12 Ways to Cut Health Care Costs

Good genes can go a long way toward helping you stay healthy. And the healthier you are, the less your health insurance is likely to cost.But if you drew the short end of the stick (so to speak) when it comes to genetic inheritance, you can still slash health care costs–and improve your health–by following a few simple guidelines:Choose your health insurer wisely. Don’t just pick the one with the cheapest plan; aim instead for a policy with the benefits you need at a price you can afford.Know what your health plan covers–and what it doesn’t–and follow the rules. Double-check whether the services and providers you need are covered under your plan ahead of time…before you receive treatment. Then make sure you follow the appropriate procedures regarding appointments, claims and referrals.Coordinate health insurance plans. If you and your spouse both work and have employer-sponsored health plans, be careful to avoid duplicate coverage. This can drain your wallet, causing you to pay more for benefits than is really necessary. If you do decide to maintain both coverages, however, make sure you understand how the plans will mesh together…especially if one or both of you belongs to an HMO.Plan ahead. Clarify which doctors, hospitals and emergency services belong to your plan’s network–and under what circumstances you may use them. Write this information down, and keep it close by in case of emergency. You’ll avoid excessive out-of-pocket expenses and make things easier on yourself when it comes to filing claims.Use generic drugs, rather than name brand. Your health insurer considers generics “cost effective,” so they’re willing to bear a greater percentage of their cost than that of name brand drugs. You can cut costs by an average of $10-$40 per prescription by using generics, whenever possible.Take advantage of health care spending accounts. These enable you to pay for certain out-of-pocket medical expenses, such as dental and vision care, on a pre-tax basis.Lose weight. According to recent studies, being obese can add as much as $395 per year to your health care costs. That’s more than smoking, aging 20 years, or drinking excessively! Not only is being overweight bad for your health; it can also make finding good health insurance coverage difficult.Quit smoking. The cost of smoking escalates your health care expenses by one-third over your lifetime. This means greater claims risk for your insurer–and higher health insurance premiums for you. So kick the habit and save your money for other things. You’ll live longer, and get cheaper health insurance rates, too!Increase your exercise level. This is also a great way to get healthy, live longer and save money on your health insurance.Participate in free or low-cost community health services. Many HMOs and local departments of health offer free blood pressure checks, flu shots, classes on nutrition and diet, and other lifestyle programs. Take advantage of these resources to help you stay healthy and active.Raise your health insurance deductible or co-pay level. You can lower your health insurance premiums by raising the amount you pay for your deductible or co-pay. Just make sure you have enough money saved to cover the increased expenses up front.Make health insurers compete for your business. Use an online shopping service like InsureMe.com to get free quotes, competitive rates and great health insurance coverage. This puts the choice in yourhands–and gives you more control over your health insurance decisions.Finding cheap health insurance isn’t easy…but it can be done.So take these tips to heart, and do what it takes get the coverage you deserve. You’ll stick around longer–and so will your money!

Miami Real Estate: Investment Loans

A loan on secured by Miami real estate collateral is typically known as a mortgage. This is the most popular form of real estate investment loan used by investors. Miami real estate investments provide an opportunity to generate cash flow. Apart from commercial banks, savings banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, real estate investment loans can also be obtained from insurance companies, mortgage bankers, mortgage trusts, investment trusts, pension funds and finance lenders. Private individuals sometimes offer real estate investment loans as well.There are two types of Miami real estate investment loans, namely, residential loans and commercial loans. Property that is solely used for business purposes like malls or industrial parks would be termed as commercial real estate. Commercial loans include buildings, warehouses, and stores. These properties are generally five or more units. Property that is solely used for single unit housing purposes is termed as residential real estate. Residential loans include those properties that are bought for rental income and future appreciation. The borrower initially receives a lump sum from the lender, which has to be paid back in installments. Purchasing a Miami real estate residential property involves having significant funds. Before qualifying for an investment loan, three main factors are considered: investor’s income, credit scores and reserves. In order to qualify for a loan, there are five basic essentials: interest rate, terms, payment, final value and principal. Loans can carry a fixed interest rate or rates that vary with market conditions. Some loans have negative amortization periods; investors should be cautious of such loans.Miami real estate investment loans comprise of interim loans, short-term loans and long-term loans. Apart from commercial and residential loans, the other types of loans that are offered are construction debt, permanent debt, equity financing, structured financing, interim financing, mezzanine financing, foreclosure investor money, hard money loans and residential repair funding.Investors may not need perfect credit scores to qualify for real estate investment loans. Bad credit real estate loans are designed for those individuals who have a less than perfect credit report. It is a type of sub prime mortgage and is a higher risk to the mortgage lender because of the past credit history of the borrower. Bad credit loans allow individuals to obtain a mortgage for buying real estate when other more conventional mortgage lenders or banks may have turned them down.The longer the tenure of a loan, the higher the interest rate will be. A 30-year fixed loan will have a higher interest rate than a 2-year fixed loan. But people generally opt for a loan with a shorter-term fixed option, as the rate of interest is lower and hence the monthly payment is lower. To get a loan there are no pre-determined limits set for the real estate investor.Some Miami real estate investors tend to prefer in marketable real estate assets. Buying shares in a real investment trust or REIT is one way to do this. Investment loans can be used to partially fund such investments and the REIT shares are used as collateral to secure such loans.

Small Business Advertising: Why It Is Important to Advertise

Starting and running a small business can be an exciting opportunity for anyone. But far too many small business owners overlook the importance of advertising as a revenue driver. The fact is that advertising is the engine that drives global business, representing around $500 billion annually. But even though major international companies have been consistently advertising, demonstrating their recognition of its importance, the small and local business market has been slow to catch on.Either these small and local businesses either are not advertising at all, or, when they do, they make considerable mistakes doing so. After all, small business owners are not typically trained in the details of marketing, so they are deprived of the basic understanding of how to create an effective advertising campaign. And to make matters worse, most small businesses don’t con side the importance of learning how to advertises, or how to engage outside help to be successful.So what often happens is that, after a few negative ad campaign experiences, many small and local businesses cease advertising, and struggle to find other ways to promote their business. A phrase commonly heard among this crow goes something like “advertising just doesn’t work for our business.”Worse yet are the small businesses who get mediocre results from their advertising. They may be aware that something is wrong, but are unable to identify what exactly it is that is limiting their effectiveness. There’s a famous saying on the subject that goes something like “I know half of my advertising is wasted, I just don’t know which half.” This notion is particularly important for small and local businesses, because they can’t afford to waste the budget that they have spent on advertising. That’s why it’s crucial for small businesses to recognize the common mistakes they need to avoid, so their ad campaigns can be as successful as possible.Some mistakes include not recognizing who they are advertising to, and, as a result having a weak message that doesn’t resonate with anyone. Another very common problem is lack on constancy in the message of the ad and the destination website where an ad points. Finally, many small businesses neglect to take advantage of capturing leads and following up with them, even though the technology and the systems are so readily accessible.Small, local business advertising is easy to do. You just need to understand some basic rules, and know what mistakes to avoid. To help small business owners who are looking for help, I’ve prepared a report on 7 mistakes local businesses should avoid in their advertising. If you think it would be useful for your business, you can get access to it at http://baeronmarketing.com/7mistakes. Remember that advertising is a vital part of the economic success of most businesses. Don’t overlook the importance of budgeting for and constantly promoting your business to both prospects as well as your current clients.

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