cheap health insurance

New insurance mandates take effect in Wisconsin

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:36:04 +0000

Young adults can stay on their parents insurance longer, and birth control costs must be covered for those looking to avoid having any kids at all, under new laws that take effect Friday in Wisconsin.Also starting in the new year, state workers and employees at the University of Wisconsin can receive domestic partner health insurance and other benefits. The new mandate that insurance plans cover autism will take effect for most on Friday when group policies are renewed. That law change started in November, but most policy holders wont start paying for it until now.The new insurance mandates were approved by the Democratic-controlled Legislature and Gov. Jim Doyle this year. Advocates who pushed for requiring birth control and autism coverage argued it was over due, even though the new mandates are expected to increase costs for all policy holders.Its another year in the march toward increasing health insurance premiums, said J.P. Wieske, director of state affairs for the Council for Affordable Health Insurance, a national advocacy group whose membership includes insurers, health care providers, actuaries and insurance brokers.No one seems to know how much the changes will cost. Neither the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner nor the Wisconsin Association of Health Plans, which represents 18 member health plans across the state, has estimates.Every indication is that the mandates have increased costs and cost expectations will be higher for 2010, said Phil Dougherty, senior executive officer of the Wisconsin Association of Health Plans.The association didnt oppose any of the changes but instead worked with the governor and state lawmakers on ensuring that the laws do what was intended, Dougherty said.There was opposition from anti-abortion and Catholic groups to requiring contraceptives to be covered under health insurance policies. Opponents argued that birth control is not medically necessary and insurance companies should not be forced to pay for what is a personal decision.The Wisconsin Catholic Conference is lobbying lawmakers to provide an exemption for religious organizations.The law does not give adequate deference to our religious values and our religious liberties, said John Huebscher, executive director of the conference. It would force dioceses and other Catholic organizations that buy insurance to pay for something they object to.Three of the states five Catholic dioceses purchase private health insurance, which would be required to include contraceptive coverage, he said. However, their policies arent up for renewal until later in 2010, so the hope is the Legislature will provide for the exemption before then.Those three dioceses in Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay insure about 6,000 clergy, staff and other employees, Huebscher said. The other two in La Crosse and Superior are self-insured and not bound by the law, he said.Planned Parenthood opposes any exemptions because that will limit womens access to birth control, said the groups legal and policy analyst Nicole Safar.An exemption really defeats the purpose, she said.Mandating birth control coverage will dramatically increase its access, Safar said. She cited a 2001 report by the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner that showed about one in five of the most popular insurance plans with prescription drug coverage in Wisconsin did not cover contraceptives.Wisconsin is joining 24 other states that already require birth control to be covered, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Two additional states require insurance companies to offer contraceptive coverage as an option to employees, but it can be declined.Federal law requires insurance coverage of contraceptives for federal employees.Under another insurance change taking effect in Wisconsin, adults up to age 27 could remain on their parents health insurance plans unless they have access to cheaper plans through their employers.Current law does not address how long a child can remain on their parents coverage, leaving it up to individual insurers to decide.Supporters of increasing the age, including Doyle and the Wisconsin Association of Health Plans, said the law will help young people who either cant afford health insurance when they first start working or arent offered it.There were no estimates from the state or the insurance industry as to how many people may be affected.To qualify, the young adults have to be single, not eligible for insurance through their employer, or be able to get on their parents plan for less money than through their work.About 20 states require insurance companies to offer parents coverage of adult children, according to the Council for Affordable Health Insurance.The domestic partner benefits are being extended to unmarried partners of state employees who live together, share expenses and meet other requirements. It is open to unmarried couples of the opposite sex as well as same-sex couples.As of Tuesday, 710 people and 57 dependents have signed up for the health insurance, according to the Department of Employee Trust Funds. Another 300 state workers have signed affidavits saying that they qualify for the benefits, indicating that they may sign up later.Another 179 university employees added a domestic partner to their health insurance as of Dec. 21.The health insurance benefit is separate from other rights that all same-sex couples became eligible for in the state starting in August. Under that law, couples had to sign a registry in order to receive a host of rights already afforded married couples, including hospital visitation and inheritance.

Keeping Your Health Insurance Premiums Low

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:16:00 +0000

Health Savings Accounts offer tax deductions for medical expenses, and the opportunity to set up an additional retirement account. But regardless of any other positive benefit of HSAs, lower premiums are the primary reason that thousands of Americans have chosen Health Savings Accounts as the best way to protect their family’s health and assets. Here are some key suggestions on how to keep your health insurance premiums low.
1. Choose an HSA-qualified plan for lower rate increases.
Average group health insurance premiums rose by 9.6% last year and rose over 10% for each of the previous six years. Individual plans went up even more. Yet it is expected most HSA plans will experience much lower rate increases. A very large study was recently published showing that rate increases over the past year for consumer-driven plans such as HSA plans was only 3.4%. Blue Cross of Minnesota has reported that its HSA customers spent 8% less than their traditional insurance clients. Humana has reported claims’ costs of 4.9% for consumer-driven plans, versus a 19.2% increase in claims for other plans. In fact, average HSA premiums for individuals have actually dropped 19.5% over the last two years.
The reason these plans have lower rate increases is that people who have HSA-qualifying high-deductible health plans are likely to pay closer attention to costs, and take better care of their health. For instance, an HSA owner offered a statin drug to lower her cholesterol may be more likely to request a generic version, or ask her doctor if inexpensive nutritional supplements such as niacin or fish oil may be a solution. These actions save the insurance company money and should result in lower rate increases.
2. Raise your deductible as your HSA account grows.
When you fund your account you build up a financial “cushion” which allows you to raise your deductible as your account grows. Every time you raise your deductible, your premium should go down.
By the way, don’t forget that every time you fund your account you get an instant tax-deduction. When you offset the tax savings against your premiums, you’ll find your net cost for an HSA plan can be very low.
The maximum allowable contribution goes up every year with the rise of the Consumer Price Index. Currently, the individual contribution limit is $2,700, and the family limit is $5,450. So each year you can deposit greater amounts into your HSA and continue to raise your deductible, if you choose.
3. Stay healthy, so you can switch plans.
All health insurance plans have rate increases, and weve even seen premiums jump on some HSA plans. If a rate increase happens to you, you can switch to a different insurance company but only if you pass their underwriting requirements. If chronic disease develops, you may be stuck with your current plan, and its accompanying rate increases, for eternity. Or at least it may seem that long
If you pay attention to the pharmaceutical commercials, you learn lifestyle really has nothing to do with disease, and it is natural and healthy to be on many medications for the rest of your life, which will then solve your health problems.
If you pay attention to the science, you know the truth is quite different. It appears lifestyle is probably 95% of the picture, and we know the occurrence of degenerative disease can be dramatically reduced and even prevented.
Fortunately, most HSA owners are interested in health, wellness, and disease prevention. After all, theyre paying for their own doctor visits if they do get sick. HSA owners are also “forward thinking” people, and like to plan for their future both financial and physical. You can improve your odds of excellent health with just a few key habits:
Eat very high quantities of fresh vegetables and fruits. Shoot for 35% of your calories. This will lower your risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and much more.
Limit your intake of sugar and starchy carbohydrates like bread and pasta. The majority of health problems in the U.S. are related to metabolic diseases that involve insulin resistance.
Exercise and lift weights. Exercise guru Jack La Lanne turns 93 on September 26, and he says if you have muscles you never feel old.
4. Compare your plan to other available plans at least once a year, or whenever you get a rate increase.
Often-times people keep their plan much longer than they should, and end up paying too much. If your rates go up, you should compare a wide variety of plans to determine if you are in the right plan for your needs and budget.
By using these four strategies, the typical family can save thousands of dollars in health insurance premiums and still protect themselves against unexpected major medical expenses.

Health insurance EasyToInsureME

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:31:04 +0000

Health insurance is a kind of agreement between you and your insurance company that you need in case you get sick and need medical help. Unfortunately, usually people get interested in their health insurance only when something bad happens only to find out that they have a 3,000 deductible or some important things you need (such as a wheelchair) are not included into the policy. Before you get a health insurance policy it’s recommended to review all of them and find the one that will give you most coverage. Almost all health insurance policies cover emergency services and whenever you have to go to the hospital and receive the treatment the cost will be covered less the deductible specified in the policy. A basic deductible for emergency room treatment can start at $50 and it should be mentioned that insurance companies are very particular about conditions that can be considered an emergency. If you have flu it’s probably not going to be covered, unless your fever is way too high. Your health insurance is likely to cover annual check-ups, with their number specified by the policy. If you need to see your doctor more often than it’s usual you need to look for a health insurance policy that soul be more comprehensive and would provide you with more coverage. Vision services are usually covered, including one visit to the eye doctor a year, while glasses and contact lenses are not covered in most cases, especially if you have a basic health policy. Hardware coverage is required for people wearing glasses or contact lenses. Certain diagnostic services that are considered to be reasonable by your insurance company (X-rays and other procedures intended to diagnose certain conditions). You may not qualify for coverage if the symptoms you have are not considered to be serious enough so it’s always best to call our insurance company with this question. If you are planning to have a surgery a pre-authorization from you insurance company is required. The necessity of the surgery will be evaluated by the doctor and the request is supposed to be sent by your health care provider. This can take up to 30 days. So, in general you need to keep in mind that most insurance companies will not be paying 100% of your medical costs, and in most cases you will have to co-pay from 10 to 50% of each medical bill you get. Before you purchase a health insurance policy it’s worth thinking about how much you are ready to pay out of your pocket for the service provided, and if that amount is not too high be ready to purchase a standard or above health insurance policy with maximum coverage.

Retirement And Insurance

admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:20:16 +0000

Health insurance considerations weigh heavily on the minds of people wanting to retire before Medicare coverage kicks in at age 65. Many people put off retirement simply because the cost of an individual health insurance policy is too great on a limited income.

What options for health insurance do you have if you choose to retire before age 65? Although they are not required to, you may be able to get COBRA-like coverage from your employer.

As an added retirement benefit, your employer may allow you to pick up the premium on your policy; although paying 100% of your premium may initially appear to be an expensive option, purchasing an individual policy apart from a group may be even more costly and not provide you with the level of coverage you previously had.

Some companies are offering basic high-deductible insurance reasonably in the hopes that they will be able to enroll you in Medicare Part C (supplemental insurance) when you retire.

Another option is to budget and save money to cover your anticipated medical costs for the time period between retirement and age 65. If you are in very good health, this may be a viable alternative for you.

Pre-planning for retirement is an important issue; the earlier you start planning, the better. Realizing the Medicare does not pay all of your medical expenses, you should budget money for medical expenses even after retirement.

News: Perspective: Policies must keep pace with genetic progress. …

admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:20:14 +0000

Enactment of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008 is a boon to individual patients and for genetic research, write Kathy Hudson, M.K. Holohan, and Francis Collins in the June 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. But the bill is not a panacea, they note: Employers, health insurers, patients, and doctors now must be educated about its provisions, gaps remain in genetic testing oversight, and there still may be opportunities to misuse genetic information.
Hudson, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts-funded Genetics and Public Policy Center, and co-authors Holohan and Collins of the National Human Genome Research Institute, reflect on GINA’s slow path through the legislative process. “When the first federal legislation to prevent the misuse of genetic information was introduced in 1995, many in the health care, research, and policy communities considered the measure forward-looking. Others called it premature,” they write. Thirteen years later, they note, “With many of these tests becoming available in the clinic and some even being offered directly to consumers, GINA’s protections could no longer be dismissed as premature; they were rapidly coming to seem essential to Americans’ ability to make the most of the much-anticipated era of personalized medicine.”
After spending years stalled in committees, GINA finally passed the House and Senate this spring with overwhelming bipartisan support, and was signed into law by President Bush on May 21. The bill prevents health insurers from denying coverage or setting premium rates based on genetic information, and employers from making hiring, firing, or promotion decisions based on a person’s genes.
The authors quote Sen. Edward Kennedy, who called GINA “the first major new civil rights bill of the new century.” Kennedy was one of the bill’s lead sponsors. “Discrimination in health insurance and the fear of potential discrimination threaten both society’s ability to use new genetic technologies to improve human health and the ability to conduct the very research we need to understand, treat, and prevent genetic disease,” he said.
GINA removes roadblocks in both health care delivery (because patients can take genetic tests without fear of reprisal) and research (because potential participants can be assured of the security of their genetic information), the authors explain. However, there are still regulatory steps to be taken to ensure genetic information is used wisely. “[F]ederal agencies must write the implementing regulations that will provide detailed guidance for health insurers and employers about how to comply with the new law,” the authors point out. Additionally, “We need to make certain that health care professionals and patients understand the new protections.”
Besides discrimination, another challenge to genomic medicine is that “There are important gaps in the oversight of genetic tests, and multiple advisory groups have called for regulatory reform to ensure the analytic and clinical validity of genetic tests,” the authors write. Finally, they note, “GINA addresses only employment and health insurance, not life insurance, disability insurance, or long-term care insurance It may well be time for a thoughtful evaluation of these other realms that are likely to be touched by the swift advance of genomic science.”

News: Health reform proposals could help 13 million uninsured …

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:36:05 +0000

New York, NY, August 6, 2009 Comprehensive health reform proposals now before Congress could help the more than 13 million uninsured young adults ages 19-29 gain coverage, and such reforms would also help ensure that those who now have coverage would not lose it, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. Extending health insurance coverage to all Americans through expansions in Medicaid and a health insurance exchange with a choice of private and public plans would help guarantee stable, affordable coverage for young adults, according to the report, Rite of Passage? Why Young Adults Become Uninsured and How New Policies Can Help, 2009 Update.
Young adults often become uninsured when they graduate from high school or college; turn 19 and are dropped from their parents’ policies or become ineligible for Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); have difficulty finding jobs; or are employed in jobs that do not come with health benefits. In 2007, nearly 30 percent of this age group, or 13.2 million, were uninsuredan increase of 2.3 million since 2000. With the unemployment rate currently at 15 percent among 20-24 year olds, up from 8.2 percent in 2007, more young adults are likely uninsured now.
“Because young adults face so many transitionsgraduation, job changes, and in this economy, unemploymentthey are especially vulnerable to the risks of being uninsured,” said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. “Comprehensive health reform would go a long way toward ensuring that young adults have stable, affordable health coverage that will give them access to the care they need, and protect them in the event of a serious illness.”
Young adults are disproportionately uninsured: they comprise just 17 percent of the under-65 population, but represent nearly 30 percent of all uninsured Americans. Young adults are particularly at risk of losing coverage at graduation from high school or college: nearly 2 in 5 high school graduates who do not go on to college, and one-third of college graduates, experience a time uninsured in the year following graduation. As new entrants to the labor force, young adults are less likely than older adults to find jobs that come with health benefits, and are thus left to purchase health plans on their own in the individual insurance market, without the financial help of employer premium contributions.
The report analyzes how reforms such as those currently under discussion in Congress would affect young adults: Some proposals would allow young adults to remain on their parents’ health plans until they are 26 years old; young adults in lower-income households, who represent nearly 70 percent of all uninsured young adults, would be eligible for Medicaid or sliding scale premium subsidies to purchase health plans through a health insurance exchange. Such policies would enable young adults to maintain health insurance through key life transition points when many experience gaps in their coverage.
Young adults who experience breaks in their coverage face a number of risks: about half (49%) of those who spend a time uninsured report medical bill problems or medical debt, just 41 percent have a regular doctor compared to 79 percent of insured young adults, and two-thirds (66%) of young adults who were uninsured for some period of time during the year went without needed medical care because of cost. While young adults are healthier as a group than older adults, about 15 percent have a chronic health problem such as asthma, more than half weigh more than what is considered to be a healthy weight, there are 2.7 million births to women in this age group, and young adults have the highest incidence of injury related visits to the emergency room of any age group.
“Loss of health insurance coverage impedes young adults’ access to the health system at precisely the time they should be establishing their own relationships with physicians, and puts them and their families at significant financial risk,” says study author and Commonwealth Fund Vice President Sara Collins. “It is critical that reform proposals provide comprehensive, affordable and continuous health insurance that young adults can count on regardless of where they work or whether they are in school.”
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The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation supporting independent research on health policy reform and a high performance health system.

Affordable Health Insurance Coverage Tips

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:10:59 +0000

Is there such a thing as affordable health insurance coverage anymore? It seems that the costs of healthcare insurance have completely knocked a lot of people out of consideration for buying a policy. I was speaking to a family member recently that stated he was paying over $800.00 a month for himself, his wife and three kids. I’ve seen even higher costs, a lot higher, depending upon where you live.

There really aren’t a whole lot of options for those individuals and families that are uninsured. Veteran’s can visit any Veteran’s Administration Hospital and be treated for free. They would be billed if they have medical insurance, but they are not denied care. If they’re not on service connected disability of at least 50% compensation then they’ll have to pay a small co-pay for prescription drugs. I believe that this currently costs around $8.00 per prescription.

Uninsured families can usually get some type of assistance from the state that they live in as long as they’re under a certain income bracket. Of course, this depends upon each individual state. Most states will offer assistance for children at least.

It’s not easy for most people without affordable health insurance coverage, but my suggestion is that they continue to obtain free health insurance quotes, try managing their budget as tightly as possible and hoping that an affordable plan comes along for them. There are several places to get free health insurance quotes online. I recommend that you take the time to get several of these and see what you can come up with that’s within your budget. Good luck!

Tips to find effective corporate health insurance plans

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:11:20 +0000

These days the proverb “Health is wealth” is in more command than the previous saying “Wealth is gone nothing is lost health is gone something is lost, but character is lost everything is lost”. With so many diseases spreading it is very important that we take good care of our health as well as we even should protect ourselves from any uncertainty by becoming prepared and covering ourselves with a health insurance. It is also important that we do protect the assets of our company that is our human resources with the health insurance. Health insurance is nothing but a mutual agreement between the insurance company and the insurance; it helps you to protect yourself and your family during financial constrains during any medical emergency. While these days insurance is one benefit which many employers provide to their employees. And one of the most advantageous products which would definitely suit to your needs is that group health insurance plans in which you can choose the corporate health insurance plans. For the employers before buying the corporate health insurance plans, some of the tips which can help you to buy the most appropriate pack thus improving the job satisfaction of your employees are as follows:

Do a research on the employees needs: It is always essential to know the views of the employees for buying the insurance plan, because it is after all they who are going to use the product, and if the product does not cater to their need then the purpose of the product will not be facilitated. So ensure that you take the views and the requirements of your employees and then weigh the pros and cons and decide on the policy.

Some of the questions which you should ask the employees about the group plans are that: Are they satisfied with the current plan? Do they possess any problem incase the doctors are changed? Would it be a good alternative if the doctor is changed and this would cause a reduction in the payment of premium? What are more significant regular medical visits or emergency visits? Once these questions are answered it would be helpful and it would also provide you an overview about the different aspects.

Know about the different types of the health insurance plans available: It is very important that you understand the different types of plans available in the market and then a quick decision could be taken. There is service called as fee for service wherein on the selection of a particular doctor the doctor would reimburse a part of the fee. A network plan allows the doctors to use the services of those doctors who are present within a particular network. Some of the network plans are HMO’s and PPO’s. HMO provides a good amount of savings. PPO’s unlike the HMO’s which provide the option of selecting doctors within a particular network, and PPO provide the option of selecting any doctor within the community but they do cost more than the HMO’s. It is very important to find the needs of your employees.

As a known fact insurance premiums are tax deductible components so it is important that you do find the tax break up and select the component which provides the best deal.

These would be some of the tips which would enable you to find the best deal in order to safeguard yourself as well as your employees during the times of medical emergencies as well as the normal visits to the doctors.

Possible Complications of Diabetes By Ricky Hussey

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:20:59 +0000

Medical care today is extremely expensive and medical bill debt features in more than half of all bankruptcies filed in the United States today. Indeed, one bankruptcy is filed every 30 seconds because of serious medical problems. Many of these are of course for the 47 million Americans who do not have any form of health insurance, but a substantial number are also for people who have inadequate health insurance because they cut corners when it came time to buy or renew their health plan. So where do you go to buy good and affordable health insurance?The health insurance market is enormous and competition for your business is fierce which places you firmly in the driving seat as long as you are prepared to shop around and there is no better place to shop for health insurance than right here on the Internet.The secret however is to start your search by defining exactly what you are looking for in a health insurance plan. For example, what sort of health insurance do you want - a traditional indemnity (fee for service) plan or a managed care plan such as an HMO? If neither of these fit the bill, then perhaps a hybrid plan such as a PPO will suit your needs. The important thing is to know just what sort of plan you want before you go shopping.Having decided upon the right type of plan, the next thing you need to define is just what you need cover for. For example, you will almost certainly want a plan which covers you for emergency treatment and hospitalization, but you may not need a plan which provides you with psychiatric care.Finally, having worked out just what type of plan you want and what you want it to cover you for, you need to decide just how much you can afford to pay over the course of the coming year. This means not only how much you will pay in terms of any monthly premiums, but also in terms of any annual deductible and other out-of-pocket expenses.At this point you have done your work and now is the time to let others go hunting for you. So, hop onto the internet and search for free health insurance quotes. There are many different sites which will provide you with quotes at no cost and without any obligation and, having detailed just what you are looking for, they will then come back with a number of possible plans for you to consider.Once you have a handful of quotes which appear to meet the bill, sit down and read through the small print of each carefully to select the plan which best meets your needs in terms of both cover and budget.Buying health insurance does take a bit of time and effort but choosing the right plan can make the difference between sleeping peacefully at night knowing that you have the protection you need and worrying about being next in the queue for the bankruptcy court.

USA-HealthInsurance Launches a New Website Offering Low Rates for Individual, Family and Group Health Insurance Nationwide

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:41:01 +0000

USA-HealthInsurance.com, a free, nationwide online service where consumers can access, compare and purchase health insurance, introduces a new website that combines the localized knowledge and friendly service of a neighborhood agent with the extensive experience and buying power of a leading online health insurance source.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) May 29, 2007 — USA-HealthInsurance.com (originally WebInsuranceMart.com since 1999), offers a broad selection of health insurance companies and plans that allow consumers to find the lowest rates for a plan that best fits their needs. This unique website can generate quotes for all major insurance companies. USA-HealthInsurance.com is a leading online source of both individual and family insurance coverage as well as small business health insurance plans.

“You can enjoy the advantages and convenience of shopping and purchasing your group, family, or individual health insurance plans through USA-HealthInsurance.com online and rest assured that you're getting the best available price”, says Ted Officer, President of USA-HealthInsurance.com. “Our Web site is geared to the consumer who is looking for the best benefits for the best rate.”

Choosing health insurance can be a challenge, but USA-HealthInsurance.com makes it really easy. A person simply goes online and selects the type of coverage they need either by state, carrier, quote, or plan. They would then enter their name, age and other information and instantly be able to review multiple plans from a list of major nationwide insurance companies.

“But our services go one step further,” says Hunter Ross, Manager of Operations for USA-HealthInsurance. “Our agents can personally guide consumers though the process to make the best possible choice. We help customers compare free insurance quotes and get a proposal in 60 seconds!”

“A personally assigned qualified agent is responsible for handling all aspects of your account including any issues you may have with claims as well as making sure you have the lowest rate and the best plan year after year,” says Paul Faile, Senior Manager of USA-HealthInsurance. “We provide the lowest rates and first class service even after your plan is in effect.”

“According to the US Bureau of Statistics, almost 50% of the people in this country are uninsured. Over 40% of the workforce is without employment-based health insurance. Nearly 20% of children (people under 18 years old) are uninsured”, says Ted Officer, President of USA-HealthInsurance.com. “We help the uninsured and insured by offering the best rates, plans and the ability to access health insurance, easily and confidentially — at no cost.”

About USA-HealthInsurance
USA-HealthInsurance.com (originally WebInsuranceMart.com since 1999) is a free, nationwide, online service where individuals, families, groups, and small businesses can easily access, compare, and quickly select the best and most current health insurance plans to meet their insurance needs either directly online or with real-time customer service from a personally assigned and qualified agent.