Eating for Optimum Health

Having been in the health insurance industry for 25 years, I’ve had a front row view of the state of healthcare, and health, here in the U.S. And what I’ve seen has not been pretty.

As health costs have absolutely exploded, so have health insurance rates. At the same time, our nation’s health as gotten progressively worse. The entire country has gotten fat. The average 65 year old now takes 3 prescription drugs daily, and 20% take 5 or more.

What Can I Do About It?

Well, not that much, really. Because it is each individual’s responsibility to make his or her own choices. And I strongly believe in giving people choice.

But with choice also comes responsibility. And if I can encourage people to take greater responsibility – for their health, and for their health care choices – I’ve made a difference.

The Diet of our Ancient Ancestors

I’ve always been interested in health, and what factors lead to optimum health. In 2000 I shut down my insurance business, spent some time traveling with my wife (documented at www.longsstrangetrip.com), and then moved to Fort Collins, Colorado to pursue a master’s in nutrition and exercise science.

It was there that I became familiar with what is now commonly known as the “paleo” diet. The basic concept is that humans evolved over millions of years as hunter-gatherers, and that thus our genes are best adapted to the diet that we would have eaten, up until about 10,000 years ago when agriculture began. The basic diet is fresh meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and maybe some nuts and eggs.

Getting the Word Out

I decided to join forces with a professor who had studied and written extensively on the topic, to spread the word and make more people aware of this idea. We put out the first issue of The Paleo Diet Newsletter on February 15, 2005.

At the time hardly anyone had ever heard of this way of eating (and most still haven’t, but that’s changing). Publication was erratic for the first couple years or so, but we were putting out some really high quality science based information. Eventually we were publishing our free newsletter on a weekly basis. I had an incredible team helping me, including Pedro Bastos, Maelan Fontes, and Nell Stephenson.

In 2007 we formed a business to promote this way of eating, and I continued to put out our free newsletter. For many people this was a brand new way of eating, and for some it was challenging to make the change. So, with dedicated help from Chris LaLanne (nephew of the early TV exercise guru Jack LaLanne), we started offering Paleo Diet Implementation Programs, in which we coached people how to eat this way over a 6-week period.

People were losing weight, their digestive problems were disappearing, autoimmune symptoms were subsiding, people were reporting better sleep, less pain, and the list goes on. It was an amazing, highly gratifying experience. And the number of people adopting this kind of diet was exploding.

Due to reasons I can’t get into at this time (but will soon), I shut down my activities in this area about a year ago. But the good news is that in the mean time, interest and information on this topic has continued to skyrocket.

Books by Robb Wolf (The Paleo Solution) and Art Devany (The New Evolution Diet) have spread this meme, numerous blogs and brilliant websites have sprung up (such as PaleoHacks.com) and there are even Facebook groups, Meetups, and more.

I’ve seen so many people benefit from a Paleolithic-type diet, that it really excites me to see it getting some mainstream popularity.

The Ancestral Health Symposium

In August there is an event going on called the Ancestral Health Symposium, where some of the leading scientists and thinkers in this field will be speaking. I’ve been planning on going, but just learned that the event is sold out.

Going to this event will enable me to connect with a lot of old friends, and meet new friends, and will no doubt lead to further opportunities. So I need to find a way to go.

Fortunately, Patrik at PaleolithicDiet.com has two extra tickets he’s giving away. Patrik, hopefully you can help me out, and I’ll look forward to meeting you in person. :-)

Oh by the way, Patrik has also just started a free weekly email. If this topic interests you, check it out.

Medicare Advantage open enrollment ends this week

Medicare Advantage Plans can offer HMO and PPO plans, and they often include more benefits than Original Medicare. For example, some pay for dental care, eyeglasses or hearing aids along with standard doctor and hospital services. Some plans even include health club memberships to help you maintain your health.

While the premiums can be low, and even $0 in some cases, Medicare Advantage Plans do have some restrictions. You may be restricted to certain doctors and hospitals unless you require emergency or urgent care. This may be important if you need a specific specialist.

Most importantly, Medicare Advantage Plans have different rules and cover different prescription drugs. It’s important to be sure you understand each plan’s rules so you get the right fit for your needs.

Like a Christmas present, until the end of the year, Medicare Advantage Plans have open enrollment. That allows you to enroll in a plan even with pre-existing health problems, but open enrollment will end on December 31. Find out more with our free Medicare Advantage quote and consultation. Just call us, Medigap Advisors, at 1-866-323-1441, but make that call today before time runs out.

Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare Supplement Insurance And Open Enrollment

If you have Medicare Supplemental Insurance, you probably remember that magic open enrollment period when you could apply for a Medigap plan without answering any questions about your health. No matter what health problems you may have had, you didn’t have to worry about your application being denied or even being charged higher than normal rates. Well, another one of those special open enrollment periods is now here

If your situation has changed, your premiums have gone up or you just want to be sure you have the best coverage you can get, now is the time to see what Medicare Advantage plans can do for you. From November 15 through December 31, you can switch your Medigap insurance for one of the Medicare Advantage plans available in your area.

Like Medicare Supplement insurance, Medicare Advantage plans are provided by private insurers. Here’s a secret - Medicare Advantage plans may have no premium unless you add Part D prescription coverage. Want to find out more?

At MediGap Advisors, we specialize in helping people just like you unravel the complexity of Medicare so they can get the right protection to fit their needs and their budget. We offer lots of information to help you see what your best choices are at our website - www.MediGapAdvisors.com, but that’s not all! You can also call us at 866 323-1441 to arrange to speak with one of our expert advisors for free. Get the answers to your questions, help comparing your situation to the plans available and a professional opinion on how you can get the best Medicare supplement at the lowest price. Could it be any easier? Just remember you only have a few weeks to make the change so call us today!

Medicare Advantage Plans Can Help You Get More From Medicare

There’s a big difference between Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Supplement plans, and now is the perfect time to see whether you could get more for your money by switching to a Medicare Advantage plan. Open enrollment lasts from November 15 through December 31, but that doesn’t mean you have time to spare. Medicare Advantage plans are available from a variety of insurers so you’ll want to take the time to get a good idea of all the options available to you.

Unlike Medigap insurance, Medicare Advantage plans replace Original Medicare rather than supplement it. If you join one of these plans, you’ll receive your Original Medicare coverage through private insurers, which typically offer additional benefits over Original Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans may have no premiums unless you add Part D prescription coverage.

To join a Medicare Advantage plan, you must have Medicare Part A and Part B. That means you will have to pay your monthly Medicare Part B premium to Medicare, but remember you won’t have a monthly premium for your Medigap plan after you switch.

As the nation’s leading online specialist in how to get the most from Medicare, we are MediGap Advisors. You can visit us online at www.MediGapAdvisors.com or call our friendly receptionist at 866 323-1441. There’s never a charge for our confidential consultation to help you get the answers you need and the health care you deserve.

Medicare Supplement Insurance Helps When You’re Under 65

Medicare has a lot of out-of-pocket costs, but you may have other options to pay for medical bills that are not covered by Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare supplement plans are available in most states to help when you’re under 65 and eligible for Medicare.

If you’ve looked into your Medicare coverage, you’ve seen that it leaves you to pay for co-insurance, co-pay and deductible charges. Should you need hospital care, Medicare has a whopping big deductible of over $1,000. That deductible isn’t an annual expense either.

It’s tied to benefit periods that extend for 60 days after you no longer need inpatient care at a hospital or skilled nursing facility. Since that’s just a couple of months, you could need additional hospital care again in a few months. If you do, that would mean you’d enter another benefit period and have to come up with another $1,000+ deductible.

Fortunately, if you have Medicare and you are under 65, most states offer at least one type of Medicare supplement insurance to cover medical bills that Medicare doesn’t pay. In certain areas, Medicare Advantage plans help, too, and may cost you little or nothing at all for the extra protection.

An annual open enrollment period for Medicare Advantage plans starts on November 15th, but only lasts through January 1. So anyone interested in one of these plans should contact us asap, as we are always *extremely* busy this time of year.

Just visit us online at www.MediGapAdvisors.com or call us today at 866 323-1441 to see how we can save you money.

Medigap Insurance: Two Tips Make It Simpler to Get the Best Deal

When it comes to Medigap Insurance, Medicare Supplement Insurance or Medigap plans, you get the same 10 plans no matter what you call them. These plans must comply with government laws that standardize your benefits and coverage. You can be sure that you’re getting the same basic coverage with a Medigap Plan A, for instance, regardless of which insurance company offers it. That means you can shop for the lowest price on any of the 10 plans without worrying that you’re giving up any coverage at all.

Next, you don’t have to worry about customer service either. All 10 Medigap plans automatically work with Original Medicare and service is consistently high because there’s little room for error. When Medicare pays for 80 percent of a doctor’s fee, Medigap pays for the remaining 20 percent. The Medicare Rights Center reports few problems with Medigap payments. If your Medigap plan reimburses you for Medicare’s Part A or Part B deductibles, you don’t have to worry about meeting any criteria to get your reimbursement.

You can even find Medigap plans that cover expenses that Medicare never covers, such as emergency medical care when you’re on vacation outside of the country. If you’re worried about needing a specialist who won’t accept Medicare’s standard payment rate, Medigap plans can even pay for the difference between doctors’ charges and Medicare’s payments.

You can take a look at what all 10 Medigap plans cover and learn from the nation's leading independent agency specializing in Medigap Plans. You’ll find everything you need to compare, choose and enroll in a plan at www.MediGapAdvisors.com/, but we offer more…just click here to reserve your space for the free, live How to Get the Most from Medicare teleseminar. Could it get any easier than that?

Medicare Supplement Insurance: How to Win the Pricing Game

When you’re looking for the best way to protect yourself from the gaps in your Medicare coverage, there are four things you need to know.

First, there’s a big difference between Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Supplement plans. Even though both are provided by private insurance companies, Medicare Advantage plans replace Original Medicare while Medicare Supplement plans expand Original Medicare. Here’s an even more important difference. Because Medicare Advantage plans cost the government more than Original Medicare, poorly performing Advantage plans will see cuts to their government subsidies. To make up for that loss, many are expected to raise premiums. That’s not true for Medicare Supplements, which are also called Medigap plans.

Second, every Medigap plan with the same name, such as Plan A, has the same benefits and coverage. You won’t get anything more from a more expensive Plan A than you’ll get from a lower priced Plan A.

The third thing you need to know is that Medigap plans are priced by what is known as “attained age,” “issue age” and “community rated” strategies. Attained age policies may start out offering the lowest prices (especially when you’re 65), but their premiums rise steadily so they can turn out to be the most expensive plans over time. Issue age policies (based on your age when you apply) don’t automatically charge more as you age. Their rates are based on health care inflation.

Community rated policies don’t reflect your age at all. Everyone in the same location (community) gets the same price and your premiums won’t go up simple because your age does. While issue age and community rated policies may cost more initially, their premiums won’t rise as aggressively over time.

Fourth, you can get the best price of a lifetime on Medigap plans during your open enrollment period. That’s because insurers cannot use medical underwriting to evaluate your health during that special six-month period. They cannot exclude any pre-existing problem, cannot charge you more than normal, and cannot refuse to insure you regardless of your health.

Find out when you can take advantage of that special six-month deal and other ways you can win the Medicare supplement pricing game. Visit MediGap Advisors online at www.MediGapAdvisors.com/ or call their friendly receptionist at 866 323-1441. You can get the answers you need – including professional assistance to compare plans to your situation - all at no charge and with no obligation. MediGap Advisors believes that the best customers are educated customers so you get all the help you need with none of the sales hype.