Posted by Sarah on Jan 15, 2010 in
Fine Articles BEWARE! Insurance companies are using unscrupulous practices to get policyholders off its rolls!
While I understand that these companies need to make a buck to keep afloat, there must be some better way to make more money than to void a policy for just 2 cents!
Take Stan Rosen of Miramar, Miami. He lost his job, his wife was six months’ pregnant and he faced an operation and he had COBRA benefits to help make ends meet.
Then, by mistake he underpaid his November bill by two cents (!!), and his benefits administrator said his policy was being canceled. Rosen and his wife, saw “making ends meet” slip through their fingers.
He quickly paid the two cents (!!), and it got reinstated. But ONLY after he and his dad called about 100 times and got The Miami Herald involved that the company relented and continued coverage.
The Rosens’ case is an extreme example an incident that’s becoming more widespread: Laid-off workers are struggling through a bureaucratic labyrinth to keep health insurance while insurers and former employers have little to no interest in aiding them beyond what is required by federal and state laws.
What is COBRA?
COBRA (or Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) is a law signed into effect by President Ronald Reagan that mandates an insurance program that helps employees continue health, disability insurance and postal services even in the event they are out of a job.
Federal COBRA coverage mandates companies with more than 20 employees to offer their laid-off workers as much as 18 months of health insurance, as long as the worker pays the entire cost of the premium.
Current COBRA coverage can easily cost $1,200 a month for a family, and that may be too expensive for most. The Obama administration last year began the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to subsidize 65 percent of COBRA costs for up to nine months, but many still can’t afford it.
What About COBRA for Companies With Less Than 20 Employees?
On the flip side, companies with fewer than 20 employees are covered by a state law, but people who have had to use it, like Robert Dollar of Miami, say it’s even more convoluted than the federal law.
“My COBRA has turned into a hysterical joke,” says Dollar, who pays $712.34 a month just to cover his wife.
Federal law requires large companies to give departing employees a thick COBRA packet stuffed with explanations. But state law makes an exception to small companies, like the one Dollar worked for.
Scores of phone calls and sent faxes later, Dollar’s efforts to contact his former company’s insurer, Neighborhood Health, to get the continuation coverage, was wasted when his former company switched to Aetna. The dismayed Dollar had to go through the whole process again. “It’s a maze of stuff,” he said.
Insurers Say COBRA Is A Liability To Them
According to Gran LeCompte, an executive with MDW Insurance in Coral Gables, Fla., says that for employers and insurers, COBRA is “a major pain in the butt. … There’s a ton of liability.”
A major key problem for insurers is that young and healthy employees who are confident of finding work tend to reject COBRA, while older and sicker and less confident workers will grab it. “Typically those who take COBRA coverage cost two to five times ((more) in benefits than a normal employee costs,” LeCompte says.
Furthermore, Federal law seek to keep insurers and employers in line by penalizing them for infractions. LeCompte says that means most big companies outsource the details to a company specializing in COBRA coverage and administration.
Rosen’s COBRA insurer is Ceridian, who spotted that Rosen had paid $334.97 for his November bill, rather than the proper amount of $334.99.
Federal law allows a month’s grace period to pay the full bill, but Rosen did not learn about the two-cent problem until he received his next bill, at the end of November, past the grace period that expired Dec. 3, which terminated the Rosens’ coverage.
Joe Brown, spokesman for Ceridian Benefits Services, told The Miami Herald the company was required to follow the letter of the law “or the company would be held liable.” Its legal responsibility was to administer Rosen’s insurance for his former employer, a Miami Beach hotel.
But Jay Rosen kept working at it.. He called the offices of a senator and representative. He called the former employer, and he kept hounding Ceridian reps. “The normal person would have given up long before I did,” he says.
Eventually, the insurer decided to forgive the two cents, and the Rosen policy was reinstated.
COBRA Benefits Eligibility Cut-Off Extended to March 01, 2010
The federal subsidy of 65 percent was slated to end Dec. 31, 2009, but just before the Christmas recess, Congress decided to extend its benefits: Workers laid off before March 1 can qualify for help, and all can get up to 15 months of subsidy.
In the reform packages now before Congress, the House version has a provision that people with COBRA could retain their coverage until the insurance exchanges start.
Those would allow everyone without employer-based coverage to sign up for a plan, regardless of preexisting conditions, with subsidies based on income levels. Such exchanges are not scheduled to start before 2013.
Beyond COBRA - So Why Not Cover Yourself Even More Thoroughly?
You know what? Insurance is Personal. Even if people are laid-off and tight with money, I believe that insurance is even more vital to keep going even for just minimal coverage.
So here’s a thought. Why not buy a term life insurance policy? Why not get more health insurance even if you lack cash? You can definitely buy very cheap health insurance even if you’re tight.
Would you believe you can get a good health insurance policy at ONLY $49 online? You betcha.
How to do it? You need to get as many quotes as you can. Shop around. Make sure you have all health insurance quotes in one place, then decide.
You don’t have to go to every insurance site too. You save a lot of time by using providers that give health insurance quotes for free at no charge. No money down and they only want your attention to refer to their large list of insurance companies who will be more than willing to underprice each other to sell you a policy.
That’s why online insurance policies are cheap and just as good if not better than meeting with an agent face to face. He just has more competition online.
Make them bleed for it then.
More Power To Us,
Life Insurance Quotes For Consumers
“Insurance is Personal.”
Posted by Sarah on Jan 15, 2010 in
Fine Articles The transportation throughout the Madrid Spain city is excellent. But still it is better to take the cheap rental car to enjoy the beauty of the capital city of Spain. Also there are lots of options when you go for cheap rental cars. There are plenty of car rental companies at your service to satisfy all kind of luxury you need. Almost most of the car rental service companies have their own set of wheels which ensures that not only you get car at cheaper rate, but also the service provided is excellent.
Largest City
The capital city of Spain is the largest city in the country. The city has many attractive places that you will love to visit. And as Madrid Spain is the heart of Spain the communication there in excellent, there are rental cars which you can take to enjoy not only the city but other parts of the country too.
If you are taking rental car in Madrid then it is sure that you will enjoy your vacation at the fullest. While travelling in the rental car, you will not only get a chance to meet the friendly Spanish people but you can also enjoy the beauty of the countryside.
There are many other places where you can visit while you are in Spain. There are places like Andalusia where there are marvelous architectural delights and some beautiful beaches. Also, you can visit different parts of Madrid Spain only to encounter its architecture, art, theater as well as cuisine. You can also drive along the coastline or enjoy the metropolis there.
There are many companies that offer some good deal for rental cars. Hotwire is one of them. Hotwire is in joint venture with some of the best rental companies in Madrid. So, you can be sure that you can rent car here at lower rates.
It is always safe to have a map of Spain, because it will let you know that in which place you are visiting right now. It also helps you in planning your vacation in a right way, and you can have a look at the huge country within a glance. You can also choose cities that are in close proximity with Madrid, so that you can plan your travel accordingly. Keeping in mind all these point you will waste much of your time there and will be able to enjoy your vacation at its fullest. Since not too many spaniards are able to speak english its better if you are able to speak some spanish. Spanish Classes in Barcelona are a good way to learn spanish
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Posted by Sarah on Jan 15, 2010 in
Fine Articles Losing good employees is not only an expense in terms of time, effort and the associated cost of finding a suitable replacement but also in the untold cost of losing valuable knowledge and experience that is unique to the organization; Prevention is the best cure against the problem of losing good employees.
From time to time employees will leave an organization but it is important for an employer to know that people are leaving for the right reasons and not for reasons that could have been addressed and resolved.
Concerns of employees can be identified early by the regular use of well designed job satisfaction surveys, allowing for problems to be resolved and helping to minimize needless loss of staff. However some problems, for example those that are the result of a clash of personalities, do not always come to light until it is too late.
A lack of career development and/or poor management are two common reasons for employee dissatisfaction that can often result in personnel deciding to change jobs. Both of these problems can be difficult to identify even for organizations that adopt regular 360-degree appraisals (i.e. where as part of the overall appraisal system, employees evaluate their managers).
While employed employees can be reluctant to criticize their managers for fear of the consequences, they can however be more candid when completing an employee exit survey.
Once an employee has decided to resign it is very unlikely that an Exit survey will prevent them from leaving, however the survey may help identify areas that if not addressed could result in more preventable resignations.
Lack of Career Development
Not all employers can offer, and nor do all employees desire, a clear and long term career path. There are just as many people that find comfort and security in doing one job well as there are people that need to feel that they are continual being challenged, learning new skills and moving onwards and upwards with respect to the corporate ladder. A successful organization will maintain the balance of having high flyers and more modest and humble employees.
Where losses due to a lack of career development are occasional they may also be inevitable, but where they are frequent, then changes to the organizational structure might need to be considered to allow for greater career development of the employees.
Sub-standard Management
Many managers achieved their position through promotion, but it does not always follow that a good worker will automatically make a good manager and often people are assigned management position without any formal management training.
Poor managers can be quick to discredit the views of disgruntled staff, ‘I was thinking of getting rid of them anyway’ and ‘they were a waste of space’ are typical responses to being asked if there is a problem causing people to leave an organization.
It is understandable that senior management would want to support their line managers by giving them the benefit of any doubt and a poor employee may not be averse to unfairly criticising their line manager. If through an Exit survey a man-management problem were to be identified early it presents a realistic chance that the problem could be properly addressed and resolved with appropriate formal training and guidance.
Records
It is not uncommon for people to leave an employer and at a later date put in a claim for constructive dismissal. With legal representation now adopting the ‘No win no fee’ model even good employers are finding this to be a real problem. Exit surveys will at best, provide a valuable record of the employee’s reasons for leaving, and at worse, provide early warning that a possible claim might be expected.
A tribunal may not readily accept the word of an employer that when the employee left they did so without indicating any grievance.
Timing the exit survey
Exit surveys can be conducted as part of the termination procedures or they can, with the employee’s agreement, be delayed for a few months.
If the timing of the exit survey is delayed for a month or two it could allow for a period of reflection where the ex-employee may be less prone to emotion and more objective and if they have started a new job they may be in a position to compare their previous role with their new role.
Conducting an exit survey as part of the termination procedure has the advantage that although the leaving employee may be emotional their views may be more reflective of their true state of mind and therefore closer to the real reasons they have decided to leave. If delayed any comparison between the ex-employee’s old and new roles may be the result of them putting on a brave face, and if the reasons that are given require action, the delay may have prevented the problem from being resolved.
Summary
Organizations will generally benefit in a number of different ways by including exit surveys as part of their employee termination procedures. Having good records could prove to be very valuable later and they will also provide management with information that can help them improve an organization’s moral as well as the bottom line.
See the following survey for sample exit interview questions.
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