Winter 2021 Issue

2021: New Year New Goals

If you hate setting annual goals, relax, you’re not alone!

By Shawna Bertalot, CIC, ACI – WisMed Assure President

In an article titled “10 Top New Year’s Resolutions for Success and Happiness”, INC. Media added this subtitle: “Studies show that about 60 percent of us make New Year’s resolutions each year—sadly, only about 8 percent of us achieve them.”

If your employer requires you to set annual goals, but it feels tedious, overwhelming, and not very meaningful to you, relax, you’re not alone!

Because we’re on a mission to protect and accelerate your success, we asked our team to share their secrets for successfully achieving the goals they set. And, we’ve kept it simple by selecting the Top Three:

Group 1a Vaccinations

The Wisconsin Medical Society knows how important it is for group 1a physicians and staff to have access to COVID-19 vaccinations and has prioritized working with local public health departments and multiple state agencies to get access for independent physicians who are not employed by or affiliated with a large health care system. The Society is working to ensure all Wisconsin physicians and their teams can access the vaccine.

The Society proactively contacted local health agencies and received a variety of information, with different county and municipal health departments falling into a wide spectrum of preparedness to help match physicians and their group 1a staffs with registered COVID-19 vaccinators. We created a Society **webpage** for this important information and will update it as we receive updates.

Contact information for all county public health counties can be found **here** – click your county on the Wisconsin map to find contact information.

Society Achieves Extension of IPFCF Premium Holiday

Wisconsin Medical Society CEO Bud Chumbley, MD, MBA, has successfully advocated for an extension of the Injured Patients and Families Compensation (IPFCF) premium holiday through mid-2022.

This will be the second straight year physicians, CRNAs, and hospitals enrolled in the IPFCF will realize significant savings. The action was taken at the December 16th meeting of the IPFCF Board of Governors, including Dr. Chumbley.

Long-Term Care As part of Retirement Planning

By Kathy Mueller, CLU, ChFC, FIC, LUTCF – WisMed Assure Insurance Advisor

We all know the importance of figuring out how much we will need to live on in retirement and being able to save enough money to generate what we need.

Many people think Medicare pays for long term care… bad news; it doesn’t. While a few wealthier people can pay for long term care out of pocket, but most of us will not be able to do so.

What is the solution? Click here to read more…

You Can Give Employees More at NO COST with Voluntary Benefits

By Chris Noffke, GBDS – VP of Employee Benefits

The good news is you can offer voluntary benefits at no cost or you can choose to pay for a portion of the premiums (e.g.: 10, 25, or even 50%). You can also make a flat dollar contribution and your employees can determine which benefits to apply it towards.

And, the timing may be advantageous as employees are experiencing a heightened state of concern because of COVID-19. A growing number are asking for additional benefits like life, disability, and dental insurance, along with wellness options.

If you are interested in looking into these options, the first thing to do is survey your employees.

Taking Care of your Finances

New Year’s resolutions plus tax season; the perfect time to take care of your finances

By Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF® – Senior Advisor, WisMed Financial

If you are resolved to take the best possible care of your personal finances, there’s no better time than right now.

Here are some simple steps you can take to get started…

The Long-Term Care Time Bomb

By Tom Strangstalien – WisMed Assure Insurance Advisor

We all probably know someone whose estate has been wiped out by the exorbitant cost of long term care. During my years of serving the financial services industry, I have witnessed many of these unfortunate events, many times at the “crisis management” stage. To arrive at this stage, it is quite apparent the family’s long-term care plan was to do nothing to address the potential catastrophic financial issue.

When creating your life’s financial goals and plan, don’t overlook this piece of the puzzle; it can potentially devastate everything you have worked for your entire life. Today, there are several innovative solutions you can use to build a bomb-proof bunker for your financial world.