Depending on your personal situation, and that of your family, the right medical and dental insurance choices can be a daunting dilemma.

We do not serve one master. In other words, we are not tied to any one insurance company, and therefore are free to offer you the solutions (plans) that fit your particular needs.

How do we determine your needs?

Good question.

The size of your family, any pre existing medical conditions, and any current medication use is of obvious importance.

From there, what features are most important to you? Different companies and plans may have variances in this area.

If you are a diabetic with expensive testing strips, which company might actually cover a portion of this pre-existing condition?

All good issues. All good questions.

So, the next time you consider going online to try to invent this insurance wheel on your own, ask yourself an all important question. “Am I getting the best plan that fits my family best, at the best possible rate?”

Without a qualified broker that has already “invented that wheel”, you may be throwing away a lot of hard earned money, without proper consideration. Not a good place to be.

Our searching for you is on us! We do not charge to listen and suggest what would be best.

Of course, if you take out a plan through us, we do get paid by the insurance company.

Call us today, and let’s see what’s up! In Ontario and Alberta, 1.866.856.6799.

Oh, and if you want to send an email, look for the envelope on the left or right side, and it will link to a contact request form.

Thank you.

Craig

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There are a few great insurers for disability insurance.

Canada Life is definitely at the top of the pile.

But, depending on the occupation group, Canada Life may or may not be the choice.

So, let’s have a look at which occupation types that Canada Life looks favorably upon, shall we?

A rank of class 5, means that this is the best rate that can be had. Which occupations get the most favorable rating?

Let’s list them in alphabetical order:

• Accountants , CA, CGA, CPA
• Actuary
• Acupuncturist, MD
• Air Conditioning, Engineer, Office & Consulting
• Anaesthesiologist
• Architects, less that 20 hours per week at construction site
• Auditor, with professional accounting degree
• Bacteriologist
• Biochemist or biologist, consulting
• Botanist, with Ph.D
• Chemist, with Ph.D, consulting only, no lab duties
• Chiropodist – Podiatrist
• Chiropractor
• Computer Industry, systems analyst, consultants, programmers, website designers, earning $50,000 plus, or university degree in computer science
• Coroner
• Dentist
• Dermatologist
• Doctor of Medicine (Medical Doctor)
• Drug Store & Pharmacy, Druggist, or Pharmacist
• Engineer, professional
• Executive, Business Owners, under certain restrictions
• Geologist, office and consulting
• Gynecologist
• Homeopath
• Doctor in Hospital
• Judge or Justice of the Peace, office and court duties only
• Lawyer
• Naturopath or Homeopath, M.D.
• Ophthalmologist
• Optician, income of $75,000 or more per year
• Optometrist
• Orthodontist
• Osteopath
• Pharmacist
• Physician & Surgeon
• Physicist
• Podiatrist
• Psychiatrist
• Psychologist, with Ph.D
• Radiologist or Roentgenologist
• Teacher, University Professor, including cegep
• Topographer, office duties
• Vetrinarian, small animal

Now, it should be duly noted that there are certain occupations that are very close to the top rate, and in fact, Canada Life has a process called a quality risk upgrade,that may help occupations from 3 and 4 to get to a class 5 rate. This depends on income, job stability, and other factors.

Generally speaking, the riskier the occupation the lower the rating and the higher the rate for a given age group.

Speaking with a qualified broker is the only sure bet to ensure you pay for a disability plan that may actually be structured to ensure it fits your needs properly.

Call us today at 1.866.856.6799

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Self-Employed Needs

You are part of the fastest growing business segment in our economy. You are on your own, your own boss. Isn’t that great?

If you have come from a background of working as an employee, you are likely used to having medical and dental coverage, long-term disability, and other job perks.

Many self-employed go into business for themselves with the goal of “having a better life”, so why do they often forgo the benefits that will ensure they stay in good health, or protect themselves if they do not?

If you have been self-employed for a long time, or have just recently started out on your own, please ask yourself these important questions:

• What will happen to me and my family if I should become sick or injured? How will it affect our lifestyle?

• What would happen if I contracted a major Critical Illness such as Cancer or if I had a heart attack or stroke?

• If I should die, would my family be O.K. financially? Would they have to move, downsize, or otherwise reduce their standard of living? Would I really want that? Is mortgage insurance really enough?

• Can I afford NOT to protect our lifestyle in the event of disability, Critical Illness, or death?

• Can I afford to not provide for medical and dental needs of my family? Am I avoiding the dentist because I feel it is an expense I can live without? (please see “your teeth are attached to your heart“)

The answers to these questions are important because it helps you assess what insurance would mean to you. Sadly, many self-employed individuals answer these questions too late (i.e. they have already become disabled), or tragically, they don’t answer them in their lifetime, but leave their families wondering why not.

Don’t let this happen to you. Contact me for a no obligation review of your insurance needs, and put peace of mind back into your self-employed mindset. After all, you’ve got enough to consider in growing your business!!

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How to decide which Benefit Plan may be right for you    

Note regarding Blue Cross Ontario:

We are an experienced and authorized BLUE CROSS Brokers, located in Ontario and Alberta, able to offer the full line of benefit plans and other unique products and quality solutions through our specialists in Ontario and Alberta. Blue Cross in Ontario utilizes the broker force to bring you good benefit advice, and the quoted cost is the same through a qualified Blue Cross Broker.

Blue Cross Service Issues on existing plans outside our office:

If you have been trying to reach Blue Cross directly for service issues on existing plans you have purchased elsewhere, please call our local or long distance numbers, or email us and we will be happy to direct you to the appropriate department. If however, you have lost your agent or would like us to service your plan, you have come to the right place!. We are driven to present to you all the appropriate solutions to your benefit needs.

‘Why should I speak with a Broker and not directly with each insurer?’

Let’s try to avoid the bungled ‘bundle’!

How are benefit plans like TV services? Have you ever frowned at your cable TV or satellite TV provider because the only way you can get the channels you want is in a bundle with other channels you don’t want? This adds to your cost, and the likelihood you will not cost-effectively cover your needs. Your money is best kept in your pocket, and you should buy the best combination of coverage that makes the most sense, with the least amount of wasted money.

We know the market, the company plans, and we know how to help you sort it out!

Why should you pay more for the coverage you need than you have to? 

Insurers market only the plans they offer, and they bundle their products. They also don’t take a very important aspect into consideration – YOUR HEALTH!

You should be shown plans that give you higher drug limits when you are in exceptional health. Don’t accept low limit plans that the insurer is at low risk for.

We are not tied or biased by one company, and can suggest solutions based on what you need. This saves you time, and does not waste money!

And, why shouldn’t you be exposed to all the options in the benefit market that make sense. Benefits you need may not be exactly the same as your neighbor, and trying to find the right plan is difficult to say the least.  We continually monitor the benefit market and can make your experience a positive one.

Here are some things we consider when discussing your benefit needs:

       To save money, if you are in exceptional health, you deserve to be shown plans that fit you best – some plans have unlimited annual and lifetime maximums on drugs. Your good health will qualify you for these programs, and you need to look at this as the most important aspect of the program.

        If you develop a medical condition that could financially devastate, will your benefit plan come through and pay all the expensive bills?

       If you are already in a position that drug costs are a huge financial burden and are living in Ontario, please see the Ontario Trillium Drug Program page. We want to help you with this process, and discuss if you would likely qualify. Please speak with us.

       If you are self-employed, there are cost effective, tax saving options

Call us today! We are here to answer your questions, and we do not charge for advice!

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BY: NANETTE GOZUTOK (PARTNER, INTEGRITY INSURANCE PLANNING)

There is so much to say that people really need to know.  I have just spoken to a person who has $800 in drugs costs each month.  Trillium does not work for her and she has nowhere to turn to help with the costs.  Her pharmacist is actually trying to get the drugs company to provide her with the drugs free of charge. 

 There are several issues here:
 
The majority of Canadians do not understand that Group Benefits are temporary.  They can be taken away at any time and if you have medical costs you are then left to cover them yourself.
 
Not all drugs are covered by the government, I am getting more and more calls from retirees whose drugs are not on the provincial formulary list and therefore not covered by the government.
 
Health and Dental insurance, and more importantly, disability insurance needs to be purchased when you are healthy.  This lady I have just been speaking to cannot work due to her illness, she did not have disability and therefore has no income to assist with her drugs costs.
 
The average cost for cancer drugs which usually need to be taken for up to 5 years is $500 per month.  Some Canadians are under the impression that they are covered by the government and they are not.
 
Disability is so important, we need to make people understand that.
 
Let’s see if we can help some of these people.  Put into perspective, the cost of your disability insurance could be the price of a couple of meal out each month and no one seems to think twice about that!

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If you are self-employed, and looking for benefits, what should be your priorities and why?

Insurance Priorities for the Self-Employed family

For the self-employed family without a traditional benefit plan, what should be the priority sequence of coverage choices, as the income of the business and the family increases?

If you were an employee of a corporation, you would likely be provided a benefit plan that includes some levels of

• Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Medical coverage (Health Spending Accounts & catastrophic medical coverage)
• Dental Coverage

With our Integrity planning process, there are ways to help us address all these areas, while maintaining your budget.

Many self-employed families are extremely budget conscious, and we tend to look at solutions for “what is hurting now”, seeking pieces of the benefit puzzle only as the need arises. This is a very dangerous way to go about the process.

What if we were to take out a dental plan only, and in six months, we become disabled?

Without income, will the dental plan replace the money the family needs to live on?

We don't know what can happen, and the devastating effect on our savings

Will there in fact, even be money available to continue to pay the premium even for the dental coverage?

Without income, all the hard work we did to grow our business can be lost in a short time. Therefore, it is very important to look at the big picture at the outset! Discussing these areas with a qualified Insurance Planner is vital to protecting you and your family.

Insurance Planning must be done with integrity – that is completeness, honesty, and with your budget in mind! All issues must be addressed from the start, with several plans and insurers considered, and the most appropriate solutions examined.

Please contact us at 1-866-856-6799 (extension 201 for Craig, and 204 for Nanette) to discuss your needs further.

Craig Ferguson

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I keep track of web searches that bring people to this site.

And, in response, I like to take positive steps to give the information of interest.

Are you truly insured enough to stay in your home?

Blue Cross has likely the best mortgage plan on the market for disability.

It can pay to the end of the mortgage amortization in many cases, in the event of disability, and one or two mortgagors can be insured, depending on need.

Flexibility therefore is at the heart of this plan.

Having said that, for those that want to see it, here is the link to the Mortgage Plan wording. Please note the sample shows the standard two year benefit, but you can also extend this to the full mortgage amortization (recommended).

Please give us a call to discuss how this plan can effectively increase your disability coverage, and help keep you in your home during a disability.

Craig

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Are you in a so called tough to insure occupation?

Many insurers say no to dental hygienists, or they offer coverage at very expensive rates. And, have you tried getting disability insurance if you are a hairstylist and/or own a shop?

Look no further, we can help! And help big!

The line of disability plans offered from Blue Cross is becoming quite impressive.

An important occupation that prevents disabilities in patients, but has traditionally had a tough time with getting coverage themselves...the dental hygienist

Specifically, Tangible is a brand name from Blue Cross that has some very interesting qualities indeed.

I am a broker that specializes in disability insurance, so I am always on the lookout for options for clients.

Sometimes companies do not think alike, and depending on your occupation, one company may have a lower rate. And worse, sometimes companies will not insure particular occupations.

Well, as the title says, the Tangible plan not only covers dental hygienists, it covers them at a very good rate indeed.

Nature of the plan…( click here to download the Tangible Brochure)

The Tangible disability plan is known as a ‘hybrid’ coverage. This means it starts out as normal disability, and then changes to a long term care plan at retirement.

Premiums are payable for 20 years or to age 65, whichever comes later.

The long term care benefit is half the face amount.

So, as an example, let’s say you qualified and bought a $4000 per month disability plan.

At age 65, you are ready to retire. You would then change the plan to a $2000 a month long term care plan.

Alternatively, if you do not require the long term care coverage, there is another option. You can get 25% of your money back as a policy cancellation feature. Quite neat!

There are some downsides to this plan, but not many. The one that is primarily of concern is the lack of a built in future insurability option.

This would enable the insured to increase coverage despite health, just proving that he or she has the income to support it.

As mentioned, the Blue Cross plans do not have this feature, but if you are in your mid forties, then it is likely not an issue anyhow.

There is always the option to apply for more coverage the conventional way.

And again, depending on the circumstances (occupation, etc.) the Blue Cross plans can be downright affordable.

Well, that’s it for this commentary.

To get more information, please see the contact page for our phone numbers. I can be reached at 905-667-4410, extension 201 in Hamilton. Nanette is stationed in Alberta if you are in that area. She is at extension 204.

Visit us as well at Integrity Insurance Planning!

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So, you have become self-employed, or you no longer have benefits at work, or you have never had benefits, and maybe that root canal is pending at the dentist?

Ok, so what to do?

That is the issue, isn’t it?

What to do and who to trust?

Well, I like to consider myself a kind of ‘tell it like it is’ kind of guy. You might already know me…..if you are a hockey fan in Hamilton or the GTA. I run the site, Make it Eight, eh?.

I saw where injustice and greed had beaten out common sense and compassion. Put those things together, and I’m there. Much to the chagrin of others around me that might think my time better spent making money.

Oh well, sometimes the causes are the justification.

But back to benefits.

You are not sure what your greatest risk is, and if it is truly a good idea to put a good chunk of change into medical and dental insurance.

To make a long story short, you are unique, but the principles of insurance – whether life, disability, or medical and dental – are the same.

Where is the greatest financial risk to you and your family? If we cover off this risk in an effective, common sense manner, our goal is to ensure you are not suffering from an illness or other unfortunate event that made you consider insurance benefits in the first place.

If you live in Ontario or Alberta, Canada, we are a call away : 1-866-856-6799. Or email us at integrityinsuranceplanning@gmail.com.

Give us a call, and see if we are what we say we are…..caring people that don’t mince words.

Oh, we represent several insurers so you know we will find the cost effective solutions, not biased or driven to promote one company only.

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