There's no day but today for the ACA

As I walk my dog and reflect on life's issues I think of songs and lyrics that I can tie to my blog post.  Today is the first day of enrollment for 2019 for those needing to enroll or reenroll in the ACA.  The enrollment period is November 1 - December 15, 2018.  Click here for more information or to enroll. This is for health insurance for those who otherwise would be unable to afford health care.  Since the implementation of the ACA in 2010, the Federal government has imposed a tax penalty if one did not enroll in health care.  This mandate has been eliminated by the current administration and this will be the first year that it is not mandatory to enroll in a health plan.   This administration is against the ACA mandate and does not support guaranteed health care as a right to all citizens.  As of today, I have not seen any government sponsored advertisements encouraging open enrollment.  The current administration speculates enrollment will fade away but if demand remains this can't happen.

Thus it is now optional to enroll in a healthcare plan.  Short term it may seem like a benefit to young millennial's who do not want to be burdened by the expense of medical insurance.  If however one does need insurance down the road it will be more difficult and expensive to enroll if a pre-existing condition develops.  According to Cigna  if you are currently enrolled in health insurance (effective since 2010) you cannot be denied coverage when applying for new or changed healthcare benefits.  Under newer plans for new enrollees, since the mandate was eliminated this may no longer be true.  

The song that came to my mind during my walk today is "There's No Day But Today" from the Broadway musical Rent.  In the musical as the character Mimi was inflicted with illness there was no day like this to live life to its fullest. If you are young and healthy there is no day like today to enroll and continue your health care benefits.  I encourage all readers to do their homework and enroll in a plan that will give you adequate coverage for now and into the future. There is no tomorrow without good health.  


Wendy is a realtor with Coldwell Banker Needham.  She works with buyers, sellers and some renters.  She enjoys blogging about things near and dear to her such as health and happiness.  Some of her favorite pastimes include walking her dog and attending Broadway musicals.  

Lyrics:

There's only us, there's only this
Forget regret, or life is your's to miss
No other path, no other way
No day but today

There's only us, only tonight
We must let go to know what's right
No other road, No other way
No day but today

I can't control my destiny
I trust my soul, my only goal
Is just to be

There's only now, there's only here
Give in to love or live in fear
No other path, No other way
No day but today

There's only us, There's only this
Forget regret, or life is your's to miss
No other road, no other way 
No day but today
No day but today
(No day but today)
No day but today
(No day but today)
No day but today
(No day but today)
No day but today

Songwriters: Jonathan D. Larson

No Day But Today lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

The Importance of Insurance

insurance

NOUN

• 1A practice or arrangement by which a company or government agency provides a guarantee of compensation for specified loss, damage, illness, or death in return for payment of a premium.

  ‘many new borrowers take out insurance against unemployment or sickness’

  source

As with the removal of the Affordable Care Act requirement-  Americans in many areas are no longer required to have flood insurance.  With the removal of the ACA mandate individual have the option of purchasing health insurance. Because the newer risk pool is smaller due to it being optional the premiums vary as do the coverage available for new policies.  Since the changes in the ACA , Insurance Providers may limit the product coverage one can purchase based on a history of preexisting conditions.   Therefore in the future,  if you have a preexisting condition you may find that you are unable to get an insurance policy, may have that condition excluded from coverage or may pay an extremely high premium.   

From my own experience in purchasing a new life insurance policy the proposed rates are somewhat higher than in the past, due to a blip on a medical record that has since been updated but had been reflected in my history. I am in process of contesting this but it is just one example of the increased vigilance on the insurance company end of pricing my policy.  (I am in good health).  For someone with a preexisting condition and with limited available options the costs can be very high if one does not have continuous coverage.  Some new policies can refuse coverage if you have a lapse in your health care insurance.  Keep this in mind, particularly millennials who think they are saving a few dollars.   

Likewise many American's are no longer required to have flood insurance.  Although the short term savings and that paying premiums may be a waste if there is a flood these people will have no protection and can be literally wiped out financially.  Since 2013 there has been a decline in the number of households choosing to have flood insurance.  In general we have been experiencing an increase in the number of major storms over the past few years and it looks like this will extend way in to the future.  

At the time one may feel like they are saving money by not purchasing insurance but in the long run, insurance may be the only way to help mitigate the risk associated with your financial needs.  This goes for Property & Casualty Insurance as well as Long Term Care options.  (as a reminder Flood insurance is separate from Home Owners Insurance and flood damage may not be coverage under a standard HO policy)

The unexpected happen in a second.  At that point if you don't have protection the loss is 100% yours to handle.  I do not claim to be an expert in the actuarial or insurance field but have always believed in protecting my risks.  One needs to look long term when making these decisions.  While you are healthy and don't need the insurance is the time to invest in it.  This is when the premiums are lowest for health, life and flood insurance.  

Wendy is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Needham.  She is always looking out for the best interests of her clients and loves sharing her ideas to help improve the daily life of those she cares about.  For more information check out her website or like her on FB by clicking here.  

What is means to be a valuable team player

When I was a young child I absolutely hated team sports.  I was not very athletic and was often the last choice by appointed team captains for their team.  The captains wanted a team of winners and it was commonly perceived that I would bring the team down.  I always felt isolated and a bit like an outsider to this activity that so many of my peers flourished in.  As I graduated to be an upper classman, I had the option of selecting physical education activities that were a bit more specialized.  At this point I also was allowed to get credit to take something off campus on my own dime.  I much preferred taking a dance class at a classmates mother's dance studio to taking a required team sport at my high school.

In my first job as an accountant I too learned to excel in my own style of work and enjoyed independent projects at an entry level position, however as I watched my colleagues move up the ranks I began to learn more about the comrade they shared around the coffee break area talking about team sports.  Although an anomaly to my upbringing, (my Dad was a historian and said sports were against his religion) I began to see the value of these conversations.  My colleagues were sharing a common interest that sparked conversation beyond the parameters of a spreadsheet.  New understandings of workmanship were often sparked during these impromtu dialogues and sometime led to collaboration of work ideas.

Sadly politics has become a high level team sport.  There are two major teams who do not understand the value of team sports.  Each team is becoming extremely polarized for their own benefit and it is becoming nearly impossible to work together.  Last week Mitch McConnell, Republican House Majority Leader said if the health care bill doesn't get repealed the Republicans may need to work with Democrats as a last resort.  Shouldn't this have been a positive sign to allow the 2 major players to work together to come up with a plan to ammend the ACA Health plan that works but needs some modification.  Instead today they vote to push ahead "repeal" and then "replace" and are rallying to get everyone on the McConnell team.

As a realtor we are trained to work and collaborate with other professionals who are able to complement and enhance our skill set. This includes working and collaborating with professionals on both sides of a transaction to optimize the purchase or sale of real estate.  When I studied management during my MBA program we were taught that the most successful leaders were the ones who worked with others and took the team approach.  In one book I read a long time ago it was noted that the most effective managers were the ones who allowed the team approach and often the best ideas come from the bottom.  See book In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman (Warner Books) was an American business management “bible” that presents eight specific management principles common to successful companies.  Many of the practices in the book are still being used today by the successful top tier companies.  

As we move more and more forward in the current administration means you have to be on the "right" team of the leader or you are bullied and singled out.  There is no such thing as equal play time.   This was further exemplified today by Trump when he publicly stated today his disappointment in Jeff Sessions for not recusing himself from the ongoing Russia investigation.  Although I do not agree with much of Sessions policies he is a man who is following the law and doing his job in accordance with the Constitution.  The President is not a team player and believes that all loyalty must be to protect him.  A true leader would trust the team to do what they feel is right and to support their work.  

Although through my life and career my perception of participating in a team has changed drastically.  I have learned to become a team player when it is important but it has also become apparent to me that team loyalty is only valuable if the members also have a sense of integrity and can stand up to their individual beliefs when they conflict with the goals of the team.  To me this is the true definition of becoming a winner. 

p.s. since writing this post the latest version of the repeal and replace of the ACA health care bill has not passed thanks to the teamwork of Chuck Schumer for the Democrats and the Heroic efforts of 3 Republican Senators John McCain of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.

Wendy is a realtor at Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She is constantly networking and working hard to build a team that will provide the best level of skills available to fully service her clients in all aspects of the real estate transaction.  She also has her SRES,   Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.  

Due diligence in a home purchase and health insurance coverage

If you were buying a property and found that it had a pre-existing condition during an inspection, would you go forward with the purchase prior to getting cost repair estimates?    In today's blog I am going to discuss the importance of due diligence in real estate transactions as well as in making legislative decisions.  I try not to be political in my writing but when an issue will impact each of our lives, as does the proposed new health care bill,  I feel it is my responsibility to comment.

As a real estate professional when I work with buyer clients, I always recommend they do their due diligence before committing to the Purchase and Sale "P&S" for a home or condo.  Know the rules and regulations of the home owners association if the property is a condo.  Get all the documentation and review it.  Once an offer is accepted call a home inspector, as well as any other specialists who can independently teach you about the property and evaluate its condition.

If anything of concern arises during the inspection process,  bring in professional contractors to further evaluate the situation and get cost estimates of needed repairs where applicable.   Once cost estimates are obtained the buyer can then intelligently negotiate with the seller to repair, replace or in a worst case scenario "repeal the offer".  Most often a reduction of their purchase price is negotiated.   

How can a health care bill be passed without full review by all members of the house and without cost details?  Did anyone look at the impact on the budget numbers?  This vote was rushed through yesterday without a CBO score.   Do we know the number of people who will lose their insurance or become part of a high risk pool.  Will the $8B  Upton Bill even go near the implicated cost?  

The bill allows states to exclude pre-existing conditions from their health insurance coverage offerings and removes the federal mandate of employer coverage.  Many employers will now be able to opt out of offering health care as an employee benefit to save money.   If you are reading this chances are, you or someone you love has at least one pre-existing condition ( do you wear glasses?).  Click here for a partial list .

As I have been reading the newspaper and listening to various interviews today with elected officials it is obvious that many voted just to appease their political party politics.  Click here to see who voted to pass the bill by a slight margin of 217-213.  vote    This is a short sighted win and hopefully will go under better scrutiny when it reaches the Senate floor.  There are items in the bill that will impact all of our lives.  Many who voted to support the bill today admit they did not read it in full.  This is irresponsible leadership.  

If I did not disclose something to my client or if I advised them to do something detrimental to their real estate transaction I would be held accountable and could possibly be sued.  It is my fiduciary duty to protect the interests of my buyers and sellers.  

Shouldn't our elected officials bear a greater responsibility to their constituents?  I ask all of my readers to become aware of how they are being represented by elected local representatives and officials.   If you learn they are making decisions that hurt your interests speak up and let them know they risk re-election.  I was in Washington DC this week and actually stopped by my State Representative Joe Kennedy III's office on Capital Hill to put a face to a name as I often call his office when I see a proposed bill I disagree with.  Advocacy starts at the local level.  

If you don't do your due diligence no one else will advocate for your health care rights.  Before the ACA was introduced many Americans were uninsured.  Many at risk patients were not getting the essential medical care needed and now may lose their coverage once again.  Many may become ineligible for coverage due to pre-existing conditions exclusion clauses.  See #IAmAPreexistingCondition.  

Please do your homework if you are considering a job change, interstate move or a new insurer before changing your existing healthcare coverage.   Check the new health care policy options that will be offered and make a change quickly to prevent any lapse in coverage as this can cause an increase in premiums.  Under the new bill proposal things you have coverage for may no longer exist.  A mistake in a real estate transaction can cause monetary damages.  A mistake in health care coverage can have much graver circumstances.  

  
Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She has also recently earned the SRES  designation and looks forward to helping other baby boomers as they approach their next transitions.  Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.