Are You Really Covered?

Health insurance is something that's important to us, because it provides coverage for the unknown. We never know when we have to go to a health care provider for symptoms related to sickness or injury. We also know how financially devastating it would be if health insurance wasn't available to us. Medical costs are expensive with health insurance, so we can imagine how much more it would cost if we didn't have it. So the question is, if you have health insurance are really covered?

Within each health plan, there are things that our health insurance will cover, and there are things it will not. Most people are not really familiar with their health plans to the degree necessary. As long as the co-pay is $20 most people are satisfied, and that's a mistake. Because of the rising cost of health care, most employers offer their employees High Deductible Health Plans also called HDHP. Do you know if you are involved in a HDHP?

High Deductible Health Plans are plans that provide standard coverage, however, the deductible is higher in cost for the employee to pay. What is a deductible? According to the definition, the deductible is the expenses that must be paid out of pocket before an insurer will pay any expenses. Just like car insurance, there is a certain amount you must pay before the insurer will pay their percentage. Most people do not know what their deductibles  are for each category and that's a scary thought. Your insurer may tell you what your total deductible may be, however, you should do more research. Know how much of a deductible you need to pay for certain situations. For example, if you are admitted to the emergency room and have to go into surgery, how much is that going to cost you? Once you're out of surgery and you have to do rehab, how much is that going to cost you? Once you're done with rehab, do you have to go for physical therapy? Will you have to miss work for a short time because of the sickness or injury? Do you have short term disability? If so, when will it pay? These are questions people don't think about when it comes to their insurance.

No matter how good of an insurance plan you THINK you have, these are things you need to know. It doesn't matter if your employer will pay 100% of you're major medical, there are still gaps in your coverage that you're not aware.


My Thoughts:

Recently, I've been in conversations with a number of people about health insurance. It should be noted as a profession, I work for a major supplemental insurance company, so I have some incite to this subject. It also compelled me to educate the public about this unknown information. The next blog will be about how to cover the gaps in your health insurance. I hope you find this blog helpful, and you start to ask questions.

I Got Sucker Punched!

This weekend I ventured to see the highly anticipated Sucker Punch http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810133258/info. The movie was build to be a action pack adventure, a must see according to reviewers and friends alike. I must say, after watching the movie I felt like Virgil Hill getting punched in the ribs by Roy Jones Jr. The movie was dark and creepy with a story line that was incomplete. I don't mind a movie being dark, but I felt like I was watching an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit with all the child molestation acts by the step-dad. Not to mention all the child labor laws that were broken and prostitution ring being run at a mental institution. Through all of this I'm suppose to find the "adventure" and "action" that was used to promote this movie? To be fair, there was some action scenes in the movie and the super hero "Charlie's Angels" did put up a good fight, but like Virgil Hill I couldn't recover from the mat after being hit in the ribs.

Is Boxing Still Relevant?

This weekend I was all excited to see the boxing match between two undefeated world class boxers in Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley. The two gentleman represent the  Jr.welterweight division which means the weight limit is not to exceed 140lbs. The most famous Jr. Welterweight boxer was Sugar Ray Leonard to give you an idea. Both boxers were title belt holders, so this made for an interesting contest. Needless to say, the boxing match did not live up to the media hype surrounding this long awaited event. In defense of the boxing match in general, boxing historians will tell you styles make fights, so maybe that had something to do with it. After talking with friends about this contest, it got me to thinking is boxing still a relevant sport?
Growing up I was exposed to boxing by my dad, who's a major fan of the sport. During those days, you could see well-known boxers on Saturday afternoon's right after cartoons. Boxing didn't have a problem marketing its product to fans because it was accessible. Today, if you want to see boxing you need to have cable and that's just to see the average boxer. If you want to see the major players of the sport you have to buy the fight for an average cost of $50. I believe over time this had disconnected the average person from watching the sport and more importantly disconnected the athletic kid from becoming a boxer. Most of the best athletes play football, basketball, soccer, track, etc. You could say these sports have done a great job over the same period of time in marketing the product to the fans. As boxing experienced a decrease in fan participation, football had experienced the opposite affect. There are reports that this year's Super Bowl will have over 100 million viewers. Still does that mean boxing is relevant? The answer is YES, boxing is still a relevant sport. Boxing is trying to do a better job in marketing its product to the average viewer, and over time I think these efforts will work. Boxing has a major place in American History. It was boxing that gave American's hope in WWII, when Joe Louis defeated Germany's Max Schmeling in the rematch at Yankee Stadium. The most beloved athletic figure in all of sports in the world is Muhammad Ali. American's couldn't erase boxing out of our culture if we tried.
Today, boxing is our "Sneaky Obsession". Most people who say they're not interested in boxing find themselves at fight parties. Why is that so? Well, the next time you talk to someone and ask if they watch boxing and they tell you no, just ask "Will you watch the Manny Pacquiao  vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr fight?"

How Smart Are Your Kids?

The Daily Beast published a list called "America's Smartest Kids" this week http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2546/1/. The listed is ranked by US States, so the question is how smart is your kid? More importantly, do you live in a state that values education? Could the impact of No Child Left Behind effect the ranking of this list? Obviously, there many factors that play into the success of child. The commitment of parents to their child's education plays a role in how the list is determined. However, this list does bring up interesting points like the perception of do you live in a smart or dumb state? If you live in a dumb state, then who's fault is it? This could be much to do about nothing, but I think there's some merit in this list.

Is Tom Brady Overrated?

The weekend produced some memorable playoff football games. One particular game stood out for me, and that was the New England Patriots verses the New York Jets. The week long banter around this game was amazing. Coaches and players taking shots at each other in the press, while the media were citing 101 ways why the Patriots were going to defeat the Jets. Most of the points focused on Tom Brady and his greatest. The game itself was entertaining and truth telling at best. It got me to thinking about my previous blog citing Tom Brady's ranking as one of the NFL's all time greats. I'm convinced more than ever, Tom Brady is overrated.

Tom Brady's biggest career wins have come on the foot of Adam Vinateri. Think about it, the infamous "Tuck Rule" game verses the Oakland Raiders, Vinateri delivers two huge field goals to send the Patriots to the Super Bowl. In 2002, Super Bowl XXXVI, Adam Vinateri wins the game on 48-yard field goal verses the St. Louis Rams as time expires, however Brady is named MVP will less than stellar statistics. In 2004, Super Bowl XXXVIII, Adam Vinateri makes a 41-yard field as time expires to defeat the Carolina Panthers. In Super Bowl XXXVIX, the difference in score is an Adam Vinateri field, which edges the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21. Since then, the New England Patriots and Tom Brady have yet to win another Super Bowl.

It seems to me if Tom Brady is to be considered the greatest quarterback since Joe Montana, the Patriots may need to get Adam Vinateri back on the roster.

Is the Heisman Trophy Winner Really The Best Football Player?

Now that the 2010-2011 college football season is over and the allegedly #1 college football team (Auburn Tigers) has been crowned, it's time to reflect. First, I'm not sure if Auburn is actually the best college football team in the country. There is still another undefeated division 1 college football team left, and that's TCU-Texas Christian University. Until this matter is resolved, the term "Alleged" will always apply. Usually, the team that plays for the championship has the Heisman Trophy winner. Now this year that player is Cameron Newton, Quarterback for the Auburn Tigers.

Usually the Heisman Trophy winner is a 1st round pick in the NFL draft, because he is allegedly the best college football player in the country. But is he really the best college football player in the country? History has shown that Heisman Trophy winners rarely live up to their hype. In fact, on the NFL's list of the greatest 100 players of all time, only one Heisman Trophy winner is even in the top 20 http://top100.nfl.com/. I have a problem with the NFL's list in general, because one Tom Brady is in the top 25 which is extremely too high of a ranking for him, but that's another blog to debate.

So, will Cameron Newton be the next best football player to hit the NFL? According to history, he could be just another average player with alot of hype.

Is This List Accurate?

I'm starting my new year off by trying my hand at blogging. Yes, I'm maybe one of the few that haven't tried this concept, but I felt it was time. It's time to capture my thoughts and discussions I have with friends about random topics. I want to kick the new year off with one of the things I love...MUSIC!

VH1 is known for having "All-Time Greats" listings when it comes to various genre of music. I'm sitting at home watching this list of great artist, and trying to keep an open mind about where these artist fall on the all-time greatest list. The most entertaining portion of the list is the comments left by random fans of music. When I was reading the comments I knew I couldn't participate simply because of the intellectual level. People are passionate about their music and artist whom they love, and its not easy to reason with these people. It's hard to have a intellectual debate when it comes to list of All-Time Greats with crazy music fans. You're liable to get called a name or every worst if you disagree. Some people felt suicide was in order of the person who posted a comment that disagreed with them. I mean, is that really going to make a difference?

I still wanted to make my points heard, so this is why I'm blogging...

At the very beginning of this list at #100 is Alicia Keys, and my open mind starts to slowly close. I love Alicia Keys, however has she done enough to be on the All-Time Greatest List? I'm okay for the most part when it comes to this list, except for a few artist. The elements, known as Earth, Wind, & Fire was listed at #83, which means that The Cure, Coldplay, Justin Timberlake, and Iggy and The Stooges were all better artist according to VH1 panel members. I like to believe there was a slight miscalculation at the panel's table when that decision was made.

The top 20 artist on the list is hard to argue against, however, some music fans would say Nirvana which is rated #14 is listed a little too low, when you have the lights of Bruce Springsteen #21, Elton John #28, Paul McCartney #36 listed  higher. I take nothing away from Nirvana, because they are responsible for the Seattle Grunge sound. Nirvana changed the game and introduced the world to a grunge. Is it enough to beat out The Boss?  Of course, to no one's surprise the Beatles was rated the #1 Greatest Artist Of All-Time. I challenge you to look at this list and tell me what you think. Did VH1 get it right? Are the Beatles the Greatest Of All-Time? Is Jay-Z a greater rap artist than Notorious B.I.G, Tupac, and Eminem? Is Queen greater than U2, AC/DC and Areosmith? Inquiring minds want to know you thoughts.

http://stereogum.com/495331/vh1-100-greatest-artists-of-all-time/list/