April 2010
Guardian's Maximum Rollover Dental Plans
The idea of rollover minutes is familiar to most cell phone users. Unused time gets saved and can be drawn on in later months if maximums are exceeded. Though the mechanics are different, rollover dental insurance plans give employees the ability to bank a portion of unspent annual benefit dollars. When claims top annual ceilings in future years, the prior year's surplus can be tapped.
The Guardian Life Insurance of America was one of the first carriers to introduce this innovative rollover feature, which serves as an enhancement to its extensive menu of customizable group dental plans. Maximum Rollover provides employees with a way to stretch annual plan dollars, potentially easing the burden of paying for expensive emergency work and also making it possible to plan for more costly procedures in future years.
Here's how Guardian's Maximum Rollover option works: An employee under a company dental plan has an annual claims limit. If, during a year, that person's bills for visits to a dentist come to less than half of the maximum, then 50% above that threshold gets added to an individual's rollover account. Maximum Rollover dollars can build up over a number of number of years which is a great benefit.
Preventive care is another nice feature. This feature lets employees go for regular cleanings and check-ups without having the bills applied to their annual claims maximum. This keeps mouths healthy while warding off more serious and costly future dental problems.
Keeping track of what is in the rollover accounts is easy. Separate reports tallying Maximum Rollover totals for employees and each qualifying family member is available at www.GuardianAnytime.com.
Excerpts taken from Employee Benefit News.
Health Care Reform - What does it mean for retirees?
President Obama has signed the landmark health-care overhaul legislation into law and the Senate is taking up a bill with proposed changes. Here are key provisions that could affect you.
Medicare - The Part D prescription-drug doughnut hole will be gradually reduced by 2020. Seniors who reach the doughnut hole in 2010 will receive a $250 rebate. Starting in 2011, drug companies will be required to provide a 50% discount on brand-name drugs bought in the coverage gap. The federal subsidy for Part D premiums will be reduced for higher-income beneficiaries. Cost sharing for preventive-care services is eliminated.
A new advisory board would submit recommendations to Congress to reduce the rate of growth in Medicare spending. The board is not allowed to submit proposals that would ration care or change benefits.
Nearly everyone would be required to buy coverage, or pay a penalty. Early retirees, the self-employed and others without insurance would be able to purchase coverage through state-based exchanges. Tax credits would be available to individuals and families with income between 133% and 400% of the poverty level.
Early retirees and self-employed: For most workers who receive employer-sponsored coverage, the new law is not likely to have much impact. But the law provides a number of protections for those who need to buy insurance in the individual market. Six months after enactment, health insurers cannot place lifetime limits on the value of coverage or revoke existing coverage. Starting 2014, insurers must accept all applicants, including anyone with pre-existing medical conditions.
Excerpts taken from Kiplinger.
MEDICAL NEWS 
APRIL IS NATIONAL AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH
Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a "spectrum disorder" that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today.
In December 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued their ADDM autism prevalence report. The report concluded that the prevalence of autism had risen to 1 in every 110 births in the United States and almost 1 in 70 boys. The issuance of this report caused a media uproar, but the news was not a surprise to the Autism Society or to the 1.5 million Americans living with the effects of autism spectrum disorder. Nonetheless, the spotlight shown on autism as a result of the prevalence increase opens opportunities for the nation to consider how to serve these families facing a lifetime of supports for their children.
Currently, the Autism Society estimates that the lifetime cost of caring for a child with autism ranges from $3.5 million to $5 million, and that the United States is facing almost $90 billion annually in costs for autism (this figure includes research, insurance costs and non-covered expenses, Medicaid waivers for autism, educational spending, housing, transportation, employment, in addition to related therapeutic services and caregiver costs).
Know the Signs: Early Identification Can Change Lives
Autism is treatable. Children do not "outgrow" autism, but studies show that early diagnosis and intervention lead to significantly improved outcomes.
Here are some signs to look for in the children in your life:
- Lack of or delay in spoken language
- Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects)
- Little or no eye contact
- Lack of interest in peer relationships
- Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play
- Persistent fixation on parts of objects
This medical section of our newsletter is not intended to give medical advice. If you are experiencing physical symptoms, you need to consult with a physician.
