Bay Marketing Ft. Myers Health Insurance

Movement Is the Best Medicine

2009-09-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

If you don't already have a Ft Myers Florida health insurance plan, then you really can't afford to go another day without one! Talk to one of our health insurance agents today to explore your options for Florida health plans. If you already have Fort Myers health insurance, that's wonderful...but what else can you do to further ensure your long term health? The answer is simple: MOVE.

Millions of Americans have an exercise deficiency simply because they do not have a deep understanding of why exercise is so important. We all know that exercise is good for us, but still, there are many folks who are suffering - even dying - from conditions related to either poor diet or lack of exercise. This does not have to be the case. Bolster your Ft Myers health insurance plan today by beginning an exercise routine and sticking with it. Here are some good reasons why:

What You Use Will Only Become Stronger

When you use your muscles, they become stronger; this applies to all muscles, including the most important one of all - the heart. Exercise also strengthens the respiratory system by expanding lung capacity. It can help prevent osteoporosis by strengthening bones, and help bowels to move properly, which can help prevent colon cancer. Exercise also moves lymph through the lymphatic system, strengthening immunity, which in turn helps prevent cancer.

Nourish Organs and Glands, Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes

Physical activity gets the blood pumping through the arteries, helping to clean out deposits of arterial plaque. When you're exercising, you're also breathing in plenty of fresh air, and the body needs that oxygen to carry on its processes. Adequate oxygen supports the immune system, defending the body against illness and disease. Your cells crave fresh air, and when they aren't getting enough of it, the deficiency manifests in the form of health problems. Oxygen nourishes the blood which nourishes every organ and gland in your body. Simply put, you can't be healthy without healthy organs and glands.

Prevent Diabetes, Depression, and Sleeplessness

Physical activity plays a very important role in controlling blood sugar, which is especially important for diabetes prevention. Exercise also improves insulin sensitivity and allows muscles to better utilize sugar for energy.

In a time when so many people are depending on sleep medications and antidepressants, it's much healthier and more cost effective to get some exercise. Why not just exercise, which generates endorphins and elevates the mood, making you not only feel better, but naturally sleep more soundly?

Apart from keeping your Ft Myers health insurance costs low, you have a few other concrete reasons why exercise needs to be a top priority. It just makes sense: instead of paying hundreds or thousands of dollars more than you should be paying for Fort Myers health plans, you can do physical activities that have multiple benefits and keep your health care costs LOW.

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Serving central and west coast Florida, Bay Marketing, a licensed independent contractor with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, has been providing Ft. Myers insurance plan information for individuals and employers during the last twenty years. Many of their professional agents specialize in both individual and commercial health insurance for the florida business owner. Call 239-275-8500 / 800-330-7124 or contact Bay Marketing for an online individual and group insurance quote at Florida Health Plans Online.

Author Elliot Bigman.

Paying for Health Care Reform With Medicare/Medicaid Savings

2009-08-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here in Ft Myers, health insurance reform is a huge issue as our local population consists largely of retirees, many of whom are becoming increasingly concerned about the cost sustainability of their Medicare and their Fort Myers health plans. As health care costs continue to rise, reform is something the Obama Administration earnestly hopes to include in the 2010 Fiscal Budget. President Obama has identitifed savings which could constitute a reserve fund for the proposed health care reform plan. Approximately half of the funding would come from proposals to generate revenue, while the rest would come from Medicare and Medicaid savings.

Based on White House projections, the Medicare savings proposals would reduce beneficiary premiums for physician and outpatient services by about $33 billion over the next decade. As a result of these proposals, beneficiaries would also see an improvement in the quality of their Medicare services. The reserve fund includes a host of Medicare/Medicaid savings proposals, some of which include:

- Improving the accuracy of Medicare and Medicaid payments. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) would have to strengthen their integrity efforts in order to address flaws that have led to billions in overpayments and fraud each year.

- Reducing Medicare overpayments to private insurers would save taxpayers roughly $177 billion over 10 years, as well as reduce Part B premiums. This would be accomplished through the establishment of a competitive system in which payments are based on an average of plans' bids submitted to Medicare.

- Reducing hospital readmission rates and improving post-hospital care. The idea here is that a combination of incentive payments and penalties would lead to better care and fewer readmissions, which would save approximately $25 billion over 10 years.

- Expanding the Hospital Quality Improvement Program to improve quality of care for beneficiaries. This would be done by tying a portion of Medicare payments for acute in-patient hospital services to hospital performance on certain measures of quality. As a result of this effort, Medicare would save around $12 billion over 10 years.

- Cutting waste, abuse and fraud. When it comes to care, patients need quality, not quantity. Unnecessary treatments are not only expensive, but can also pose risks to patient health. To prevent physicians from ordering unnecessary treatment, the Administration proposes increasing scrutiny (through a pre-payment review process) in high-risk areas or for those physicians who order an excessive amount of high-risk services.

For residents of Fort Myers, health insurance, Medicare and health care reform are no doubt important topics. As citizens directly affected by these potential changes in policy, it's important that you stay abreast of the facts, beware of misinformation surrounding health care reform, and show your support for legistlation that speaks to your needs (which are probably not unlike those of many other Americans). If you are satisfied with your Ft Myers health plans, rest assured in knowing that under Obama's plan, you would be able to keep your private insurance and continue seeing the doctors you trust.

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Serving central and west coast Florida, Bay Marketing, a licensed independent contractor with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, has been providing Ft. Myers insurance plan information for individuals and employers during the last twenty years. Many of their professional agents specialize in both individual and commercial health insurance for the florida business owner. Call 239-275-8500 / 800-330-7124 or contact Bay Marketing for an online individual and group insurance quote at Florida Health Plans Online.

Author Elliot Bigman.

Meet Robert Stroup: Your Source for Ft. Myers Health Insurance

2009-07-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

After serving as an investment advisor for 15 years, Robert W. Stroup joined our team at Bay Marketing two years ago. In those two short years, Robert has already been awarded with the 'Long Term Care' award (2007) and the 'Blue Cross Convention' award (2008). It comes as no surprise, then, that Robert has found success at Bay Marketing. His success comes from having paired many customers with the Ft. Myers health insurance plans that were perfect for their budgets and lifestyles.

Specialties: Robert's insurance specialties include Annuities, Life, Health, and Long Term Care.

Commonly asked questions from customers: "What Fort Myers health insurance plans provide the best coverage at the lowest cost?"

Advice for customers seeking Ft. Myers health plans: "Buy insurance from a quality firm that has networks and finances established."

Opinion on lowering the cost of health insurance: "Lowering the cost of health insurance can be accomplished by many things. Making it harder for lawyers to win frivolous lawsuits would be a good start."

Are you ready to talk about good health, risk prevention and peace of mind? Are you ready to talk about the future? Give me (Robert) a call and let's share our thoughts! We'll discuss the Fort Myers health plans that are tailored to your needs and budget. I have a great deal of experience finding the best Blue Cross Blue Shield plan at the lowest expense for each of my customers. Let's make this happen for you!

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Serving central and west coast Florida, Bay Marketing, a licensed independent contractor with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, has been providing insurance plan information for individuals and employers during the last twenty years. Many of their professional agents specialize in both individual and commercial health insurance for the florida business owner. Call 239-275-8500 / 800-330-7124 or contact Bay Marketing for an online individual and group insurance quote at Florida Health Plans Online.

Tips For Choosing a Doctor

2009-06-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

If you are working with a Ft. Myers health insurance plan, your ability to choose your doctor may be affected by your plan. Whether you are new to the area and are just looking into Ft. Myers health plans or you are beginning new insurance coverage, finding a doctor can be a little bit of a daunting task. After all, this is a person into whose hands you will be placing yourself for your basic medical care, to monitor any medical conditions you have, to handle any acute illnesses short of hospital visits, and for referring you to specialists as needed.

Why look for a new doctor right away? The answer is simple: because you need to have a primary care physician that you are established with. If you are not established at a doctor's office, it can be extraordinarily difficult to get an appointment, especially in an emergency. Without established care, you will likely end up in the hospital or urgent care to seek treatment, which is decidedly more expensive. Were you to visit your own primary care physician, you would be treated by someone who has knowledge of your personal and medical history and would therefor be able to make better decisions about what course of action to take.

Tips for finding a new doctor:

*Ask people you know and trust if they would recommend their doctor. If so, inquire with the office as to whether they are accepting new patients.

*Check with your local hospital- they should have a list of area physicians (usually family physicians that are on staff with the hospital) that may include information as to which practitioners are open to new patients at that time.

*You can perform online checks on doctor's credentials, and oftentimes find reviews on local or national medical review sites. If you are working from a list of doctors within your Fort Myers health insurance plan, look to these sources to learn more about the doctors available to you.

General questions to ask potential doctors:

*What services do they offer?
*What hours do they operate and what provisions are made for after-hours needs?
*Who would be in charge of your care were they to be unavailable?
*Do they have staff privileges at any of the local hospitals?
*How does the office process insurance claims?
*What is their policy on referrals?

Meeting with a doctor is the absolute best way to make your decision about whether or not to come to them for your primary care needs. It is best to schedule an annual check up or a new-patient well visit before you have need of any actual medical care. Discuss any questions or concerns you have with the doctor. Get a feel for their general approach and decide whether or not they are the appropriate physician for you, based on your office visit, personal interaction, and the availability of the services you would need from them.

Serving central and west coast Florida, Bay Marketing, a licensed independent contractor with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, has been providing insurance plan information for individuals and employers during the last twenty years. Many of their professional agents specialize in both individual and commercial health insurance for the florida business owner. Call 239-275-8500 / 800-330-7124 or contact Bay Marketing for an online individual and group insurance quote at Florida Health Plans Online.

Author Elliot Bigman.

Driving on the highway can be dangerous to your health: Slow down and yield the right of way

2009-05-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Have you been driving on the highway recently and raced to keep from getting rear-ended by other drivers racing at 80 miles per hour plus? They pass you in the right lane traveling at 90 MPH and get right on your bumper even when there are twenty cars ahead of you.

2007 statistics from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles show the top two causes of Florida traffic accidents are reckless driving and failure to yield the right of way. Speeding has caused many accidents on the highways involving rear end and side collisions. Click here to read the full story about the picture above.

In Florida, the highest percentage of accidents involving injuries were rear end collisions with 73,333 injuries and 26.4 % of the total 212,149 injuries. In 2007 alone, an average of 702 motor vehicle and car crashes occured daily with a total 256,206 traffic accidents claiming 3,221 lives. Nationally traffic accidents are the number one cause of major injuries and the number one killer of people 34 years and under.

Because of the amount of increased traffic congestion on the highways, Florida drivers need to slow down and yield the right of way. Passing on the left lane of the highway and following the rules of safe driving speeds and distances would lower the accident rate considerably. That would also lower the injury rate and medical care expenses involved when accidents occur. Keeping our state highways safe requires the cooperation of every driver and Florida resident.

This driver safety message brought to you by Bay Marketing Fort Myers, an independent award winning health insurance agency serving Lee, Collier, and Charlotte County residents. Contact us at 239-275-8500 or toll free 800-330-7124 for your Florida Health Plan questions and Fort Myers health insurance quotes.

Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan Options

2009-03-20T06:07:00.001-07:00

For seniors who want supplement insurance, many private insurance companies offer Medicare Advantage plans with low premiums. Eligible seniors include those enrolled in Medicare Part B. Premiums are offered at lower rates because the federal government provides insurance companies subsidies to enroll seniors in the medicare supplement plans.

The Medicare Advantage medical coverage is offered by private insurance companies and is an alternative to Medicare. The following types of Medicare Advantage plans all offer medical and drug coverage together, making it simpler to purchase one policy instead of several separate policies.

1)Medicare health maintenance organizations are less expensive, but there are limitations about going outside of the network of doctors and hospitals for medical treatment.
2)Preferred-provider organizations, have a network of preferred doctors and hospitals within a state. They allow patients to see providers out of the network at increased copayments.
3) Private fee-for-service plans allows the most freedom by letting the patient see any doctor of choice that accepts the health insurance. If you already have a doctor, make sure they participate as a provider before deciding on this type of coverage.

Many Medicare Advantage plans also include vision and dental coverage and have lower copays than Medicare. Although the co-pays for more expensive services such as hospitilization and surgery tend to be higher. If seniors have had hospitalizations in the past, make sure to check out the limitations on hospital coverage with the Medicare Advantage plans.

It is important to understand all the restrictions for Medicare Advantage plans before choosing. Take the time to ask a reputable insurance agent about all the Medicare options available and compare them with other types of supplemental insurance to make an informed decision about your medical coverage.

Bay Marketing Fort Myers is an award winning insurance agency. Call 239-275-8500 or visit Florida health Plans Online for experienced advice about your health plan options.