I’m not interested in getting into the moral or political reasons as to why the mandate that insurance companies provide contraception is good or bad. I will however remind you why it is bad for your pocketbook: every time the state or federal government issues a mandate that an insurance provider provide a product or service at no charge to the insured someone has to pay for it, and that someone is all of us, through increased premiums. The Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) stipulates that insurance providers spend 80% of all premiums collected on medical care, so there is simply no room left for them to absorb additional costs. We’ve seen health insurance premiums go through the roof since the act was passed, and when considering the 80% rule, it doesn’t take a rocket-scientist to figure out why that has happened.

At some point in the future I will post a blog outlining how I think health insurance premiums can be brought down by a big margin. Unfortunately, that “future” is not a day or two as I have limited time to write it all out.

Oh yes! I am seeing more and more plans that offer tiered prescription drug coverage (often more than three tiers) rather than the typical brand-name and generic drug levels, and I must admit that when I explain it to my clients they pause with concern. The bottom line is that under a tiered plan, it is all about the cost of the drug. There is no differentiating between brand and generic, and therein lies the kicker: some generic drugs are quite expensive and fall into a higher tier as a result.

Typically, tiers from two on carry a deductible so it can get pricy for the consumer. If you enroll in a plan with tiered coverage you may want to take a formulary list from your insurer when visiting your doctor and work with him/her on obtaining prescriptions that fall into the lowest tier. This is even more important if you are on a regular drug regimen. Don’t just order refill after refill until you know the tier it falls into. I know it’s a pain, but in today’s health insurance world being proactive and involved in every decision is more crucial then ever.

For those of you on Anthem (within California), click here to view their formulary chart.

Greg @ www.zeboray.com

If you have insurance through us that is written by North American Specialty you do have worldwide coverage, provided the suit is brought against you here in the U.S. However, if you have independent contractors filming for you on an international basis, I strongly recommend that they obtain their own insurance in the country of which they work / reside and name you as additional insured. That way you’ll be protected regardless of where the suit is filed.

Hope this helps!

Greg @ www.zeboray.com

Hired and Non-Owned Auto Liability protects your firm if one of the employees uses their own car to do anything on behalf of the company – from going to the local Staples to pick up supplies to driving to a business lunch – and is involved in an accident where they are at fault. It will come out what they were doing and as soon as it does, the employer is going to be brought into any legal claim that arises simply because that is where the deeper pockets exist.

This coverage is not that expensive and I believe it is one of the largest exposures a company faces.

Unlike auto, home, and etc. (where the reps are captive agents), entertainment and health insurance brokers all utilize the same markets *. Thus, if quoted exactly the same – i.e. properly – everyone’s quote will be identical, so it comes down to finding the broker you wish to work with and then asking for quotes. By putting your needs “out to bid” you really don’t gain financially. In fact you lose because of the time spent with each broker during the process.

 * All reputable and experienced agents, that is. For instance, if you are in the entertainment industry and a broker is bringing you quotes for non-admitted carriers such as Lloyds and Evanston, you really should ask yourself why it isn’t from admitted carriers such as NAS, Fireman’s Fund, Chub, and etc. Remember, an agent represents the insurance company and a broker represents the insured. If that broker has a good loss history, acceptable errors & omissions insurance, and experience in the particular field there isn’t any reason for an admitted carrier (as named above) to not want their business. And if they don’t, it may be in your interest to ask why.

That’s right. Whether you need a new quote, emergency certificate, or just have a question that can’t wait, call us. As long as you call 949.498.7017 and use extension 4, I’m available nights, weekends, and holidays.

Is your current / previous broker this accessible? If not, it’s just another reason to use Zeboray Insurance Services for all your event and production insurance needs!

Greg

I recently had a request to issue a certificate saying “This policy does not exclude either contact or contamination from e-coli”, but there is a problem with that request: our policies specifically exclude contact or contamination from all forms of bacteria – including e-coli. If you feel your business could expose someone to bacteria I would suggest you consult your agent as to any exclusion that may exist in your policy.

The wording in our policy (form G0492) includes the following