Monthly Newsletter from Castell Insurance

N e w s Y o u C a n U s e

C a s t e l l I n s u r a n c e

April 2012 Newsletter ~ www.castellinsurance.com

Spring seems to have finally arrived here on the North Olympic Peninsula. It is now mid-April and the cherry trees are in full bloom and the weeds have begun their annual invasion. People and plants are both emerging from the winter hiatus and when the sun shines everyone has a smile to share.

At Castell Insurance we have been fortunate to have had our official mascot in residence. Our mascot is a very well behaved French Bulldog, named Boris. He belongs to James Castell and we "dognap" him as much as possible. When you visit the office, you may find him sleeping anywhere that the sun happens to be shinning. He is a fine addition to our staff with the official title of 'greeter'.

Castell Insurance, " A local agency providing GREAT local service"

News You Can Use

PhilCastell This months article in the Sequim Gazette was about the Supreme Court hearing arguments regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or "Obamacare". Shortly after the article was written it appeared that the President had made a faux pas. He was quoted as issuing a warning to the Supreme Court that to overturn any portion of the bill would be unprecedented.

The US has three separate branches of government; Legislative, Judicial and Executive. They are all supposed to be independent. For the President to warn the Supreme Court justices was interpreted by many to be an attempt of interference.

A lower court judge even ordered the US Attorney General to submit a letter of at least 3 pages in single space typing, outlining his understanding and compliance to the US Constitution. A ruling from the Supreme Court is expected in June, so stand by for the possibilities of more fireworks.

Click here to read full article.

Hartford Quits Annuities

Hartford Financial Services Group, for years one of the

largest insurers offering variable annuities, has decided to stop selling new policies due to huge losses on the products.

The losses came from the lifetime benefit riders that they offered on their plans. They were based upon assumptions that were overly optimistic about the stock market and interest rates. In a variable annuity, a person's investment His directly tied to an investment of their choosing, like mutual funds.

As those funds decreased in value, their

attractiveness of the income rider becomes

irresistible. Many hundreds of thousands of folk

decided to take the lifetime income and this has

greatly hurt the insurance companies that sold

these policies.

Click here to read more on this topic

Irrigation Festival

Psst. Can you keep a secret??? How would you like a front row seat and a free burger or hot dog with all the fixing's to the 117th Sequim Irrigation Grande Parade

on May 12th?

Castell Insurance is a proud sponsor of the Irrigation Parade and thought it would be fun to show our support by throwing a party for our valued clients. Our office is located at the beginning of the parade where the excitement begins. We have ordered three sets of bleachers, porta potties and hopefully an abundance of good weather. If bleachers are not for you, please bring your own chair. We will be taping off the rear of the building and having it reserved for client parking, first come first served until full.

The parade starts at noon. We will be setting up early and hope to see you.

Monthly Chuckle

"The handle on your recliner does

not qualify as an exercise machine."

The Water Cooler

watercooler Time to take a water cooler break; don't let the boss see us!

Welcome back. Are we having fun watching the talking heads in the other Washington?

This last week saw the culmination of two years of machinations by the folks that opposed the PATIENT PROTECTION and AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (PPACA/OBAMACARE) to try and get it repealed.

Whether we like it or not, unless the nine Supreme Court Justices choose to set policy (which is not their job), this is the first step in overhauling a healthcare system that is not only sick but getting sicker on a daily basis.

Is this bill perfect? Absolutely not. Is it a step toward Socialism, NO, I do not believe so? Is it necessary to change the system, ABSOLUTELY!

The arguments before the Supreme Court were four fairly simple questions.

1) Is the individual mandate a tax? And if it is a tax, does some arcane 1800's law affect whether the judges have the authority to hear the case? (Pretty cheeky really, questioning the Supreme Courts right to hear a case).

2) Can the Federal Government mandate we purchase a commodity i.e. broccoli, tomatoes, healthcare?

3) If the court strikes down the individual mandate, can the rest of the bill survive?

4) Can the Federal government tie old Medicaid payments to new federally mandated expansions. Medicaid has always been a jointly funded program by both the Federal and State governments. The greatly expanded Medicaid by the tune of 17 million more people will be the initial sole responsibility of the Federal government, but at some point in the future it is anticipated they will attempt to shift some of that back to the States.

The court is likely to be split, on pretty much everything, so it may be a 5-4 decision on all questions. I do not expect there to be any unanimous decisions, and whoever loses will probably cry foul. The hope is that something good, can come from the decision, because the system needs fixing. We shall see towards the end of June when a decision is expected,

OOP's, here comes the boss, back to work!

Send your comments and thoughts to john@castellinsurance.com

Health Care Reform

The League of Women Voters of Clallam County and Olympic Medical Center will be holding a series of four forums on Health Care Reform. The first is scheduled for May 3rd at 7:00-9:00 pm in the Little Theatre on the campus of Peninsula Community College.

Phil Castell will also be participating during the forum. Hope you can attend and we look forward to seeing you there.

Supplement Savings

Come on now, doesn't everyone like to save money. I know I sure do. I am a sucker for coupons from Staples, because they are usually quite good. For example take $25 off a $150 purchase. That kind of discount or savings does get my attention.

At Castell Insurance we have a coupon of a similar nature, however the $25 savings is frequently yours each and every month. Here is how it works. If you entrust your Medicare Supplement Insurance to our office, we make a pledge to you that if we can ever save you $25 per month on your insurance premiums, we will notify you of this opportunity.

We have had an average of 60% of our clients take advantage of this saving opportunity and the other 40% decide to stay where they are.

The choice is yours but we do like to inform you of your options for coverage in this ever changing market.

If you receive a notice of a premium increase, please feel free to contact our office to see if we have a similar plan available at a lower premium. It never hurts to ask.

Our business continues to grow in great thanks to the word of mouth of our valued customers. We enjoy finding time for events and supporting our local community.
Our First Annual Shred Event was a big hit with over 250 folks stopping by to shred documents. We cannot thank Scott from LeMay Mobile enough for working right along with us. 6 tons of paper bit the dust - and the secure destruction of documents protect us all from identity theft.

Let's celebrate the Irrigation Festival. This years theme is "Still Growin' Green". We look forward to visiting with you at the office and enjoy the parade and community spirit. Let the fun begin for the 117th time!

Castell Insurance | 426 E. Washington Street | Sequim |WA | 98382

Telephone: 360-683-9284 | Email: info@castellinsurance.com

Web Site: www.castellinsurance.com