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Health Benefits For Real Estate Agents

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Central Insurance Advisors, LLC.

Health Insurance is one of the biggest concerns we face in America today.  The self employed and real estate agents in general are one of the largest uninsured or underinsured groups in the market place today.  As insurance professionals we are constantly looking for solutions this ever growing problem.  As we listen to the presidential debates on health-care there is a lot of talk amongts the candidates  but no real solutions in the foreseeable future that solve your problems today. The sole principle of insurance is for people to pay into a system whether it has immediate benefit or not in order to lower costs for the population as a whole.  Market research indicates the main reasons as to why people choose to go without health-care coverage is one price, two lack of understanding the need for coverage, three they are uninsurable, and four they just don't care. Day after day I work with clients all over the country talking to them about their health-care needs.  The mentality of most people about health-care is they believe if they are going to pay for the high price for the coverage then it should cover every aspect of their health-care needs in other words if they cant have the Cadillac of all coverage at the price they want to pay they give up and choose to go without. This is not the solution folks, the most important thing one should protect themselves against is a catastrophic loss such as a hospitalization or a major illness.  You do not buy auto insurance to cover oil changes and tires you buy it for a major accident or collision.  There are insurance policies that exist today that protect you for such a loss and in my opinion are essential to protecting your finances and granting you access to the services you need at a price that is 1/4 the cost of your typical health-care policy.  The fact is that the health-care industry is not perfect  in this country or in any other country for that matter, however in America we do have access to some of the best doctors and hospitals the world can offer. The health-care industry is a business and a science and it is constantly evolving and improving daily.  It is not the job of the government to grant us access to this health-care nor is it free.  When we look at Medicare a government driven health-care system it does work, but keep in mind it is going bankrupt. I say to all of you out there who are listening that the solution to the problem is in you.  It is not the fault of the insurance company or your doctors if you choose to be unhealthy and 80% of the problems people face are a result of lifestyle choices.  I also urge all of you that whether you pay higher taxes for a universal health-care system or purchase health-care on your own you are still paying into the system and until we take the responsibilities into our own hands and make better choices nothing can change.  If you are not protecting yourself with a health insurance policy or waiting it out to see what the government will do you are only contributing to the problem.  There are solutions out there whether you are concerned about price, have a preexisting condition, or are healthy and just don't care. It is important to take the time to get educated by a professional insurance agent and stay open minded about your health-care options. Keep in mind that any form of insurance at all supports the system overall it is not about your immediate needs its about contributing for a future disaster for yourself and your neighbors.   The 45 million people who have no coverage at all may have a problem, but they are also causing a problem for the other 250 million people who choose to have coverage do your part and support a health US economy.  I seek any comments or opinions you may have.

 

 

Sandra Carlisle (Ayers)
Berkshire Hathaway California Properties - Newport Beach, CA
Real Estate Marketing & Sales
Are you kidding me? How can you expect people who cannot afford health insurance to do their part by buying it? I've known people who have been "fully" insured lose everything when the insurance company decides they don't want to pay. I would be far happier to pay extra money in taxes in lieu of paying an insurance company. You said it yourself, insurance companies are a business. Businesses make a profit. If that "profit" was folded back into the system (expanded Medicare for everyone HR676), yes taxes would be higher, but looking at the big picture, healthcare would be cheaper and we wouldn't be writing checks for$300-$800 per month to an insurance business. As far as the U.S. having some of the best doctors and hospitals in the world....that's true, but it's also true that we have the highest percentage of unhealthy people and an obesity epidemic. Apparently, not everyone has access to these top rated doctors and hospitals. I had the opportunity to live in Canada for a couple of years and hands down, it was the best medical care I and my family have ever received. We also paid very high taxes while we were there, but funny how much more money we actually had in our pocket by not having to pay an insurance business. I guess the question is whether we continue to insure only those who can afford it or if, as a country we are ready to take the leap, and quit walking by the hurt people in the road? (Reference to the story of the Good Samaritan)
Feb 03, 2008 07:58 PM
Jonathan Husson
Central Insurance Advisors, LLC. - Charleston, WV

Sandra

I do agree that many citizens are left out in the cold in our current system but before you make this comment I would just like to say to you consider this.  Next time you make a sale on newport beach for a home that costs around 4.5 million dollars and you earn your 6% commission.  Figure up what your taxes on that 300,000 income would be living in Canada.  Well if you are married and filing in the United States your tax bracket would be 33% minus deductions and exemptions which is roughly 99,000 dollars before any deduction or exemptions.  In addition the California State tax which is very high compared to other states shows a tax of 9.3% which would be another 27,900 in taxes annually. Now living in Canada you pay federal taxes and provincial taxes which range from 0-29% for federal and 0-18% for provincial.  At that type of income you would pay 47% tax which is $14,100 more in taxes than you would pay in the USA.  Granted you are provided with healthcare in Canada and they do cover 75% of the total health care cost, but you are still left paying 25% out of your pocket for healthcare even under their universal system and you are paying clearly more taxes.  So let me ask you this do you currently spend more the $14,100 a year on healthcare insurance in the USA?  If so maybe you should consider some new options.  The solution is not government driven socialized medicine we need to focus on fixing the system we have all worked so hard to create.    

Please also consider this:

In Canada, every citizen has coverage, but access can still be a problem. Based on 2003 data from the Canadian Community Health Survey, an estimated 1.2 million Canadians do not have a regular doctor because they "cannot find" one, and just over twice that number do not have one because they "haven't looked". Those without a regular doctor are 3.5 times more likely to visit an emergency room for treatment.

In the U.S., the federal government does not guarantee universal health care to all its citizens, but publicly funded health care programs help to provide for the elderly, disabled, the poor, and children

One of the major complaints about the Canadian health care system is waiting times, whether for a specialist, major elective surgery, such as hip replacement, or specialized treatments, such as radiation for breast cancer. Studies by the Commonwealth Fund found that 24% of Canadians waited 4 hours or more in the emergency room, vs. 12% in the U.S.; 57% waited 4 weeks or more to see a specialist, vs. 23% in the U.S.

In the U.S., patients on Medicaid, the low-income government programs, can wait three months or more to see specialists. Because Medicaid payments are so low, doctors don't want to see Medicaid patients. In Benton Harbor, Michigan, specialists agreed to spend one afternoon every week or two at a Medicaid clinic, which meant that Medicaid patients had to make appointments not at the doctor's office, but at the clinic, where appointments had to be booked months in advance.

The United States spends more on technology than Canada. In a 2004 study on medical imaging in Canada, it was found that Canada had 4.6 MRI scanners per million population while the U.S. had 19.5 per million. Canada's 10.3 CT scanners per million also ranked behind the U.S., which had 29.5 per million.

Keep in mind that capitalism is the foundation of America and is the reason why America is the land of opportunity. Innovation stems from our abilities to create something great and reap the rewards.  It is up to Americans to take responisbility and fix the system and not rely on the government to control our every move. 

 

Feb 04, 2008 04:20 AM
Rick Sergison
EXP Realty of Canada Inc., Brokerage - Pickering, ON
Durham Region Real Estate Blog

I just stopped by to welcome you to Active Rain. I hope that you find it a great benefit to your business and that you see the value that I have also found here.

There are some great group both local and broad based,.... enjoy!

Feb 04, 2008 09:38 AM
Lon Reed
SwingSign Corporation - San Antonio, TX
We Buy Houses - Nationwide

Hello Jonathan,
Welcome to ActiveRain, great talking with you today.  i look forward to hearing more about your business and how it can help our industry.

 

Feb 04, 2008 10:40 AM
Anonymous
Anonymous

Realtors are an already formed group of individuals who should be offered medical coverage and grouped together as one throughout the country.  We are grouped and members of NAR which should get organized enough to solicit the business and competitive rates of insurance companies throughout the United States to offer coverage to all realtors in our country.  We have to pay for it now on an individual basis and as a large group would reap the benefits of strength in numbers.

Why hasn't this been done?  Red tape and lots of lame reasons I am sure.  No excuses it should be done and needs to be done.  All of the RPAC money we spend needs to go toward this goal.  Why isn't this more of a concern to NAR? 

Aug 19, 2008 01:40 AM
#5
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

We invite you back to ActiveRain in 2018!

Much has changed since you last posted to ActiveRain.  I encourage you to take another look at the website.  

  Best to you!

May 14, 2018 07:00 PM