Squeak. Squeak.

We have all experienced it.  You are in a group of people working together.  Maybe at a job. Maybe in school.  Perhaps on a volunteer project.  Guests at a party.  Doesn’t matter where…you have experienced it.  The squeaky wheel.

 The Complainer...

Yes, there are a number of people who feel that complaining will get them something more than someone else who isn’t complaining.  And the truth is this:  They are usually right.  Complain and you will get more attention.  Get special breaks.  Be treated favorably or better than others. This is true throughout society.  Complainers get noticed and often preferential treatment. 

So as an employer, what lesson can you learn from this basic human trait?  It’s that there are people out there who will use complaints to get their way.  And more than that, it will often be at the expense of other employees who are not...

On Monday, President Trump signed an order to require pricing transparency by healthcare providers. This has the potential to impact every medical practice.

Section 3a impacts hospitals

Section 3b impacts providers, insurers and self-insured health groups

Also noted is the directive to provide additional information to the President on "surprise billing".  This directive will certainly push such legislation and/or directives forward in the near future.

Read President Trump's actual order here.

While there are some who immediately have jumped on the "Nay" bandwagon, there are some positive elements to this concept which may provide a significant stimulus to change the way healthcare is paid for.  This, along with other recent proposed legislation on "Surprise Bill Prohibition" will certainly result in downstream effects on the way healthcare services are priced, billed and collected.

These are developments which all healthcare providers should pay close attention to.

...

TV and Radio Insurance Jockeys

We have all heard the ads on the radio, TV or internet. 

We will get you the lowest price for your insurance...

And they do a good job of doing that.  How does it work?  What do they do that is special to get these great deals?

Let's first clear up one question.  Can they get insurance cheaper for you than another agent?  Not really.  Why?  Because all agents use the same way of getting price quotes for you based on the information you provide.  So technically they should all get the same quote from the same insurance company.

How do the online guys save money?

So how do they "save money" for you?  Simple.  Some actually find a low priced policy by price shopping across various insurance companies.  They are able to compare the price quotes from different insurance companies and provide you with that quote. It's called "brokering" in the insurance world.  Nothing unique to that practice. ...

You have spent your entire career building and growing your practice.  Maybe you were even the founder of the practice.  It represents your blood, sweat, and all too often ... tears, from years of dedicated work.

Now it's time to cash out.  Retirement here I come!  I see the big nest egg that my practice buy-out will provide me.  Maui ... here I come!

It's Time To Buy Me Out!

But hold on there cowboy!

There is a problem. What you think your practice is worth and what you should get from it, isn't necessarily the value offered by your partners that you are leaving behind.  Maybe they see the practice value far lower than you do.

Now what?

Perhaps the last thing you want when you leave your practice is to have it a contentious event.  There is nothing more potent than money when it comes to poisoning a relationship.  Everyone typically overvalues their own contribution and undervalues everyone else's. 

A retirement buy-out is...

The "ultra" rich individual has very special risk circumstances, many of which we will likely never experience, such as risk from endorsements, huge investments, directorship positions, multiple homes, exotic autos, and boat or other things we can't fathom.  However, there are some strategies that SMART ultra-rich do use to protect their fortunes.  They use them, and you should too!

1. ALWAYS look at the risk potential of everything you do.   What good is a huge financial return if it puts your entire financial well being at risk? What good is a "relaxing vacation" if the location puts your life at risk?  What good is a thrill ride in a hang glider if you have a high chance of a severe accident? Although it may seem troublesome to always be looking at the risk of life's events, it's far less trouble than trying to repair something that has gone wrong that you could have prevented or reduced. 

2. KNOW where your existing risks are.  Understand...

What Could Possibly Happen?  This Is A Vacation....

• Earthquake or Hurricane at your destination
• You or someone in your party gets seriously ill...before the trip
• You get injured or seriously ill on your trip
• You are happily retired and on Medicare. Are you covered outside of the country?
• You need emergency evacuation for medical reasons
• Something else happens on your trip or before your trip

Visit our Travel Insurance FAQ page here....

Are You Covered?

Simple answer...Maybe.  

Yes, it's the "gotcha" of the fine print.  And it is extremely important that you have the coverage written into the policy that you have purchased for your trip. If it's not specifically covered, it's probably not.  

It's essential that you read the policy over very carefully when purchasing insurance for your trip.  The levels and types of coverage are not standardized and vary considerably from policy to policy. ...

I have been in the healthcare business for over 40 years.  Now I am helping others in risk management as I myself approach the "Medicare Age".

Given that, there are a ton of unanswered questions about Medicare and it's related programs that should be answered before you make your decisions about which plan options you should take ... or pass on.

But who can help with this?  Who can help you understand and navigate the various Medicare options?  Who can you trust?

While working with a knowledgable insurance broker is always a great idea, many people don't have a regular insurance broker to help them understand their options.  Many do, after having worked with them for many years previously on their personal, business and professional risk management portfolios.  

Regardless, it's often a great idea to have an independent resource that can help you become better informed to make your Medicare-related required decisions more...

Let's face it.  Keeping up with data security is a pain...in the password.  

There are SO many different ways that malicious people can hack into your system and cause havoc. Not just in being in your system, but potentially deleting, destroying, modifying and generally messing things up.  

Such problems are not just inconvenient to your business, they can be huge problems, opening up your business to severe fines, penalties and censures.  Security is no longer just a "nice" thing to do, it's the required thing to do.  

In this article "7 common mistakes..." there are several items that should be done for ALL I.T. installations, not just your business. These are also equally applicable to your personal networks.  

In addition to the items listed in the article, there are several others that should become part of your routine I.T. security that I have come up with.  Do you have others?  If so, share them below...

1. If...

We all know there is a risk to investing.  We never really know if the market is going up ...  or down.

Most of our lives, this isn't an immediate issue for most people.  They are in the market for the long term and "conventional" wisdom is that you shouldn't sell when the market is down, but rather wait until it comes back, which is invariable does.  

Note:  This post does not provide any specific information for individuals to use for investing.  That is your responsibility alone.  This is NOT investment advice.  This article is to highlight an element of investing that you should consider in your own investment plan.

Near Retirement?

Although it's often the plan to "ride out the storm" of a market downturn, there is a time when that can be difficult.  When you are relying on those investments to create your retirement cash flow.  You need monthly income, which you get from your investments, and now they are down. ...

I really don't talk about personal medical experiences, but in this case, I will.  

Why?

Because I believe it's in everyone's best interest to prevent preventable diseases.  And with some diseases, you can reduce your risk by getting a vaccination.

My story.

It's simple.  A couple of years back I had a small amount of irritation and a few small pinpoint blisters on my leg.  Fortunately, I got the diagnosis of shingles in the first day or so and went on anti-viral therapy once the diagnosis was made.  I only had a mild case on my leg, about 4x10 inches.  

And it WAS fortunate for me that it was mild.  Even that small amount of area was extremely painful and gave me an appreciation of what a bad case can feel like.  In a word... I can now understand how really terrible it is to have active shingles.  It is bad. For those who have never had shingles, you simply wouldn't get it.  But maybe I can help.

To let you know what my...