We will take a look at your coverage and your budget and help you determine the coverage you need at  a cost you can afford. We will also compare your premiums to 10 Michigan auto insurance companies and 10 Michigan home insurance companies and 10 Michigan business insurance companies.

TDA specializes in serving the insurance needs of Novi and the surrounding Oakland, Livingston, Wayne, Washtenaw and Macomb counties.  Search for us at auto insurance Novi, MI or home insurance Novi, MI or business insurance Novi, MI.

As an insurance professional you deal with these three groups differently, group 1, you focus on doing a thorough needs analysis and work with them to develop a plan within their budget. Group 2, you need to educate that $50,000 or $100,000 just won’t carry your family much further than final/funeral expense. Time is spent on educating them on what it takes per year to maintain a decent standard of living. The final group their is nothing much you can do to help until they figure out what really matters.

Most people are really nervous when they go to buy life insurance. One they are unsure of how much they need and two what kind of insurance they need. In short, they are afraid of being sold instead of buying insurance. To be honest, it really doesn’t matter what kind of insurance you buy, as long as you buy some kind of insurance. Deciding term, whole, universal, variable universal can be really confusing.  Some types of insurance are better fits then others for people, but this is a minor issue to the protection you are providing.

People should focus on buying the protection they need within a reasonable allocation of their budget. Most people need 7 to 10 times their annual income as a general rule of thumb. If budget is paramount, buy term.

In the end, love your family, protect what really matters and buy life insurance!

We recommend that people carry enough liability to build a wall around their assets. Most people who own a home or a business should have Umbrella Liability Coverage. This is excess Liability coverage that sits on top of their underlying home, auto and business insurance policies. This coverage typically comes in $1 Million increments for about $150-$450 a year in annual premium. In addition to providing the excess coverage for damages, it also pays defense cost.  So far about the cost of 1-2 hours of an attorney’s time, you can have this extra piece of mind.  When people are concerned about the cost for the higher coverage, we often recommend they increase their deductible to offset the cost of the higher liability coverage.

A good agency, that isn’t just peddling policies and trying to compete on just price alone, will be concerned about your protection and offer these higher liability options to you.  Independent Agencies have the benefit of being able to shop many carriers to make sure you have the right price for the coverage you need, without having to call around to 10 different companies.

Don’t Sweat the small stuff, be concerned about your catastrophic coverage and not just your deductibles and premiums. Call a reputable agency today for a comprehensive review of your coverage.

There are many details that are still be worked out. We recommend that you work with your current Health Insurance advisor or agent to make sure you are able to take full advantage of any enhancements. Some changes will happen automatically with your carrier, others will take place over time or when you make a plan change.

Whether you have a group or indivdual plan, a good agent or advisor should be reviewing and analyzing the market place each year for the best value or innovative plan designs such as H.S.A., H.R.A., Section 125 plans, etc. that can improve your plan and save you money.

Below is a brief summary of the health care changes being implement.

Health Care Reform Summary:

Extension of dependent coverage (9/23/2010)*

• Health insurance plans must offer coverage to dependents on their parents’ plan until the young adult turns 26.
• Coverage must be the same as for other dependents and can’t cost any more.

Preventive care coverage (9/23/2010)*

All private health plans must cover the costs for preventive care.
There can be no copays, deductibles or out-of-pocket fees for preventive services.

Lifetime and annual limits (phased in by 1/1/2014)*

• Lifetime limits on essential health benefits are no longer allowed.
• Restrictive annual limits on the dollar value of essential health benefits are allowed until 1/1/2014.
• Lifetime and annual limits continue to be allowed for non-essential health benefits.
• Individuals who reached their lifetime limit prior to 9/23/2010 and are still eligible for coverage must be notified that the lifetime limit no longer applies and their coverage can be reinstated

Pre-existing condition exclusions (phase in by 1/1/2014)*

• Children under 19 with pre-existing conditions can’t be denied health insurance.
• A health plan can’t exclude condition-specific benefits because the condition was present before the enrollment date.
• Those age 19 and over with pre-existing conditions can’t be denied coverage in plans renewing on and after 1/1/2014.

Rescission prohibition (9/23/2010)*

• Rescission is cancellation of coverage that has a retroactive effect. For example, if a plan voids a policy back to the policy’s effective date.
• Coverage may still be canceled or not renewed for these reasons: failure to pay premiums, fraud or intentional misrepresentation of material fact, withdrawal of product or issuer from market, movement of individual or group outside of service area, bona fide association coverage, cessation of association membership. This is not considered rescission.
• Plans must provide at least 30-days’ notice when canceling or rescinding coverage.

Emergency services coverage(9/23/10)*

• All health plans must cover emergency care at out-of-network hospitals at the same copay or coinsurance level as in-network hospitals.
• Health plans may no longer require prior authorization or a referral for emergency services.
• Out-of-network providers may balance bill the member for the amount charged that is above a “reasonable amount.” For this reason, it’s smart to seek services from an in-network emergency department when available.
• Services provided by out-of-network providers may also apply to a separate out-of-network deductible and out-of-pocket maximum.

Selection of primary care physician (9/23/2010)*

• Members can choose their own PCP (women can choose an OB/GYN and parents can choose a pediatrician for their children), as long as the doctor is accepting patients.
• If a plan requires a PCP, then it can’t require referral or authorization for a woman to seek care from an in-network OB/GYN specialist.
• The plan must provide a list of member rights with the summary plan description or summary of benefits.

Salary non-discrimination of benefits (9/23/2010)*

• Employers can’t offer better benefits to “highly compensated” employees at the top of the salary schedule.
• Health plans can require lower dollar or premium percent contribution from employees with lower compensation.
• Definition of highly compensated employees follows Section 105 of the Internal Revenue Code.
• Groups that establish simple cafeteria plans are exempt.

Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (ERRP) (expires 1/1/2014)*

• Employers that offer coverage for early retirees can apply to receive money back from the government for medical claims for early retirees who aren’t Medicare-eligible (age 55 to 64) and their spouses, surviving spouses and dependents.
• To be eligible, employers must have or plan to implement programs and procedures to help plan participants with chronic or high-cost conditions save money.
• Employers must use the money to reduce health care costs, lower participants’ premium contributions/copays/deductibles or both.
• Program runs from 6/1/2010 to 1/1/2014, but may end sooner when the program reaches its cap of $5 billion.

Small business tax credit (2010 tax year)*

• Small businesses can receive tax credits from the federal government to help make providing health insurance more affordable.
• Credits are available for an estimated 4 million businesses (including non-profits).
• Maximum credit is 35% for taxable employees and 25% for tax-exempt.
• Eligible employers must:
  • Pay at least 50% of the total premium costs
  • Employ fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees
  • Pay average annual wages of less than $50,000

Tax treatment of OTC drugs (1/1/2011)*

Beginning 1/1/2011, pre-tax expenses for over-the-counter (OTC) drugs purchased through an HRA, FSA or HSA will require a doctor’s prescription. The sole exception is for insulin which will not require a prescription for reimbursement.

*May not apply to grandfathered plans that are already in place.

For  couples why not enough a long walk on a  beach or an aireal veiw of  the Les Cheneaux Islands.  Or if  you enjoy  alternate ways of transportation why not take an escursion on the S.S Badger a car towing ferrie for a ride to the Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad.  If the historical locations strike your fancy why not enjoy a  trip to the Henry Ford museum or “Hart Historic District”.   If your more intrested in going back in time why not visit Colonial Michilimackinac or Greenfeild Village  to experience a different way of life.

There is a the DIA (Detriot Instatue of Art) to give you a day of culture or on a rainy day. If you have more of a drive to be outdoors there are the Silver lake sand dunes and the Sleeping Bear dunes.  Michigan is also home to the largest freshwater shipwreck sanctuary with 200 located in Alpena.  Please remember to be safe this summer and make sure that before you leave your home and autos are properly covered for any type of mishap that may occur while you are away.

                Your homeowner’s liability covers injury or property damage to any third party when you are found negligent in your responsibilities as a homeowner. An umbrella policy or rider increases your liability coverage typically in $1 Million increments.  The umbrella policy will also drop down in some instances and cover other situations that may occur that your homeowners and auto policy do not cover.  Your liability and umbrella coverage will also pay for your legal defense cost even in the case of frivolous lawsuit.  An umbrella policy can be purchased for about the cost of 1 to 2 hours of an attorney’s hourly rate per year ($100-$300 per Million, annually).

                So whether your have a house guest that falls down your steps or injuries themselves in your pool, or has too much to drink and gets hurt and it results in a lawsuit. Your liability and umbrella policy will respond to defend you and even pay your damages up to the policy limits.  Financial Planners recommend that your total liability be equal or exceed your total net worth to provide adequate protection to your assets.

                If you would like more information please click on this link.

Almost every time we visited my Mother, she wanted us to eat in the dining room.  Almost every time we walked down there, we saw Ernie in one of two places.  Most frequently he was in the exercise room on the elliptical machine, pumping away at 90 years old.  The amazing man always took time to stop and talk with me and the kids.  He even remembered their names. I usually have trouble remembering my own kids names at half his age.

The other place we would see him was in the dining room. Again he always took time to stop by our table and talk to me and the boys.  One particular fond memory was when my Mother wanted to get the kids an Ernie Harwell signed baseball for their collection. She called Ernie on the phone and he invited her right up to his apartment and signed the baseballs. My Mother who loves to talk, probably spent an hour visiting with Ernie and Lulu.

My personal impression of Ernie was that he was one of a kind and truly genuine person.  He was a huge celebrity in the Detroit Area, yet he took time with not just us, but what seemed like every person he met to make them feel special and make them feel like they had been his friend for years.  What a truly amazing quality for an individual and an almost unheard of quality for a celebrity.  As I listened to sports radio the last couple of days, there was story after story of how each person that met him in passing had the similar experience as we did.  Again, I found myself welling up listening to all the stories.

As I reflect on my own life and how I treat people, I can certainly learn a few lessons from the master in personal relationships…Ernie.  Slow down, engage people, listen to them, make them feel special, be polite, remember them…….be genuine.  This came natural to Ernie. The rest of us have to work at it.  Here is a person that I talked with maybe 10 times and he has had a significant impact on my life experiences……and did you notice I never once mentioned his special talent of baseball announcing…..What a wonderful man….As Ernie would say we will miss him even when he is “Longggg Goneeee”.