Individual Open Enrollment
November 1st to December 15th
Medicare Open Enrollment
October 15th to December 7th
Health Insurance plans that fit your needs and budget
Why not buy your insurance from an experienced professional. Especially when there is never a fee for our service, and, your rates would be the same if you used an agent or not.
Shanna Wetzstein is an independent broker who works with the top carriers you know and trust. Accordingly, she has a wide range of options allowing us to focus a client’s individual needs, and not the size of their policy. Thus, we’ll present your very best health insurance options, based on your needs and circumstances. Because we want you to make an informed decision about your health insurance without feeling overwhelmed or confused, we’ll present your health insurance options in an easy to understand format.
WE MAKE HEALTH INSURANCE HOUSE CALLS! Shanna enjoys traveling to meet clients in person.
Individual Health
Individual Health Quotes
About Our Health Plans
To request a quote, please close this form and click the “Request a Quote Button.”
Immediately following are details on the types of major medical health plans we offer:
An HMO offers lower premiums and a significant savings on routine and preventative healthcare.
HMO
A Health Maintenance Organization or HMO health plan requires it’s members to appoint a primary care physician who is affiliated with the HMO. Accordingly, if you use healthcare service providers outside of the HMO, there is a good chance those charges won’t be paid for by the policy. The great thing about an HMO is that the only charges you incur, outside of your premiums, are co-pays for doctor’s visits and other services such as procedures and prescriptions.
A PPO offers a significant savings on healthcare services and a large network of providers.
PPO
A Preferred Provider Organization or PPO will save you money on services if you use the preferred providers within the network. However, deductibles must be met on this plan before some services will be covered. The good thing about a PPO is they generally will allow a certain amount of services annually outside of the deductible with a small co-pay. Additionally, the PPO most oftenhas a large network with quality care providers and excellent prescription drug coverage.
Qualify for a premium subsidy through the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace.
Is a Catastrophic Plan right for you?
Catastrophic Plans
A Catastrophic Plan is great for those healthy individuals who do not expect to need medical care throughout the year, other than routine preventative care (generally available for under age 30). However, note catastrophic plans may or may not contain the essential benefits required by the ACA to avoid penalty.
Need a short-term health insurance policy?
Short Term Health
A Short Term Medical Plan is for times of transition. Additionally, they help to bridge gaps in coverage for individuals and families. Short term plans are generally less expensive than traditional health insurance, however they do not provide full coverage. Specifically, they do not cover pre-existing conditions, nor do they contain the essential benefits required by the ACA. Based on your needs, you can select the length of time (1 to 11 months in many states) and from a range of available deductible amounts.
Health Savings Accounts when combined with a high deductible plan saves you money
HSA
A Health Savings Account (HSA) combines a high deductible/lower premium health insurance plan (PPO) with a tax free savings account. The money in the HSA can pay for the deductible and other qualified medical expenses. Accordingly, once the deductible is met, the insurance starts paying.
Small Group Benefits
Group Health Services and Quote
Consultation: To design your ideal benefit package, we will perform a complete analysis of your needs and get to know you and your company.
Implementation & Support: We strive to help employees maximize the full value of their new benefits! We provide on-site enrollment with answer and question sessions and provide dedicated support for your employees helping with health issues, claims issues, and more. We’ll also assist HR with any new enrollments, terminations, billing, difficult claims, timely and proactive renewals, and more.
Immediately following are details on the types of benefits we offer employers:
Traditional Group Health
Traditional Group Health
We offer traditional health plans through most carriers. Depending on your needs, we have plans that offer the Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) as required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to full customized packages that offer a rich variety of benefits.
HMO
A Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) requires group members to obtain their health care services from doctors and hospitals affiliated with the HMO. And, members are required to designate a primary care physician who treats and directs health care decisions and who coordinates referrals to specialties within the HMO network. HMOs offer access to a comprehensive package of covered health care services in return for a prepaid monthly amount (or “premium”). Most HMOs charge a small co-payment, depending upon the type of service provided.
PPO
With a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), members save the most money on healthcare when they use providers within the PPO. If providers outside of the network are used, it is possible that those services may not be covered at all. However, deductibles must be met on this plan before some services will be covered. PPOs require a co-pay for physician visits.
HSA
A Health Savings Account (HSA) combines a high deductible/lower premium health insurance plan (PPO) with a tax free savings account. Both employer and employee can contribute to the savings account. Accordinlgy, the HSA can help pay the deductible and other qualified medical expenses. Thus, once the deductible is met, the insurance starts paying.
HRA
A Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) combines high deductible/low premium health insurance with a tax favored savings account. Employers contribute to the savings account, which can be used for to fund co-pays and other qualified expenses prior to the deductible being met.
Single, Dual or Triple Option Plans offer eligible employees a choice between several different types of plans as described above.
Self-Funded Group Health
Self Funded Plans
Employers self-fund their own health plan because of many advantages that most often out-weight the risk. Accordingly, these advantages include a significant savings in premiums, increased cash flow, along with certain tax advantages. Additionally, they have more control over the benefits the plan can offer to employees. Thus, self-insured plans are considered to be a good option for both small and large employers.
Shanna Wetzstein is experienced in self-funded health plans. She would be happy give you a no cost analysis to determine if a self-funded health plan option is right for your company. Below you will find a little more information on exactly how self funding works.A self-funded health plan requires the employer to become the insurer. Most often, employers will partner with a PPO to provide services for the plan. A third party (a TPA) is engaged to handle claims and processing. Because self-insured employers run the risk of large catastrophic claims, they will purchase stop-loss insurance to protect them in such an event. Even with the additional expense of stop-loss insurance, employers can enjoy saving thousands in premiums and other advantages.
Group Dental and Vision
Group Dental & Vision
Employees appreciate both dental & vision coverage as part of their Employee Benefits Package. Thus, we offer Dental and Vision Plans through many of our carriers. Accordingly, you will find detailed information on the benefits of having Dental and Vision coverage.
Dental Plans
Regular dental exams help employees stay healthy and productive in the work place. Accordingly, simple routine visits to the dentist are usually covered 100% by insurers and help to optimize oral health. Additionally, they help to detect serious underlying conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. In fact, many major studies that show that employees with Dental Insurance plans have better attitudes in the workplace, and are less likely to suffer from depression, a common condition in today’s fast-paced world.
Dental Plans offer a variety of diagnostic, preventative care and corrective services including cleanings, exams, x-rays, fillings, root canals, orthodontia for children, and emergency care while traveling.
Vision Plans
Similar to dental policies, vision plans are inexpensive and save money on routine exams, eyeglass frames and lenses, contacts, and even discounts on procedures like LASIK. In addition, monitoring your eye health with regular exams has been proven to prevent serious eye diseases, such as glaucoma and cataracts. Additionally, eye exams can detect early stages of diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
Group Life Insurance
Group Life Insurance
Along with Health Insurance, Life Insurance is considered to be a key part of the benefit package for employees. Besides being a valuable tool in attracting top talent, employees are happier and more productive feeling secure that their loved ones will be taken care of in the event of illness or an untimely death.
A good life insurance policy provides for an employee’s final expenses, taxes, mortgage and even their children’s education as well as offering additional added benefits. Shanna Wetzstein can help employers protect their employees and their employees’ families with a variety of different life insurance products.
Permanent Life Insurance
Life insurance that builds cash value and the savings can be tax deferred and/or borrowed against, if needed. These policies are known as Permanent Life Insurance.
Term Policy
Life insurance that does not build cash value, however, it will pay a set amount to the named beneficiary upon the death of insured within the stated term. Some policies may also make payments upon terminal or critical illness.
Group Disability
Group Disability Insurance
National surveys have shown that Short Term Disability and Long Term Disability remain of high importance for most employees. Savvy employers attract and retain top talent by offering both STD and LTD insurance as part of the employer paid benefit package. Here’s how Disability plans typically work.
Short Term Disability
During the time an employee is unable to work due to a qualifying disability (illness or injury), STD generally allows for income payments to the employee to begin after about a two-week waiting period and will continue to pay the employee until he/she recovers or maxes out the benefits–usually anywhere between one month to two years, depending on the policy.
Long Term Disability
During the time an employee is unable to work due to a qualifying disability (illness or injury), LTD generally allows for income payments to the employee to begin after about a 90-day waiting period, although it could be much longer depending on the policy, but will continue to pay the employee far longer than STD–for a few years, up to age 65, or even for life.
Group Long Term Care (LTC)
Long Term Care
Group Long-Term Care plans are becoming an increasingly common benefit offered by employers today. The prospect of long-term care is one of the most important issues your employees may have to face. The cost of long-term care is expensive and generally not covered by other employee benefits, disability or even Medicare. If someone requires long-term care, it is not just an emotional strain but a financial one as well, impacting retirement savings and overall financial position.
Savvy employers know that access to additional resources can increase employee productivity when confronted with managing long-term care situations. Long-Term Care plans demonstrate to your current and prospective employees that your company cares about them–increasing the ability to attract and retain the very best talent.
Most LTC plans are designed to provide benefits for care through nursing homes, assisted living centers, home health care and adult day care. Employers can provide a base benefit while giving the employees the opportunity to “buy up” and obtain the level of coverage that they need for their families.
Wellness Plans
Wellness Plans
Workplace Wellness is proven effective to help employees live a healthy life style, leading to significant improvements in workplace wellness, including spiked morale, productivity and reduced absenteeism, to name a few.
Health and wellness not only saves employers money, but also insurers. Accordingly, all of our carriers have invested heavily to trend consumers towards a healthier life style and offer robust tools for their clients. These tools may cover areas such as:
- Diet & Nutrition
- Physical Fitness and Exercise
- Health Screenings
- Telehealth
- Smoking and other Addiction Cessation Programs
- and More….
We also work with wellness providers and networks that offer completely customizable options that deliver everything you need to develop and implement a results-driven wellness program.
Request a Quote
Please provide some information so we can prepare a customized quote for your needs. Please fill out the form below. Then we will contact you promptly to complete your request.
Medicare Plans
Medicare Quote
What is Medicare?
Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older. The different parts of Medicare help cover specific services:
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)
Part A covers inpatient hospital stays, care in a skilled nursing facility, hospice care, and some home health care.
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)
Part B covers certain doctors’ services, outpatient care, medical supplies, and preventive services. Most people will pay a standard Part B premium which varies depending on income.
What We Offer
Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C)
Medicare Advantage Plans are offered by private carriers and replace your original Medicare Parts A and B, as they are rolled into one plan. Much like regular insurance, you can select different plan types, such as a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), or a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), or a Medicare Medical Savings Account Plan. Premiums will vary, based on coverage, carrier and geographical location. Advantage Plans include may include prescription drug coverage, and sometimes offer other supplemental coverage, like dental or vision.
Prescription Drug Coverage Medicare Part D Plans
Prescription drug coverage is Medicare Part D and is added to Original Medicare. It is offered through private insurance companies that are contracted and approved by Medicare – premiums vary between carriers. Also, Medicare Advantage Plans may also offer prescription drug coverage that follows the same rules as Medicare Prescription Drug Plans.
Medicare Supplements (Medigap Plans A thru N)
A Medicare Supplement Insurance policy is offered through private carriers and work in conjunction to complement your original Medicare Parts A and B. They cover some, if not all, of the expenses that Part A and B do not cover, like co-pays, deductibles and other excess charges. There are many different types of Medicare Supplement policies available, yet they are regulated so the benefits for these various policies (known as Plan A through N), are all the same regardless of the carrier. However, premiums can vary greatly among carriers. Ultimately, the best supplement plan is one that is purchased from a quality carrier, has a low premium and leaves you with the least or no out of pocket expenses.
More On Medicare
Eligibility for Medicare
To sign up for Medicare Parts A, B, and supplemental coverage (known as Supplement, Advantage, or Prescription Drug Plans), most people will have an Initial Enrollment Period which is a 7 month period around the time they turn age 65. This period begins 3 months before the month you turn 65, includes the month you turn 65, and ends 3 months after the month you turn 65.
Once your Initial Enrollment Period is over, if you wish to change or purchase Advantage and Supplement Plans, you must act during the open enrollment period.
MISS THE DEADLINE? To enroll for Medicare outside of the open enrollment period, you will need a qualifying event to be eligible.
- You are turning 65
- You move to a new area that is not in your current plan’s service area
- Recently moved back to the US
- You lose your current coverage (either Group or Medicaid)
- You now do or you no longer need a SNP (Special Nees Plan)
Important Disclaimers
Benefits:
Any benefit information provided on our website is a brief summary, not a comprehensive description of benefits, and may contain inaccuracies. For more information contact the plan administrator or carrier directly. Limitations, copayments, and restrictions may apply, depending on the plan.
Contact Forms:
By providing information via our contact forms or quote request forms, you agree that an authorized representative or licensed insurance broker of Shanna Wetzstein, an Independent Agent, may contact you by telephone, email, or mail to answer your questions or to provide additional information.
Agents:
Shanna Wetzstein is a fully licensed insurance agent/agency authorized to market health, life and Medicare Supplement insurance plans. This is a solicitation for insurance. You have no guaranteed issue or other benefits. Offerings of insurance are made by carriers/insurers based only on submitted applications. Shanna Wetzstein is an independent insurance brokerage and is not an insurance carrier/insurer.
Medcare Quote
Please fill out the form below and we will contact you soon.
Important: You must be eligible to enroll in a Medicare Plan by meeting the following criteria:
- You are enrolling during the annual open enrollment period:
October 15th through December 7th
- You are turning 65
Supplement Health and Life Insurance
Protect your health and financial well-being
Life Insurance
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Life Insurance
Cash Value:
This type of life insurance policy builds up a cash value that has many benefits to the insured, such as borrowing against the policy or building a tax deferred investment income, in addition to paying a death benefit. Whole life, variable life and universal life are all types of cash value life insurance. Cash value insurance is also known as permanent life insurance because it provides coverage for the policyholder’s entire life.
Term Life Policy:
This type of coverage does not build cash or investment value. Term life insurance covers you for a set period of time provided you pay the monthly premium, or in some instances, a lump sum in advance. The policy will pay to the named beneficiary the face amount of the policy (set benefit and/or lump sum) upon death of the insured within the stated term. Depending on the policy, it may also make payments upon terminal or critical illness.
Whole Life Policy:
This type of coverage combines term life coverage with an investment fund, and as long as you pay your premiums you are covered for life. Part of your premium goes towards the term part that pays a fixed benefit upon your death, and part of your premium goes toward building taxed deferred cash value that you can borrow against. Some whole life policies offer plans in which you can pay a higher premium for a shorter, fixed period of time, such as 20 years, vs. your whole life.
Universal Life Policy:
This type of policy combines term insurance with an interest earning money market account. It has flexible terms that let you adjust your payment or coverage amount. Because this account incurs expense charges, you will need to adjust accordingly to make sure your coverage stays active, in the event that the amount in your account becomes insufficient to meet premium payments. You also have the option of building more cash value by paying premiums even when your account has ample funds to cover them.
Variable Life Policy:
With this type of coverage, the death benefits for the life insurance policy are based upon how well the investment account it is tied to is performing (stocks, bonds or mutual funds). Higher performance yields higher benefits, wherein poor performance will yield lower or no benefits at all. Some policies offer a separate or extra premium for a set amount to be paid upon death of the insured.
Annuities:
An Annuity is an investment contracts that can help you grow your savings and/or retirement portfolio. Annuities most often are used as a strategy to provide you with retirement income that you cannot outlive. Payments may begin immediately or at some future date in exchange for a lump sum payment or a series of payments made prior to onset of the annuity. Annuities may arise as a result of a structured liability settlement as well. Also, annuities may provide either an immediate income stream or an income stream at retirement (or other future date) that transfers some of the risk of you outliving your money (“lifespan uncertainty”) to the insurer. Annuities are offered from carriers with the highest ratings available and designed with high current interest rates and short surrender charges.
Annuity contract structures are complex with an array of product choices such as: fixed or indexed, deferred or immediate, for both the qualified and non-qualified marketplaces. As a result, please contact your agent to discuss possible benefits, risks, costs as well as potential tax deferral advantages to see if annuities are a good fit for your financial plans.
Life Insurance and Investment Annuities can be complex. We recommend you call us for more details or fill out the request form below for a free quote and consultation.
Request a Quote
Please provide some information so we can prepare a customized quote for your needs. Please fill out the form below. Then we will contact you promptly to complete your request.
Dental & Vision Plans
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Dental and Vision Plans
Individual Dental Plans
Individual and family dental plans or policies are relatively inexpensive, but can go a long way in promoting your overall health. Studies have shown that regular dental exams can not only optimize oral health to prevent cavities and bad breath, they also detect serious medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Some studies have even shown that people who have dental insurance suffer less from depression, than those who do not have coverage.
Dental plans can range from a PPO or HMO to Pre-Paid, Fee-for-Service, and Discount on a variety of diagnostic and preventative care services including cleanings, exams, x-rays, fillings, orthodontia for children, and emergency care while traveling.
Individual Vision Plans
Take care of your eyes with an individual vision plan that can be purchased separately or combined with your major medical insurance. Similar to individual dental policies, vision plans are inexpensive and save money on routine exams, eyeglass frames and lenses, contacts, and even discounts on procedures like LASIK. Monitoring your eye health with regular exams also helps to prevent serious eye diseases like glaucoma and cataracts and also helps to detect early stages of diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
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Disability Insurance
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Disability Insurance
Disability Insurance protects your most valuable asset during your working years, which is your ability to earn a living. Statistics show that our chances are greater of becoming disabled than dying between the ages of 25 & 45. Yet, many people overlook adding affordable disability insurance to round out their protection portfolio.
During the time you are unable to work due to a qualifying disability (illness or injury), the replacement of your regular income through the monthly benefit provided by disability insurance helps to maintain your pre-disability lifestyle. Workplaces often provide standard short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD) insurance to meet federal guidelines. Individual disability income insurance can be customized to meet your needs and considers your occupation, age, income and other factors in determining your cost and monthly benefit payment amount.
Individuals not offered disability through their employer and self-employed individuals who desire disability coverage, can purchase policies.
Those who have disability insurance through their workplace, may wish to consider a “wrap around” disability policy to supplement their employer provided coverage.
Short Term Disability generally allows for income payments to begin after about a two-week waiting period and will continue to pay until he/she recovers or maxes out the benefits–usually anywhere between one month to two years, depending on the policy.
Long Term Disability generally allows for income payments to begin after about a 90-day waiting period, although it could be much longer depending on the policy, but will continue to pay far longer than STD–for a few years, up to age 65, or even for life.
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Please provide some information so we can prepare a customized quote for your needs. Please fill out the form below. Then we will contact you promptly to complete your request.
Long Term Care
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Long Term Care Insurance
Long Term Care encompasses a wide array of services that fall under two general categories – skilled care and personal care, but generally does not require a doctor or a nurse, and is not typically covered by regular health insurance, Medicare or disability insurance.
- Skilled care is provided when recovering from an illness or an injury.
- Personal care helps maintain the daily activities and functions of life.
The need for LTC is not always age related. Although more than half of all individuals age 65 & over will need LTC at some point, it is important to note that roughly 40% of those receiving LTC today are between the ages of 18 and 64. It is never too early to plan for long-term care.
Here are examples of what LTC policies may cover:
Institutional Care: Nursing home, assisted living services residential care facility, hospice care, adult foster home, respite care and more.
Home Care: Home health care, adult day care, personal care, homemaker services, hospice care, respite care and more.
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Please provide some information so we can prepare a customized quote for your needs. Please fill out the form below. Then we will contact you promptly to complete your request.
Accident Insurance
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Accident Insurance
Accidents can happen anytime. Thus, supplemental Accident Insurance is very affordable and complements your major medical policy, in the case of an accidental injury.
Accident insurance helps to protect you from financial hardship due to a great deal of medical and out-of-pocket expenses that follow accidental injuries. Emergency treatment, hospital stays, medical exams, transportation and lodging needs are just a few of the expenses that accident insurance can help cover. Some policies can even pay benefits in as little as one day, based on time of claim submission.
Request a Quote
Since supplemental coverages are designed differently than typical insurance, we must collect some information from you to prepare a customized quote for your needs. Please fill out the form below and we will contact you promptly to complete your request.
Critical Care
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Critical Care Insurance
Surviving cancer and other critical illness is becoming very common with modern medicene. Accordinlgy, Critical Illness Insurance can help reduce the personal financial impact of the cost of fighting these illnesses or keeping up with everyday bills through that process. Accordingly, if you have a health insurance plan and/or disability insurance, Critical Illness Insurance will provide benefits in addition to your other coverage.
Some key features:
- Lump-sum cash benefit paid directly to you.
- You decide how best to spend your payment.
- No network restrictions.
- Benefit level choices to fit your needs and budget.
- Simple plan options for your needs and budget.
Certain terms, exclusions and limitations may apply.
Request a Quote
Please provide some information so we can prepare a customized quote for your needs. Please fill out the form below. Then we will contact you promptly to complete your request.
Living Benefits
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Living Benefits
People are suffering from a heart attack or stroke every 30 seconds. Additionally, people develop cancer and or Alzheimer’s at the alarming rate of every minute. Then, doesn’t it make sense for life insurance benefits to be accelerated and available for people to use while they are still alive? Accordingly, the industry refers to this type of insurance as as “Living Benefits” which help people to receive care and pay for chronic or terminal illness that precedes death.
Request a Quote
Please provide some information so we can prepare a customized quote for your needs. Please fill out the form below. Then we will contact you promptly to complete your request.
Final Expense
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Final Expenses Insurance
Unlike life insurance, final expense policies have a much lower face value because they only cover costs related to a person’s final expenses. Therefore, you may secure a policy at a low or reasonable premium, when compared to life insurance.
Here are some of the features of final expense insurance:
-Premiums do not increase, ever
-As long as make you premium payment, policies will remain effective
-Guaranteed death benefit
-Some policies can be written similar to whole life policies. In other words, they may earn dividends.
Request a Quote
Please provide some information so we may prepare a customized quote for your needs. Please fill out the form below. Then we will contact you promptly to complete your request.
Healthcare Reform
Highlights of the Affordable Care Act
Annual Open Enrollment
You must purchase qualifying* health insurance during open enrollment or risk not having coverage for the year. Click here see if you are eligible for a special health insurance enrollment period. Click here for more on “qualifying coverage.”
Tax Penalties
Approval Guidelines
- No pre-existing clause. Insurance companies can no longer increase rates or deny coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
- There is a new dependent age limit. Accordinlgy, you can now keep dependents on your insurance until age 26.
- Gender is no longer a factor in determining rates.
Tax Credit
Buy your health insurance through the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace. You may qualify for a tax credit and apply it as a premium discount. This applies to both Individuals or Businesses. Individuals – Please use the Subsidy Calculator provided by the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Businesses – Use the Small Business Tax Credit Calculator provided by the Health Insurance Marketplace.
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