September 2012 Newsletter
What´s New at Savon
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Quote Of The Month: I saw a woman wearing a sweatshirt with Guess on it. I said, Thyroid problem? (Arnold Schwarzenegger - 1947 - present)
Congratulations To:
R. Suliot of Scottsdale, AZ Winner of our August early payment drawing for 1 free additional year of membership.
Congratulations to our winner and thank you to everyone that entered the drawing.
Keeping Fit With Jourdin Hendershot:
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The Benefits Of Exercise - Walking For Health
In this months newsletter, I will continue with part 3 of our 8 part discussion on the benefits of exercise. This month I will cover a Walking For Health. Next month I will cover Dance For Fitness. I invite you to follow along as I continue to explore the Benefits of Exercise.
Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest exercises. Walking is a great way to become more active, lose weight and become healthier. One advantage of walking is it‘s a great form of exercise for people of all ages. Walking on a daily bases helps reduce the risk of many diseases and illness such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma and strokes.
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Before you start taking daily walks make sure you have the right equipment. A pair of quality sneakers that are comfortable, provide support and leave no blisters, (if they are new, I suggest you break them in first). Select loose fitting clothing that allows you to move around. Choose your clothing, thin or heavy, according to your climate, keeping in mind that since you are walking you may become hot. You may want to carry a small backpack with you as well, so you can throw in so water, sunscreen or even a light jacket if you become cold.
If you have never walked as an exercise before, you may want to start out slow with a short route, and eventually work your way to a longer and more complicated route.
Here are some ways you can make walking fun:
- Walk around town and stop at all the local shops
- Walk your kids to school or to your local park
- Grab a friend and go for a walk
- Take a stroll with the family after dinner
If you have questions you would like to discuss with Jourdin, feel free to drop her an email by clicking here.
Grandma's Kitchen With Grandma C.:
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Mini Meat Loaves
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs Ground Beef or Turkey
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 pkg meatloaf seasoning mix
- Salt and Pepper
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Grease muffin tin or use Pam cooking spray. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl, adding salt and pepper to taste. Press mixture into greased muffin cups, leaving the tops slightly rounded. Fill to about 1/2 inch from top. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with a dollop of ketchup or BBQ sauce on each one.
This is a favorite among the kids! The recipe goes well served in the center of a plate with mac and cheese placed around it.
*Tip: I got this tip from my sister years ago: when mixing meat loaf by hand, wear sterile gloves! Then, when you're done, simply peel them off and discard them and there's no mess!
If you have a recipe that you would like to share with Grandma C., drop her an email by clicking here.
To Your Health: with Meri Osborne
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5 Arguments You SHOULD Have With Your Doctor:
How many of you actually see your doctor for regular check ups and exams? If you‘re anything like me, you only go if you have a problem.
Generally you discuss the issue, get a prescription and go on your merry way, accepting whatever form of treatment suggested without question.
Who are we to question, they are the professionals, right? Yes, they are, but they are also humans, just like us. There are times where other treatment options may be better, and times when your doctor is actually looking out for your best interest.
Here are 5 arguments your doctor WANTS to have with you:
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- Taking Medication - many times, a doctors first option is to put you on medication for whatever your issue may be. These days, there is a prescription for everything, but with many new medications, the side effects can be pretty harsh. Don‘t be afraid to ask if there are any other options before you agree to taking anything you‘re not 100% sure of.
- You don‘t want surgery - with any surgery there are always major risks which is why most doctors suggest this as a last resort. There are times, though, when surgery is not the only option. It‘s important to communicate your fears with your doctor and discuss all possible treatments before taking the risk of surgery.
- No time for follow-ups - this is one case where it‘s important to heed your doctors advice. If they want to see you again, there is a reason. You sought treatment because you had a problem, follow up appointments are part of being treated. However, depending on your condition, you might be able to be monitored from home (i.e. taking your own blood pressure and submitting it, etc.).
- I can‘t afford medication - for this argument, you can revert back to argument #1 and find out if there are any alternative treatments. If not, you can always ask if there is a generic brand of the medication prescribed, often times this is the cheaper option and any good pharmacy will usually let you know.
- The WEB told me something different - self-diagnosing yourself without consulting a doctor to be sure is the worst thing you can do for yourself. There is always a chance that you could be way off base, or dead on. Either way, it is important to discuss any conflicting information you find with your doctor. And never be afraid to ask your doctor about possibilities you find online. As I stated before, while your doctor is a professional, they are also human and might unintentionally over look something that wasn‘t brought to their attention.
If you have insurance or the funds to see a doctor on a regular basis, you should take advantage. It‘s part of living healthy and reduces your risk of major health problems later in life! Here‘s to a healthy and happy September!
The above health material is provided as an information service. It should not be used for diagnostic purposes nor is it intended to take the place of the important relationship between you and your doctor.
News You Can Use: News From Inside Your Dental Plan
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Try Out MySDP.com! A Quick Link Resource Center For Our Members!
Many, if not most of us have smart phones. Smart phones (Iphone® or Android®) have the ability to scan things using your camera and a free downloadable application such as QR Reader®.
Now we have developed a smart phone compatible page called My S.D.P. just for our members.
Scan the picture on the left with your phone and it will take to directly to MySDP.com. This page is designed to give you instant access to information most commonly used such as; Renewing your membership, the monthly newsletter, finding a new dentist, viewing the fee schedule and a lot more.
So take your smart phone and scan the code and take Savon with you anywhere you go!!!
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Fun Facts:
Crazy, Zany Facts We Bet You Didn't Know
- If you have 3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.
- The numbers '172' can be found on the back of the U.S. $5 dollar bill in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.
- In the average lifetime, a person will walk the equivalent of 5 times around the equator.
- According to suicide statistics, Monday is the favored day for self-destruction.
- Cats sleep 16 to 18 hours per day.
- The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
- Each of the suits on a deck of cards represents the four major pillars of the economy in the middle ages: heart represented the Church, spades represented the military, clubs represented agriculture, and diamonds represented the merchant class.
- Police dogs are trained to react to commands in a foreign language; commonly German but more recently Hungarian.
Come back for more in next months issue!
Dental Talk - A Member Blog Forum:
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Come blog with us! Dental Talk with Savon is a fun forum to post your interesting topics! Your comments are welcome, it‘s free to use and no membership is required.
Some of the topics include;
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These are just a few of the topics. Our blog site contains many other interesting topics. Please join us!!
Insurance Insight: - With June Shaffer
from Arizona Life Lines
Understanding Insurance Language - The Eighth And Final Part Of An Eight Part Series
This is a continuation of our August 2012 series dealing with breaking down of some of the more commonly misunderstood phrases and definitions encountered in the search for adequate health coverage. You may already be familiar with several, but please read on - some of these definitions go beyond the written word.
- COMPETITION:
Watch out for agents who try to show you a list of the competition's features, benefits, ratings and/or increases. Unless it is a magazine or journal-published list, it could have been created by the agent himself, who may or may not (knowingly) be truthful in his representation. It could be out-dated, or there could be extenuating circumstances which would be considered worthless as criteria by which to judge the capability of a policy to adequately cover you. Many agents who represent association plans are trained well on their own product, virtually not at all on the competition, yet keep a list of negatives on the competition - points which they have been trained to present as negatives but which may not be. Sometimes, it's all in the presentation.
It is usually considered in bad taste for agents to "bad mouth" the competition, if they're doing so based on hearsay. Facts are friendly; when an agent tells you that XYZ company had a 22% rate increase last year and doesn't pay for organ transplants or prescriptions, that's not down-grading - it's a statement of fact (unless the agent is lying). If, on the other hand, that agent personally had that plan, he/she may feel free to tell you what happened. Again, keep in mind that different people will report different degrees of satisfaction with any policy.
If your agent feels strongly that a specific plan is not for you, you should be provided with solid facts which you should then feel free to check out with the carrier in question. I ask my customers who they are considering and, if I feel the plan is not in their best interest, I suggest questions they can ask the other agent. If it is a good carrier, I'll say so and the decision is up to them. I had an instance whereby a customer called the agent, asked just two of the four questions I had suggested, and the agent said, "Well, I see you found something I can't compete with" and hung up. Good agents know the competition and should acknowledge their good points. I have told more than one caller who was contemplating a change to remain right where they were, that they weren‘t going to find anything better suited to their needs than what they currently had.
I've had prospective customers take another plan they saw, which was not that good, and months later I'll hear from them when they tell me how that agent lied, or none of their charges were covered, or that the policy didn't perform like "it was supposed to…" Those things could have been pointed out to them by the first agent, but their reluctance is understandable if their previous experience had been with pushy or overbearing agents. But - again - facts are friendly, and good agents should be objective.
- AGENTS and CUSTOMERS:
Agents are discouraged from sending things in the mail. If they feel they must, then they should get as much information as possible from you, the potential customer. Don't be put off by the few questions asked: if you are really interested, you want to provide the agent with basic information (age, general health, number of children, smoking status, height, weight, medical history, etc) so he or she can create an accurate quote for coverage that will meet your needs.
Having agreed to an appointment, ask the agent how much time he will require, then try to keep him to that time frame. A good presentation cannot be done in 15-25 minutes, so if you can't spare 20-30 minutes, it isn't fair to tell the agent you can. If, when he's done, the agent cannot leave anything behind, be suspicious. If he glosses over everything, doesn't point out specific sections of the coverage, won't answer questions or give examples of premium costs, be very suspicious. In fact, ask him to leave. On the other hand, if you have been mailed or e-mailed information, feel free to call the agent and review the information. Much of it today is pretty self-explanatory but there are often questions and any agent should be able to answer them to your satisfaction.
If you tell the agent you'll get back to him - please do. Agents work on commission only, and don‘t want to waste your time or have theirs wasted. Don't leave the agent hanging, don't say you want something immediately when you're really shopping for coverage you won't want for six months (that's unfair to both of you, because your quote may not be viable six months down the road), and don't say you'll "think about it" just on principle. More than half of those who say "I'll think about it" haven't spent two minutes on "it" when the agent calls back a week later. If you have questions, ask them. If they come up later, call the agent; he has a phone and should be willing to help you. If you really are "just looking", indicate what your intended time frame is.
There are good agents and bad ones, pushy agents and ignorant ones. If you've got a good one, you're lucky.
- HEALTH REFORM:
If you're waiting for health premiums to go down, or to see what Congress is going to do - don't hold your breath. While you're waiting, you could develop a serious health problem, have an accident, or just need good medical attention and not get it without the almighty insurance card. Then your cost concerns will really be justified!
So, in the meantime, while the wheels of the government slowly turn on this issue, make sure you have adequate coverage by being informed. Hopefully, the definitions, suggestions and other information provided in this series are a good start.
We want to thank June Shaffer for this interesting and informative series on Understanding Insurance Languages. We can't wait to see what she comes up with next month!
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