Expression GreenExpressing the need for a healthy green lifestyle

With several health care reform bills making their way through congressional committees, many Valley employers are worried how the outcome will affect their financial future.

Already facing increased health insurance premiums, businesses also are concerned about being required to provide health coverage for all workers and how a government-run option might affect their costs. One proposal that has benefits consultants wringing their hands is an excise tax on insurance plans that cost a family more than $21,000 a year.

Kathryn Bakich, national director of health care compliance at the Segal Co. in Washington, said lawmakers must be careful not to do something that will create bad consequences for employer plans.

Most plans cost $15,000 to $18,000 a year, she said, including both the employer and employee portions. With a couple of years of inflation, some of those plans will hit the $21,000 cap and be open to additional taxes on employers.

“Many times they call it a Cadillac tax, but these are not Cadillac plans they are taxing,” Bakich said. “That’s a big problem.”

She said she hasn’t seen any consensus from employers about which plans seem to be most employer-friendly. She said some employer groups don’t like any of the proposals, while others might like a single aspect of a complex plan.

“Everyone is looking to see what the Senate Finance Committee comes up with, which will combine with the Senate Health Committee bill,” she said.
Employer-based coverage

Dennis Hoffman, professor of economics at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, said the U.S. is one of the only countries that relies on employers to provide the bulk of health insurance. That practice originated after World War II, when the government imposed wage and price controls on companies. As a result, employers — beginning with the auto industry — offered health benefits to entice high-quality employees.

“In terms of basic economics, the labor market would be much more efficient if people were free to seek jobs and they could separate insurance coverage from employment,” Hoffman said. “Businesses could feel free to hire and fire people without concerns about insurance implications, pre-existing conditions and lawsuits around health insurance.”

Hoffman, who receives comprehensive benefits from the state, said he is satisfied with his coverage. The state of Arizona recently awarded $750 million in contracts to several health plans, all of which compete to sign up an estimated 135,000 members. Hoffman chose the Boise, Idaho-based AmeriBen plan, which is using the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona provider network.

“I don’t have any complaints about my particular benefits package per se, but it still does cost the state and myself a lot of money,” he said.

Hoffman would rather have the state exclude health benefits and put that money in his paycheck so he can buy his own health coverage.

Jack Lunsford, president and CEO of Westmarc, a West Valley economic development coalition, said a government plan could destroy the employer-based coverage system that works for many Americans. Yet he also said a tax on small businesses for not offering insurance to employees would hurt them.

Lunsford is grateful for Westmarc’s coverage through Health Care Group, which provides a safety net for small businesses that have trouble finding affordable health plans in the commercial sector.

“We were not able to offer health insurance to our staff until we qualified under Health Care Group,” Lunsford said.
Businesses fear mandates

Employers such as Marwan Madanat, who hire independent contractors and don’t provide health insurance, say an employer mandate would be “devastating” to his company, Alphamed Solutions Inc. in Chandler.

Alphamed has four workers in Arizona and 16 across the U.S. who provide medical transcription and billing services for doctors’ offices. All are home-based independent contractors, which means they are responsible for their own insurance.

Madanat hopes to expand his business into the growing electronic medical records segment, which many say ultimately will help lower medical costs.

“In my opinion, we have got the best medical treatment in the whole world,” said Madanat, who was born in Jordan and became a U.S. citizen in 1994. “This is where I’m coming in with the technology. At the end of the day, we can help reduce the cost of providing services and hope the doctor will reduce their fees. This would have a ripple effect.”

Scott Harkey, a partner in Phoenix-based marketing firm Owens Harkey & Associates, said he recently had to cut health insurance benefits for five full-time and four part-time employees.

At some time or another, people need some answers about medical insurance. Many people today live under the threat of their job no longer being there. And many ask if they’re medical insurance is still going to be in place even if they’re employer goes under. The answer is ‘no’. If you were on COBRA and your employer goes out of business, then you are no longer covered under that group plan. But there are some programs that will help those who are in transition from a company that no longer exists.  This will vary from state to state.

Group rates are better than paying for coverage alone, but many people find themselves in a position where they just aren’t able to get any employer provided insurance. But if they take the time to search it out, there are many groups that are available to many people through which some good medical insurance may be obtained. Try some credit card companies. Civic groups or organizations may carry some good medical insurance, so it will be to your advantage to join one of these groups.

If you have children who have decided to move out after turning 18, you may not be able to keep them on your plan. Then you need to know what they can do as far as medical insurance for themselves. If they don’t belong to any organizations or groups where they can get some medical insurance coverage, then they should try for an individual policy, or some short-term coverage. Most young people are still relatively healthy, and have not pre-existing conditions. So they would be able to get some good medical insurance coverage for things like surgery and emergency care.

Unknown to most people, is the fact that the leading cause for bankruptcy in today’s America, is from uninsured medical insurance expenses. This should be a big red flag to people who can’t get in on a group medical insurance plan from an employer. They need to get some individual coverage that will protect them and their families if they should need it. Even though medical insurance can be very expensive, there are ways that you can make it less of a cost to you.

One way to begin looking into lowering your costs is by reviewing physicians and medical insurance networks. Most of the medical insurance plans involve multiple providers, or networks. Once you’re within the network, you need to stay within it to get the discount prices. If you go out of the network, then the cost is going to raise significantly. So if you have doctors that you prefer to do business with, find a network that they are in.

These are just some answers about medical insurance that are common. But there are many that aren’t covered within this article. But you should be able to find out any other answers either by researching the internet, or by picking the brain of providers that you are familiar with. The main thing is to not be caught off guard without medical insurance. Like was stated above, the main cause of bankruptcy in today’s world, is lack of insurance.

Landscape contractors are licensed professionals who are trained in performing techniques and designs onto a piece of land. This is whether it is a small or a large scale project. Landscape design comprises mainly of landscape management, landscape planning, landscape detailing, landscape assessment, landscape urbanism and garden design innovations. The skills of a landscape contractor, together with their certifications and experiences, has varying factors that can affect you selection and criteria of who is the best these days.

Landscape contractors are licensed professionals who are trained in performing techniques and designs onto a piece of land. This is whether it is a small or a large scale project. Landscape design comprises mainly of landscape management, landscape planning, landscape detailing, landscape assessment, landscape urbanism and garden design innovations.

People behind these, would be contractors that are also regarded as landscape designers. They are also the ones who convert a simple yard into great outdoor scenery, using renovation and decorative processes. Aside from this, they are also equipped in managing landscape renovations such as:

1. Disposing existing:

• Pests
• Plants, and
• Unused things

2. Building new infrastructure features

3. Installing drainage and irrigation systems

4. Sculpting:

• Themes
• Designs, and
• Walkways

5. Installing:

• Gazebos
• Fences, and
• Patios

6. Assuring the flowering of garden plants.

Hence, landscapers will present and even plot advisable themes but they also follow your chosen design. They can arrange maintenance services and provide follow ups, for future care. Contractors or design firms are also rest assured that their people had undergone training and expertise. This is with regards to landscaping at its best.

Moreover, many firms enjoy the market’s growth, especially in the landscaping industry nowadays. There was an increase both abroad and domestically. With this, top designing firms and contractors in US have reached billions of revenues. Reaping the subsidy, design firms became strong, particularly in the design market of the U.S.

Thus, changes and challenges in the industry such as new client demands, work loads, additional staffs and new design models has been a long standing problem because of the strong market.

According to the 2007 Electronic Edition of the ENR Top 500 Design Firms, they surveyed and published the top firms according to their revenues. The top 5 from the top 100 pure designers are as follows:

Type of Firm 2006 Revenue

1. AECOM TECHNOLOGY CORP. EA $2,831.9

Los Angeles, California

2. THE LOUIS BERGER GROUP EA $865.5

East orange, New Jersey

3. CDI BUSINESS SOLUTIONS EC $630.6

Philadelphia

4. PBS&J EA $546.1

Tampa, Florida

5. MUSTANG ENGINEERING EC $540.0

Houston, Texas

These top 5 rankings were judged according to their award winning plans, strategies, applications and extensive experience. Furthermore, here is the Top 5 for the Best Architectural Firms, which focused on landscaping:

1. FRCH Design Worldwide

Cincinnati, Ohio
Web Address: http://www.frch.com

FRCH Design Worldwide is a design and architectural firm that serves hospitality markets, restaurant, offices, entertainment and retail markets internationally. The firm got this slot in the year 2006. In fact, it is the first place winner of ZweigWhite’s national for the “Best Firms to Work for Award”. Thus, FRCH offers new strategies for architecture designs, promoting customer satisfaction.

2. Little Diversified Architectural Consulting

Headquarters:

• Charlotte, NC
• Dallas, TX
• Irvine, CA
• Detroit, MI
• Orlando, FL
• Washington D.C
• Irvine, CA
• Los Angeles, CA, and
• Research Triangle Park, NC

This firm was formerly Little & Associates Architects. Hence, this firm specializes in:

• Universities and Colleges
• Interiors
• Facilities Management
• Offices
• Civic
• Retail industries, and
• Financial industries

Thus, this company comes in an array of architectural consulting services such as:

• Land Development Services
• Space Management Consulting, and
• Architecture

3. BSB Design

Headquarters:
• Costa Mesa
• Denver
• Atlanta
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Las Vegas
• Sacramento
• Boston
• Jacksonville
• Chicago Loop
• Phoenix
• Tampa
• Orlando, and
• Fresno

BSB was founded in the year 1966. They specialize in architecture for residential areas. Where in, they have even expanded to commercial architecture such as:

• Community land planning
• Hospitality, and
• Resorts

Thus, BSB Designs offers unique design solutions, along with award winning plans. This firm is a veteran for 40 years, having 300 architects, staffs and designers.

4. Sasaki Associates, Inc.

Offices:

• Watertown, MA
• Boston
• San Francisco

Founded by Hideo Sasaki in 1953, Sasaki Associates became a respected international landscape firm. With 270 professionals, interdisciplinary measures are being implemented in their offices.

5. EDSA

Address: Fort Lauderdale

Offices:

• Florida
• California
• China
• Maryland
• Orlando
• Los Angeles, and
• Baltimore

EDSA was established in the year 1960. They actually guarantee an extensive experience in:

• Cultural and campus planning
• Environmental and community planning
• Hotels and resorts
• Ecotourism
• Entertainment and urban design

With over 220 employees, EDSA is a landscape architectural, planning, graphic and urban design specialist. Lastly, it is an internationally renowned firm.

Thus, with the vast number of landscaping firms and contractors, how can one find the best should you decide to build your own area, into an outdoor paradise? Here are the some tips:

• A big ad is not important, what is important is taking time to present and match your own designs to the landscaper. A good contractor actually listens to his clients.
• Visiting stores that offer listings of firms. With this list, you can do some research about the entire company profile and the designer itself.
• Get estimates from the contractor and other prospects as well.
• Don’t rush things. A good contractor lays down the design plot and its features before signing up.
• Seek for a firm that has a superior service and facilitates excellent customer care. They should be able to value their client’s opinions.

There are many excellent landscaping contractors and landscape designers nowadays. A vast progress of the landscaping industry inherits these contractors to upgrade their specialization with other competent companies.

Local landscapers can arrange special maintenance services in lieu with their customer satisfaction rate and performance. This may help in bringing them to become one amongst the top contractors and firms in the U.S. today.

Now that new computer design software is in demand, it has become an added variety of service for one firm to possess. Due to the advent of computer generated landscaping designs, more professionals must be trained and knowledgeable enough to implement this kind of progress.

Prospects in choosing contractors and firms to be on the top list must follow certain researches and surveys to the best of their services.

International travel medical insurance goes a long way to insure that you have a trip without fear of encountering medical problems along the way. International travel for both business and pleasure keeps growing at a very fast pace and is not going to change in the near future. Some domestic health insurance plans will cover you away from home but many don’t cover you and especially for major medical expenses.

Domestic travel insurance plans are not designed at all to work well with hospitals and doctors overseas, which can add to your frustration if you have any medical problems while traveling. Generally, in the travel insurance market there are two kinds of insurance products: travel medical insurance (or travel health insurance) which is obviously more heavily weighted to cover you for any health-related problems that might occur while traveling outside of your home country and has a smaller amount of trip cancellation coverage included; the other type is trip cancellation insurance.

Getting a few low cost or cheap international travel medical insurance quotes online from several companies is very easy to do. If you’re looking for a group plan there are a few group insurance plans that are relatively cheap, and if you’re with a tour group or visiting business delegation you could save a lot of money with group travel medical insurance. Whatever compromise in the plan you choose to make between the risks and costs, shop around not only for cheap international travel medical insurance plans, but also for a reputable company that gives you total information, has open view functioning and is not evasive about any of your questions.

Yes you can get cheap international travel medical insurance. The time frame on the insurance policy needs to be restricted to the actual time you’re out of the country; the shorter duration will obviously reduce the cost. Some international travel medical insurance plans don’t accept any travel that may involve hazardous activity such as mountain climbing or skating.

Make sure that the coverage of health and accident insurance covers hospitalization, doctor bills and medications. There are travel medical insurance plans readily available with a wide range of costs and benefits, and with different conditions available through different insurance companies. And some insurance policies don’t cover any pre-existing illnesses, and will ask for your history of medical problems.

You want to keep handy the addresses and phone numbers of the persons who are to be notified in the event you need to make a claim when you’re traveling. Get your international travel health insurance early because many plans have a waiting period after the premium has been paid. One way of lowering your insurance costs is to agree to pay a small initial medical cost of any treatment needed and make a claim from the insurance company only when the amount exceeds that amount; for example, you could agree to pay the first 250 dollars of any medical expenses and make a claim only when the cost of treatment goes above it.

Choosing the right plan obviously involves taking some risks, but people who do are rewarded because the cost of their travel insurance also becomes cheaper. Medical costs all around the world are skyrocketing, due mostly to the advances in specialized equipment and the cost of advanced medicines and training specialists in a number of fields. Make sure that emergency evacuation is fully covered in any insurance policy that you buy. Evacuation can be very expensive.

Remember your utmost greatest financial risk while traveling outside of your home country is if you encounter any major health or medical problem; you want to avoid this risk with the proper coverage. If you already have travel insurance, check to make sure that it covers major medical expenses; many policies don’t.

International travel medical insurance is an important travel necessity for individuals and families when they live or travel outside their home country. Make sure that evacuation coverage is included in your plan, because that can be a major expense; getting you out of a difficult location such as a cruise ship, mountain top or safari can be costly. Make sure you know exactly what is covered in your travel insurance policy.

Green tea is much more than just a refreshing beverage tea; it provides many proven health benefits as well. The Chinese and Japanese have enjoyed green tea’s healing qualities for thousands of years but it hasn’t been until recently that scientific research has proven the health benefits of drinking green tea.

All teas (green, black, and oolong) are harvested from the same plant (Camellia sinensis). The method of processing creates the different types. Green tea contains the highest content of various antioxidant compounds (polyphenols) that have been proven as beneficial in fighting certain cancers, to help lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, to help prevent food allergies, to reduce the risk of flu and infections, and to reduce the effects of aging. Vitamins C and E and beta carotene are also prevalent in green tea. Enough fluoride is found in green tea to help reduce plaque formation and bacterial infections in the mouth. The caffeine content found in green tea is about a quarter to an eighth that of coffee and less then a can of cola but varies with the brewing time.

Green teas are as varied and unique as wines. Their uniqueness depends upon the growing region, the season’s weather, time of harvesting and type of processing. Many varieties are available in multiple grades. Some exotic teas are picked only one day a year! The majority of green teas come from Japan, China or India. Processing of the tea varies between the different regions so this is just a basic overview. The finest teas come from the most aromatic, young, top two leaves and the unopened leaf bud of the plant. After picking, the green leaves are spread out in the hot air to wither. Once they are soft, they are traditionally pan-fried in woks. In Japan, they may be steamed. This prevents the leaves from oxidizing (fermenting) as occurs in black tea. The leaves are then rolled to give them durability, their characteristic shapes: twisted, curly or balled, and as a means to regulate the release of natural substances and flavor when steeped. The final step dries the leaves by firing. This stabilizes the natural fragrances and flavors and preserves the green color. The objective of processing the tea leaves into green tea is to preserve the healthy, natural and active substances.

Sometimes flowers are placed on the tea leaves during the drying process to impart a gentle floral flavor to the tea, such as the popular jasmine green tea.

There are hundreds of different green teas, most of which never reach the U.S. Some of the more common green teas are:

• Gyokuro – the finest green tea.
• Bancha – the “everyday” green tea of Japan. This tea is made from low-grade leaves, imparting a slightly astringent taste.
• Genmaicha – a tea made from a combination of usually bancha and roasted brown rice. Some of the rice pops during the roasting process like popcorn. This is a light tea with a slightly nutty flavor.
• Sencha – a delicate, sweeter, Japanese green tea with needlelike leaves available in many grades.
• Kukicha – a mild Japanese tea made from the twigs or stems of the tea bush.
• Gunpowder – a stronger Chinese tea rolled into tight pellets originally to preserve freshness during the long trip from China to Europe.
• Dragonwell – a favorite Chinese tea with flat, long leaves.

Some of the more exotic and expensive green teas have such interesting names as: White Monkey Paw, Dragon Pearls, Lucky Dragon, Jasmine Dragon Tears and Bird Nest.

So, for those of you who have tried green tea and just don’t care for the taste, give it a second chance. Green tea requires a quicker brewing time from most teas to keep it from becoming bitter tasting. Use approximately one teaspoon of tea per cup of water. Bring your water to just under a boil or boil and let sit for 5 minutes before pouring over the tea. Green tea only needs a brewing time of one to two minutes before removing the tea leaves from your cup or pot. Adjust the quantity of tea or length of brewing to suit your taste. The used tea leaves can actually be reused for a second cup of tea, just brew about 20 seconds longer. Green tea can also be brewed with other herbs such as ginger, peppermint, lemon balm or jasmine flowers to change the flavor yet still reap the health benefits.

Take a few minutes, brew up a cup of this ancient healing tea and contemplate life while your body enjoys the gentle health benefits.

A wonderful place to find organic green teas is Mountain Rose Herbs.

What is green tea?

Green tea does not come from a different plant than “real” tea. In fact, all true teas, including green tea, come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The difference between green tea the beverage and other real tea beverages, besides the green color, is the way tea leaves are processed before brewing.

Processing green tea

Tea leaves are typically processed in some form before they are used for brewing into tea beverages. For most teas other than green tea, tea leaves are fermented. For green tea, tea leaves are steamed. This causes less oxidation of tea leaves than fermentation does. As a result, green tea has its unique green tint and it contains higher levels of antioxidants than other teas.

Green tea’s popularity

Green tea has been most popular in the Middle East and parts of Asia, including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, India and Thailand. In fact, there are numerous varieties of green tea alone enjoyed in these parts of the world.

In the Western world, black tea has been the traditional favorite of tea drinkers. But green tea is also becoming popular there.

Brewing green tea

Because green tea is a little different from darker teas, it is brewed a little differently than other teas. The principal difference is the temperature of the water.

Darker teas are usually brewed with boiling water. Green tea is brewed with water that is slightly cooler than boiling, but still hot.

If you wish to brew green tea yourself, make sure to follow the directions offered by the manufacturer of the green tea you purchased.

In the absence of directions, pour cold water into a teapot or saucepan. Place it on a stove, set to high heat, and bring the water to a boil. When the water begins to boil, remove it from the source of heat. Let it sit two to three minutes, and only then pour it over the green tea. Let the tea steep for as long as three minutes, then either remove the tea bag, or the loose tea leaves.

Your green tea is now ready for you to enjoy.

Green tea’s supposed health benefits

Green tea has long been believed to impart a number of health benefits to those who drink it. It has been said to help with everything from curing or preventing diseases (including cancer and AIDS), to burning fat, to reducing cholesterol and more.

Modern medicine has produced a number of studies on green tea’s health effects, but these have been inconclusive, with some reports claiming green tea helps with a number of health issues, while other reports claiming that green tea does not have any particular health benefits.

What we do know about green tea is that it contains a number of antioxidants, and it contains caffeine, although in lesser amounts than coffee, many sodas and darker teas.

But while green tea’s health benefits are debatable, there’s no reason why this should prevent those who like green tea from enjoying a cup of their favorite beverage.