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.

Many families and groups of people have now started realizing that a group health insurance plan is vital to stay protected in case of unexpected medical emergency. Today, group health insurance plans have also become popular in business sector also where the employer provides these insurance plans in form of incentives and benefits.

Almost all medical treatment and expenses are included in a group health insurance plan, such as dental care, medical bills, hospitalization, prescription cards, medicines, tax assistance and even pet care.

There are varied kinds of group health insurance plans made available by insurers meeting different types of requirements of individuals, families and companies. To search for the best health insurance plan, whether for your family or for employees, one can browse through a health insurance directory to find the best health insurance plan available. The health directory contains a list of different insurance plans along with the insurance companies offering group health insurance plans.

A health insurance directory is one of the best resources to look for a health insurance plan. The directory contains a detailed listing of insurance agents and brokers with their names, addresses, contact numbers, e-mail addresses and websites providing health coverage to people. The agent listings available in such directories are also listed out by location.

The health insurance plans and the insurers listed in the online health directory are categorized under various sections covering various medical specializations, such as cosmetic surgery, emergency services, fitness, first aid, fitness, injury claims, nursing, nutrition and pharmacy.

Other branches that are covered in the group health insurance plans include optical care, sports medicine, weight control and mental health. The insurers provide compensation for all these types of health related problems that may occur at any time in your life.

By referring to a health insurance directory, you can find the best insurance plan for your family. Also businesses can refer to this directory to find out which group health insurance plan would be suitable to their employees and the company.

Health insurance plans come in different category and for each organization, group health insurances are scheduled. Group health insurance plan is grouped plan offered by the employer to the employee to form a group insurance. Group health insurance benefits both employee and employer who offered. Since it covers both employee and employer in a group, it is called as group health insurance plan. It is the affordable health insurance plan which can be obtained by the employer and employee on different insurance amount and premiums. The cost of premiums will differ from one insurance policy to another. The coverage, payment and premiums will vary from one individual to another and also with regards to the policy obtained.

This type of health insurance compiles with the statutes of the state and federal government and it is framed as per the constitutions of the country and considering the importance of employees in the mind. The benefits of health insurance coverage include free coverage and it comprises to be the excellent offer required for the employee. Nowadays, group health insurance plan becomes more important and in large organization it is issued to the employee as per their requirements. These kinds of insurance plan will reduce the medical expenses of the employee and also enables them to come up for medical treatment in the Medicare institutions.

Based on the company and the members of the organization, the group health insurance coverage plan will varies. Group health individual insurance is said to be an important health insurance among the employer and employee. California group health insurance coverage is designed to meets the requirements of the health care needs of the employees belonging to the organization. Under different kinds of health insurance plan, group health insurance fetches more demand in the market and huge number of employees is making it use of it. California health insurance coverage is offered for small, medium and large source of organizations.

Group health insurance plan is the equal coverage which satisfies the requirement of employee medical care. These kinds of insurance plans are offered to the employee by the employer to suit for wide applications. The main purpose of issuing group health insurance plan is to retain their employees in the office and also it helps for company growth and development. Generally, most of the companies issued group health insurance plan to establish and provide protection to the employees sustained in the business organization. For employees, it is considered as an important requirement and it is also offered with more advantage to the employee.

The main reason that many marketing plans in Arizona or anyplace on else don’t work is that they are not allowed to. That is to say, most companies don’t have an actual marketing plan. Oh, yes, they “plan to sell things,” but, most often, in an amazingly haphazard way.

On the whole, advertising in Phoenix is as good as that in any large metropolitan area, but too often it can lack impact because it may not have resulted from sound planning. A marketing plan, in reality, is a map. And if you don’t know you are going, any road will take you there.

As an Arizona-based public relations, marketing and advertising agency, we have an opportunity to visit with several small-business CEOs during the course of an average month, and find that they are quite aware of what is going on in their marketplace; aware of its opportunities and challenges and aware, at least in general terms, of the movements and actions of their key competitors.

What seems to be lacking – and my friends at other strategic marketing agencies concur — is a comprehensive, systematic plan to combat the negative factors while effectively harnessing the positive things it is in their power to bring to bear on the situation. Most seem to rate high in analysis and low in execution. In most cases, I detect the presence of that storied paralysis by analysis syndrome.

Where does one start?

As the sage said, “One starts at the beginning.” Ask yourself and key staff, if one is available to you, some basic questions, and don’t stop until you are satisfied with the answers. Topping the list should be seemingly obvious questions like, “What is it we actually sell, and whom should we be focusing on as best prospects?”

Next, questions like, “What do we do — and have — that is better than our competitors?” and, “What needs attention and improvement” should be posed. As for those positive points, you must conduct a thorough self-examination of just what it is you are — or should be — doing to exploit your advantages.

Most public relations agencies stress the fact that no such examination should be conducted or concluded without homing in on your marketing message. Is it clear and well presented, as well as suitably and attractively illustrated? Is your branding dominant and does it project an image to which your key prospects are likely to respond? Or (God forbid) is it kind of scattered and indistinct?

Facing your fears

Be prepared for various worst case scenarios (ref: Murphy’s Law), or as one of my cowgirl friends says, “S____ happens!” Those of us who have been in business for a long time know that, sooner or later, disaster can — and will — strike. As the saying goes, it’s not a case of if — but when.

Marketing consultants see it all the time: Your biggest client decides to go elsewhere; your star salesperson quits and takes two or three key accounts in the process; business slumps for an extended spell; expenses soar and — what do you know? — negative cash flow comes calling, along with some of your major creditors.

Advertising gurus seem to agree that the important thing in your planning is to have a plan of action that can head off such a tragedy or, at the very least, kicks into gear in order to turn the tide in the event they do. The best remedies usually involve a combination of expense cutting and business promotion, but inasmuch as ineffective or slow-acting promotion is absolutely unaffordable at such a time, that alternative plan had better be ready to roll out — now!

10 keys to an effective plan

• Form a vision of what you plan to achieve.
• Develop a plan to make your vision a reality.
• Judge whether an opportunity is one to seize or let pass within the context of understanding whether or not it fits into your goals (you can’t act on every good idea).
• Make sure your plan gives you a framework for making decisions.
• Get accustomed to making choices.
• Understand that the “perfect solution” is never going to come along (looking for perfection is merely a way to avoid making choices.
• Get out of your comfort zone (change is always uncomfortable).
• Make a real commitment to progress.
• Get used to saying “yes,” get used to saying “no,” and do both with commitment and conviction.
• Recognize opportunities, and, then grab on (if you don’t “pull the trigger,” you can’t hit the target)

One of the many recognized urban and hip hop clothing lines today that have captivated our senses and annoyed us at the same time is the gino green global clothing lines. It captivated us, brought in new senses for the trend setters and a new way for the fashion forward people to express themselves, but it has also given us a lot of headache, thinking what are those things on its shirts? Are those 9s or small gs?

The gino green global collection is a proud clothing line founded by brothers Prince and Anthony Mayol. Ever since Prince have gotten into designing fashionable clothing lines that shows his passion and love for graphic art and color vibrancy had led him and his brother to create a clothing line that would feature all that is him, and that clothing line is the gino green global.

Prince launched the Gino Green Global clothing lines with the “G” intentionally to look like the number 9. The idea was to create enough commotion and publicity for the clothing line to get recognized as wide as possible. And this idea came back with success and fame which quickly got the attention of the style conscious and trend setting NYC fashion crowd.

To further their introduction of the brand, the team also launched aggressive and strategic national marketing plan which included embarking on a fourteen city tour by way of a wrapped tour bus and a party like a rock star energy.

One of their most notable appearances was with NYC’s most recognized basketball tournaments, such as the highly publicized Ruckers tournament and the Nike sponsored Dyckman Summer League. Another was with the most defining Hip Hop Awards shows, album and Sneaker release parties. Each of these events have showed support to the brand and made sure that their signature look was recognized and remembered.

Due to this much public appearances, gino green global had the ability to approach A list celebrities such as Papoose, 50 cent, Denzel Washington, Busta Rymes, R Kelly, UGK, Rick Ross, Soulja Boy T-Pain, Ed Lover, Don Omar, Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderon, and Don Dinero, providing them all with customized one of a kind pieces.

Do not believe what you see on TV. Diet and weight loss pills can be extremely expensive and have very little effect on your overall weight. Lucky for you there is an easy weight loss plan that anyone can manage, best of all, it is inexpensive: eating healthy!

Here area  few tips for a healthy eating weight loss plan:

1. Eat smaller meals more often. The rule of thumb is to eat 6 times per day. 3 meals and 3 snacks. Eating smaller meals more often will keep your blood sugar levels consistent throughout the day and keep your metabolism active.

2. Eat most of your carbohydrates early so that you will burn them off throughout the day.

3. Do not eat 2 hours before going to bed. Your metabolism slows down during sleep and any food that you’ve eaten prior to this will just sit in your stomach without being burned off.

4. Stay away from diet sodas. Diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners which can actually make you feel hungrier.

5. Stay away from high fructose corn syrup (I know, it is in everything). This acts just like the artificial sweeteners and blocks the receptors that signal your brain you are full. Therefore, you eat more.

6. Protein. Protein builds muscle. Muscle burns more energy than fat does.

These are six easy tips to a healthy eating weight loss plan that anyone can put into use right now. Today. Remember that the key ingredient to all of this is to set reasonable goals for yourself and to create a schedule that you can stick to. Leave yourself one or two meals per week to cheat. Eat that pizza. Satisfy that craving.

Any healthy eating plan is not complete without some great healthy snacks included. Everyone wants a snack now and then, but the key is to make those snacks healthy and nutritious as well as delicious. In addition to that they need to be enjoyed without a feeling of guilt.

The following are all healthy eating snacks made with fruit.

A piece of fresh fruit, like an apple, orange or banana always makes a great snack.  Keep a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter or on the coffee table for easy access and it will also encourage to whole family to eat healthier.

A mixture of fresh fruit and dried fruit will give you different textures, still provide a sweet taste and are a lot healthier for you.

A small bowl of fresh fruit salad. Empty a can of mandarin oranges in natural fruit juice and add some grapes, pieces of apple, pear, raspberries, blueberries or anything else you fancy and keep it in the fridge. Have a small amount when you feel the urge to snack.

A fresh fruit smoothie made with any left over fruit from your fruit salad, bananas or any other fruit combined with semi-skimmed milk.

Slice 1 small apple and dip it in 1 tablespoon of peanut butter for a tasty treat.

Make some fruity kebabs. These are easy to make and are a great activity for children to join in with and learn about healthy food. Here’s the recipe which makes 8-10:

Ingredients
2 or 3 different types of melon
125g seedless red grapes – washed
125g seedless green grapes – washed
125g strawberries – washed and hulled

Utensils – wooden skewers; chopping board; knife; tablespoon and plate/s

Method
Cut the melons in half and scoop out the seeds with a tablespoon, discard. Cut into wedges.
Use a knife to separate the melon from the skin. Cut the melon into chunks.
Take the grapes off the stalks.
If the strawberries are large cut them in half.
Thread alternate pieces of fruit on to the skewers. Serve chilled.

HOT TIP: Try using other varieties of fruit such as fresh pineapple (cut into chunks) or slices of kiwi fruit.

Any healthy eating plan is not complete without some great healthy snacks included. Everyone wants a snack now and then, but the key is to make those snacks healthy and nutritious as well as delicious. In addition to that they need to be enjoyed without a feeling of guilt.

The following are 7 healthy eating snacks:

> A piece of fresh fruit, like an apple, orange or banana always makes a great snack.  Keep a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter or on the coffee table for easy access and it will also encourage to whole family to eat healthier.

> 2 rice cakes topped with low fat cottage cheese and pineapple.

> 2 small or 1 standard warmed pita bread filled with a mixture of salad leaves, cucumber, thinly sliced tomatoes, salad onions and a sprinkling of pepper. Tasty, healthy and very filling.

> Some of the tastiest and easiest fresh vegetable snacks include baby carrots or carrot slices, bite size vegetables such as broccoli florets, radishes and green peppers, fresh vegetable juice and fresh vegetable salads.

> Mix ½ cup smoked salmon trimmings with 1-2 tablespoons cream cheese or yogurt. Add 1 tsp finely chopped capers if desired, spread on wholegrain bread.

> Try using bagels, pita bread or tortilla shells with a tasty filling like chopped chicken mixed in low fat yoghurt with salad leaves and thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumber.

> A small handful of unsalted nuts and a small handful of raisins mixed together.

Replacing all those unhealthy snacks with healthier alternatives is one of the best ways to keep snack cravings from sidetracking your healthy eating goals.

Having a healthy body does not end on the proper food in take. Exercise is also one of effective way to achieve holistic growth and good health. More and more people are getting aware on this fact. In fact, there are lots of individuals who are engaging to exercise program and sports. Some are even joining extreme sports and other exercises that provide benefits for one’s health.

Healthy living comes when good diet and health program is considered. Physical fitness depends on your diet. Proper diet will result to fitness. When it comes to health diet fitness programs these three elements are going to keep you on the road to healthy living with a good diet and a regular fitness program.

Healthy Eating Plan

To have a fit and healthy body, everyone needs to have a healthy eating plan. This, of course, includes appropriate food to be taken based on your age, gender, etc. Knowing recommended dietary allowance or RDA is important.

Having a healthy body does not end on the proper food in take. Exercise is also one of effective way to achieve holistic growth and good health. More and more people are getting aware on this fact. In fact, there are lots of individuals who are engaging to exercise program and sports. Some are even joining extreme sports like hunting games.

Exercise

As of the present, there are lots of individuals who are engaging to exercise program and sports. Some are even joining extreme sports and other exercises that provide benefits for one’s health. Having a healthy body does not end on the proper food in take. Exercise is also one of effective way to achieve holistic growth and good health.

Proper diet will result to fitness. When it comes to health diet fitness programs these three elements are going to keep you on the road to healthy living with a good diet and a regular fitness program. Healthy living comes when good diet and health program is considered. Physical fitness depends on your diet. More and more people are getting aware on this fact.

Diet And Health

Here are some substantial ideas for your diet and health specifically on how can you keep your cooking and eating healthy:1.You have to drop the quantity of calories you eat everyday by just diverting to low fat milk. Instead of drinking soda, drink water instead. Remember to choose low fat foods.2.Decrease the use of salt. Prepared seasoning are very high on salt and this can cause you certain illnesses such as blood pressure. Stay away from too much use of soy sauce. If you want to add flavors, you can use herbs, spices. Remember the importance of using fresh foods rather than of using processed foods.

How many times have you decided the time had come to loose a few pounds but everything you tried left you frustrated and feeling deprived. Have you ever considered a healthy eating diet plan?

If you aren’t familiar with a health eating diet plan you might be surprised at just how simple the concept is and you’ll be wondering why more aren’t using it to lose those extra pounds.

The healthy eating diet plan starts by recognizing that weight will only be lost when the number of calories burned exceeds the number of calories eaten. It also recognizes that if you drop your calorie intake too quickly your body will go into what’s called starvation mode storing fat for that rainy day.

The healthy eating diet plan goes one further stating that you can eat anything you want as long as you don’t exceed your calorie count for the day and in fact you need to reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories but no more. While at the same time increasing your calorie burn by 500 calories. That means you are going to have a 1000 calorie difference which is going to be noticeable on the diet scale.

The healthy eating diet plan also looks at the type of foods you are eating. Of course although it says you can eat anything you want it expect that you will not fill your diet with foods high in saturated fats but rather will mix your meals up with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables but it gives you the flexibility to mix it up how you like it without being restricted to certain foods.

So what would a healthy eating diet plan look like? Well it might look something like this:

Breakfast

• 1 cup Cheerios
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries
• 1 cup fat-free or low-fat milk
• 1/2 whole-grain English muffin, toasted, topped with 1 teaspoon light margarine
• Coffee if desired

Mid-morning snack

• 4 pieces dried apricot
• 1 cup tea with lemon

Lunch

• Sandwich: one 6-inch whole-wheat pita, spread with 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise and stuffed with 2 ounces deli-style roast beef, 1-ounce slice of reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, 3 tomato slices and lettuce
• 4 baby carrots
• 1 banana,

Afternoon snack

• 5 ounces fat-free yogurt
• 3 vanilla wafers

Dinner

• 3 ounces grilled or broiled salmon brushed with 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed before cooking
• 2/3 cup brown rice
• 3/4 cup sliced asparagus spears steamed
• Salad: 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves topped with 1 tangerine, peeled and sectioned; 1 tablespoon chopped almonds; drizzled with 1 tablespoon sesame seed vinaigrette salad dressing
• Water or other no-cal beverage

Of course this is just an example of a healthy eating diet plan for a day. There are so many options that you will never be bored and remember you can eat which ever foods you want as long as you don’t exceed your daily calorie intake. So if you love fish eat as much as you want or perhaps you hate asparagus but love baby carrots then don’t eat asparagus but do eat all the baby carrots you want.

So what will your healthy eating diet plan look like?