Group health insurance plans can be a blessing to many individuals and families. They provide essential insurance coverage and, depending on the employer, cost little or nothing to the employee. However, some blessings can be a burden in disguise. Many individuals and families can actually be much better off by getting an individual health insurance plans. There are countless reasons for this. However, we will dive into the top 5 reasons here:

1. Individual Health Insurance Plans Can Be Less Expensive:

Depending on the plan and how much of your money goes into paying for the plan there is a good chance you would pay far less for an individual policy for either the entire family or just your spouse and children. You can look at your pay stubs to see how much you pay each paycheck for your group health insurance plan. Then, simply comparing this to individual/family quotes can be extremely fast and simple. There are countless websites on the Internet that provide free quotes from multiple carriers. So why are group plans more expensive? Here are a couple of reasons among many:

- Group plans accept all employees, which increases the risk for the insurance company and in turn, increases premiums for the entire group. This also makes group plans very risky for individuals in the company. For example, if Karen in the finance department got a life threatening condition, this would affect everyone in the company with dramatically increased premiums and dramatically decreased corporate profits. Maybe, this is already happening now and you don't know it.

- Group plan groups are usually much smaller than the actual "group" participating in individual policies. This is because an individual's group is all the insured individuals for the entire health insurance company group. This can be hundreds of thousands to multiple millions. Most individual insurance providers offer and insure people throughout your entire state. This affects the cost of the plan because the risk for an individual plan is spread against dramatically more people. The more people, the less risk and the lower the premiums.

2. Losing Your Job, And Your Health Insurance

Losing your job can be tough, but the stress of losing your health insurance can be even tougher. There is always the option for COBRA, but COBRA can be extremely expensive as it carries the exact same plan that you had with the group. To make things even scarier, if you or one of your family members were to get sick before losing your job it would be very difficult and expensive to get insurance due to pre-existing conditions. However, individual policies are not affected in anyway by your employment. So, if you were to lose your job, you can simply stay with your individual plan indefinitely regardless of work. If you and your family are healthy, this is the best time to get an individual policy. The plans will still be inexpensive and you will not have to worry about losing coverage due to job loss, or not getting coverage due to pre-existing conditions. And, if you or a family member develops a condition the premiums cannot be raised or coverage dropped. Group plans do not offer that protection. Employers are free to cut benefits, raise contribution amounts, or drop coverage entirely.

Health Care Reform: Implications for Behavioral Health Providers

3. Shopping Around

Shopping around to get the best deal is a no-brainer, right? Well, group health insurance plans are often limited to one provider, or possibly two if your company is large enough. With individual plans, you can pick from any provider (often 10 or more) in your state. This means you can pick from scores to hundreds of competing plans, and find the one that fits best for you and/or your family, allowing you to actually shop around. With an individual policy, if you don't like the chosen provider you can switch at any time.

4. Plan Flexibility

Group health insurance plans not only limit you to the number of provider options; they also limit the number of plan options. This includes anything from riders like dental, vision, chiropractic, co-payment options, HSA plans, deductible amount, and total out of pocket costs. Plan options are the way you customize a plan to fit your needs. Group plans are almost always set with no flexibility.

5. HSA HSA HSA

HSAs, or Health Savings Accounts, are the next best thing in the world of health insurance. HSA plans allow contributors to enroll in high deductible, but very inexpensive individual/family plans. These plans also provide tax-deductible savings accounts to help pay for deductibles and other eligible health expenses such as dental, vision, and over-the-counter medication. The contributions accrue and grow tax-free and can be used tax-free for any eligible medical expenses or withdrawn penalty-free after age 65 for any purpose. These plans are excellent options for individuals and families healthy or not and a great way to save money for retirement by saving now on insurance premiums.

Brad Miller

Are you a chiropractor who's purchased an expensive website, only to find that new patients are not knocking your door down like your practice management group promised you? If you can believe it, this applies to the majority of chiropractic professionals that shell-out big bucks on sophisticated websites. What doctors are not told is that actual visitors to the website is the most important part of chiropractic internet marketing. We call this traffic! If you don't have a steady stream of online traffic, your office will not be noticed or found. I mean, you could get the best results of any chiropractor out there, but if no one knows about what you do, it doesn't matter!

When it comes down to it, getting boatloads of traffic couldn't be easier in today's time. The problem is, chiropractic internet marketing that works is NOT taught in school and hardly any consultants are teaching it. The insider information I'm going to share with you in the coming paragraphs has the potential to change your practice forever if you learn and apply these proven strategies sooner rather than later. These traffic generation methods have been single-handedly responsible for me generating over five figures every month just in online income.

Let's begin with some time-tested ways to get tons of visitors to your chiropractic website. The first thing that you can do is begin to implement article marketing. This can be a very good thing for your practice, as it gets you good exposure on the search engines like Googl
Internet Marketing for Chiropractors

e and Yahoo while building your credibility as an author. I recommend at least writing one article a week yourself. If this is too much for you, have someone else do it since articles are an incredible way to generate traffic and buzz.

Next, get a blog going for your practice. Once your blog is up, you'll want to add to it a few times a week. You can include articles, videos, press releases or podcasts on the blog. Your blog is like your home where people go to learn about you from a business and personal perspective. Blogs get indexed very well by the search engines as well. Wordpress and LiveJournal are two of the main hosts out there you may want to consider.

Third, regular posting on forums like Yahoo Answers is a good way to get good traffic. Make it a habit to take 15 minutes a day to post comments in relevant and highly targeted forums, as this can definitely boost your chiropractic website popularity. Forums are a place where you can play the role of the problem solver and build great rapport within your local community and niche.

Continuing on, social networking (AKA social marketing) is another solid Web 2.0 medium to use with your chiropractic internet marketing campaign. Social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, and Friendster can allow you to easily connect with members in your community and create trust. Whenever you send a request to be someone's friend, immediately they are notified and will check out your page to see what you do. Tons of free exposure can be gained by devoted a few minutes a day to meet new people online.

Fifth is pay per click ( or PPC) advertising. Google, MSN, Yahoo, and other networks offer this targeted service as a way to get instant traffic to your chiropractic website. Without question, it's an automatic method that will get you whatever amount of traffic you can afford. The benefit is that the traffic is literally "on-demand." Forget about waiting for search engine optimization (SEO) tasks to finally start. One of the cons is that you lose your butt if you are not careful and seasoned. Make sure you set a spending limit every day so you don't go broke.

Finally, we arrive at chiropractic video marketing. It's been said recently, and I can tell you from a great deal of personal experience, that video is the most powerful medium for allowing your target market or local community to get to know you! Mark my words, 2009 is the year that video marketing completely explodes! It will no longer be an option for chiropractic internet marketing, it will be a must. Your videos work for you all day and all night getting you maximum exposure and producing unparalleled leverage. Your viewers are able to meet and know you before they ever do so face to face. I cannot even begin to tell you how many new patients I have gained from this method, not to mention substantially increasing my bottom line! Let's face it, most would be more inclined to watch a video than read text on paper or the internet anyway.

Application of each of these proven tactics in your chiropractic internet marketing arsenal has the potential to dramatically change your practice life. You'll be working smarter, not harder and leveraging your time much more effectively. Remember, it's not good enough to just having a killer chiropractic website, you need to be able to flood it will traffic on a regular basis! Just like new patients are the life-blood of your practice, truckloads of new visitors to your page carry the same benefit.

matthew loop

Forget get-rich-quick programs. If you want to earn some extra money in your extra time, or if you are a stay-at-home mom, take a look at these ideas for starting a home based business. They require a very small investment (less than $100) to get started, and have been tested and proven prosperous by thousands of people.

1. Direct Sales

No matter what your interests and hobbies are, there is a company out there selling products for it. They are recognized as Direct Sale Companies. You earn money through person-to-person sales, retail, home parties or fundraising. Some companies will bestow you with a website for online sales.

The worst thing about this type of job is that is based solely on commission and you need to sell consistently in order to bring in a profit. The good part? Commissions are usually high (20-50%) and you can earn free merchandise as a reward for good sales.

To get started, you need to invest in a Starter Kit from the company, which usually includes sample products, brochures or catalogs, and all necessary forms and applications.

Some companies with a proven record of good sales are: Pampered Chef (sells cookware, kitchen gadgets, and seasonings; Starter Kit is $90), Petra Fashions (lingerie; Bronze Kit is $79; others available), Discovery Toys (educational toys, books, games, and software; Standard Kit, $99), Country Bunny Bath & Body (bath, body, and spa products; their Managing Services Program is $89), White Lily Candles (Choice Kit, $80; cheaper kits are available).

2. Sell Discount Healthcare Plans

Discount benefits plans can be medical only, or cover dental, vision, prescription, and sometimes chiropractic services. They are aimed to people without insurance that want to save money on medical assistance. This is a relatively new service, so there is little competition out there and a potential for great income.

Although you start with direct sales, you can also make money by persuading other brokers, which would earn a commission for you with every sale they make.

AmeriPlan is the top selling plan on the market. You pay $95 for the Basic Broker Kit and then $35 each month to continue as a broker. This includes a free coverage plan for you and all household members and a free website to promote your business. You earn a 30% commission on every enrollment.

3. Sell Crafts

If you are an artist of some kind, you already have the foundation for a new business. Ceramics and pottery are particularly saleable, but you can branch into anything you like, from wood ornaments to pressed flowers to scrapbooking.

Start small, attending craft or county fairs, flea markets, or renaissance fairs. Talk to other artists to see what sells and what doesn't. If you form a friendship with another crafter, you can offer to share the expenses of a booth with him or her. In smaller fairs, you can buy your own table. Unless you think of participating only in fine art and juried shows, keep in mind that most crafts are impulse buys and they should be priced accordingly (usually under $50).

Other places to sell your crafts are consignment shops and farmers markets. Also check sampler, an online magazine that will advertise your crafts for a small commission on sales.

4. Private Tutor

If you are qualified in an academic subject, you could take up tutoring. Math and foreign languages are always in demand, but many other subjects work as well. You can also offer after-school assistance with homework or test preparation.

Another alternative is to teach an arts and crafts or any other specialty class at a local community center. After you've gained some experience, or if you are truly an expert, search for a Learning Annex and examine the possibilities of teaching a workshop or presenting a lecture.

There is little to no investment required to set up this business, unless you count some incidentals, such as office supplies and maybe some used books (visit library sales for this) on the subject you are considering to teach.

5. Cleaning Services

Begin by advertising in the service directory of your local newspaper and taking on small, general house cleaning jobs until you get used to the dynamics of it. Later on you can pursuit companies, building managers, office directors, etc. for large scale jobs, which offer the benefit of being more regular and can guarantee a fixed income.

Most jobs will provide you with their own cleaning supplies, so there is little investment required on your part aside from advertising expenses.

Although not mandatory in many cities, consider getting licensed. Not only it will provide some sort of insurance should something happen to you while at work, but it will also open doors to major companies that may be hesitant to hire you otherwise.

6. Consulting Services

A consultant is an expert in any subject who helps others make the best of an event or a situation. A prime example is the bridal consultant, who's in charge of planning a wedding to the minimum detail. Other popular areas of consulting: Art, Image, Feng Shui, and Websites & Computers. Event Planners are also consultants with a different name; so are Life Coaches, a very popular and rewarding enterprise nowadays.

Find a niche you can fill. Although there are thousands of Feng Shui consultant, you can differentiate yourself by specializing in Feng Shui for busy people or Feng Shui for the newborn.

Start by picking a area you enjoy and learning as much as you can about it. Find an online class, attend workshops and lectures, or consider a professional degree if one is available on your field.

Build a portfolio. Offer your services for free to friends and family members in exchange for reference letters. Take a few representative photographs of the final product for your portfolio.

A good place to get started is The Association of Professional Consultants (CONSULTAPC).

7. Pet Services

Pet Sitting - Just as the name infers, it entails taking care of animals, usually when the owners go away on vacation. Many pet sitters take animals into their own homes (works only if you have the space and no pets of your own) or visit the animals twice daily. Do not limit yourself to dogs and cats. There is an ever increasing market for owners of birds, fish, and other small animals.

Dog Trainer - Dog trainers help with proper housetraining methods, teach animals to follow commands, and provide assistance with choosing the right type of breed for every individual. They can also handle common behavior problems (excessive barking, biting, etc.) and train animals for shows and competitions. The National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI) offers assistance to potential dog trainers, as well as a certification exam. Check their website for more information.

Dog Walker - Although the primary responsibility is simply to take the animals out for a walk, many dog walkers do much more than that. To set yourself apart, you can learn to plan exercise routines for overweight pets, administer medications, or offer pet boarding as part of your service. Most dog walkers take several dogs at a time and charge by the hour; you can also offer the option of "private walking" and charge more.

Dog Groomer - Dog groomers are in charge of maintaining the overall appearance of the animal, including trimming and shampooing the coat, nail clipping, and brushing and combing. Many start working at pet shops or boarding kennels to gain experience before opening their own business. Mobile dog grooming is a flourishing business, which entails the groomer driving to the client's house, usually in a van, which is equipped with all necessary tools for a complete grooming. For more information, check the NDGAA (National Dog Groomers Association of America) website.

Michael Warren

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When I've spoken at chiropractor seminars or homecomings, especially within the last two years, I've encountered loads of veteran doctors and recent graduates that have been victims of chiropractic coaching scams and bad practice management consulting. Usually, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. I find that many DC's join these companies simply out of fear of failure. What I don't like, is the manipulation that sometimes occurs with desperate chiropractors and the "sharks" that take advantage of them.

If you join a consulting group, make sure they have plenty of value to provide to you rather than just empty promises. Personally, I feel than many are overpriced and are just out to make a buck and could care less about the average chiropractor. I say this because some chiropractic practice consulting groups are using marketing tactics and strategies that died in the 1970's. The world changes periodically, not to mention the people in it, so it's important to find a company that's adaptable to the new ways of marketing and doing business in today's high-tech age.

Do an intense evaluation from inside out with your chiropractic practice, finding those areas that you need help with. Even in this sagging economy, many DC's are doing very well. I typically find that the marketing and new patient acquisition aspects of most practices is what chiropractors want to substantially ramp-up. If you need new patients, you should first seek out forms of marketing and advertising that are free. Believe it or not, the best advertising is free in todays time. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. For example, did you know you can use YouTube and create videos to bring patients into the office and dominate the competition and search engines? Did you know you could use Myspace or Facebook to connect with local people in your area and brand yourself and your office?

In times of economic uncertainty, more innovative and strategic methods like the ones mentioned above are needed to make your office recession-proof. However, there isn't a single chiropractic consultant that teaches these tactics, though. Reason being, most have not been adaptable and are still stuck in the past. A word of advice, if you encounter a chiropractic coaching firm that claims to know it all and does not have to learn more, stay away!

Here are a few tips to consider when choosing a practice management company. Make sure they have real-life testimonials from previous clients. Secondly, see if they specialize in what you are looking for. You don't want a "jack of all trades, master of none" chiropractic coaching group. If you want to market your practice via the internet, don't choose someone that focuses on screenings are dinner-talks. Lastly, make sure they are adaptable and staying abreast of new trends in the internet and the world. Not only that, be clear that they have an exact, proven strategy to implement them within your practice.

To get you started on some free chiropractic marketing and advertising for your office, here are a few sites that you want to be on and continuously contribute content to:

YouTube.com

Myspace.com

Wordpress.com

Facebook.com

Digg.com

EzineArticles.com

Free-Press-Release.com

Twitter.com

Now, I could've mentioned about a hundred more, but begin with these ones first. These Web 2.0 sites are free to use and can bring you truckloads of new patients and other sources of income if you learn the basic and advanced strategies of how to harness them. I've noticed that about 95% of the chiropractic profession is still in the dark about how to use social media to blow the doors of their offices.

Just so it is understood, not all chiropractic coaching groups are frauds. There are a select few good ones that have proven themselves and have gained trust and credibility within the profession. Ask around to other colleagues to get honest opinions before you pick a firm. This is a big decision and has the potential to give your practice an incredible jump-start.

- Matthew J. Loop, DC

http://www.dcincome.com/

matthew loop

practicewealth.com Dr. Erich Breitenmoser ( training coaching / consulting ) "The Chiropractic Millionaire Maker", has seen over 1000 patients visits a week in a 1000 sq ft office and has coached over 6270 chiropractors worldwide with his "PracticeWealth" System. Helping them see more patients, work less hours and make more money. Go to practicewealth.com to sign up for FREE video training.

my.gvovideo.com {Free Chiropractors Website} | Chiropractic Website Design | Chiropractic ... Chiropractic Marketing starts with your website - download a free WordPress website template designed for chiropractors by local SEO experts for to generate ... We have Free chiropractic web site templates If you offer treatment for chiropractic illness and are looking online for free chiropractic web site templates, then you have come to the right place. ... Our Free WordPress Theme for Chiropractic Websites by Chiropractic Blogs Free WordPress Theme for Chiropractic Websites Optimized for Local Search Results. We should never have watched that video. ... Now Affordable {Free Chiropractors Website} Design | Great chiropractic ... PS For more free tips on optimizing your chiropractic website for the search engines, download my free online chiropractic marketing ebook ... Chiropractic Videos for Your Website · Free Chiropractic Marketing Ebook. It looks like you don't have flash player 6 installed. ... (Free Chiropractors Websites) | Free Chiropractor Website!, Newsletters and ... Interactive chiropractic website design and newsletter services in ... FREE Domain Search. Let our expert team find the perfect domain name for your ...By Rich Boudreau {Free Chiropractors Website}

I had botched surgery after botched surgery. I was in jobs that back in my Mom's day would be high paying, but in my day, at $12 an hour, was barely enough to pay basic living needs and I barely made rent. Of course, the list went on, as it does with most of us.

Because I felt the need to buy presents for birthdays and Christmas even though I didn't have the money and couldn't afford such luxuries, I quickly learned how to be thrifty, save money and get the most bang for my buck.

Back in the day, I was often asked how I accomplished buying the things I did when I was barely able to afford to eat. I was always happy to share my tips and strategies. I have been there, done that and figured a way out of my financial crises on more than one occasion.

I understand that many people go through the same things with their money. We all suffer from unforeseen circumstances. As a young woman, I had to file bankruptcy after a failed required surgery. The procedure went bad, my insurance ran out, and by that time, no insurance would cover it. I had to pay for all the subsequent surgeries by myself.

I remained in debt, paying large monthly credit card bills from a relentless stream of "fix it" surgeries and when there was still no end in sight I gave up with $179 thousand more to pay (the rest I had already paid for). I just couldn't do it anymore and I cried all the way to the bankruptcy table.

With the desperation of today's economy, many people are struggling just to meet basic needs. Unfortunately, for the first time in American history, we are living off accumulated debt. Most people aren't worth even close to what they owe.

As an added pressure to our economic insecurity, we are importing our goods from other countries and even though most won't admit it and it's not showing the worst signs yet, I believe we are losing the economic battle to stay afloat in this country.

With wages not commiserative with the cost of living and jobs being taken away right and left after they are shipped overseas, the crunch is on to just survive. The 'American Dream' is fading fast with families working two or three jobs a day to get ahead and barely survive.

The widening gap between upper and middle classes makes those in poverty-stricken areas even more desperate to survive. We are all in trouble.

While back in the day it may have been possible to have the 'American Dream' if you worked hard, it doesn't seem possible anymore. So how can we support our families and get back to the 'American Dream?' By saving money and learning to be frugal consumers.

You can get out of the darkness and you can begin to see the light at the end of the financial doomsday tunnel. It's all about taking the time to use what little you don't have and make it work. It's time to make your money work for you instead of only working for your money!

Example. I have fed seven adults on less than $10. How? I used an entertainment book I had purchased through an elementary school and hit up all of the free or buy one-get one free items. We had leftovers and it was a lot of main courses as well as several side dishes!

With that same entertainment book, that originally cost $10, I have received free oil changes, dry cleaning, roses, eye exams, chiropractic, food, car wash and a lot more. One year I counted my savings and by using the book diligently, I had saved over $2,839.89!
I have filled an entire truck with top-name brand gifts and goods, thousands and thousands of dollars worth for under $400.

How? By buying everything when it was 75% - 95% off and then applying for the card each store offered and using it. That added another 15 - 25% off at the various stores. In many cases, all I had to pay was sales tax! I had incredible gifts for two years for every event including Christmas! The trick to that one is to pay off the credit card as soon as the bill comes so there are no interest penalties then cancel it.

Because the bill was less than $400 total and I had been saving $27.00 two times a month all year, I had the money, plus the interest I earned off the money in my savings account and an additional $300 leftover once the bills were paid!

There is hope.

Here are a few more ideas to help you get on your way and begin living life and saving money.

1. How can you eat, drink and shop for free at restaurants and stores in your neighborhood? Sign up as a mystery shopper. I still keep my hand in the field, even though I tour all over the world. Its fun and I get paid! Tip: Never pay any company money to do their work. They are supposed to pay you!
2. Never put off tomorrow what you can pay today. While you don't want to pay bills too early, did you know that companies rely on people forgetting just past the date a bill is due and then you pay a high penalty? They can make thousands of dollars a year just from that little mistake on one person. That's money you can put in the bank!
3. Ping your vegetables and smell them to make sure you are getting what you paid for and do look in the vegetable and fruit portion of the market as they do have coupons available from time to time, that will discount your price!

Very Unusual College Scholarships for Those Who Haven't Had Huge Academic or Sports Success

College is very expensive, even if you are attending a junior college for the first two years. There are so many weird and whacky scholarships available and not just to those who are academically or athletically inclined. Do a Google search to find more information on them. (I have hundreds of scholarships, their websites, requirements and deadlines listed in Shop for a Day with Jaci Rae - How to Get Almost Anything for Free or Next to It and due to space I cannot list everything I would like to here.)

Here are a few examples of fun and whacky college scholarships available to anyone:

1. David Letterman Scholarship
2. Stuck at the Prom Scholarship
3. Jennifer L. Duke Memorial Scholarship Fund
3. The Horatio Alger Scholarship Program for Overcoming Adversity
4. Great Clips Scholarship
5. The Brick Awards

In conclusion, saving money doesn't mean you're cheap, it means you are smart. The rich didn't get rich by spending every last dime to impress their friends. Trust me! Please join me in May and June at the Learning Annex (you can attend live or online) for a three hour intensive course on how you can save money.

Remember, Life is Expensive, But Living Doesn't Have to Be! You have this one moment in time, live it to the fullest!

Jaci Rae