tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76746686664097560272024-02-20T00:50:47.999-05:00Azimuth Risk SolutionsIt's like learning about insurance from a misfit uncle the family doesn't like to discuss. Despite attention deficit and other issues, the author (perhaps unintentionally) has a wealth of expertise in international health & travel medical benefits. You'll wind up with less insurance confusion and get special insight on international health/travel medical plans. Unusual for an insurance blog, it offers an aftertaste of fun; plus a hint of basilGlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09156228186315243242noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-90922212654923271522013-10-15T09:25:00.000-04:002013-10-29T14:55:50.741-04:00Happy Anniversary (of Your International Medical Plan) <h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Renewal Rates & Why Azimuth May Make You Feel Like </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sending Flowers</span></h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSGWcuovy64k5IymQ0ObNmobKqIuPbwV1v-GzxpUikWdVKHaCdBihrx33D6dvk5qNL4burKSEFNiDhB2CLA4LKESqnwumcSF5yDaDNWANQXuKQOVOYWCJCCTGD6UhdtqT0-f3HPBzABjk/s1600/sinatra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSGWcuovy64k5IymQ0ObNmobKqIuPbwV1v-GzxpUikWdVKHaCdBihrx33D6dvk5qNL4burKSEFNiDhB2CLA4LKESqnwumcSF5yDaDNWANQXuKQOVOYWCJCCTGD6UhdtqT0-f3HPBzABjk/s1600/sinatra.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank Sinatra<br />
(not his best day)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes what initially seems like an attractive deal, turns out to be a really disastrous choice. You probably know what I mean. Things like the <a href="http://www.mobisux.com/tabla/files/825368-turbo%20yugo%21.jpg" target="_blank">Yugo</a>, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FlorenceSegwayTour.jpg" target="_blank">Segway</a> and the <a href="https://xothenest.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/vjulia.jpg" target="_blank">Lyle Lovett/Julia Roberts</a> marriage all come to mind. Do you think they would have had kids or <a href="http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/19800000/horse-foal-baby-animals-19831200-1600-1200.jpg" target="_blank">foals</a>? Sometimes choosing among international medical insurance can be a mystery worthy of a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/scoobydoo" target="_blank">Scooby-Doo</a> episode when you don't know the reasons behind why new business premium rates vary between different plan choices. As a general rule, annually renewable international major medical insurance plans for individuals and families, such as the standout <a href="https://app.box.com/s/ltgiorybso9ee5hexnlz" target="_blank">Meridian Series</a> from Azimuth Risk Solutions, are pretty enticing compared to any US domestic health insurance product. Makes you happy you're an expat, huh? It's incredibly important though, to understand what things will be like for someone insured on a plan in the longer term. Particularly if you could envision being insured on the plan for several years. One thing prospective applicants should know is how renewal premiums are calculated by the insurance provider they are considering. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many, if not all, of Azimuth's competitors calculate their renewal premiums on a 'class' basis. This means that every insured member receives the same percentage increase (you really didn't think your premium was going to go down did you?) at the time of their policy renewal. So, whether you've had no claims, $100 in claims or $100,000 in claims, you get the same percentage increase at your time of renewal. It's easy, but at the same time it doesn't make a lot of sense does it? At Azimuth, we take a different approach. Nobody outside of an asylum likes renewal rate increases, so our challenge was to find a way to be as fair and sensible as possible. Because it had to be sensible they sent me to get sandwiches when they created it. Because I'm pretty easily bought off, I took no offense. However malleable my reaction to insult may be, please know I'm not cheap. After all, I got a Big Mac. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">None of this cut-rate value menu stuff for me. Ha! Like they're so smart. I had to go to some other food peddler for weird stuff like Salad Niçoise</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and Filet Mignon sandwiches. I've never even fished for a Mignon.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rbI4QM1VhaSDH1sLu4bYLuFz3FATXax2TBjJfZxif07KkRGZkEbSIxmswjAJJdUsd_9qmP36ZxXmPmYvDQ4WqE3r76ivW-iIoSPDbxnnMRoyQX8B8hY33IEiT51oI_PynElfuN6tgQhz/s1600/Ronald+McDonald.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rbI4QM1VhaSDH1sLu4bYLuFz3FATXax2TBjJfZxif07KkRGZkEbSIxmswjAJJdUsd_9qmP36ZxXmPmYvDQ4WqE3r76ivW-iIoSPDbxnnMRoyQX8B8hY33IEiT51oI_PynElfuN6tgQhz/s1600/Ronald+McDonald.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm funny to you? <br />
Funny how? Like a clown?</td></tr>
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Those big brain box folks came up with a renewal process that even makes sense to me. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We section our renewal rates into 4 different categories: 1. insureds with no claims submitted; 2. people with modest claims; 3. members with larger claims; 4. large ongoing claims. We then apply some other factors, such as whether the claims have been acute, such as appendicitis or if the condition is chronic in nature, as in the case of hypertension. We mix in some special sauce...wait, no we don't. That must have dripped off of my Big Mac. Whatever the case, the result is lower increases for those who utilize less of their insurance and higher for those that do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's good to know also that Azimuth does not engage in another practice found in the market. Some companies will simply increase rates only upon those who've had large payable claims. Clients get sick or hurt, the claims are paid, but at renewal, the client may be temporarily blinded upon seeing the massive premium increase that has been applied. Okay, so the blindness part may be a rumor, but the renewal price tag can be brutally high. Instead, Azimuth does a high wire act worthy of </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/10alcGfcaJG8JRQb0vPxk4nPydNSf-XkO1DKt4ytU_vE/pub" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Nik Wallenda</a>. W<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e are obsessive about keeping premiums affordable for healthy clients while paying eligible expenses</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">for those members who've been unfortunate to incur significant medical bills and have used insurance for its designed purpose. We do our best </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to avoid crushing rate increases for clients in every category. Many of the clients who purchase the Meridian Series are buying with the idea that he or she will remain insured with us for many years. So if they don't have any claims submitted, it's highly likely their renewal premium increase will be small. Pretty much </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muggsy_Bogues" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Muggsy Bogues</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> small. But there <u>will </u>be an increase. This is because our insured members are typically on the plan for a number of years, thus it's pretty likely they will generate health claims at some point. Consider also that cost of medical care continues to creep upward and everyone gets another year older. Statistically every year older and every move into a higher age band increases the risk that medical claims will magically appear. Particularly if you happen to be the </span><a href="http://nimg.sulekha.com/others/original700/siegfried-fischbacher-roy-horn-2010-1-5-8-10-6.jpg" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Roy </a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">part of Siegfried & Roy. The good news is that we don't require our members to play with fully grown tigers. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">PS. Insurance is the Brussels sprout of subjects. You know you need to understand it for your own good and I'll work to make it palatable (if it doesn't work, feed me to the dog under the table). So, if you enjoy learning a little more about it in an (occasionally) entertaining way, then someone else might too. Share the love via social media or get on the subscriber list. After all - Don't cost nuttin' </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PPS. Living or traveling internationally now or soon? Contact your insurance agent and demand to see what Azimuth Risk Solutions can do for you. Or, visit <a href="http://www.azimuthrisk.com/" style="color: #69907e; text-decoration: none;">www.AzimuthRisk.com</a> to learn more</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-83477406334969146112013-09-27T09:25:00.003-04:002013-09-27T13:58:41.114-04:00Killing Time Without Getting Killed (Financially)<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Azimuth's Beacon Series - Exclusively Offering Trip Delay Benefits</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delayed getting to Oz to see his flying monkey cousins</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyone who has more than one page of their passport stamped has probably felt that iceberg in the stomach feeling that seems to be attached with a stainless steel tether to the airport's departure screen as it mocks him, displaying his flight status as <b>delayed</b>. Thus, letting him know that the flight bound for home that he rolled out of the rack for at 4:30 am won't be leaving any time soon. The one for which he threw in his travel clothes, a toothbrush (but no toothpaste), jammies & teddy bear in a bag, then waited for the shuttle that was running late, had airport insecurity grope his nether regions and negotiated his way to an open chair next to the hygienically-challenged Rastafarian and the elderly lady with 7 decades of stories to share. So, now what to do? Hang out with your new friend and learn about how things were done when she had to share a telephone party line with the whole neighborhood in the 1950s? Woo, listening in on that Ethel Simpson's conversation, she was such a character....um, no. Instead, of being THAT guy, you can enjoy the knowledge that you were prepared. Prepared not only for accidents and unforeseeable illness that might arise while traveling internationally, but also for extended flight delays. Travel medical insurance plans usually provide no benefits for trip delays or flight cancellation, so Azimuth stands as alone as Tom Hanks in that movie where he buddies up to a volleyball. The Beacon Series provides coverage for up to $100 a day for return trip flight delays/cancellations lasting 12 hours or more. Granted, it may not mean a night at the Ritz or dinner while suspended by a crane, but it will most certainly defray a significant unanticipated expense and maybe soothe an annoyance or two. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">PS. Insurance is the Brussels sprout of subjects. You know you need to understand it for your own good and I'll work to make it palatable (if it doesn't work, feed me to the dog under the table). So, if you enjoy learning a little more about it in an (occasionally) entertaining way, then someone else might too. Share the love via social media or get on the subscriber list. After all - Don't cost nuttin' </span><br style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PPS. Living or traveling internationally now or soon? Contact your insurance agent and demand to see what Azimuth Risk Solutions can do for you. Or, visit <a href="http://www.azimuthrisk.com/" style="color: #69907e; text-decoration: none;">www.AzimuthRisk.com</a> to learn more</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-58879817452756935812013-09-09T08:47:00.002-04:002013-09-09T08:47:34.996-04:00Treat Me Better Than I Deserve<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Azimuth's Client Service - An Astoundingly Good Experience</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn5M7l0KlmDY8fjOnJ9DoMsiz9Hk_Z7T11XW3h2ZE_vR3pVevegieAkv2p9CzReym2wZ1WYLFfpYXi5tTPPf397m-ZiY8BxX2oBz_HU3Hflp4c21QIZbA6NFdhc6Ppj2RHrk4wQyoXioQz/s1600/grapes4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn5M7l0KlmDY8fjOnJ9DoMsiz9Hk_Z7T11XW3h2ZE_vR3pVevegieAkv2p9CzReym2wZ1WYLFfpYXi5tTPPf397m-ZiY8BxX2oBz_HU3Hflp4c21QIZbA6NFdhc6Ppj2RHrk4wQyoXioQz/s320/grapes4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's kind of like the weather, everyone talks about it, but nobody does anything about it. Actually, that's not true. After all, doesn't that phrase insult the American Indian's rain dance? Feathered headdresses aside, I'm referring to customer service. Frankly, the condition of it is generally dismal. If you have never experienced the anguish of a botched drive through order - is it really that difficult to keep your stinkin' pickles? A</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">fter all, t</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">hey are the most vile vegetable matter ever conjured by demons. But I digress. Despite the prevailing winds of unpleasant, unhelpful and bored customer service standards that exist at many businesses and particularly permeate the insurance industry, Azimuth's staff of dedicated professionals offer the most pleasant surprise since Grandpa got you that Red Ryder BB gun that you'd been asking for. After 28 years, you either proved you were responsible or just finally wore the old fellow down. I just hope you are reading this with two functioning eyes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's really about the people. Azimuth is fortunate to have assembled a group of the most talented, dedicated and intelligent folks in the industry. Here in the Midwestern part of the USA, where Azimuth is headquartered, finding nice folks is happily not that difficult. Finding staff like Azimuth's is a great deal harder. Every candidate is carefully screened for skill and knowledge - our staff averages over a decade of insurance industry experience - but it's the X factor that makes things tick like a Swiss watch for our clients. Unlike the one I bought from that guy on the street - he said it was a Rolex. I should have known that it's not spelled, "Rollax", sigh. Back to our people. That X factor isn't the ability to hit a high note or juggle flaming chainsaws. Although, that would be really cool if I could just get them to try it. The Azimuth staff's X factor is their sincere desire to help our clients and apply their skills and knowledge to doing exactly that. Whether you call to ask a question, need a health care provider referral, have a claim or are in the middle of a life threatening emergency, the folks behind the scenes at Azimuth will be friendly, professional and ready to help any time of the day or night. A whole lot better than what you probably experienced at your local driver's license branch. Try calling them at 2:30 in the morning. Tell the janitor 'hello' for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, if you want to be treated in a manner to which you could become accustomed, make sure you take a careful look at <a href="http://azimuthrisk.com/">AzimuthRisk.com</a> before your next international trip or international work assignment. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-72544461309479857272013-08-19T15:00:00.000-04:002013-08-19T15:00:26.992-04:00Cutting the String Between My Tomato Cans<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Simple Beauty of Online Travel and Medical Insurance Applications</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNQU1VawKRD1VT8mpFTiX8cQzBjZ3US2kwd5dEUbl27UbW5FsyVANJMq6ufRmJ2iCFDG3gRhYRi8aq6NtpcrvygiZjlPZDQEIpdHZ8-juJOpj83SA3g6Nc7F5ifLKCyxP1p6We9q2CDxq/s1600/356-Deltalina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNQU1VawKRD1VT8mpFTiX8cQzBjZ3US2kwd5dEUbl27UbW5FsyVANJMq6ufRmJ2iCFDG3gRhYRi8aq6NtpcrvygiZjlPZDQEIpdHZ8-juJOpj83SA3g6Nc7F5ifLKCyxP1p6We9q2CDxq/s200/356-Deltalina.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tisk, Tisk, Tisk! Flight Attendant <br />
Tells Me I've Been a Bad, Bad, Boy</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the best things to happen from these internet-enabled times, besides those seemingly limitless cat pictures, updates on what strangers had for lunch (how fascinating their rock solid grip on the mundane) and eternally archived episodes of <a href="http://www.hulu.com/alf" target="_blank">Alf</a>, is actually something exceedingly cool: the <a href="http://azimuthrisk.com/">AzimuthRisk.com</a> website. This is where you'll find, amongst other good stuff, our online quoting/application/fulfillment system. You may think, "how can this stack up to that darling picture of Fluffy gnawing my little toe to a stump?". Oh dear reader, it smacks Fluffy around like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Newz_Kennels_dog_fighting_investigation" target="_blank">Michael Vick</a> would after throwing 5 interceptions. This outstanding tool allows Azimuth's clients to do functions that would have been a wildly time consuming and cumbersome chore a scant 15 years ago. Consider what you would have had to do. First, you'd have to find where you could get travel insurance, sure you might have had a chat with your insurance professional, but you might have left your lunch out on the counter next to an open window that morning with the sun streaming on your sandwich. Hungry and reckless, you decided that mayonnaise isn't all that bad even if it smells pretty rough. Then, you went to see the agent and she hasn't let you back into her office since. Besides the clear gastrointestinal issues, you never got a chance to discuss your need for travel medical insurance, never reviewed the benefits available to protect you and never had it in place when you traveled. Then while abroad, you exhibited the same questionable culinary decision-taking ability and found yourself in the hospitMeridian Clear</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">al with several concerned looking people saying things in a language you didn't understand. Except for the, "tisk, tisk, tisk" which seems to translate into any language. Instead, you can now visit </span><a href="http://azimuthrisk.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">AzimuthRisk.com</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, spend just a few minutes filling out your online Beacon Series application and the next thing you know...</span><a href="http://s22.photobucket.com/user/Gardyloo/media/blog%20photos/surfing-cat-6407.jpg.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">cats are surfing</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">...no, instead, your email pings like you're living in Vegas and you've got all the travel medical insurance documents you need fresh and cooling in your inbox. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1U0nGaXi16iTJB6ceZ34I0nsLWZoa5Co7Nv8oN-bu7u60McO_EcYwQXaz91xc8hidkzNj-xZzYmHNGAGqw6VXqzWg_IROYr_6xICbaRtRq7M1mujBafRlQ55LAapW9QDRVKGVb5lb4XYH/s1600/Agent-Smith-the-matrix-1954803-1280-1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1U0nGaXi16iTJB6ceZ34I0nsLWZoa5Co7Nv8oN-bu7u60McO_EcYwQXaz91xc8hidkzNj-xZzYmHNGAGqw6VXqzWg_IROYr_6xICbaRtRq7M1mujBafRlQ55LAapW9QDRVKGVb5lb4XYH/s320/Agent-Smith-the-matrix-1954803-1280-1024.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you are living internationally or planning to, you can select the Meridian Series Enhanced or Basic options. There, you'll be able to do all the funky functions mentioned, but because our underwriters will need to evaluate your application, you'll have to delay your gratification by a few days. Still, you won't need to worry about administrative folks attempting to decipher your name - admit it, your handwriting leaves a bit to be desired. The online system also beats working from the Rorschach test that's masquerading as a smudgy, unreadable fax. Sending that mess once means you'll eventually need to send it more times than there are bad guys in the Matrix. Your electronic application will go instantly to an Azimuth's underwriter's computer screen. Also, if you happen to be healthy and in a big hurry, you can choose the <a href="https://app.box.com/s/epalxpdqrpsv1gfbh2k2" target="_blank">Meridian Clear</a> and receive an instant online fulfillment. Quick and simple. Just like me. Well, maybe I'm not quick, but people have said I'm simple.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">PS. Insurance is the Brussels sprout of subjects. You know you need to understand it for your own good and I'll work to make it palatable (if it doesn't work, feed me to the dog under the table). So, if you enjoy learning a little more about it in an (occasionally) entertaining way, then someone else might too. Share the love via social media or get on the subscriber list. After all - Don't cost nuttin' </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PPS. Living or traveling internationally now or soon? Contact your insurance agent and demand to see what Azimuth Risk Solutions can do for you. Or, visit <a href="http://www.azimuthrisk.com/" style="color: #69907e; text-decoration: none;">www.AzimuthRisk.com</a> to learn more</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-91802909341893792372013-07-16T12:03:00.000-04:002013-07-16T12:03:08.305-04:00Using My Shoehorn and 30 Ton Press<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How does Azimuth pack so much into their international insurance plans?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes there are just so darn many benefits squeezed into the Azimuth portfolio of international health, travel medical and employee benefit insurance plans, I can barely pick up the brochure without throwing my back out. All right, so maybe my back had more to do with trying to pick up that bag of Cheetos. Hey, buying them in bulk only makes good financial sense. So maybe the benefits really don't weigh all that much, but they sure are powerful. Sorta like the Melinda Cooper<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKogDTiOJuFPFbzZ6dY-970xwl4gTZ0BhTBu2zdZR6XSqX8D4SQ8_3o0VsxmU3Yguj2sWMyH44AJ3MnidvI0lii9sX-mN2hpTVDf63xgRgbDEPoRaM-EeeTORxOzIvDlLpmvTGdMAdmOrS/s1600/0106-cooper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKogDTiOJuFPFbzZ6dY-970xwl4gTZ0BhTBu2zdZR6XSqX8D4SQ8_3o0VsxmU3Yguj2sWMyH44AJ3MnidvI0lii9sX-mN2hpTVDf63xgRgbDEPoRaM-EeeTORxOzIvDlLpmvTGdMAdmOrS/s200/0106-cooper.jpg" width="125" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melinda Cooper - quite a knockout</td></tr>
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of the insurance world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's not uncommon for us to have prospective clients contact us to ask if our premiums are really correct. After being exposed to the current US rapidly escalating premium rates for health insurance, these clients sometimes just want to be certain that we're not too good to be true. I inform them that while <b><i>I</i></b> may be too good to be true - or was that too bizarre to go far? - the plans are really, really good. The premium that tags along with them, much like those fish that swim along right below the sharks, is really, really true and really, really small when you look at it in light of all the benefits intrinsic to the plan. They still want to know how it is we do it. First, we're a smaller (yet growing at a furious pace) company and since we are better at remembering people's names that we are titles, Azimuth takes pride in the fact that even though one of us may not know all the answers, (okay, the other folks here may have all the answers and I get distracted, but you get the idea) we will get you the assistance you need and extend every effort to make sure you're more satisfied than the cats that live next to the tuna cannery dumpster. Now that we've established that you're not paying for my inflated salary and layers of extra management the next benefit to the market Azimuth masters is controlling the costs of eligible expenses. Because medical services outside of the US are typically 20-60% lower than US charges you wind of being the lucky recipient of a lower premium rate that reflects the reduced cost of the offshore charges. Pretty slick, huh? Slicker than greased whale droppings on an iceberg, I think. Finally, Azimuth is able to offer a really great value because our plans do not qualify as standard domestic insurance plans. This means that we are able to choose our risks much more effectively. For those applying for the Beacon Series, there exists restrictive wording for existing conditions. This means that while the plan will generally cover most negative developments to our insureds health, we do limit or exclude benefits for existing conditions to a very large extent. For those considering making an application for a Meridian Series plan, we are able to accept the great majority of applicants. However, we often issue riders for existing conditions. A rider is an exclusion specific to an individual and to their existing condition(s). These riders are usually denoted with a time frame, e.g. a 48 month wait for hypertension, etc. This helps us to accept more insured members, limits Azimuth's exposure to known risks and perhaps most important to those clients who are already insured through Azimuth, keeps both the new and renewal premiums as affordable as possible. We will also apply rate increases for those clients who are....um, let's say "under-tall" in relation to their weight. Why are our underwriters so tough? I mean they are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_liddell" target="_blank">Chuck Liddell</a> tough. But if you take a look at how your renewal premiums stack up in comparison to what you would be paying with competing plans in the market, you'll find them soft and cuddly. I mean <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbOuv2CipFE" target="_blank">Mr. Whipple </a>soft. Don't squeeze them though; I find they get very agitated when I try.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">PS. Insurance is the Brussels sprout of subjects. You know you need to understand it for your own good and I'll work to make it palatable (if it doesn't work, feed me to the dog under the table). So, if you enjoy learning a little more about it in an (occasionally) entertaining way, then someone else might too. Share the love via social media or get on the subscriber list. After all - Don't cost nuttin' </span><br style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PPS. Living or traveling internationally now or soon? Contact your insurance agent and demand to see what Azimuth Risk Solutions can do for you. Or, visit <a href="http://www.azimuthrisk.com/" style="color: #69907e; text-decoration: none;">www.AzimuthRisk.com</a> to learn more</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-60980444854773697482013-07-02T08:37:00.000-04:002013-07-02T08:37:09.952-04:00A Bargain's Only a Bargain When it's a Bargain and This is a Bargain<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What a Deal - Meridian Series; First Two Kids Under 10 Free!</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ask almost any set of parents with young children what they need most and somewhere down the list, among ear plugs, duct tape and Valium, you will find saving money rising near the top of the metaphorical root beer float of a list containing </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">their</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">desirable items. If you happen to be a member of this beleaguered demographic subset and have a lifestyle that would put you in a position to need international medical insurance, I have good news and bad news to share. First the bad news. Azimuth does not offer ear plugs or strong sticky tape and our prescription has lapsed. The good news is that you can pull the ends off of cotton swabs, improvise with bungee cords and a dry martini offer some alternative solutions to your parenting problems. Oh yeah; and if both mom & dad are insured on the <a href="https://www.azimuthrisk.com/aquote_axis.php?" target="_blank">Meridian Series</a> major medical insurance plan, the first two children</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> age 9 and younger are covered on the plan free, gratis, no charge! Couple this with a the kids eat free specials at whatever passes for the local version of a Waffle House and you're on the way to saving the big bucks. Indeed, the even better news is that the value drenched <a href="https://www.azimuthrisk.com//images/Client_Docs/Meridian_Basic_Enhanced_SOB.pdf" target="_blank">Schedule of Benefits</a> offered by the <a href="https://www.azimuthrisk.com/aquote_axis.php?" target="_blank">Meridian Series</a> plan options will be there when you need it. Unlike the feeling you get when someone doesn't bother to replace the paper roll in the necessary room. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all, living internationally can be tougher than trying to put a diaper on Chuck Norris. Well, for another few years at least. What do you do when your spouse finds out that you're living in this strange new place and one of the kids breaks an arm because the new monkey bars looked like fun because they were LOTS taller than the ones they were used to before they moved? You'll likely take a trip to the local community hospital and finding out that the local country's 'social medical service' may be social but the medical and the service is found sorely wanting. Unless you somehow enjoy the feeling of being torn to verbal bits (I hope it's verbal), you will definitely want to be sure you've got high quality, annually renewable, international medical insurance in place and ready to respond. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">PS. Insurance is the Brussels sprout of subjects. You know you need to understand it for your own good and I'll work to make it palatable (if it doesn't work, feed me to the dog under the table). So, if you enjoy learning a little more about it in an (occasionally) entertaining way, then someone else might too. Share the love via social media or get on the subscriber list. After all - Don't cost nuttin' </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PPS. Living or traveling internationally now or soon? Contact your insurance agent and demand to see what Azimuth Risk Solutions can do for you. Or, visit <a href="http://www.azimuthrisk.com/" style="color: #69907e; text-decoration: none;">www.AzimuthRisk.com</a> to learn more</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-51993656807669269802013-06-21T12:47:00.000-04:002013-06-21T12:47:43.854-04:00Banging My Head Harder Than Usual<h4>
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Pre-existing conditions and how they are(not) covered with travel medical insurance plans</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeAUNbWZmI7Dvnmagr5XaNJcN6ac4tmabtatn4NxdCyh5sU80k4YUjXHTPXCDEkvCLsEDk8PJ61FqIv8lxc0Ut-MU9b3wrk5sO8mDAD2kwASfFs2k4JzQu8gEEsypKz7YqEbzoz1q3Mef/s1600/Mudvayne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeAUNbWZmI7Dvnmagr5XaNJcN6ac4tmabtatn4NxdCyh5sU80k4YUjXHTPXCDEkvCLsEDk8PJ61FqIv8lxc0Ut-MU9b3wrk5sO8mDAD2kwASfFs2k4JzQu8gEEsypKz7YqEbzoz1q3Mef/s320/Mudvayne.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The other day, some guy I know had a fender-bender. When did 'fenders' become 'quarter panels'? The body shop guys run the world I guess. He was fuming that he'd been calling around to different insurance companies and couldn't find one that would take him as a client and at the same time, pay for the prior damage to his car. Hey, I never said this guy was smart. This sort of thing has me banging my head harder than <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxTqo2-vRMOYZV9WNl9nTmswT1E/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Greg Louganis</a> at a Metallica concert. Still, it got me thinking about how shocked and appalled some people are when they find out that travel medical plans won't cover the medical conditions they have full knowledge exist on or before the day the coverage begins. Let's think this through a bit. If an insurance plan offered coverage for existing conditions, it might be logical to expect that the insurer would get A LOT of claims for medical services related to them. Many of them more expensive than <a href="http://www.today.com/id/17812621/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/no-joke-eddie-griffin-wrecks-m-ferrari/#.UbtLlfm1EQk" target="_blank">Eddie Griffin's driving habits</a>. As a result, one of three things would happen. First, because of the losses, the premiums for the insurance would rise to a level where only those who bathe in caviar and rinse in champagne would see it as affordable. Second, the insurer would see the losses and it were Azimuth, Lloyd's would end our relationship faster than a Lindsay Lohan relapse. The third option is we could say we covered it and then didn't. Nice trick, but it only works once, it's fraudulent and we'd see Lindsay Lohan results with this one too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, what do you do if you do have an existing health condition? Good question; which I'll answer if you can tell me where I left my keys a couple of weeks ago. I still can't find them. I'm really troubled because I can't unlock the Cheetos cabinet until I do. It's particularly aggravating considering all the trouble I went to 'borrow' and copy the warden's key *sigh*. Okay, I'll go ahead since you're not talking. <a href="http://bit.ly/14EtWFY" target="_blank">The Beacon Series</a> offers a <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1akAE27j6PSb7YFwM3OwEMca-_GHMfhRK_fkuoajLWo8/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Sudden Onset of Pre-existing condition</a> benefit up to $15,000. Now, I just got done saying that existing conditions aren't covered. My ADD is bad but it's not Michael Jackson Bad. I always wondered how he came up with the one glove thing. Didn't his other hand get cold? So, pre-ex isn't covered as a general rule, but the Sudden Onset benefit allows for a little wiggle room. It won't pay for maintenance medications, meaning that if you're using an ongoing prescription drug, that's still your responsibility and won't be an eligible expense. However, if you are traveling and have a sudden recurrence, what most of us would call an attack (note: there are certain plan wording specifications regarding this, please see here for the description), the Sudden Onset benefit rides to the rescue with up to $15,000 worth of benefits. Pretty sweet, huh? It's a whole lot better than banging your head against the wall; which is what you will feel like doing when working with other insurance providers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PS. Insurance is the Brussels sprout of subjects. You know you need to understand it for your own good and I'll work to make it palatable (if it doesn't work, feed me to the dog under the table). So, if you enjoy learning a little more about it in an (occasionally) entertaining way, then someone else might too. Share the love via social media or get on the subscriber list. After all - Don't cost nuttin' </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PPS. Living or traveling internationally now or soon? Contact your insurance agent and demand to see what Azimuth Risk Solutions can do for you. Or, visit <a href="http://www.azimuthrisk.com/" style="color: #69907e; text-decoration: none;">www.AzimuthRisk.com</a> to learn more</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-4455583039614455722013-06-12T08:45:00.002-04:002013-06-12T09:05:55.389-04:00Eeeny, Meeny, Miney Oh No!<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
What to consider when you look at travel plan options</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, so maybe I'm not the smartest guy (However, I do possess an annoying penchant for pointing out the obvious - obviously) but when faced with a lot of choices for things I don't understand very well. I'm pretty a less intelligent version of Dumb & Dumber. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg470Od3u7epOXtLmHT5SnLJDYhHYi2YUKv7sQrObvWjQPTz-ZKVaaQ4xXw1_d07AmAGvLMbTLdg5cLqP3LoIXxOJzTfF577kyEkPTCdIuixcPxY2tINyqPFfRWxY7cGKx0qsCwU0etY6S0/s1600/dumbandumber-carrey-earsplugged-tsr2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg470Od3u7epOXtLmHT5SnLJDYhHYi2YUKv7sQrObvWjQPTz-ZKVaaQ4xXw1_d07AmAGvLMbTLdg5cLqP3LoIXxOJzTfF577kyEkPTCdIuixcPxY2tINyqPFfRWxY7cGKx0qsCwU0etY6S0/s320/dumbandumber-carrey-earsplugged-tsr2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> When the waiter asks,"would you like that with a creme fraiche sauce?" Uh, no? Yes? Can I get it on the side? When the mechanic queries me, "You want 10W 30 oil, right?" Um, right..would it be better for me to get 11W? 9W? Or maybe I should stick with the W and go for a 40. Do I have to carry it around in a brown bag? Anyway, the point is most all of us have come face-to-face with the prospect of having to answer something when we have little idea what we should be considering. It's a routine, mild intimidation that's sort of on par with the neighborhood kid. You know, the one who shoots you a dirty look when you ride his tricycle without permission. Don't laugh - he seems pretty tough for a three year old and he doesn't always let me ride it when I ask. So I can fully sympathize with clients who may be a smidgen unsure exactly what to do when going through Azimuth's quoting/application/fulfillment system for the Beacon Series travel medical insurance plan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoVKsZWAAaIhmd2Nl92qh4eZF1eb6cVwkEOHdr_fQhV8PXDwSkOfSqrZ3qhe5i__-Kb_rbF2_Vt0OjzXKEmZY7QJHJZ1K2mgvJnUpCvyDmuTNrQi0Gt-S4VYYt6b7g_g0e3WVaafumz_O/s1600/250px-ForrestGump2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoVKsZWAAaIhmd2Nl92qh4eZF1eb6cVwkEOHdr_fQhV8PXDwSkOfSqrZ3qhe5i__-Kb_rbF2_Vt0OjzXKEmZY7QJHJZ1K2mgvJnUpCvyDmuTNrQi0Gt-S4VYYt6b7g_g0e3WVaafumz_O/s200/250px-ForrestGump2.jpg" width="140" /></a>Fortunately, while I may be Forrest Gump's duller brother, I am a savant when it comes to travel insurance. As you go through the system, you'll be asked a few questions (fortunately, none that inquire about why you were eating Cheetos in your underwear while staring off into the distance at 3 am. Okay, so maybe fortunate just for me) including your date of birth (sorry, but if you don't know this one, you are on your own), the date you want the insurance to begin & end and whether or not you want the optional <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/10kOCVMEdz1h1vZ9bReyx5Y-ayx3GQw260xOesRFexYI/pub" target="_blank">Sports Rider</a> - you know you do, you wild animal you. Make sure you select it if you think you may finally muster the guts to do that para-sailing you've always said you would or if you decide that it's finally time to do some rappelling down the mountainside. For some of us, it's not necessary as the biggest risk we will face is getting accidentally sprayed in the eye with lime juice as we squeeze it poolside. Next, you will be asked to choose your deductible (for more detail, click here for my older post on this topic). The best suggestion is to choose the highest one you can reasonably afford, Ms. & Mr. Moneybags. The next question is to decide how to pick the best overall maximum limit for the time you are traveling. This one has some trick in the pickin'. The general rule is pick the highest one you can afford. After all, since the whole idea of buying insurance is to have the insurer pick up the tab if things go worse than the next <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hung" target="_blank">William Hung</a> album, you'll want to have as much coverage as possible. Still, insurance buyers want to have options and options Azimuth has. Something unexpected can happen to a person's health at any time, but the longer someone travels the bigger the opportunity for a health challenge and for the cost related to it to be larger. This is a long way of saying that the longer you intend to be traveling, the bigger the overall maximum benefit you should consider purchasing. If you're going to be away for just a few days, then maybe the $60,000 or $110,000 maximum benefit level is right for you. Planning on going to the mountain top and spending a few months studying with the guru? Go with $110,000. Finally taking that year (or more) away from it all and trying carny work in another country? Better go with the $1.1 million or $2 million maximum benefit and brush up on how to growl "Keep your hands inside or lose 'em on this ride. She's a mean one." in the local dialect. Staying permanently or sorta permanently? By the way, why do they call hair coloring a 'permanent'? After all, it's gone in a couple of weeks - darn ADD thing. Then have a look at the <a href="https://www.azimuthrisk.com/aquote_axis.php?" target="_blank">Meridian Series</a> for expatriate health insurance needs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PS. Insurance is the Brussels sprout of subjects. You know you need to understand it for your own good and I'll work to make it palatable (if it doesn't work, feed me to the dog under the table). So, if you enjoy learning a little more about it in an (occasionally) entertaining way, then someone else might too. Share the love via social media or get on the subscriber list. After all - Don't cost nuttin' </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PPS. Living or traveling internationally now or soon? Contact your insurance agent and demand to see what Azimuth Risk Solutions can do for you. Or, visit <a href="http://www.azimuthrisk.com/">www.AzimuthRisk.com</a> to learn more</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-3605754819617982732013-05-08T08:15:00.000-04:002013-05-08T08:15:53.013-04:00I am NOT from the Government. I Might Be Able to Help You<h3>
What Does Obamacare Mean For Someone Living Abroad?</h3>
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Writing from my undisclosed location (if by undisclosed, you mean 1 North Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis, Indiana USA), the issue of what coming US changes mean to expats comes up a lot from both our agents and our clients. Good question. It's one which still lies mostly dormant. I won't begin to speculate on the films I've seen about creatures who awaken and what lies in wait for their victims. It's not because I'm reluctant to take a firm stand. It's because those movies are scary and I squeezed the stuffing out of my teddy bear. What we do know is that we don't know a lot about what we don't know. Don't you know that we've got a list of known unknowns about which no one knows? Now you know. Okay, first we don't know exactly the 'when' all this is going to take place. Recently there's been a decision that there's no decision for how this is going to affect those on employer paid group benefit plans as expats. At least not until the year 2015 that is. After this, well you guessed it. Nobody knows. As for the 'how'...um...see above. So, now what do we do now that we know what we don't know? I know, I know, you wanna know. Enough already! Potential welcome news may come when you come back home. Right now, if you're on a group medical plan and you are insured, you simply contact your insurer and ask for a 'CCC' (there I turned you on to some arcane insurance shorthand, who's sexy now? That's right - this guy!). This stands for Certificate of Creditable Coverage (we're darn clever in the insurance business) and only has meaning if you are either transferring from your international group medical plan or happen to want to attract every member of the opposite sex in a two block area. Like flies to honey, I'm telling you...uh, not so much really. Do flies even like honey? There goes that ADD thing again. Anyway, existing US based group benefit plans have to follow HIPAA (no, not Pippa she's the sister-in-law to the English guy that refuses to return my calls) and allow an existing insured member coming back to the US from an expat plan to move on to the US domestic group benefit plan without worrying about losing coverage for existing medical conditions. If you are on an individual expatriate medical plan, the group medical rules really don't apply (although insurers will usually accept a CCC anyway). Now, with the advent of Obamacare, even that may not be necessary, since reports are that pre-existing conditions won't be disallowed when the whole driver-less rickshaw gets rolling in October. Now for the potential bad news. Rates are going up and higher than Lindsay Lohan fresh off of probation. Me? I'm going back in my bunker.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">PS. Insurance is the Brussels sprout of subjects. You know you need to understand it for your own good and I'll work to make it palatable (if it doesn't work, feed me to the dog under the table). So, if you enjoy learning a little more about it in an (occasionally) entertaining way, then someone else might too. Share the love via social media or get on the subscriber list. After all - Don't cost nuttin' </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #d8bd9d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">PPS. Living or traveling internationally now or soon? Contact your insurance agent and demand to see what Azimuth Risk Solutions can do for you. Or, visit www.AzimuthRisk.com to learn more</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-73216938629645632382013-04-26T08:38:00.001-04:002013-04-26T08:38:42.580-04:00Like Getting a Haircut with a Butterknife<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why choosing the right international health or travel medical plan is really annoying:</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many prospective clients call our offices looking for guidance as they go about trying to figure out what plan makes the most sense for their upcoming travel or expatriate relocation. If you find you're overwhelmed by the myriad number of choices, additional optional benefits and companies touting the best coverage since the invention of the paintbrush, then don't feel like the Lone Ranger. You should start by lighting some candles, center your chi, do a few breathing exercises....then, grab a sandwich and ask yourself a few questions. Once you get past, "why am I here?", "how small is small?" and "how does the guy writing this find his way to work?", try the following questions on for size (if you don't like them, we also offer them in a 42 long):</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How long do I reasonably expect to be out of the country?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is there a chance I won't like where I am and may want to come back sooner? Will I be able to cancel my insurance? What's love got to do with it? Will our heroes escape the clutches of the Joker? Isn't this supposed to be a single question?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Am I traveling or living internationally by myself, with my family or with a group? If you don't know this answer, you're probably going it solo.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is this employment related? If so, maybe a chat with whomever is in charge of Human Resources is in order there, Bunky. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will I be participating in higher risk sports or activities? If so, consider the Sports Rider available with the Beacon Series. Or, depending upon the activity, the optional Maternity Rider on the Meridian Series Basic.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will I need to come home at some point? How often? Will I want to come back if my health is an issue? Whatever the answer, call you mom. She worries.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will I keep my domestic insurance plan? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still not sure? Not surprising, since all you have are answers to questions that don't tell you how to choose a plan. <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/sa/0e04761c527240cdb0606df5ab387d6e" target="_blank">Click here</a> Dorothy, and you'll be transported to Oz; or maybe Kansas. Then again, maybe not, but it has as good a chance as clicking those ruby slippers you picked up at the neighbor's garage sale. Then, I'd suggest you visit <a href="http://www.azimuthrisk.com/">www.AzimuthRisk.com</a> and you'll know your way around the place. Or, just email <a href="mailto:service@azimuthrisk.com" target="_blank">Service@AzimuthRisk.com </a>and get a fresh & friendly reply. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PS. Insurance is the Brussels sprout of subjects. You know you need to understand it for your own good and I'll work to make it palatable (if it doesn't work, feed me to the dog under the table). So, if you enjoy learning a little more about it in an (occasionally) entertaining way, then someone else might too. Share the love via social media or get on the subscriber list. After all - Don't cost nuttin' </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-57595980790112634652013-04-17T11:14:00.000-04:002013-04-24T15:39:17.341-04:00Who's This Lloyd Guy & Why Should I Trust Him?<h3>
<a href="http://gawno.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/lopez_ass.sized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://gawno.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/lopez_ass.sized.jpg" width="130" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clearing confusion: Understanding an insurer older than great grandpa's antique computer </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most people have heard of <a href="http://www.lloyds.com/" target="_blank">Lloyd's of London</a> at some point, often thinking of them simply as the <a href="http://gawno.com/2009/06/top-23-insured-celebrity-bodyparts/" target="_blank">insurer behind Jennifer Lopez's behind</a>. Others are just often thinking of her behind. When people speak with me about Lloyd's, I usually hear them call it an insurance company. "Au contraire!" I shout, "Lloyd's is an insurance market, not an insurance company". Generally, I am then escorted out by security. Assuming the conversation continues (I keep a spare handcuff key), I go on to explain that Lloyd's is 'A' rated and has </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">paid every valid claim presented for </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">more than 320 years. Doubtless that because of this, the Lloyd's insurance market</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> has become the largest the in the world. That's right, 100% for three centuries - beat that </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.16em;"><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/9766378/Japanese-man-Jiroemon-Kimura-to-become-oldest-living-man-ever-on-record.html" target="_blank">Jiroemon Kimura</a> and <a href="http://www.omg-facts.com/Sports/The-World-Record-Holder-For-Longest-Most/55188" target="_blank">Matt Stutzman</a>!</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Lloyd's is comprised of a number of syndicates, which are actually more like what people think of as insurance companies. These syndicates take on only certain categories of risk. So, while <a href="https://www.azimuthrisk.com/" target="_blank">Azimuth </a>in partnership with Lloyd's won't provide protection for Ms. Lopez's posterior specifically, Azimuth does provide exceptionally high value international health and international travel medical product options to cover your....um.....person. Azimuth Risk Solutions is what's known as a Lloyd's Coverholder, a Managing General Underwriter or even as 'having the pen for Lloyd's'. All are ways of saying that Azimuth does all the business functions, administering the claims, client service, developing the plans, marketing, etc. except for insuring the risk; we even pay the claims on behalf of Lloyd's. Good thing too, because all I keep in my wallet is a driver's license, lots of lint and a claim ticket from a long defunct dry cleaner - I fear I'll never see my feather boa again. As a Lloyd's Coverholder, Azimuth places risk at Lloyd's for international health and travel medical insurance plans on a worldwide basis for many thousands of clients located in, or traveling to and from virtually every country in the world. With all this going on, you would think I'd be getting more postcards, sigh... Lloyd's is the oldest, largest and most recognized name in insurance in the world. If you're like me....wait, nobody is like me - count your blessings. Then you may want to know what all this fancy-schmancy financial heft means for you. Having a massive financial behemoth behind you while you're traveling the world (a world apparently lacking post cards in the souvenir shop, double-sigh), means you can be confident that the market will still be there if you have to file a claim. The fact that the Lloyd's name is so widely recognized and respected greatly increases the likelihood the medical provider will agree to direct settlement of eligible charges with us for an international health or travel medical claim when our clients pre-certify. Pre-certification means (conditions & exclusions do apply - this is not complete description) insured members must contact Azimuth in advance of scheduled surgeries, diagnostic tests and within 48 hours of an emergency hospital admission or as soon as possible. Let me answer the question before you ask (I've been practicing on my mind reading act): "If an insured lost consciousness and was unable to pre-certify would it lower his benefit?" Most certainly not. The 'as soon as possible' part is there to cover the client's, um, Jennifer Lopez. Fortunately, we make pre-certification easy. Azimuth is available anytime, all the time via international collect calls (we accept the charges), fax, email and carrier pigeon, but require they are sent with strict instructions to potty before they arrive. Otherwise, I might have to break out great grandma's recipe for pigeon-in-a-blanket mmm, mmm. Recipes aside, by pre-certifying an insured makes certain they get the full amount of his benefits while making it much more likely the medical facility won't ask him to assault his wallet and pay the bill. Usually, the medical providers will pre-certify on behalf of the client, still it's a good idea to make certain they have contacted us. </span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I write 'we' and 'us', in really doesn't include me, because the staff invariably suggest callers speak with someone...anyone other than me (in that whimpering, pleading tone of voice they use). Then they mutter about being embarrassed and me needing an unlisted number. Instead, medical service providers will reach our highly knowledgeable, trained and experienced professionals. See, I've got to tell the truth about them, even if they DO pretend they don't know me when I see them outside of the office. That's okay, I'm going to go do a mix-and-match of the contents of everyone's lunch items in the refrigerator. I need some entertainment after all. You needn't worry about the ramifications, because I have a very good lock on my door; which I installed after the <b>last </b>time they chose to attack. Now if only Lloyd's had a coverage for a mutiny like this - I'm too much a risk. No wonder they have been around for so long.</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PS. Insurance is the Brussels sprout of subjects. You know you need to understand it for your own good and I'll work to make it palatable (if it doesn't work, feed me to the dog under the table). So, if you enjoy learning a little more about it in an (occasionally) entertaining way, then someone else might too. Share the love via social media or get on the subscriber list. After all - Don't cost nuttin' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PPS. Living or traveling internationally now or soon? Contact your insurance agent and demand to see what Azimuth Risk Solutions can do for you. Or, visit www.AzimuthRisk.com to learn more</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-91273257014937339382013-03-15T11:37:00.002-04:002013-04-24T15:40:16.774-04:00Coulda Been Worse... I Might Have Been Having a Good Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ00r62ie94epssGuVImmCpR_2p3az04C7F1TSBBrjt1CyEmlnG8e1x6yOAeTDGjPgiB9rinVbsL9RR_BUWSRTZAvOWMeolOGXC-AEuG1TD7NkgTJXpzc-1BhxId4PW17etgyjb7m6RW1l/s1600/Nick-Nolte-2002-mug-shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOimBoWVY7NdnafnXLaPx8AU-TZGSWXfxDluStJSt1QRTyZQ5y_e3BfBK2viqLkXXhyphenhyphenq96-cji-Su_0ZPbn90YhWN5Xti9WjhkGuh0edhTLHkj4BFXPh1pW0C_YAAZWgI_EGLEfxk5Fs7/s1600/photo-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOimBoWVY7NdnafnXLaPx8AU-TZGSWXfxDluStJSt1QRTyZQ5y_e3BfBK2viqLkXXhyphenhyphenq96-cji-Su_0ZPbn90YhWN5Xti9WjhkGuh0edhTLHkj4BFXPh1pW0C_YAAZWgI_EGLEfxk5Fs7/s200/photo-001.JPG" width="160" /></a><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ00r62ie94epssGuVImmCpR_2p3az04C7F1TSBBrjt1CyEmlnG8e1x6yOAeTDGjPgiB9rinVbsL9RR_BUWSRTZAvOWMeolOGXC-AEuG1TD7NkgTJXpzc-1BhxId4PW17etgyjb7m6RW1l/s200/Nick-Nolte-2002-mug-shot.jpg" width="200" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALAhUQIJ-Ks4h4y6_G_RfKvu5zy27VihKwIFQQyLMduxpZSosYOIdo0xVMuioBfazoBen3dnNVb6TuB3lXA720LOmOm7lfkq-tClhtxYy5E6dmwHWu8jkU44GpKsKds8eyLwWfPICtj6E/s1600/jocelyn-wildenstein-horror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeZf6K8Jq_2zTAmMrSIGsFySusy-X3SFRpdJWR6KDL0psUClIYBZPq3opmGfTvYzFO5cSysicUValcDKrF8A1nHP9vHKkakFNotJSJ1D7pBT0XNfC80-B4mskWJKdpjX3t8tJWJOAuNIN/s1600/James-Brown-Mug-Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeZf6K8Jq_2zTAmMrSIGsFySusy-X3SFRpdJWR6KDL0psUClIYBZPq3opmGfTvYzFO5cSysicUValcDKrF8A1nHP9vHKkakFNotJSJ1D7pBT0XNfC80-B4mskWJKdpjX3t8tJWJOAuNIN/s200/James-Brown-Mug-Shot.jpg" width="200" /></a><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALAhUQIJ-Ks4h4y6_G_RfKvu5zy27VihKwIFQQyLMduxpZSosYOIdo0xVMuioBfazoBen3dnNVb6TuB3lXA720LOmOm7lfkq-tClhtxYy5E6dmwHWu8jkU44GpKsKds8eyLwWfPICtj6E/s200/jocelyn-wildenstein-horror.jpg" width="175" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Collection of the Misunderstood</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I suddenly had a big flash of insight and compassion for Nick Nolte, James Brown and that lady who really, really likes to visit her plastic surgeon. I'll leave it to you to determine who's who, or who's whom or what's what. I got sick. Not you're standard issue runny nose, play hooky from work or school and go noodling for catfish kinda sick. I got the flu. Yes, the lie in bed, try not move, feel my joints ache from that annoying breathing habit and generally wish for a meteor strike to come crashing through the roof and instantly turn me into a former blogster. The mid term result of this journey through viral <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valhalla" target="_blank">Valhalla </a>compelled me to take a photo to document the slog of sickness. I mean, after all why should I be the only one who's been made queasy? So, back to my epiphany. Most everyone has seen the pictures of celebrities above (okay, I'm no celebrity, just a kid with a dream) and assumed they have simply reaped what they've sown as a result of drug and/or alcohol problems and other unhealthy quirks, such as smacking their wives around. I've got a new theory. After the shocking experience of seeing myself in the mirror, I think maybe they just had a bad cold & flu season. Maybe not. All I know is that I'm really, really glad I wasn't off having a great time basking in the sun, enjoying a cool drink by the pool or hiking off to see some majestic hilltop or other point of interest while in another country, only to be waylaid by the vile microorganisms that invaded my system. Until I began working in this business, I never even considered getting travel medical insurance when I was out of my home country. I figured, "heck, I've got health insurance if anything were to happen to me". Nah, that's not true. Truth is, I didn't think about it at all. Most people don't. What they don't know is that many policies issued in the US have time and/or geographic limitations that limit or eliminate coverage. Many domestic plans indicate they provide "emergency coverage" and never bother to define exactly what constitutes an emergency - by the looks of me, I was in the throes of an emergency, but I'm not sure the insurance company would have thought so if I'd been overseas. The Beacon Series travel medical plan offers benefits for both emergency and non-emergency conditions. But going on about standard domestic plans, even if they do have some benefit, the person insured is out of luck if they need an emergency medical evacuation, trip delay benefits or lost checked luggage coverage. Just think about how many of these pictures would never have had to appear if they had just had good travel medical protection and could have replaced the Nyquil they had in their luggage. Then again, maybe they hit the Nyquil a little too hard anyway. </span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-12013680835406884922013-03-05T15:29:00.002-05:002013-04-24T15:41:20.310-04:00One of These Things Is Not Like the Other<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trip Insurance & Travel Medical Insurance - Ain't It All the Same?</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh, come on. I know your 6th grade English teacher is tut-tut-tutting with disapproval after asking such a question. Not that she's an insurance expert, but at your persistent use of the word that ain't a word. So, the most asked question when I'm out meeting people is usually, "do they know you're out?", but coming in a close second is a tie between "what's the difference between the insurance the cruise line sells?" and "good grief man, don't you own a mirror, or a breath mint?". I cannot understand this mirror obsession people have - narcissists. Anyway, trip insurance, or more precisely trip cancellation insurance, generally has a much greater emphasis toward providing protection against the losses an insured traveler may face in the event they are unable to go on their trip because they become too ill to travel, carrier default (check your fine print here - not every airline/cruise line is eligible - who'd have thought <a href="https://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/aircraft-pictures/2008/10/03/hooterssmall.html" target="_blank">Hooters Airlines</a> wouldn't make it anyway?) and other deposits and payments which have already been incurred. There are a number of different companies offering plans in this market and some offer coverage for medical expenses, however the maximum benefits are often smaller than those of the famed Beacon Series travel medical plan, not <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsRuPcTAhhSQl4zAD6aEWesCCXQYyHeH1_NG18muU3MmxW0-cD-FhE69bx6tpccMS6ePuCIzicGe50pxkxwmbJMmPjGc1HTiUEIkINAbLeVV2Ls-K0pq1GVnN6EKbPuwIfzi7o8vjhRj6/s1600/Herve+Villechaize+and+Ricardo+Montelban.jpg" target="_blank">Herve </a><span style="color: #0000ee;">Villechaize's </span>baby-slippers-after-they've been-left-in-the-dryer-too-long small, but most are in the $10,000 - $25,000 maximum benefit range. In stark flashbulb-in-the-eyes-in-the-middle-of-the-night contrast (okay, no more hyphens. Finding the right key on the keyboard is a pain anyway) the <a href="https://www.azimuthrisk.com/images/Client_Docs/Beacon_brochure.pdf" target="_blank">Beacon Series</a> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">← (</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PDF file on the link. I'd skip & click the pic, but I'm lazy) If you read this blog regularly, you may need your therapist on speed dial, but you would also know that now I'm just being redundant. Again. Too. Once more. As per usual. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.azimuthrisk.com/aquote_ehic.php?" target="_blank"><b>Want a free quote? C'mon, sure you do!</b></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Beacon Series starts at $60,000 of health insurance benefit and hits the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionosphere" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">ionosphere </a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(ha! they bet me I couldn't work that word into my post, 35 cents, you're mine all mine!) with $2 million in benefits if you're younger than 70 and traveling outside the US/Canada.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> If you are 70+ you can still get coverage, it's just with lower maximum benefit limits, but still more coverage and less stress than </span><a href="http://www.thefashionfiend.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/kim-kardashian-metallic-bikini-fashion-6.jpg" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Kim Kardashian's</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> bathing suit undergoes (people don't believe I'm working - it took a lot of looking for that picture).</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Plus it includes a ton of other benefits, including Emergency Evacuation, Terrorism, Personal Liability, Travel Assistance and a whole lot more that I don't have room to list here.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, maybe I have room, but I've got that lazy thing going on... Okay, so now you know your grapefruit from your radishes, but what makes the most sense to buy? (I affect a bad Asian accent) Ahh, Grasshopper, knowing one's purpose marks the beginning of a journey to span a thousand lifetimes. (Accent off) Not a thousand lifetimes, but this is a journey for your lifetime and you will need to think carefully about what is important to accomplish. Now I'm a teensy bit biased insofar that I'd like to protect myself for expenses associated with accidents & unforeseeable illnesses while I travel and since I know that if I call the hotel/airline/cruise line or personalized snack delivery service (okay, so I made that one up, but Cheetos on Call has a nice ring to my ears) and let them know that I've had a little sumptin' sumptin' happen that made my travel plans change, that they will usually take steps to keep me a happy customer, or at least get me off the phone. I may have to pay a change or rescheduling fee here or there, but my (rapidly fading) boyish charm might even save me a couple of these expenses. However, if I'm traveling and get stuck in a freak avalanche while tracking a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeti" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Yeti</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> while trekking through the mountains of Tibet (okay, a little unlikely since this is clearly outside Cheetos on Call's delivery area) need an emergency medical evacuation or just have a bad case of frostbite on one of my orange stained paws, I want to know I can get covered care and get it from people who know what to do, how to do it and through an insurer who has been around and paying claims about a hundred years before George Washington was in wooden diapers, or however that story goes. Your mileage may vary, but unless you are planning a trip that you wouldn't be able to take at a later date, maybe a tour group or seeing the Eagles Farewell concert (scratch that, there's always another one of those) you very well may be best served by travel medical insurance. That, and maybe Cheetos delivery.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-61150247206187730962013-02-12T12:25:00.000-05:002013-04-24T15:43:05.446-04:00Bigger Than a Breadbox<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't Think Size Doesn't Matter</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As one of the smaller companies in the international health & travel medical insurance market, Azimuth is kinda like the new kid that arrives in school and the other kids either ignore or shoot a spitball at him when nobody is looking. That's fine, since I keep a high powered squirt gun within arm's reach at all times, which requires a lot of explanation when I'm going through the TSA groping. The good news for those clients who (wisely) choose Azimuth and the exceptional network of quality insurance professionals who market our plans throughout the world is that each one is greeted with a level of personalized service that is...what's the word I'm looking for? Impossible? No. Improbable? No. Cheesecake? Yes, but no. I'll go with 'unlikely' to come from our competitors. The balance of our competition has ownership consisting of large holding companies, publicly traded corporations and multiple layers of management that isn't necessarily bad. However, I like to think we have the best of both worlds. That is, if each world had supermodels feeding me grapes and laughing at my jokes. No, wait. This is the best for you, not me, besides, nobody is going to laugh at <i>my </i>jokes. What I mean to say is that it's the best of both worlds because Azimuth has a group of highly trained and experienced individuals who know what they are doing and do it very, very well. They are held accountable for a high service standard, not just by business owners, but by the customers they help and the other staff with whom they work. If a client or insurance agent were to have a bad experience with someone working here, everyone is going to know about it and it reflects on us all. No one wants to be 'that guy' or 'that gal'. Besides, I then post their picture around the hallways in our office building with the headline, "Beware! This Person has Halitosis Suspected of Causing Temporary Blindness". Some may think this a poor management technique, but hey, whatever works. Funny though, people still seem to move away from me in the elevator after the one time I did have to post it... I didn't mean to give bad service - I thought I had it on mute when I was eating those potato chips. The important thing is that our staff takes the concerns of our insured members and the insurance professionals offering our products very seriously and in turn makes every effort to understand, assist and treat each person as the individual they are, with different needs and the often unique circumstances that come along with international travel or expat living. This results in a level of service and responsiveness that massive entities can only look upon with envy (who's the new kid in class? why is everyone paying attention to him? just because he treats them the way they want to be treated, why does that make him so darn special?). Plus, Azimuth offers the security of having all the plans we offer fully insured by <a href="http://www.lloyds.com/">Lloyd's, London</a>. Yep, you've probably heard that name. It's the oldest & largest insurance market in the world. It's sort of like being the charming new kid who has an enormous bodyguard standing next to him - okay, maybe not one that's 320 years old as Lloyd's is, but you get the idea. We work to make interactions with Azimuth fit with our beloved "<a href="https://www.azimuthrisk.com/contacts.php" target="_blank">5 Es</a>", including making our insurance products <u><b>E</b></u>asy to understand and <u style="font-weight: bold;">E</u>asy to use, so if you have questions before, during or after the application process (contact your insurance professional or visit <a href="http://azimuthrisk.com/">AzimuthRisk.com</a>) just give us a call or send an email (<a href="mailto:service@azimuthrisk.com">service@azimuthrisk.com</a>) and you will experience service that comes from a company that may be smaller than some, but much bigger than a breadbox. Does anybody even know what size a breadbox is anyway? </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-59000391346538897942013-01-28T12:18:00.000-05:002013-04-24T15:44:33.277-04:00Twisting My Mustache<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why You May Want a Mean Insurance Plan </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I've been thinking about my blog. Not really thinking about it actually, thinking about the word 'blog'. I mean, is there an uglier word in the English language? It conjures up visions of the result of severe gastrointestinal distress. "Mom, I don't feel so well after eating that ice cream". Mom retorts, "Honey, I told you not to pick the under-cooked pork swirl flavor, but you just wouldn't listen!". "Mom, don't be cruel. I feel like I could blog at any moment!". This way, you don't have to blog. I'm doing it for you. Kinda my community </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">service </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">contribution</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another thing that seems to make folks want to 'blog' is when they hear about how the big, mean insurance company denied an insurance claim. It seems that oftentimes insurance companies are perceived pretty much on par with the guy in old cartoons who's tied the young damsel to the railroad tracks while laughing evilly and twisting his mustache in excitement. This cannot be. After all, I don't have a mustache, I tie knots poorly and despite hours of practice, I can't seem to master the evil laugh part. The staff at the office did look at me a little sideways after I worked on it though. What is wrong with them? I mean who hasn't heard someone sitting in their office laughing all by themselves for a few hours? Okay, don't answer that question. If you do, my therapist will have nothing to do. Where was I? Oh yeah, many folks seem to think that insurance companies sit around </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">all day</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> plotting, scheming and looking for reasons to avoid paying claims. Well, we at Azimuth don't. We take time out for lunch after all. Seriously, Azimuth is in business to pay every </span><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u style="background-color: yellow;">valid</u></i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> claim presented to us. And paying valid claims efficiently and correctly is what we do. Notice the subtle emphasis on the word 'valid' I added prior. So...what's a valid claim? "I have the strength of 10 men" in my case. Okay, so maybe if the 10 men were all octogenarians who've been heavily medicated, but let's not dwell on the details. Valid in the case of insurance means that the claim follows the terms and conditions set forth in the plan wording. In other words, Azimuth says we'll pay for 'X', so don't expect us to pay for 'Y'. "Y?", you ask (you really must start using whole words, not just letters)? "Because" is my certified dad-style answer. Okay, since I'm probably not your dad, I will more fully explain. That is, unless you are twin my six-year-olds. In that case, I <u>am</u> your dad and I wanna know what you're doing on the computer? Go play. Remember, your brother's head is not designed to be used as a battering ram and try not to break anything (else). For everyone else, here goes: first, Azimuth has a very stringent bindery agreement with our Lloyd's insuring partners that doesn't involve any chains, whips or leather straps, but it does require that 'X', and only 'X' is to be paid. If Azimuth fails at this, we go "poof" (we don't really go poof - the noise is actually more like the sound when your engine throws a rod) into thin air, because we no longer have an entity taking the risk on our plans and I'm no longer at the keyboard pestering you with blogs. Stop the doggone cheering already, would you? It's rather unbecoming. More importantly for you, dear reader is that we also have a fiduciary (fancy word for the fact that we owe a responsibility to others) duty both to our insurer (Lloyd's, London) and to those existing insured members to pay only those charges which are eligible to be paid. If we did otherwise, we would drive up both the rates for any new applicants (read: YOU) and my hours & hours of market research shows that you don't like paying more than you have to pay. It would also drive up the the renewal premium rates for people who are already enjoying ongoing coverage through Azimuth. I have heard a pretty solid rumor from existing clients that they aren't exceptionally excited about paying higher renewal rates either. This market intelligence gathering thing is exhausting, I'll tell ya'. Anyway, when all this is taken down to it's molecular level (which takes a really good magnifying glass, I'll have you know) we arrive at the fact that Azimuth has a responsibility to protect our clients. These clients trust us (well, at least they put their trust in the other people who aren't half as nuts as me who work with Azimuth) and the Lloyd's, London market to provide them with the best possible value in international insurance products while doing our very best to control client premium costs moving forward. You know, moving forward, like that really cool <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/back-future-delorean-surfaces-spain-article-1.1212982">DeLorean </a>in <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088763/">Back to the Future</a>? </i>Okay, so after taking another look, maybe it wasn't that cool looking, but hey a time machine? How cool is that? Just think, you could go back in time and not ever be in contact with that person or off-brand search engine who recommended this under-cooked swirl of words to you and made you feel like you might just might....blog. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-37824064910796167892012-12-28T09:21:00.001-05:002013-04-24T15:42:08.249-04:00Why I'm Trying to Sell You Less Insurance<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How Big is Your Travel Medical Insurance Deductible Supposed to Be?</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Possibly in the spirit of other poorly matched combinations of ability compared with job requirements, (think: blind photographer, a ferret farmer with an obsessive-compulsive need for order and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manute_Bol">Manute Bol</a> as a quarter horse jockey) I will attempt to explain this post's main headline. I'm a salesman. As a kid, I quickly became expert at whining, wheedling and generally pestering the hell out of my sainted parents for additional 'up' time despite going past my pre-scheduled bedtime. I then reversed the process when the alarm clock announced school would soon be in session. I applied the process to dessert, fireworks and while visiting any store vending comic books. It worked. By sheer force of repetition I figured out that I could wear their nerves to a frazzle while delicately avoiding alienating myself - better known as a 'spankin'. I've sold everything from records (you kids out there: this means black, vinyl, dinner-plate sized things that we the Ancients used to use), to raised toilet seats (white, plastic bigger-than-dinner-plate sized things we Ancients will have to use some day). Now I sell insurance and I'd like to think that I'm reasonably good at it. I do not however, use the same whining and pleading I did as a kid. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, so at least not as <i>much </i>whining...</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I now understand that it pays to be smart. Not for me to be smart mind you (I'd be shaking a cup at you if that were the case) but for <u style="font-weight: bold;">You</u> to be smart, you dear, sweet, valued and consumer. Did I mention how absolutely fabulous you're looking lately? Anyway, an educated consumer is Azimuth's best client. If you understand what to look for and why the product fits your want better than another, then my job is really, really easy. I'd rather be lazy, so this works nicely into my master plan which consists mainly of lying on the couch and eating Cheetos. Mmm, Cheetos...man are they good. Sorry, warned you about my ADD thing. Regardless, this meandering story is to help you choose a deductible. Everybody talks about toilet seats when explaining deductibles don't they? Choose a high one. Simple, huh? Can I stop now? You know, the lazy thing is really kicking in...okay, so you may want to know why. Every business has costs. Even the guy hawking the knockoff designer staple removers from the back of his car trunk has them. Somebody has to fill up his gas tank, right? With insurance, the majority of the costs to the insurance company lie in paperwork, meaning claims. Not necessarily the number of claims that are paid (although we do pay an awful lot of them - be careful out there would ya'?), but in the process involved of inputting, processing and examining them. Most claims come in to us are below the chosen deductible threshold, but we still have to handle them the same way. Do you realize how many paper airplanes I have to make?? Seriously, and we do take it seriously, we handle each case as carefully as humanly possible to ensure accuracy and that we pay every valid claim presented and deny any claim that isn't supposed to be paid (I'll tell you more about why we heartlessly deny claims in a future post). Now you know the itty bitty non-secret of our business. If we don't have to handle as much processing and don't pay out as many claims for relatively small expenses, it doesn't cost us as much to do business. In exchange, <u>you pay much less premium</u> when you absorb the initial expenses. At the same time, Azimuth is there and ready to spring into action (just pretend I'm in a Superman costume - wait, on second thought, don't) to pay those eligible expenses. A smart consumer will take a cold hard look at his financial position and determine how much they can afford to pay should they have an unexpected loss because of a health setback while traveling or living internationally. Because you're now so smart and in-the-know, you'll tell all your friends and they will buy big gobs of insurance and while I'm on the way to a Cheetos induced coma, you will have saved sizable money and can get that ventriloquist-size (that's the big, wet-the-bed version, right?) latte instead of the tall or whatever goofy name you find applied to your coffee serving at whatever coffee shop on the globe you wander into. You will take comfort in knowing that seven buck cup o' joe is affordable to you and that you have exceptionally good coverage if the worst should rear its ugly head. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-3401017013456257562012-11-27T15:02:00.001-05:002013-02-19T14:30:05.261-05:00I'm a Lousy Shopper - Sometimes<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Details, (policy) Details....</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other day I noticed how ratty my wardrobe was getting. Ever the frugal consumer, I decided to embark on a quick shopping trip to my local T.J. Maxx (for the uninitiated, it's where clothes and other sundries that failed to be scooped up from the 'Clearance' section go to die). I found what I believed to be some superb deals on some nice stuff. In particular, I found a lightweight rust'ish' colored merino wool number made by an Italian guy I'd never heard of, but hey, why not? Since I'm still tall, but not the larger figure I once was, I opted for the size large. I pretty much get everything in large. Sometimes the clothes give me a skosh more room than necessary, sometimes a perfect fit and then there's this sweater. Apparently lost in translation was the fact that this size <b>large </b>sweater was only that way when worn by dwarf hamsters. Naturally, after having removed all the tags and any other vestige that would evidence my proof of purchase, I threw it on and headed out the door before the error of my transaction had fully been realized in my mind. As I cruised along to a holiday gathering, I noticed that my forearms had seemingly grown to elephantine proportions. I had an irritating, Popeye-like sensation that was definitely not what I'd planned to have. Worse still, was that the sweater was so unforgiving that should I decide to steal an extra helping of Aunt Cheryl's homemade sweet potato casserole, it would announce it's presence beneath my sweater before fully making its way past my gullet. Perhaps the one saving grace of this article of clothing is that it was clinging enough to make some needy ex-girlfriends look detached and ambivalent. So, at least my calorie count was down for the gathering. The point with all this blather is the danger of assumption. One former workplace had a mantra that I had failed to remember: "Assumption is the mother of all screw ups". Granted, this is a paraphrased, sanitized,PG, version of the mantra, but the message is the same. It is often crucial to have a thorough understanding of details. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now by now, you may be asking yourself what my personal shopping habits have to do with insurance. As much as we may wish to skip over them and move forward with the next thing we sometimes have to get down and roll around in the weeds of minutiae for a least a little while. And believe me, coming from a guy who's personality is filled with more ADD holes in my attention span than your favorite block of Swiss cheese, this is not the easiest of suggestions to make. Azimuth is continually trying to find ways to make the process easier, more streamlined and better understood, but until we are able to inject plan wordings into our client's brains (clinical trials didn't work out so well) we will implore you to delve into the finer points. We have made it easier by giving clear explanations of how terms are defined, where details can be found and expressing them in terms as plainly as we are able. So take a few minutes - please don't assume that something is covered just because you have insurance. Examine your plan wording a bit, maybe call and ask a question of your insurance professional or of us. You are welcome to connect with us any time via <a href="mailto:Service@AzimuthRisk.com">Service@AzimuthRisk.com</a> or just pick up the phone and give us a call at 317-644-6291 and we'll do our best to make it understandable. Anybody know how I can use a crowbar to remove a sweater without ripping it?</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-85129343519307070412012-11-14T10:13:00.000-05:002013-04-24T15:47:37.698-04:00Insurance Is Boring....Until You Need It<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Being Happy About Losing</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, I'm going to share the real truth about insurance. Let me rephrase. I am going to share the real truth about insurance as I see it. Others may disagree and I will gladly yawn. Insurance is gambling. Yep, gambling. However in this case, you don't want to be the 'winner'. Every day, millions of individuals apply for insurance, pay their premium, renew a policy and generally undergo the glamour free administrative side that the majority of people, the majority of the time see as their sole interaction with an insurance company. It's a line item on the family budget, a black hole that the see Euros, Dollars, Pounds, Pesos and a host of other currencies swallowed and thought never to be seen again by the person signing the check or using the credit card. The insurer is the "house" in gambling parlance and as the client, you are now at the table and life's cards are getting dealt. Hand after hand goes by and most of the time, the house collects a chip and time moves along, only without the free beverages and attractive servers. You wonder why you keep playing. Gosh, you have sat here all this time and things are colder than a Santa Claus's freezer. Then, maybe it's you, maybe it's the guy sitting next to you, and the 'winning' number comes up. Perhaps it's a fender bender. Maybe that dinner out didn't agree with you - at all. Or, God forbid, maybe it's something much more serious. Whatever it is, it is in my view the only place where the power of a collective works properly. More people pay premium and do not have claims and they in turn provide the financial backing mechanism and this allows the insurer to protect against life's major and minor financial tragedies for those that do. Insurers know statistically that most things for which they insure will not happen to most of the clients they insure. Otherwise, there is no way they could stay in business. They must be able to make a profit in order to survive. However, they also know that some of the things they cover <u style="font-weight: bold;">will</u> happen to some of the clients they insure. If they didn't, no one would buy the insurance because they was no appreciable need and again the company simply wouldn't survive. In the end, that's the key. No one want's to be the one that has to file the claim for the damage they've suffered in whatever form that damage may take. Insurance is designed with the goal of making the client "whole". In many ways, and depending upon the loss, it can never fully accomplish this goal. However, what a quality company and insurance plan <i><b>can </b></i>do is help to make the situation much better than it otherwise would be and to protect the insured from major, minor and sometimes devastating financial losses. Occasionally (okay, often), the particulars can seem a bit dull, but the reality for those who are suffering in ways large & small when the reality of a loss comes home to them, is anything but.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-23345673381267140832012-09-25T13:30:00.002-04:002013-02-13T09:38:53.626-05:00Compassion for the Expat<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Even if you aren’t in the process of relocating, you very
well may have a friend, family member or acquaintance who has spent an extended
time outside of his or her home country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While those of us who remain may only consider how exciting and exotic
an international assignment sounds, have you ever considered all that’s
involved with moving yourself and everything else in your life to a country with which you may not
have even passing familiarity?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tough enough to do so
on your own, but how about a family with small children, think for a moment of
the logistics, emotions and planning that must take place to make this a
successful transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Consider further the fact that if you are working for a company and leaving the familiar confines of your cubicle for a distant office with supporting staff diminished or all together absent. You are away from the central nervous system of the company and risk being out of sight and out of mind. Moreover, your spouse has a huge adjustment, from perhaps planning the move, searching for local employment or finding the best place for your families favorite dinner ingredients. It's not easy and Azimuth knows it. Layer in the potential fear and frustration a family endures on top of this dubious dessert, remove a dash of health insurance benefits the family is accustomed to accessing, and you have a recipe for disaster. Whether you are contemplating a move or are a human resources professional charged with helping your company emerge as a multinational operation, be sure that you plan to have proper benefit plan available for international placement. Check out Azimuth's <a href="https://www.box.com/s/ltgiorybso9ee5hexnlz">Meridian Series</a> for individuals and families or the <a href="https://www.box.com/s/2012fa31e57e27a86f4b">Contour Series</a> international group benefit plans. Both of these value filled offerings will greatly enhance employee recruitment, retention and likely successful outcomes of an organization's international employment postings.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-31477030390663220192012-05-18T13:28:00.002-04:002013-04-24T15:49:07.689-04:00Anyone planning a trip to China, may want to give <a href="http://www.cabot.net/Issues/CWA/Archives/2012/05/Ten-Tips-for-Traveling-in-China.aspx">this article</a> a skim. I've traveled many places, but China has not been on my itinerary to date. A bit of this story is old hat, e.g. "go off the beaten path to see the real thing". But I found the idea of giant rocks outside of office buildings oddly intriguing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-1766640921344747222012-05-16T13:58:00.003-04:002012-05-16T13:59:40.625-04:00As a fairly regular traveler myself, I occasionally visit the online forums that are geared for the road warrior. One interesting one recently went over the most common annoyances and aggravations associated with hotel stays you can get a pretty comprehensive <a href="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/1344496-what-your-top-hotel-pet-peeves.html?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=">set of gripes here</a>. It always seemed curious to me that the lesser priced hotels always seemed to have better amenities than the high dollar glitz stations. E.g. free local calls, free internet and even free breakfast buffets. Instinct would tell me it should be the other way around. What sort of travel peeves have you experienced?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-28409499010636331332012-05-15T13:53:00.004-04:002012-05-15T13:53:57.834-04:00To the surprise of few, the<a href="http://totallyexpat.com/global-immigration-news/mexico-government-introduces-burdensome-visa-renewal-procedures-mexico-city/"> Mexican government</a> has now made things just a wee bit more difficult when it comes to visa renewal. Apparently, the convenience of calling and scheduling your appointment for visa renewal was a bit too client-centered for their taste. Share with us your own stories of less-than-exceptional service with bureaucracy. By the way, if you want to really experience what exceptional customer service really means, contact Azimuth or one of our professional independent agents.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-69281288748111904062012-05-11T16:56:00.000-04:002012-05-11T16:56:06.647-04:00<br />
What is the difference between trip insurance and travel medical insurance and why would I care?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_794947402"><img alt="International Travel Medical Insurance" border="0" height="200" src="http://azimuthrisk.com/images/ars-beacon-free-quote.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://azimuthrisk.com/aquote_ehic.php?">Click on this logo for a free travel medical quote!</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Most of the time when people refer to travel insurance, they immediately think of what's often referred to as trip cancellation insurance. This is a fine choice for some travelers, but since it's primarily a Property & Casualty coverage, rather than a Life & Health product, the coverage devotes a heavy focus upon the financial exposures involved in deposits and payments to airlines, hotels, etc. If you are traveling with a tour group this might be a good selection for you. However, <a href="http://www.azimuthrisk.com/">Azimuth</a> provides travel medical insurance (fully insured by Lloyd's, London) that is clearly dedicated to providing you with superior protection against accidents and unforeseeable illnesses - and you even have coverage if your trip is delayed. There's a whole menu of other travel benefits as well that you can enjoy with the Beacon Series plan. It's affordable and offers you a terrific value for your premium dollar. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-38650676087009740862012-05-07T15:37:00.002-04:002012-05-11T16:57:40.979-04:00<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17923903">This story</a> from the BBC has some pretty good suggestions about how to plan for your currency exchange before you arrive at your destination. It may still be smart to research the local cultural and currency exchange outside of 'official' channels. For example, if you travel to Caracas, Venezuela you will be met with a host of locals attempting to exchange Bolivars. Keep an eye out for <a href="http://www.casatrudel.com/new-bolivar-fuerte.htm">Bolivar Fuentes</a> (you want this one) and old Bolivars - their value is different) for hard currency at a much superior exchange rate than is officially quoted. Keep in mind your personal safety and security and use common sense when making such exchanges. Better yet, establish a local contact, perhaps through the hotel staff where you will be staying who may be able to put you in touch with a local resident who will be happy to arrange a mutually beneficial exchange.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674668666409756027.post-10248129833828696952012-05-07T09:37:00.001-04:002012-05-11T16:58:42.480-04:00Like many people who are deeply entrenched in office work, I fantasize about learning to scuba dive and having a deep sea adventure. I was particularly drawn to the idea of doing this in <a href="http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/activities/water_sports/scuba_diving">Greece</a> and quickly began thinking about the civil unrest that's been happening in sections of Athens in particular. If you are planning international travel, how much does news of events such as these play into your travel plans and planning? Are you deterred completely? Plan around and learn about the area you'll be visiting in order to avoid the hot pockets? Or, are you completely undaunted and want to go see what all the fuss is about for yourself?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0