Healthcare Reform and Aflac

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aflac_logoI’ve never been one who likes to hurry the seasons.  I like Summer to feel like Summer – long days in the sun, fresh tomatoes, enjoying the beach, the mountains or live outdoor music.  Fall is time for back to school, football, magnificent colors all around us, clear days and crisp nights.   This year, before we have barely gotten the sand out of our toes, there is a new deadline to consider and put into action.

This Fall, National Healthcare Reform will affect all of us.  By October 1, 2013, all employers will be required to notify their employees in writing what the plan for health insurance coverage will be moving forward –

  • to continue with an existing company-sponsored option
  • to provide a “defined contribution” toward an employee’s choice through the State Health Insurance Exchange
  • or to allow employees to purchase directly through the State Health Insurance Exchange. 

Every Healthcare plan will come with some level of risk.  You will start to hear about the Metal Plans:  the highest “Platinum Plans” will be the most expensive on a monthly basis, but will also have the highest level of coverage – an average of 90% with 10% shared cost be satisfied by the insured.  The most affordable coverage will be the “Bronze Plans”, with 60% insurance and 40% shared cost by the insured at the time of service. 

There is no way around it – Healthcare Reform is a complicated issue.  You might be wondering, what does Aflac have to do with all of this?    The Aflac plans are designed to help protect a family’s finances when there is a serious accident, critical illness, or loss of income due to a medical event.  While each of us is choosing what level of major medical coverage will be the right (and affordable) fit, those potential out of pocket expenses can be reduced by adding an inexpensive yet impactful Supplemental Plan from Aflac.

Most people don’t want to think about the financial impact of an unexpected medical event.  But with increased expenses, ongoing obligations and a potential loss of income, a medical event can become a financial crisis very quickly.  The money that Aflac pays you when you have a claim can be used for whatever you need – your car payment, rent, mortgage, groceries, utilities, child care – whatever you need.

Your healthcare choice will determine how you pay the doctors, hospitals and pharmacies.  Choosing Aflac will pay you (or your employees) to make sure that the life you come back to is the same as your life before that health event.

Gail Kelly, is a Supplemental Benefits Specialist and Independent Agent representing Aflac.  She is licensed throughout New England and can be reached at 978-758-5377 or gail_kelly@us.aflac.com.  You can contact her to leverage some of Aflac’s free HealthCare Reform tools for employers, or for a no obligation analysis of your plan.

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