You have just completed an online form requesting a free health insurance quote and moments later you are being inundated with phone calls from insurance agents hoping to get your business. Try not to become overwhelmed or annoyed by these “pesky sales people” because they are really not telemarketers. Most of them are well-trained state licensed professionals who can really help you make a good decision regarding which health plan is best and most affordable for your individual or group coverage needs.You may be under the misconception that if you buy your health plan directly from the insurance company, and cut out the “middle person”, you will save money. This is absolutely not the case. In fact, insurance companies rely on agents for most of their business and that’s why they pay them commissions for bringing in customers. It does not cost a consumer one penny more to use a licensed California health insurance agent to obtain their insurance coverage.There are many differences between California health insurance and other states including how it is applied for.For example, while Blue Cross and Blue Shield are one company in other states, here in California, each is separate and applied to individually as Anthem Blue Cross of California and Blue Shield of California.California health insurance law AB 1672 is an improvement over the federal HIPAA law that covers all states in that it includes the following with regard to California group coverage:1. Individuals with pre-existing medical conditions may change over to a new group health plan without an exclusionary period.2. It allows small businesses and professional organizations to have access to health plans providing they have between 2 and 50 full time employees.3. It keeps insurance rates from climbing after a claim is filed.4. Employees who have health problems may change jobs or health plans without being rated higher for having pre-existing conditions.That said, the very best health insurance agent for your individual and business needs is an “Independent Agent.” Why? Because they represent multiple insurance carriers, not just one. An independent agent can help you select the most appropriate cost-effective plan offering the most benefits for your dollar as available from the major carriers, rather than feeding you just one company’s line of health plans which may not suit your particular needs. Many people are too complacent and settle for what their current insurance company has to offer. They could use a good independent agent to sort through the many plans available from multiple insurance carriers to find and provide the best choice of options.Another misunderstanding you may have is that insurance agents set the premium rates for the health insurance plans they sell. Thinking if you shop around you may get a better price for the same plan. Premium rates are based on your age, zip code or county in which you reside and are controlled completely by the insurance companies. Every agent uses the exact same rate guides set by the insurance companies. The condition of your health may affect your premium, which may be rated up after the insurance company’s underwriting department has reviewed your medical records. Again, the insurance company, not the agent, determines that outcome.Now, let’s talk about the benefits of having a good insurance agent representing you. Most consumers neither know nor understand the benefits of a health plan being offered and need the expertise of an agent to explain the benefits to them in full. For example, do you know what the difference is between an “out-of-pocket maximum” and an “annual deductible?”An out of pocket maximum is the most you will have to pay in a given year for deductible and coinsurance for covered benefits before your insurance starts to pay 100% of most expenses until the year ends.An annual deductible is usually the amount you pay each year before your health plan starts paying anything for covered services. Generally, the higher the deductible, the lower the premium. Certain services such as prescription drugs carry separate deductibles. Plans may vary and sometimes benefits will kick in before you have to meet the deductible.A knowledgeable health insurance agent can be a guide through the maze and help you choose the right plan to meet your needs and budget while obtaining the most benefits for your dollars spent. An agent will also make clear how the benefits for a generic prescription may differ from the benefits for a brand prescription on a particular plan.After you have a health plan in place, a good, caring agent will remind you to pay your premium on time so the insurance company doesn’t cancel you. Your agent can also be an enormous resource for assistance if you run into a problem with a health insurance claim. Instead of waiting on hold at the insurance company’s 800 number for thirty to forty- five minutes, call your agent and explain your problem and if you have chosen the right agent, you will get help and may save yourself lots of time and frustration, maybe even some money by having an expert in your corner where your best interests come first.So next time you or someone you know, fills out one of those on-line forms for a health insurance quote and you get several phone calls from health insurance agents wanting your business, be grateful that a professional wants to help you for free to choose the right plan and you’ll have an important friend for life.
House Price Trend in Italy’s Top Resorts
The surveys conducted by Nomisma and F.I.M.A.A. (the largest Italian Realtors association) show that Italy’s tourist property market maintains a substantial stability in last two years, following a significant growth in the period 2001 to 2008.Comparing the historical series of house average prices for main Italy’s sea and mountain resorts, we notice a smoother trend for the sea resorts, with an overall increase of 62% in years 2000 to 2008 and values of growth between a minimum of 2% in 2008 and a maximum of 9% in 2003. In the same period (2000 to 2008) the curve for non-sea resorts is more nervous: it shows an overall growth in the house average price of 51%, with a pick of 9.8% in 2004 and a minimum of 2.1% in 2008. After 2008, prices begin a slight decrease, more pronounced for sea resorts (-06% for sea resorts, -0,1% for non-sea resorts). We can say then that Italian tourist property market prices hold up the impact of the world crisis, as well as the national property market.The F.I.M.A.A. surveys rank the ten sea and mountain resorts with the highest prices for best houses: i.e. they consider the average of highest sale prices observed (of course, the maximum prices can be considerably higher than the average). There are some interesting divergences between the group of top sea resorts and the top mountain resorts.The group of the best sea resorts shows a low mobility, featuring a list of only twelve localities which appear in the top ten ranking during years 2006 to 2010. Santa Margherita Ligure and Porto Cervo are competing for the supremacy, with two first positions each, while Campania resorts (Capri and Positano) boast the strongest price growth (round 14 % and 11%): Capri gains first place in 2010, with 13,100 Euros/SQM. The resort of Fregene, a favourite with Romans VIPs, is declining, leaving the top ten ranking in 2009 and 2010. Tuscany resorts (Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio) are ascending instead. Notice that the price variation refers to the price of the most expensive houses: i.e. the average of the highest prices observed.The low increases (in some cases decreases) are indicative of the market tendency to reduce the excessive prices achieved. Take Porto Cervo as an example: the average price of best houses was 13,500 Euros/SQM in 2007 (when Porto Cervo was number one), while in 2010 we find a price of 12,000 Euros/SQM. Really, the average of the twelve sea resorts has not substantially changed in 2010 (10,325) with respect to 2006 (10,225). The list of the twelve resorts is reported below, with the average position referred to the whole period 2006-2010 and the average price observed in 2010 for the best houses. Portofino, probably because of the very few property transactions, is not among the localities monitored by F.I.M.A.A.Top sea resorts (2006 to 2010).
Santa Margherita Ligure (Liguria): 1.8 – 12,500 Euros/SQM
Porto Cervo (Sardinia): 2.4 – 12,000 Euros/SQM
Forte dei Marmi (Tuscany): 2.6 – 13,000 Euros/SQM
Capri (Campania): 3.2 – 13,100 Euros/SQM
Alassio (Liguria): 5.6 – 9,200 Euros/SQM
Positano (Campania): 6.8 – 10,300 Euros/SQM
Porto Rotondo (Sardinia): 8 – 8,700 Euros/SQM
Viareggio(Tuscany): 8 – 9,500 Euros/SQM
Sestri Levante (Liguria): 9.2 – 9,000 Euros/SQM
Anacapri (Campania): 9.2 – 9,400 Euros/SQM
Fregene (Lazio): 10 – 8,200 Euros/SQM
Cinque Terre (Liguria): 10.4 – 9,000 Euros/SQMThe group of mountain resorts appears to be more dynamic. In fact, we find 17 localities which enter at least once in the yearly top ten ranking. Really, the top of the ranking remains well stable, showing constantly the same resorts at the first three positions: Cortina d’Ampezzo, Madonna di Campiglio and Courmayeur. Cortina d’Ampezzo is by far the winner, resulting every year the locality with maximum house price among both the sea and mountains resorts, featuring a price of 19,000 Euros/SQM in 2010. But in the lower part of ranking, things go differently. In fact, we see the strong decline of Piedmont resorts Sestriere and Bardonecchia, which had probably benefited from the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games. They shift from 5th and 7th place in 2006 to 18th and 17th in 2010, with a decrease in the best house price of 27.55% and 11.44% respectively.The performance of Cervinia is similar: it exits the top ten ranking in 2009 and 2010, moving from 6,030 Euros /SQM to 5,000 Euros in 2010. San Martino di Castrozza, Gressoney-Saint-Jean, Canazei and Moena are the ascending resorts: all these were out of top ten ranking in 2006 and have entered the top ten only in 2009 or 2010. Gressoney-Saint-Jean achieved a price increase of 27.95%, bringing on a par with the twin village Gressoney La-Trinite’. Ortisei, San Martino di Castrozza and Moena achieve the best performance, with a price increase greater than 40%, and confirm the great attraction of Dolomites. Overall, the average price of best houses in the mountain resorts group is lower than in the sea resorts group (8,015 Euros/SQM vs. 10,325), but the increase 2006 to 2010 is far higher (17.68% vs. 0.97%).Top mountain resorts (2006 to 2010).
Cortina d’Ampezzo (Trentino Alto Adige): 1 – 19,000 Euros/SQM
Madonna di Campiglio (Trentino Alto Adige): 2 – 13,000 Euros/SQM
Courmayeur (Valle d’Aosta): 3 – 10,800 Euros/SQM
Corvara (Trentino Alto Adige): 4.6 – 9,000 Euros/SQM
Madesimo (Lombardia): 6.6 – 7,070 Euros/SQM
Gressoney L.T. (Valle d’Aosta): 8.6 – 6,500 Euros/SQM
Ortisei (Trentino Alto Adige): 9.2 – 9,000 Euros/SQM
Sestriere (Piedmont): 9.4 – 5,000 Euros/SQM
Bardonecchia (Piedmont): 11 – 5,500 Euros/SQM
Selva di Val Gardena (Trentino Alto Adige): 11.2 – 6,269 Euros/SQM
Champoluc (Valle d’Aosta): 11.4 – 6,000 Euros/SQM
San Martino di Castrozza (Trentino Alto Adige): 11.8 – 8,000 Euros/SQM
Cervinia (Valle d’Aosta): 12 – 5,000 Euros/SQM
Bormio (Lombardia): 12.2 – 6,130 Euros/SQM
Gressoney S.G. (Valle d’Aosta): 13.2 – 6,500 Euros/SQM
Canazei (Valle d’Aosta): 13.2 – 7,000 Euros/SQM
Moena (Trentino Alto Adige): 16.2 – 6,500 Euros/SQMBehind the top resorts, one of the best performances among the sea localities, is realized by Punta Marina, the small town in the Municipality of Ravenna, which achieved an increase of nearly 28% in the price of the best houses, following the similar growth already realized by Marina di Ravenna. These resorts are considered not only for holidays, but also as an alternative residence to the near town of Ravenna.
Special Training For Brain Development Of Kids
Many researchers have proven the fact that functioning of brain cells of infants is twice active as adult’s brain. Neurons are the brain cells that connect together and power of neuron have the potential of a PC. Connectivity of neurons decides the smartness or intelligence of individuals. In human, brain development and the learning ability of an individual is 50% in the first four years of age. The nerves of individuals are reduced as they grow up and this is why the 1000 trillion nerves present in an 8 months baby are reduced to 500 trillion as it grows up. A child that has given more opportunities to explore will be much smart.
A majority of children, more than 90% of them use their left brain, but the imperative fact to remember is the right brain must also be utilized. Education system present in almost all the schools is designed to develop or use the left brain. Right brain is never the less significant because it is responsible for creativity, arts, feeling, imagination, visualizing, daydreaming, rhythm, holistic thinking and many others. Hence it is equally important to develop both side of brain. It is also most important to take steps to keep both the brain much active, by keeping them to perform analytically on an equal basis. It is the responsibility of parents to give activities to their children that ensures the involvement of both brain. If both brain used by children it is probable to enhance their learning power and they can also increase their brain power. If brain development programs are offered to children they can make most of the program and develop their skills to give work to both side of brain and remains high in intelligence level. Development of brain in human beings is based on the degree of how much it is used. If it is left unused there are more probabilities for individuals to lose as brain works on the basis of use it or lose it.
To ensure the progressive brain development in children, it is the role of parents to introduce their children with a reputable brain development program. Most of the experts suggest step by step educational program to the children which is systemic and efficient. Nowadays it is very simple to find out a lot of schools which not only gives importance to academic program, but they also boost the creativity of children through their extracurricular activities. It is probable to search internet and get hold of relevant schools that present with a variety of activities to stimulate the brain and encourage the development of children. A total development program to stimulate mental activity of children is also found out in the online sites and parents can try out these activities with their children while they are at home. Getting education from a school that implements total development program is much beneficial. Search for such schools and secure admission to enhance the future of the children and boosts in brain development.