In this November Issue...
- Message from the CEO
- Health Insurance Q&A
- Open Enrollment Open Houses
- Independent Health: Moving to a Value-Base Model of Health Care Delivery
- Opening of John R. Oshei Children's Hospital
- Featured Recipe
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Message from the CEO
TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO RENEW YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE
We recognize that everyone hates renewing their health insurance – especially when they are experiencing significant rate increases, are confused with all the chatter about plan changes and don’t understand their options. The staff at the Amherst Chamber has been working with our members for the past two months in an effort to minimize their pain, refine the renewal process and assure subscribers that their benefit plan will meet their individual needs.
If you are currently a subscriber with the Amherst Chamber, you have been receiving regular communications from us, advising you on the action you need to take to maintain your coverage. We have distributed information on the many plan options we have available with all the relevant costs. Our licensed staff brokers have met with many of you individually to ‘walk you through’ the process and recommend the appropriate plan for you – based on your needs. We have also visited many of our small group employers and provided their employees with the information they need to select the suitable insurance package.
For those of you who don’t currently get your insurance through the Amherst Chamber, please call and make an appointment or stop in and we will provide you with a benefits assessment so you are comfortable with your decision. We offer dozens of plan choices with multiple plan designs and at all price points. Our staff will take the time to understand your specific health care needs and assist you in selecting a plan that aligns with your financial circumstances.
The Amherst Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to providing our members with the products and services they require to grow and prosper. We are available five days a week, 52 weeks a year to assist you. Health Insurance has become a major impediment to business and we continue to focus on growing our product line and increasing our knowledge so we can continue to be an asset to our sole proprietors and small businesses. We are the only Chamber in the region that offers these products, has licensed staff brokers, and doesn’t outsource insurance. This results in our members having the advantage of a large selection of products with no hidden or enrollment fees and the high level of service that is a hallmark of our organization.
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Out-of-Pocket Maximum: An Important Feature of Your Health Plan
You share the cost of your care with your health insurance company when you pay your deductible, coinsurance and copays. But did you know there’s a limit to how much you pay? It’s called an out-of-pocket maximum.
A plan’s out-of-pocket maximum is the most you could pay for eligible, in-network health care costs in a year outside of your monthly premium. It is a stop loss feature of the policy that helps you control risk by placing a cap on the most you could spend for covered services.
Some years, you may have lower health care bills. In those cases, you may not reach your out-of-pocket maximum. But when you have higher health care bills, the out-of-pocket maximum helps limit the amount you’re responsible for paying during the year. That’s great news for your wallet.
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Your Amherst Chamber of Commerce licensed brokers
are here to help!
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Call the Chamber offices at 632-6905 to get your questions answered.
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Open Enrollment Open Houses
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We will be hosting several Open Enrollment Open Houses in the upcoming weeks to better serve you. These are times that we have reserved to ensure all of our insurance staff will be available to answer your questions:
- Friday, 11/17/17 7:30am - 11:30am
- Thursday, 11/30/17 10am-3pm
If you are not able to stop in during one of our Open Houses do not worry, our office is open Monday thru Friday from 8:30am to 5pm and we welcome you to schedule an appointment or stop in during a time convenient for you so we can service your health insurance needs. To make an appointment contact the Chamber at 632-6905.
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Moving to a Value-Based Model of Health Care Delivery
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Health care now represents 17.8 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the U.S. Although the U.S. spends almost twice as much as other countries in health care in terms of GDP, reports show our country consistently performs worse in quality and outcomes compared to other industrialized countries.
The causes of and solutions to rising health care costs are complex, but one large contributing factor is the method and structure by which providers are reimbursed. In the current fee-for-service model, virtually each health care service performed in a doctor’s office or hospital has a code which has a fee assigned to it. The more services performed, the more the consumer and insurer pay the provider.
A new, alternative payment model that is value-based, in contrast to traditional volume-based, has the potential to dramatically transform and improve health care delivery in our region and throughout the nation.
Value-based payment rewards physicians for providing patients with evidence-based medicine, while advancing safe, appropriate and effective care as opposed to a volume-based, fee-for-service model that rewards more – and often unneeded, duplicative and, in some instances, potentially harmful – tests, treatments and/or procedures.
Continue reading...
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John R. Oshei Children's Hospital Now Open
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On November 10, 2017, Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo relocated to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and took on a new name: the John R. Oishei Children's Hospital.
The John R. Oishei Children's Hospital will provide state-of-the-art pediatric care, bringing the best care to kids and moms from Western New York and beyond. The hospital is the only free standing children's hospital in New York State, and is 12 stories tall with 185 inpatient beds, 64 NICU beds, 15 labor and delivery beds, 14 operating rooms, an Emergency Department featuring 18 urgent care and 18 emergency department rooms, and more.
Congratulations to the entire team at John R. Oshei Children's Hospital, Kaleida Health, and all that assisted in making the move a success!
Learn more about John R. Oshei Children's Hospital
here.
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Cranberry, Sausage and Apple Stuffing
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and for many of us that brings thoughts of expanding waistlines. However, preparing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that is lower in fat and calories but still tastes delicious is not difficult. This cranberry, sausage and apple stuffing is one stuffing recipe that won't have you breaking the scale.
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Amherst Chamber of Commerce | (P) 716.632.6905 | (F) 716.632.0548 | www.amherst.org
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