insurance help

HealthEE by HBG Support

We’ve all been trapped in a loop of “press 3 if you’d like to speak with a service provider” and “stay on hold for the next available representative.” With each awful hold song, you get more and more frustrated just to have a real person at the end speak as if they were a robot themselves and just want you to purchase whatever it is they are selling- whether or not it’s the right option for you.

That is not the HealthEE by HBG way. When you call 888-655-4053 or schedule an appointment online, you are speaking with the real people who make up the HealthEE by HBG support team. No premeditated scripts or robot voices telling you to repeat your name and date of birth over and over, just a conversation.
Personal, friendly and focused on finding the best solution for you, that’s HealthEE by HBG.
Schedule a free call here to discuss your benefit needs with the HealthEE by HBG support team today!

Terms to know when it comes to benefits, coverage and insurance.

Part of what makes the Healthcare industry so confusing is all the jargon and terminology. So as our goal is to clear the confusion, we take to our Instagram stories regularly, asking our followers what terms leave them scratching their heads. We do much more than just answering questions on our stories, so if you aren’t already following us, check out @healtheebyhbg on Instagram. We have compiled a few terms and their definitions into one place for those of you looking for clarification.

Premium is the amount you must pay your insurance company for coverage. This amount is determined based on various factors depending on the type of insurance you purchase. For example, what’s impacting your car insurance premium will be different from your medical insurance. A general rule of thumb for most health-related insurance plans is these five main factors; age, tobacco use, location, type of plan, and the number of people the plan covers. With HealthEE by HBG, you pay this monthly or quarterly.

Prior Authorization, otherwise known as preauthorization and pre certification, is a requirement by health plans for the patient (you) to obtain approval for a health care service or medication before it can be provided. This occurs when the insurer wants to evaluate whether or not the care is medically necessary.

Policy vs. plans– the insurance policy is the set of rules in place regarding the limits and regulations of your coverage. The insurance plan is the roadmap for your health, considering the policy. In other words, the policy affects what is available within your plan.

The deductible is the amount you pay before your insurance company steps in. This amount is dwindled by your premium payments. Once you pay the deductible amount through your premium payments or paying for doctor’s visits, your insurance company steps in. A low deductible means your premium prices will be higher, but chances are you will meet your deductible quicker, whereas a high deductible will lower your premium payments. If you don’t go to the doctor, this could be the right choice for you; however, in the case of an emergency, you may be footing the bill on your own.

An IUA or initial uninsurable amount

An IUA is an amount you pay per a specific medical event before your expenses become sharable. For example, our Common Sense health share plans which can be found here, have IUAs that members are responsible for paying – but have no deductibles.

We could write a novel with how many terms exist within Healthcare and insurance, but we hope these terms bring clarity to your relationship with your coverage. Suppose you have further questions or other phrases you would like clarified. In that case, our Ask Evan advisory team is made up of real people at your disposal to answer questions, provide support, and give you coverage and confidence on your benefit purchasing journey. Click here to schedule a free, noncommittal call with an advisor today.

Who and What is an Ask Evan?

When HealthEE by HBG was born, our mission was to create something that provided access and education to all; that’s what the extra EEs are for; we want to help everyone everywhere. So while our team of insurance experts set out to find the best value and packages for you, Evan Armstrong cultivated our Ask Evan support team. But he does much more than simply provide support for HealthEE customers. Instead, Evan is an advisor and educator whose goal isn’t to sell you a product or make a commission but to problem solve with you in real-time to uncover how you can get the most out of your insurance.

No premeditated scripts or robot voices telling you to repeat your name and date of birth over and over, just a conversation. Evan and his team define success as leaving callers with a peace of mind they didn’t have when they picked up the phone. “I’m not trying to convince anyone to buy anything,” Evan told me. “I’m here to provide clarity and walk you through the options available.”

A call with Evan or one of his team members is more casual in tone. The Ask Evan team isn’t purchase-driven, they are focused on ensuring you have the knowledge you need to make the best decision for you and your family.. Where ever before, have you had a representative in your corner who would speak with you one-on-one about your health and lifestyle? Then using that conversation, tell you honestly that while they have an array of coverage options available based on your needs, the right coverage lies elsewhere. Evan and his team value you and your health above all, and if we don’t have the benefits for you, we will tell you so and direct you in another direction.

Evan was once a carpenter with many of our customer’s exact needs and concerns today. Before the pandemic, he was the help behind voluntary benefits and has had years of experience assisting consumers with insurance needs. However, for him, what makes HealthEE by HBG different from his prior experience is the unbiased nature of his conversations with callers and the joy Evan finds in truly helping someone when they call. He says, “My position at HealthEE is quite different from any previous position. As much experience as I have selling, I really don’t like selling. Being able to present someone’s options clearly, and having no real motivation to push them toward any decision makes it much more rewarding.”

Where did HealthEE by HBG come from?

The world can’t turn without people. Not the people in the big offices high above the world or, in the case of the pandemic, hidden away in their home offices. Sure those people get the ball rolling, but it’s your delivery person, grocery clerk, nurses, and teachers who are on the ground making it all happen -despite how often they are under-appreciated and unprotected by the same world they are fueling. This underserved segment stepped into the spotlight due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The rest of the community finally recognized them as “essential.” We praised their efforts by clapping out of our windows, making signs, and raising them as heroes in the public eye. However, these grandiose gestures of support only go so far. Here at Healthy Business Group saw a gap, not just in the market but in our society, to protect and provide access to the underserved overworked, part time and gig workers of America. We saw how businesses around the country would have crumpled without their part-time employees, yet those same essential workers had the least access to insurance and benefits. The same people we crowned heroes, more often than not, could not afford to go to the doctor. How can that be? There must be a better way.

Healthy Business Group went to work creating that better way. Crafting a space for everyone and anyone to have access to essential benefits and insurance coverage. That space took the form of the online store now known as HealthEE by HBG. Founded on the concept of Health for Everyone, Everywhere with the goal of being the Amazon of healthcare, HealthEE by HBG is your one stop shop, a marketplace of benefits at your fingertips. As a group of industry veterans, Healthy Business Group’s team has sought out the best value for your benefits from cost to services to flexibility.

In order for HealthEE by HBG to truly be for everyone everywhere the Healthy Business Group team knew they needed a new kind of support team. This is where Ask Evan and his team come in. The Ask Evan team functions as dedicated advisors and educators to all. “I’m not trying to convince anyone to buy anything,” Evan, the head and namesake of the Ask Evan team told me, “I’m here to provide clarity and walk you through the options available.”We encourage and welcome you to schedule a call for free, no strings attached with an Ask Evan advisor to learn more about your own insurance needs and what options are available to you.

HealthEE by HBG has provided access to approximately 125,000 individuals in its first year of operation, but we aren’t stopping there. In the next year, we expect to provide half a million more people access to HealthEE by HBG by partnering with 50 organizations across the country. The HealthEE by HBG benefit store has changed healthcare for the better.

Access to health (for) Everyone Everywhere

With one in ten people not having health insurance in the United States, I think it’s safe to say we have an access problem within the industry. But what does it mean to have real access to healthcare? It’s more than just being given a single option, take it or leave it. It’s more than being trapped for a year paying for coverage you don’t understand.

Here at HealthEE by HBG, access means two things, education, and freedom. First, you should control your health and be free to choose how much coverage is right for you—space in selecting the range and longevity of the coverage. Only want benefits while you are between jobs, waiting to join your partner’s plan, or enduring a waiting period for a new job? Then, you can use HealthEE by HBG. More than just the power of choice, with our advisors on the Ask Evan team, you have access to guidance and education to understand better why you need what you need. We’ve taken something as guarded and confusing as healthcare and turned the conversation to ease and possibility. With Ask Evan in your corner, no question is too small. Your dedicated advisor will take you step by step through how the process works, yes, but also have a casual and honest conversation about your lifestyle and health needs. Once you understand what you need, you can enter our online marketplace and add your coverage to your cart.

Having access is a power in itself. In our first year, HealthEE by HBG has provided this power to 125,000 members through association partnerships within real estate, logistics, teachers, healthcare, and a myriad of other industries. You can also wield the power of access by scheduling a call with our ask Evan team here or browsing the original online store that started it all here.

How you can support your kids mentally this back to school

We are living through some unprecedented times, and even before the global pandemic, teenagers have been historically prone to believing no one quite understands them or what they are going through. Here are a few tips and friendly reminders to get you into the right headspace for supporting your kids returning to school this fall.

Encourage sharing
- While they may not immediately pour their hearts out to you, making a point to check in and ask how your kids are doing consistently is always a great place to start. The key here is to encourage conversation, not criticism. As a parent, it’s easy to react quickly with an opinion or advice when sometimes kids want to be heard. Maybe you can return to how you feel about whatever they are sharing at a later moment. Still, at this moment, if your immediate response is negative, your kids may begin to associate talking about their problems with you with negativity which is not an association either of you want. Try more general, less polarizing initial reactions.
Support but take a step back where you can
- Setting goals and routines create structure and help kids develop a sense of responsibility. That being said, adolescents crave independence, and finding a balance between the two can negate the oh-so-common trope of teens feeling the need to sneak and lie.
Work through conflict together.
- Working through conflict goes hand in hand with our last point. Sure, you are the parent, and your kids should just trust and listen to you. Still, you are raising them to be independent, functioning members of society who will inevitably have their own opinions that may differ from yours or get themselves into situations that may cause you to be angry. Sometimes it’s best to walk away. At the moment, it can be challenging for both of you to articulate your feelings appropriately, which creates further frustrations and leaves room for one of you to say something you probably don’t mean.
Set an example and take care of your own mental health
- Even when they seem worlds away, your kids are watching you. How you take care of yourself and handle situations paves the road. Keeping an open mind when discussing therapy, depression, and anxiety will positively affect how your kids handle these issues on their own. There is no shame in recognizing you need help and seeking it. However, if you express a feeling otherwise, if your kids need help, they may not ask for it, and whatever is troubling them will only snowball into a more significant issue later down the line.
Ask for their opinions.
- Every parent wants their children to have a good life and to find fulfillment. It’s easy to refer back to gaps in your experience or try to instill your exact definition of success or societal standards simply because you think it will help them achieve happiness. Still, the truth is what provides you joy will not always provide enjoyment for your kids. When you truly love someone, you learn to agree to disagree with them. Whether regarding religion, politics, the way they want to cut their hair, their pronouns, their sexuality, or their style, remember they have long lives ahead of them to either flourish with their choices or change their minds and need a shoulder for support.

HealthEE Habits For A Healthy Life

Summer is a time for spontaneity, too much ice cream, day trips to the beach, and sun on our faces. But as we move into August, we must come back to reality and check in with ourselves. August is the best time to evaluate what works with my routines and what doesn’t. Especially here in New York, the change of the seasons makes it difficult to stay motivated, and I find having consistent habits an excellent grounding element. If you have been searching for a new routine or want to spruce up your current one, look no further. Here are six habits for a healthier life,

Stretch every morning,

Stretching takes only a few minutes and will set your day up for success. In our monthly newsletter, we share stretches specific to lifestyle. Next month we will be sharing stretches designed for desk workers, you can sign up to receive the newsletter by filling out the get in touch form here, but an excellent place to start is to reach down and touch your toes. My mother has always taught me that if she can still feel her toes, so should I, and I extend this challenge to you. Do you want to be outdone by my mom? I didn’t think so. If you can’t quite reach out of the gates, no biggie; every day, try to reach a little lower. However, if you can touch your toes with no problem, I challenge you to put your back against a wall, heels touching the wall, and bend, keeping your legs flesh to the wall for a bit more of a challenge.

8 hours of sleep a night,

This habit is much harder in the summer when it seems there is every reason to stay out or finish that beach read, but your body will thank you for the extra recharge, and your heart will probably thank you too for not needing as many cups of coffee.

Stay up to date with your checkups and doctor’s visits,

With the hustle and bustle of life, it’s easy to forget that appointment you scheduled six months ago before whatever fabulous plans landed in your lap, but keeping those appointments is essential to your health. Especially with affordable preventative essential care options available here, there is no reason not to go.

Read everyday,

The average attention span of a human is 8.25 seconds. The average attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds. I’m not talking about the average teen human or whoever you think is more addicted to technology than you are. That’s humans across the board. Whether it be a news article or a book, reading more than captions and tweets will be more stimulating for your mind and your sanity- not everything you read on social media is worth your time.

Go easy on yourself and practice self-love,

Now I can almost feel your eyes rolling. “self-love” has been quite the buzzword as of late, but there is a good reason. Now, this looks different for everyone. Self-love to me can be walking by the dog park or journaling. But it can also be more subtle, talking to yourself in a kinder tone, not being mad at yourself for your mistakes, and complimenting yourself instead of criticizing when you walk by a mirror. Self-care to my brother is having the latest Yankees t-shirt. Well, each to each your own. There are no rules as long as what you’re doing makes you happy and brings you a sense of peace.

Drinking water,

Get yourself a reusable cup or bottle to keep by your desk and watch as, almost unconsciously, you drink more water. Drinking water helps every part of your body, from your joints to your brain to your internal body temperature. The benefits of water need no introduction. You simply have to choose to dedicate yourself to drinking at least2 liters of water a day.

The Do’s & The Don’ts Of Benefits

Finding Insurance can be frustrating. With all the jargon and confusing requirements, consumers often end up with coverage they can’t even afford to use, but won’t realize until they are in the emergency room or leaving the doctors and peak at the bill. Worse, traditionally, insurance contracts are a year-long commitment. Locking you into your insurance for the entire year. Nothing is worse than an overpriced jail sentence leaving you scared to get sick. Whether you currently have the coverage you don’t love or are a recent addition to the roster after turning 26; we’ve broken down the do’s and don’ts when it comes to picking benefits:

Do- Ask Questions!

56% of people admit they’re completely lost when understanding their health insurance* Imagine you are purchasing a house or a car. You want those life pillar purchases to be well informed. So you hire an inspector or request a vehicle history report. When you buy insurance, whether, for a car or house or your health, you should use the same fine tooth comb in selecting your coverage because, like a car or a house, coverage is not one size fits all. You seek different needs in a home than your friends or peers and it is the same with your insurance. Not knowing where to start is OK. The confusion surrounding how insurance works sparked us to put Evan to work with a team. Ask Evan is not a salesperson. He is an educator the same way a home inspector isn’t trying to sell you a home but is there to help you know what lies between the walls. Ask Evan is available to help you read between the lines of the traditional industry jargon.

Don’t- Put off enrolling in life insurance.

When we are healthy and young, it is easy to justify putting off life insurance. Especially with other pressing purchases to be made, but as we get older and our health becomes more and more at risk, the price of policies only gets higher. The life insurance policy you can get today will not be there when you’re five years older.

Do- Protect all members of your family- AKA keep your furry friends healthy and happy.

Nothing is better than coming home from a long day to an excited tail wagging. Our pets are dependable sources of love and cuddles (unless you’ve got a cat or a bird, but hey that’s on you), and we as their owners are their whole world. If there were a way for them to stay waiting for us at that door day in and day out forever, I know I’d be the first in line. Unfortunately, like us, pets get old or get hurt. When this happens, it’s not a question of if you want them better but whether you can afford the strain of treatment or surgery. Getting pet insurance is a proactive approach to your pet’s health. We can’t make them live forever, but we can give you a sense of security regarding their health protection.

Don’t- Go without medical coverage.

No one is superhuman. Going without medical coverage is rolling the dice on your health. If the past few years have taught us anything, it should be that life can change in an absolute blink. To that point, life happens, and if you find yourself between jobs or on a new path, you can still get medical coverage. We have low-cost essential medical coverage available here.

Do- Shop for coverage using trusted sources like HealthEE by HBG.

The HealthEE by HBG store is available to everyone, built by industry experts with decades of experience to provide access to coverage for all and education about that coverage. Whether you’re a freelancer, a part-time employee, or can’t make heads or tails of your employer-sponsored plan, HealthEE is a trusted resource for browsing and getting your questions answered. Our Ask Evan support team is full of real people, all with the goal of not selling you coverage but helping you understand your options and working through what will work best for your lifestyle. From cost to service to flexibility, our team has done the work, so you don’t have to.

Tag: insurance help