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Learn more about Caffrey Insurance Solutions, Inc.
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Best Broker in the East Bay |
The review said that I was "an extremely dedicated full service health-insurance broker...Caffrey apparently never sleeps." The truth is that I often exchange emails late at night with clients, and sometimes the back and forth gets ridiculous enough that I pick up the phone and we talk, often at midnight! |
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FYI: Save Money on Meds |
Many people do not know that they can get their prescriptions filled at Costco at significantly lower prices.
One of my clients told me that
she saves 50% by purchasing her medications at Costco. We are working on a study of 25 commonly prescribed drugs, comparing the average cost with Costco's. You'll be able to link to it next month.
What you may also not know--you don't even have to be a member to take advantage of these savings. |
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Ask Lynn |
Ask me about short-term travel plans for your children who are taking a semester abroad.
They're comprehensive and very affordable. |
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Testimonial | |
"Thank you for helping me obtain health insurance coverage. Without your help, the process would be overwhelming.
Your thorough attention to the details, prompt communications and follow-through allow me to know that the application will be completely reviewed by you before being submitted.
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What a relief this is for me. I hope more people can learn about the invaluable service you offer."
In gratitude,
Alisa Rose Seidlitz
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People continue to ask me about what's happening with the new healthcare laws. I work with individuals and small companies, so reduced premiums are on top of everyone's minds. Unfortunately, this is only months into what will be another four years of reform and it is too early to know precisely what will happen to the rates. Keep looking here. You'll know what I know.
I do have an up-to-date brochure called Health Reform: A Guide for Employers. Ask me for this or download this from my website.
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A New Health Plan for Pre-Existing Conditions |
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 A new health program for people who can't get insurance or are offered it at an inflated price may be eligible for a new Federal plan beginning in September.
The new program, which California will administer, is being given an initial allocation of $761 million which, in combination with premiums, will cover approximately 25,000 people over the next four years.
This Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP), is available to people in California who have been without insurance for at least six months and who have either been rejected for coverage or offered a plan with a premium exceeding the rates of the PCIP plan.
What is not known at the moment are the benefits. The website has benefits for the states using the Federal program. California will use it's own program so benefits are not yet published. The rates, however, are known. In the six Bay Area counties, the premiums per person by age are as follows.
| Age | Monthly Premium | | 15-29 | $201 | | 30-34 | $292 | | 35-39 | $325 | | 40-44 | $344 | | 45-49 | $377 | | 50-54 | $499 | | 55-59 | $624 | | 60-64 | $802 | | 65-69 | $899 | | 70-74 | $947 | | 74+ | $1003 |
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| What's Going On: A Costly Mistake | |
This story made the national news programs and shows how critical it is that monthly premiums are paid on time.
A Colorado single mother of two suffering from leukemia says her health insurer discontinued her coverage because she was one cent short on her premium payment. "My medical bills are coming in like locusts, and you're holding up my benefits because of one red cent?" was the incredulous question from this cancer fighter's hospital bed.
The patient said she talked twice to a customer service representative, who told her that the penny needed to be received before the benefits could be reinstated, and she was instructed to write a check or send a money order. She explained that she was in the hospital receiving chemotherapy and sending a money order from her bed was not an option.
This woman lost her job in May, and since then she had been receiving benefits under COBRA, which allows her to keep her employer-provided health plan as long as she pays the full premium.
This story is chilling, but you'd be surprised at the number of these kinds of situations I see--thankfully, none of them is as egregious as this one. My being a fierce consumer advocate means that I work for you and take it as far as I need to. |
| About Lynn |
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Lynn Caffrey and Caffrey Insurance Solutions is an employee benefits brokerage firm that provides insurance expertise for small companies (fewer than 50 employees) and individuals seeking health insurance.
Caffrey Insurance works with you to find the best insurance benefits that provide the best value, tailored to the unique needs of your company.
California License Information
Individual: 0557451
Corporate: OG80281
336 Lenox Avenue, Oakland, CA, 94610
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