Columbia River Insurance Services

At Columbia River Insurance Services, we are professional advisors and consultants. Our goal is to provide customized solutions to meet your personal, business, and health needs. Our goal is to be your trusted business adviser.  We are independent, which means we have access to hundreds of markets, so we are not tied just one insurance company. This gives us the flexibility to bring together the best possible coverage, pricing and services. We help you identify your risks and bring the right insurance solution.

Between our two offices, we have a staff of 13 professional licensed agents, with 140 years of combined years of experience.  Please remember that we are a local agency, and expert in what we do. Using us does not cost you any more. 

Medicare Part B Outpatient Therapy -Know Your Limits

Many of my clients receive outpatient therapy; perhaps for a hip replacement, stroke, or some other treatment. While Medicare does offer coverage for this kind of treatment, there are limitations that you need to be aware of.

Medicare places caps on these services when you receive them from outpatient providers. Remember, Medicare also requires these treatments to be medically necessary. Co-payment and payments made to providers can be applied toward the cap. Here are the caps:

• Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy-$1,880
• Occupational Therapy - $1 880

Medicare allows providers to receive payments above the cap amount as long as the provider documents the need for the medical necessary services and it also must be noted on the billing statement. Effective October 1, 2012 all therapy claims, both above and below the cap, must include the national provider identifier (NPI) of the physician responsible. Therapy costs exceeding $3,700 are subject to a manual medical review. The caps may change for 2013, depending on what Congress does in December.

Is My Daughter's Wedding Covered?

There is no doubt a wedding is one of the most important events in the life of a family. For many brides and grooms, there are months of planning in anticipation of the big event. The average amount spent in the US on a wedding in 2011 was $18,500. Shouldn't you consider protecting that kind of investment? Even if you spend less than the national average, it is still a lot of money.  Just some of the many wedding expenses include the venue, wedding planner, band and DJ, photographer, florist, videographer, dress, cake, ceremony site, musicians, invitations, limousine, favors, rehearsal dinner and engagement ring.

We have a solution to protect your investment. Wedding Event Insurance is available and affordable.  With Wedding Event Insurance you can rest easy knowing that you are protected from the unforeseen events that could ruin your day. There are two important elements included in Wedding Event Insurance:

1. Wedding Cancellation Insurance
2. Wedding Liability Insurance

Wedding Cancellation Insurance provides reimbursement for lost deposits if the event is postponed or cancelled. For example, your winter wedding has to be postponed due to the weather, or the father of the bride in involved in an auto accident and can't travel. Some venues may provide a limited amount of insurance, but it won't cover protection for cancellation.

Wedding Liability Insurance provides protection from accident or injury to guests or other third parties. For example, you are having a wedding at a park and a guest trips or falls causing injury. Wedding Event Insurance does not cover a change of heart, or loss of jewelry.You have put so much of your time, money, and heart into your wedding.

Home Westernization Tips

Now that fall is here, it is important to begin preparing for winter weather.  We would like to offer you a few winter weatherization tips to keep you out of harm's way. We offer broad form homeowners policies to keep you protected from damage resulting from storms, and many other winter related occurrences.

Have an Emergency Kit Ready- An emergency kit is simply a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.  Include the    following in your kit: water, flash lights and batteries, first aid kit, whistles to signal for help, basic tools, manual can opener, small supply of non-perishable food, radio, candles, lighter, blankets and rope.

Check All Alarms- This is a great time to check the operation of, and change the batteries in, your home's smoke detectors.

Check & Wrap Pipes- If you live in areas where temperatures get blow freezing, make sure you turn off all outside water and drain sprinkler pipes. Cover hose bibs to prevent freezing. Search for any unwrapped pipes in the basement or crawl space.

Check Furnace- Turn your furnace on now, to make sure it's properly working before the coldest weather descends.  A strong, odd, short-lasting smell is natural when firing up the furnace for the first time in the fall.  If the smell lasts a long time, shut down the furnace and call a professional.

Check Heat Ducts- If you have central heating it is a good idea to check all ducts to make sure there is no heat loss.

Clean Gutters- Clogged gutters can create water problems, so get them cleaned now while the weather is still good.

Check for Air Leaks- Walk around your home and look for any areas that might allow air to enter the home. Check the caulk around windows as well. Even if it's a small crack, it's worth sealing up.

Flip the Switch on Your Ceiling Fan- This is a great way to circulate the hot air back down into the room.

Clean Wood Stoves & Chimneys- Inspect the fireplace damper for proper opening and closing and be sure flues are cleaned regularly.  

Check Landscaping- Make sure trees are not hanging too close to your home.  If so, prune back to prevent trees or limbs from falling onto your home.

Snow Removal Equipment- Check all your snow removal equipment to ensure it is in good working order.