, and so serving as a trustee, and finding products and services that benefit members, is a great way to give  back.” To this he adds, “Its enjoyable to be associated with something as successful as the Group Insurance Trust has been.”

In addition to his spirit of service, Weinstein also embodies a broad range of professional experience that helps him understand the circumstances of different members. Having graduated with a degree in accounting from the University of California, Berkeley in the late 1960s, Weinstein started his career with a large regional accounting firm where he served until receiving his license. From there he moved to a consulting firm and then to a job as controller in McKesson Corporation’s International Division.

He comments that this experience was a unique opportunity

“to observe the  inside of a business from the client’s perspective, something that many CPAs don’t get a chance to do.”

He was fascinated to see how an enterprise is built, how people are responsible for the bottom line, and how they report to others. He was also engaged by the process of building appropriate controls. At the end of the day, however, he found the work repetitive, and he turned back to public accounting with renewed interest.

He joined his father, who had been working as a solo CPA, in forming Weinstein & Company, where he stayed until 1999. At that point he found himself ready for a more corporate structure and moved to Rooney, Ida, Nolt and Ahern, which had just opened a San Francisco office. He liked the fact that they had separate departments with specialties and that clients were shared.

This structure also meant that his clients had a place to stay as he transitioned into retirement during the years from 2005 to 2007. Currently he still provides occasional services as a consultant and also continues as a director of CAMICO Mutual Insurance Company. (continue reading…)