The newly enacted federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the \”Act\”) Makes significant changes to the health and other benefits that employers offer to their employees. Additionally, there are administrative requirements required in the act with which an employer will need to comply.  It is imperative that employers have a detailed understanding of what changes are on the immediate horizon, as well as what changes will be required in the future, so that they may adequately plan and account for the administrative and financial impact of these changes to their business and on their workforce. While we continue to analyze the hundreds of provisions in the over 2,000 pages of new federal law, the purpose of this paper is to provide employers with a preliminary summary and explanation of the changes, and to alert employers to ambiguous areas in the act that will need to be clarified by regulations yet to be issued by federal agencies such as Health and Human Services and the IRS.

Timing of new requirements; details continue to be defined.  It is important to note that most of the provisions that will have a major impact on the health insurance marketplace – such as the new framework for health insurance products and the employer mandate to offer coverage – are not scheduled to go into effect until 2014. However, some of the provisions that have been less publicized in the media have effective dates in 2010 or are even retroactive to the beginning of 2010. Many of the deadlines discussed in this blog are calculated from the date of the act´s enactment,

March 23, 2010. For example, most of the effective dates in 2010 apply to plan years beginning on or after six months after the date of enactment (or September 23, 2010).

It is also important to note that many of the provisions in the act instruct federal agencies such as Health and Human Services and the IRS to define details, issue implementation guidelines or regulations, and resolve ambiguities. Such a process is typical with enacted legislation, and while a few guidelines have been issued, many of the provisions with near-term implementation dates have yet to be defined.

Where interpretation of the law is unclear, employers should consult their legal counsel for guidance.  Health plan auto-enrollment effective date is unclear.  The act will require employers with more than 200 full-time employees to automatically enroll new full-time employees in health coverage, although employees have the ability to opt out of coverage. The effective date for this requirement is unclear, but because the act states that the enrollment must be in accordance with regulations to be issued, it is possible that this requirement is not effective until those regulations are issued. 

Changes required in 2012

Issue 1099s for corporate service providers. One important change made by the act unrelated to health benefits requires employers beginning in 2012 to provide an IRS Form 1099 to all corporate service providers receiving more than $600 per year for services or property. Currently, 1099s need only be generated for non-corporate service providers and only on services.

Should I Buy Insurance Online?

Buying health insurance is much different than buying books and music. Insurance is complex and critically important to understand the benefits. Health care coverage protects both a family\’s health and its finances. Purchase the wrong book, and you\’re out a few dollars. Purchase the wrong health insurance coverage, and the consequences are far more significant. Remember, if you buy health insurance online, there may be no advisor to explain benefits, no advocate if problems arise and no counselor to help you make the right coverage choices

An Exclusive HR (human resources) Administration service we can offer to our clients – FREE! A $1,000 value.
HR WOW lets us give our clients amazing HR support tools that will save them TIME and MONEY including:

24HOUR a DAY HR SUPPORT

-Clients can download and customize hundreds of templates to create forms for any HR needs – from employee handbooks to job descriptions to procedure manuals and more.

ACCESS TO HR PROFESSIONALS

-Clients can call or email an unlimited number of questions to HR professionals on any HR topic and get answers they can start using right away.

AMAZING HEALTH TOOLS
-Clients´ get free access to great health tools like their Provider Search powered by WebMD and Hospital quality Comparison Tool.

ABILITY to CREATE WORKSHEETS AND UPDATE DATA
-With HRWow,our clients can update their own information for new hires or dependent add-ons anytime. An we will immediately see their revises data reflected in our system.

ACCESS TO POLICY & CARRIER INFO ANYTIME

-All policy data and insurance carrier information is always available online so our clients can get it when they need it.

Call us today! 909-392-5535

There´s a lot to know when it comes to buying insurance – the types of options available, how much protection you need, and what represents a fair price. That´s why it´s important to have an independent agent looking out for you and your family. Speak to your agent today about the Wedding Protector Plan.

Wedding insurance helps make things right when something goes wrong.

You´ve always dreamed of planning the perfect wedding, but no matter how carefully you plan it, there are many things that can go wrong – things that are beyond your control.

What if your reception venue goes out of business a month before the wedding, and you lose your deposit and have to find another location? Or a hurricane causes your wedding to be postponed? What if your bridal shop closes, leaving you without a gown?

A wedding is an investment, and as the average cost of weddings rises, now up to $28,082*, wedding insurance is needed more than ever.

For as little as $160, your wedding insurance policy can cover a variety of situations, such as:

No Dress. You can get repair or replacement cost if the bride´s wedding gown or groom´s tuxedo is lost or damaged.

Lost Deposits. We can reimburse your deposit if a vendor goes out of business, declares bankruptcy before your wedding, or simply fails to show up.

Lost Rings. You can receive repair or replacement cost if the bride or groom´s wedding bands are lost or damaged.

Severe Weather. If severe weather (such as a hurricane) forces you to postpone your wedding, we can provide reimbursement for non-recoverable expenses.

Transportation Shutdown. If you have to postpone the wedding because a commercial transportation shutdown prevents the bride, groom or their parents from getting there, you can receive reimbursement for non for non-recoverable expenses.

Ruined Photos. If your photographer´s film is defective, or negatives are lost or damages we can help cover the cost to re-take new photos.

Call to Duty. If the bride or groom is unexpectedly called up to active duty, or has her or his military service leave revoked, forcing you to postpone the event, we can provide reimbursement for non-recoverable expenses.

Damage Gifts. You can get repair or replacement cost if your wedding gifts are damaged.

Sudden Illness. If the wedding needs to be postponed because sudden illness prevents the bride, groom or their parents from attending, you can receive reimbursement for non-recoverable expenses.

Venue Requires Insurance. As an additional option to your policy, you can add liability coverage to protect yourself in case a guest is injured or causes damage to property.

Liquor Liability. As an individual liability option to your policy, you can add this coverage to protect yourself against liability arising from alcohol-related occurrences (subject to policy conditions and exclusions).

Additional Expense. If a vendor suddenly becomes unavailable for your event but you can find a last-minute replacement, we can reimburse your for the difference in cost.

The results of a survey released by the National Council on Aging revealed that a large percentage of baby boomers and seniors ages 65 and older do not understand Medicare and are unaware of important recent or impending changes to the program.

The need for more education regarding the nation´s largest health insurance program will grow during the next two decades as tens of millions of people are added to the program.  Many are not taking advantage of important programs that could help them better afford their health care.

United Healthcare and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) host a series of educational meetings at senior and community centers across the country to raise awareness or resources to help boomers and beneficiaries lean more about Medicare.

For more information about Medicare contact us.

Does your company have Cyber Liability Insurance?

Traditional liability products do not address Internet exposures and the risks involved in Internet business have blossomed with the Net itself. That is why you need Cyber Liability Insurance.

Anyone with a Web site now has the legal liabilities of a publisher.

What is Cyber-Insurance? 

Cyber-insurance is an insurance product used to protect businesses from Internet-based risks, and more generally from risks relating to information technology infrastructure and activities. Risks of this nature are typically excluded from traditional commercial general liability policies.

The Benefits of Cyber-Insurance 

Cyber-insurance increases cyber-security by encouraging the adoption of best practices. Insurers will require a level of security as a precondition of coverage, and companies adopting better security practices often receive lower insurance rates. This helps companies to internalize both the benefits of good security and the costs of poor security, which in turn leads to greater investment and improvements in cyber-security. The security requirements used by cyber-insurers are also helpful.

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Office: (909)392-5535

Each year, an estimated 17 million people due from heart disease. What exactly is \”heart

disease?\” The term is used to describe a range of ailments that affect the heart. The various
illnesses that fall under the umbrella of heart disease include unhealthy blood vessels, such as
coronary artery disease: heart rhythm problems, heart infections and congenital heart defects,
which can be detected at birth.

Heart disease is largely preventable. Leading a \”heart healthy\” lifestyle puts an emphasis on
healthy eating and exercise. Even small changes can bring about big results. And, if you smoke
– quit.

Through Heart health Awareness Month, Henderson Insurance wants to remind you to make
healthier living a priority and encourages you to take proactive steps to control the factors that
put you at greater risk for heart disease. By choosing to make our own lives healthier, we can
positively influence those around us.

Connect with us!

Assisted living insurance, also known as long term care, can provide you with peace of mind as you approach your latter years.  The insurance will also take some of the financial strain from your family when you need some form of long term care to help you in day-to-day activities.  Selecting the right type of plan can be a complex and confusing experience.  Before buying, consider the following:

Do the research:  Be sure to understand the type of coverage you need and take time research the options.  Check out the costs of nursing home facilities in your area.

Consider rising costs:  Important to factor in the rising costs of assisted living.

Check the company\’s credentials: This can usually be done through the state\’s insurance department.

Interested in finding our more about assisted living insurance? Contact us to arrange a consultation with one of our agents who can answer any questions you have and discuss suitable options available.

There are choices.  The California Partnership for Long-Term Care, an educational program of the California Department of Health Care Services is dedicated to making sure you are prepared.

Recent earthquakes through out the world have reinforced the need for businesses to be prepared for any type of disaster.  We have already seen, flooding, and wind damage inSouthern California.  So what can you do to help ensure your business is prepared?

1.  Develop Plans for Resuming Your Business – maintain a comprehensive business continuity plan.  Look at those natural hazards you consider to be most likely to encounter based upon your location.  How will it impact your customers?  Consider what your response will be before, during and after the event.

2.  Address your natural hazard exposures –  How likely is it that your business will be impacted by a flood, earthquake or wildfire?  For more information, visit the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety website at disastersaftey.org.  Establish a strategy that your business can follow when responding to disaster.

3.  Preparation – You will need to develop a policy, plan and the development of your plans.   Evaluate the facility and operations to determine what existing protection features will address the indentified exposures.  Determine whether a building will survive a natural disaster or other weather-related event.

Stock necessary materials to support the response and recovery plan.  Having emergency supplies can prove very useful during an emergency.

4.  Response – These plans should include step to take as an event approaches, as well as during the event.  The following is important to consider:

•  Be familiar with all of the available evacuation routes in your area
• Account for all employees after the evacuation
• Keep emergency equipment in working order
• Use battery operated equipment or have a backup generator for communication equipment.
• Practice your emergency response procedures and plans

5.  Recovery –  Recovery efforts can take many forms: it can include salvage, such as damaged materials from undamaged materials, and getting the valued stock into a protected area.  It can involve stabilizing and securing structures.  It can include restoring damaged sprinkler systems.  It is important to understand that protecting the physical assets of your business us only part of the issue.  Protecting business relationships may be an ever bigger challenge for some companies.  Consider the following:

• Develop arrangements in advance with critical suppliers
• Maintain a stock of critical forms and supplies in a safe area.
• Communicate to your customers that you are in business, or if you are temporarily out of business, the length of time before you return.
• Updating your employee/supplier/customer list frequently.
• Materials you will need to support the recovery should be on hand wherever practical.

These are just some items to consider when creating a recovery plan.  Remember, natural disasters can occur anytime, anyplace.  You can not control when they will happen, but you can take the necessary steps to prepare your response ahead of time should a natural disaster strike your business.  Chances are the preparations you make will translate into better protection for your business, its assets and your employees.

According to a recent study conducted by the Ponemon Institute, a research group that studies Internet security found that cyber crimes are becoming more frequent and in turn, are costing businesses more money.  The study found that the most expensive cyber crimes were denial of service, Web-based attacks, malicious code and malicious insiders.  Attacks are also taking longer to resolve on average and are costing more, more than $ 415,000 per attack, up from more than $247,000 in 2010.  \”The bad guys are getting stealthier, and their attacks are getting harder to detect,\” Ponemon said.

This world isn´t perfect, especially not in the virtual world.  Viruses and cyber attacks can occur at any moment.  However, physical destruction to your own company is unpredictable as well as can be dangerous.  As a business owner, you are faced with risk factors on a regular basis.  Having a healthy commercial insurance plan with us will greatly diminish your chances of suffering from major loss.  Among the commonly required policies our agency offers are Group Health & Life Insurance, Workers Compensation, Employers Liability, and many more.