How Can We Help You?

We are all fairly used to hearing “how can we help you?” when we call a place of business or walk into a store. In fact, we hear it so frequently these days that we may take it for granted. So, this week we wanted to take time to thank you for being a trusted business associate, and remind you to please let us know how we can help you.

 

We are very proud of the fact that our business has been built on unparalleled personal service. We don’t take lightly the trust our associates place in us, and we are constantly looking for more ways to help improve benefits and lower health care costs.

 

We realize that your company may be struggling with issues of health and wellness or other areas of your group benefits that we could help you address effectively. Below are a few ideas of things we could help you address, and if one of these gets you thinking about something not mentioned – get in touch with us, hopefully we can help find a solution.

 

Educating employees about their benefits – Sadly, the majority of American workers don’t fully understand their health care plans (what is covered and how the plan works). In addition, many don’t understand the immense value in the benefits provided by their employer. We can help develop ideas for better educating your employees about the value they receive from the benefits you provide. This is always a part of our approach in the open enrollment process, but the education shouldn’t end there. You should utilize every available tool to help your employees be informed about their benefits, because in the end they will appreciate them more and will be wiser health care consumers.

 

Assessing your benefits package – We all realize that the health care landscape has changed dramatically in the past few years. Insurance companies are constantly updating their benefits, and sometimes it’s hard for employers to keep up. We work diligently to stay abreast of all offerings so that we can provide you with the best solutions for your needs. We recommended annual assessments of your benefits package to be sure that your needs are met in the most beneficial and cost effective way possible. Of course any time questions arise, we are always available to help as well.

 

Developing a healthier workforce – With the continuing increases in the cost of health care has come a greater focus on developing a healthier workforce. Many employers offer wellness plans, and others are contemplating such a step. In addition, many employees are looking for alternative medical treatments. We can help you find the right solutions to get your employees on track for better health.

 

Bottom line – at Preferred Benefits LLC we are here to help in whatever you might need. If something mentioned here has sparked a question or an idea, please give us a call or send an email to let us know how we can help. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you.

 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez

 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

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Book Review

“You are what you eat!”…How many times have we heard that, especially from our Moms when they were trying to get us to make wise food choices? Well these days it seems that many of us stay so busy that it’s hard to take time to think much about what we are eating.

 

A fascinating book came out earlier this year by Michael Pollan called In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. It is a really interesting read, tracking why we are where we are nutritionally in this country and how we should rethink things a bit. So, you might be wondering, ‘where are we nutritionally?’ According to Pollan, we don’t really eat very much food anymore. Instead we are eating food-like substances, which are basically products that have been developed from “food,” but have been processed so much that they really aren’t of much (if any) real nutritional value any more.

 

Like any book, it’s difficult to summarize his main points in a few brief comments, so you might want to check it out for yourself. But his seven-word mantra helps give us the gist of his solution to the problem: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” In other words, Pollan suggests that we should be eating real food, whole foods like fruits and vegetables, and that we shouldn’t eat too much. In case you think it sounds too simple, in the book you will finds lots of other great tips to help you figure out a healthy eating plan, but really when it boils down to it, remembering the mantra above is a pretty comprehensive guide.

 

In this blog we’ve discussed nutrition before. Many insurance companies are working hard to try to educate people about obesity in particular and eating habits in general. Why are they doing this? Because really, we are what we eat to a large extent. In the book, Pollan points out that health care costs have risen while food costs have decreased oven the last couple decades. He says we are spending about the same amount of money on food and health care combined, but that the amounts have switched. We used to spend much more on food and less on healthcare, and now we spend less on food and much more on health care. Pollan believes our eating habits are fueling many of our illnesses and leading to increased healthcare spending.

 

So what is a person to do? Think more about what you eat. Eating “food” doesn’t have to be more time-consuming or more expensive than eating food-like substances. It’s a matter of setting priorities and rethinking something basic that we have begun taking for granted.

 

At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.

 

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you.

 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez

 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

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Seven Most Common Chronic Illnesses

Did you know…the seven most common chronic illnesses are:

 

·           Hypertension

·           Heart disease

·           Lung disease

·           Diabetes

·           Stroke

·           Mental illness

·           Cancer

 

In reviewing this list, we see that several of these chronic illnesses could be prevented by making different lifestyle choices. For example, the incidence of hypertension, heart disease and diabetes could be greatly minimized by following nutrition guidelines and exercising regularly. Other chronic illnesses, such as lung disease and some types of cancers are directly related to activities such as smoking, unprotected sun exposure and other lifestyle choices.

 

We know our inherited genes play a part in our overall health and likelihood to develop certain conditions, and we can’t change those. But, we can make educated decisions about how we live our lives to try to prevent chronic illnesses. Make a commitment to your health, become informed about good lifestyle choices, then you can live and feel better.

 

At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.

 

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you.

 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez

 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

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Healthcare Spending

Americans are spending more on health care than ever before and spending more than most other industrialized nations.

 

Health care costs are rising at an unsustainable rate, and for the seventh year in a row health care premiums grew more than twice as fast as prices overall and/or worker’s earnings. The U.S. national health care expenditure will double over the next decade. In 2006 total healthcare spending was $2.1 trillion, and it is expected to reach $4.1 trillion by 2016.

 

We have all heard these numbers tossed about by presidential candidates on both sides of the isle, but realistically we cannot depend on the government to solve the problem of huge and ever-increasing healthcare costs. What can be and must be done? We must become healthier! You may feel like that’s all we talk about in these blogs, but truly this is the only way we can combat this issue.

 

While a person’s health and lifestyle choices are ultimately up to him or her, companies can and do offer incentives for employees to get and stay healthy. What are you doing to improve your health? What is your company doing to develop a healthier workforce? We would appreciate the opportunity to talk with you about ways to encourage a healthier workforce.

 

At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.

 

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you.

 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez

 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

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National Men’s Health Week

About a month ago we discussed Women’s Health Week. Well men this time it’s your turn, because this week is National Men’s Health Week. So ladies, you can pass this along to your father, brother, husband, son, friends and other important men in your life.

 

The goal for the week is to raise awareness about preventable health issues and to encourage early detection and treatment of diseases in males.

 

Men are constantly on the go these days, and unlike women, men are far less likely to schedule annual health check-ups. This is one of the factors leading to a shorter life expectancy in men.

 

The Men’s Health Week web site has lots of great information and resources. Following are some links to items that may be of interest:

 

·           Blueprint For Men’s Health Book – this is a downloadable book providing information on health issues faced by men today. It also discusses risk factors, symptoms and prevention strategies.

·           The Silent Health Crisis chart – this contains several facts and charts and gives some reasons why men’s life expectancy is shorter than that of women

·           Men’s Health Facts – one page with lots of statistics

·           Men’s Health Library with articles and resources on various topics

 

I hope this will encourage you to pay closer attention to your health and get your check-ups!

 

At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.

 

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you.

 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez

 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

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Melanoma & Skin Cancer

Ahhh…flowers, warmer temperatures, trees full of leaves. These are just some of the many refreshing aspects of “Spring” – that glorious time of year when everything seems to wake up from the cold winter and begin anew. And we know that with spring in full force, summer is right around the corner. When I think summer, I think sun, lots of sun.

 

The sun has this wonderful ability to make us feel more alive and just want to bask in it, especially after a long winter. But, (you knew that was coming didn’t you) we must be sun smart and take the proper precautions to stay healthy. Therefore in observation of May as Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month, we’ll look at ways to be sun smart and reduce our risk of skin cancer.

 

To get started, why not take the “Rays Your Grade” for Sun Safety survey from the American Academy of Dermatology. I did and got an “A” (well, I have to pat myself on the back), but there were also plenty of things I didn’t know.

 

Now that you have figured out what you don’t know about sun safety, we’ll take a look at some tips for having fun in the sun the smart way.

 

·           Generously apply sunscreen

·           Wear protective clothing

·           Seek shade

·           Use extra caution near water, snow and sand

·           Protect children by applying sunscreen

·           Get vitamin D safely

·           Avoid tanning beds

·           Check your birthday suit on your birthday

 

If you are like me, on that last one you probably said, “Huh?” Get a further description for each of these tips at MakeSunSafetyYourGoal.org.

 

At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.

 

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you.

 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez

 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

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National Women’s Health Week

It’s time to focus on women’s health, because this week (May 11-17) is National Women’s Health Week. For all the men out there receiving this, don’t feel left out. Just pass this along to your Mom, sister, wife and friends. And guys the link below which says “web site” has lots of great information for men, too.

 

It’s hard to keep up with all of our commitments these days. Women are pulled in a million different directions, and sometimes we let our health check-ups and screenings fall by the wayside as a result.

 

The Office on Women’s Health at the US Department of Health and Human Services sponsors this awareness week to encourage women to make their health a top priority. Their web site has tons of great information. We hope you’ll take some time to browse the list of topics to see what might be helpful to you.

 

Following are some items that we found to be particularly timely and valuable:

 

·           Screening Tests and Immunizations Guidelines for Women

·           Frequently Asked Questions — Mammograms

·           Research on Cancers in Women

·           Women and Sleep

 

At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.

 

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you.

 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez

 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

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May is National Bike Month

After three weeks of discussing health care reform, we’ll break from the cerebral and talk about something a little lighter. But, we hope you checked out the blogs on health care reform, because it’s certainly a hot topic and we should all be informed about the facts.

 

May is National Bike Month, and the week of May 12-16 is designated as Bike-to-Work Week with Friday the 16^th being Bike-to-Work Day. (It seems like it would be easier if they would just suggest you bike to work the whole month, but then again who would do that?)

 

The League of American Bicyclists promotes these awareness efforts. They suggest that people ride bicycles for exercise, to save fuel costs (who can’t appreciate that right now?), escape traffic, help the environment and to have fun. Those all sound good to us. For more information on why people choose to ride bikes, have a look at their web site.

 

And under the category of something we’ve learned through this blogging process, apparently Louisville has a pretty active cycling community. For information on bicycling in Louisville, go to www.louisvilleky.gov/BikeLouisville. At that site you will find information from bicycle laws and safety to local organizations and bike shops. Also watch for news on that site about bicycling events to coincide with National Bike Month.

 

We’re curious about how many of you bicycle regularly. If you know of any great parks or trails for biking or have other stories, post a comment.

 

At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.

 

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you.

 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez

 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

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Today is American Diabetes Alert Day

Nearly 21 million people in the United States have diabetes, and almost one-third (6.2 million people) do not know they have it. 

Tuesday, March 25 is American Diabetes Alert Day. This special day is designated by the American Diabetes Association. It is a call-to-action for people to find out if they are at risk for diabetes. The goal is to raise awareness that this is a serious disease. 

Diabetes is very common, and I’m sure we all know someone who has it. The scary thing is that so many people have it and don’t know, so check out the diabetes risk test from the American Diabetes Association to see if you are at risk. Of course your doctor is the only one who can determine if you have the disease, but this quick test may help you determine your risk. 

Since many of the symptoms of diabetes seem harmless, the condition often is undiagnosed.  

Symptoms of diabetes may include:

• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Increased fatigue
• Irritability
• Blurry vision

For more information about diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association web site. There are many resources, including summaries of the latest diabetes research and great recipes.

And remember we are concerned about your health and your insurance needs.

At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.  

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you. 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC 

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

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Exercise for Better Health

It’s the middle of March. Are you still on track with the New Year’s Resolutions you set just a few months ago? The goals we set for ourselves at the start of a new year often relate to our health – exercising more, losing weight, eating healthier, etc. Often these resolutions are gone as quickly as the confetti which brought in the New Year. If you need a little help staying on track with your exercise goals, keep reading. 

We found a great resource online, which allows individuals or groups to set a goal for physical activity and then track it for a six-week period. What a great way to stick with a goal of increased exercise for 2008. The site is www.americaonthemove.org.  

First you sign up, which is free. Then you can choose your challenge. Each challenge lists the total number of steps you will take during the six-week period. You can revise or change your challenge at any time, and you track your progress online. There are great resources to help you “add 2000 more steps each day” and “eat 100 fewer calories daily,” which are the two things most American’s need to do to stop weight gain, according to the site. 

Get the whole office involved by signing up as a group, or get family and friends active by becoming challenge buddies. 

There are so many benefits of exercise – weight control, increased energy, feeling and looking better, and often overall better physical health, which can also save money on your insurances. Let’s face it the healthier you are the better rates you can get!  

At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.  

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you. 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

Spread the word

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