Open enrollment for health insurance for 2015 started on November 15, 2014. With all the busyness associated with the holidays and the end of the year, it can be easy for the deadline of February 15, 2014 to slip right by you. It is important, though, to not allow this to happen.
What Happens if You Miss the Deadline?
Once February 15 passes, in general, you will not be able to enroll in a healthcare plan through the Marketplace. There are some life events that trigger special enrollment periods, however. These include occasions that change the status of your family.
- In the case of a marriage, divorce or birth of a child, for example, you have 60 days to find health insurance.
- If you lose health coverage that you previously had, you also have 60 days to sign up for another plan.
- For job-based plans, a 30 day special enrollment period must be offered.
What You Need to Know if You Have Coverage for 2014
If you are one of those people who enrolled in a Marketplace plan in 2014, your coverage ends on December 31, 2014. This end date is the same for everyone, regardless of when their coverage began. In order to enjoy healthcare coverage for 2015, you have two choices: you can either renew the plan you had in 2014 or you can choose a new one. Both of these options must be completed by February 15, 2015 in order for you to have coverage for the year.
What You Need to Know to Start Coverage on January 1, 2015
In order to ensure that you have healthcare coverage on January 1, 2015, you need to either change your plan or renew your current one by December 15, 2014. If you miss that deadline and enroll in a plan between December 16 and December 31, 2014, your healthcare coverage will begin on February 1, 2015. Enroll in a plan by the deadline of February 15 and your coverage will start on March 1.
Read more
Roughly 374,000 fires occur in homes across the U.S. each year, 54% of them occur in the winter. Protect your home and family from being a statistic when you create a fire emergency plan. It helps you stay safe as you recognize Child Safety Protection.
1. Discuss Fire Safety Tips
Obviously, you want to extinguish candles, cigarettes and other open flames immediately. You also need to supervise meal prep in the kitchen to ensure nothing catches on fire. However, did you know that fabric can be flammable when it lies near the heater? Teach your family to prevent these and other fire hazards.
2. Hang Smoke Detectors
To ensure everyone can safely escape a fire, place smoke detectors on every floor of your home where you can hear them day and night. Since smoke rises, place them on the ceiling or high on the walls.
3. Locate Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers need to be accessible. Place one in the kitchen under the sink or in the pantry. Other smart locations include near the entrance and exit doors and at least one on each floor. Once they’re securely attached to the wall, ensure your adult and teen family members know how to use them.
4. Choose the Exits
Your home’s layout determines where you can safely exit. In each room, choose two door or window exits that assist your family in safely escaping a house fire. If you have a second story, store an escape ladder near the window, and make sure you know how to use it properly.
5. Designate an Outdoor Meeting Spot
Whether your family meets at a neighbor’s house or a tree across the street, designate an outdoor base camp. Call 911 from this spot after everyone safely escapes the fire.
6. Practice the Plan
Even the best fire emergency plan will be ineffective if your family members don’t know what to do when a fire starts. Test the fire alarms and teach your kids what they sound like. Then, practice escaping out of the nearest exit and meeting at your designated spot.
Your family’s fire emergency plan can keep you safe as you recognize Child Safety Protection Month. Additionally, talk to your insurance agent and ensure you have adequate home insurance for your house and possessions. Insurance won’t prevent fires, but it will give you peace of mind this month and year round.
Read more
“As we express our gratitude we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
~John F. Kennedy~
Read more
In the past, Americans faced significant amounts of discrimination and problems in the workplace, but the US Congress enacted several laws to prevent these problems in the future. While the protections derive from the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) remains charged with the duty to monitor and enforce employee protections. However, a business does not possess the ability to control the actions of its employees, which leaves a business open to the possibility of legal action for improper treatment or discrimination. In order for a business to properly protect itself from the possible unlawful actions of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation on part of persons within the business, it needs to purchase an Employment Practice Liability (EPL) insurance policy.
Discrimination
An EPL insurance policy guarantees businesses will be able to meet any legal problems or restitution required arising from the discrimination of a person within the company towards another employee. Although the issue of race comes to the mind immediately when speaking of discrimination, EPL policies include protections for other types of discrimination, such as discrimination in employee pay rates, age, pregnancy, religion, genetic information, and gender.
Harassment
EPL protections encompass the inappropriate physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual realms of harassment that could occur within the workplace. According to information provided by the EEOC, the monetary benefits awards as a result of harassment charges rose from $86.5 Million in 2010 to $97.3 Million in 2013, and without an EPL policy, your business will be on the proverbial hook for this money.
Retaliation
As part of the EEOC’s duty to enforce the rules against the protected, unlawful behaviors, it ensures that employees do not experience retaliation when charges against a business have been filed. For example, an employee cannot be terminated if she experienced a case of sexual harassment, which she then reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In California, the total number of claims per year against businesses for unlawful actions increased from 6.654 in 2009 to 6,892 in 2013, and many of these claims involved multiple allegations for different infractions. With this information in mind, your business cannot risk the financial setbacks of violations in employee protections. Your business needs an EPL insurance policy.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_practices_liability
http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/enforcement/harassment_new.cfm
http://www1.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/enforcement/charges_by_state.cfm#centercol
Read more
As a homeowner you have a responsibility to those people who visit your home. Not only do you have to ensure that invited guests are safe, but, when Halloween comes around, you need to be aware of the potential dangers to young trick-or-treaters and the hazards outside your home. In addition, you also need to ensure your family stays safe.
Hidden dangers in decorations
We all love to make sure our home puts on a show for are trick-or-treaters. This often means decorations that you probably have not used since last year. Before you start decorating your home keep some things in mind:
- Open flame hazards – it is fun for children to see a jack-o-lantern all lit up on the porch of a home they are visiting. Often, we use candles in these to provide a spooky welcome to children. Instead of using traditional candles, consider the battery-operated type to avoid potential burns to visiting children.
- Electrical hazards – strings of orange lights may look great outside or inside your home but if you have not used these lights since last year you may want to carefully inspect all cords. Worn cords should be thrown away to avoid a fire hazard.
- The little things – you may not think about dog toys, children’s toys or garden tools laying around your yard. However, these all can pose a risk to visitors who are unfamiliar with your home. Keep everyone save by carefully checking all walkways and surrounding areas for items that could cause falls.
Adults and children alike can enjoy the fun and excitement of Halloween if proper safety precautions are taken. Taking the proper precautions such as making sure your home is well lit, making sure your family pets are indoors where they cannot be hurt or frightened by trick-or-treaters and making sure you have prepared for your visitors will help make sure everyone has a safe and happy experience.
Read more
If you believe you don’t need Workers Compensation insurance, here’s a reality check:
Myth. I only have a few employees, or mostly part-time employees.
Reality: Workers Comp makes sense no matter how many employees you have. It helps cover medical expenses and lost wages for employees with job-related injuries and protects against lawsuits from injured workers if you’re found negligent. What’s more, some customers and clients may require you to carry it.
Myth: My employees won’t sue me.
Reality: Never say never. Injured workers might well sue to pay medical bills that could run into millions – not to mention pain and suffering or punitive damages. Workers Comp provides legal defenses that can slash your liability.
Myth: Workers Comp is too expensive. If one of my employees is injured, I’ll just pay out-of-pocket.
Reality: Weigh the cost of coverage against potential losses from an injury, especially if the employee sues. The longer a worker is off the job, the more it costs to cover lost wages and productivity. Severe injuries can take weeks or months to heal– or even lead to permanent impairment.
Myth: I provide a safe workplace. My employees won’t get injured.
Reality: Mistakes happen even in the “safest” workplace. Many companies post signs proclaiming the number of days without an injury on the job, but rarely do they read “365 days” Even the most minor mishaps can cause major damages.
Myth: Medical costs in the Workers Comp system are too high.
According to the National Council of Compensation Insurance, the medical cost inflation rate for Comp has been similar to that for Group Health insurance during the past several years. Legislation and regulations have led to the expansion of cost-containment programs.
To make sure you have this essential protection, at an affordable cost, just give us a call.
Read more
