Cristy Jones Insurance Services is an independent insurance brokerage firm that specializes in Employee Benefits Plans for small and mid-size employers. Cristy works closely with business owners and benefit plan administrators, to deliver innovative products and solutions to help meet the goals and objectives of her client s unique needs. Cristy partners with her clients and works with them on a personalized level, from the CEO to the employee, by providing clear answers to complex questions and resolution to their problems. Cristy also helps her clients purchase personal life, disability and long term care insurance products, with the same level of personalized attention. Our Services: EMPLOYEE BENEFITS LIFE INSURANCE DISABILITY INSURANCE Customized Plans That Match Your Goals & Objectives Cristy Jones Insurance Services CA Insurance License #0H92061
Employee benefits Cristy Jones works closely with her client s Finance, Human Resources Departments and Benefit Plan Administrators to tailor an employee benefits program that meets the objectives of the employer, and is in compliance with the Affordable Care Act. Business owners and Benefit Plan Administrators know their employees work hard, and want to give them a comprehensive benefits package that can provide peace of mind. But with the ever-rising cost of health care premiums, financial pressures are forcing employers to take a look at the benefit plans they offer, and how much they can continue to contribute towards the employee and dependent premiums. With Cristy s 30 years of experience and industry knowledge in the employee benefits insurance industry, she can deliver innovative products and solutions to help meet the goals and objectives of her client s unique needs. Cristy also provides her Benefit Plan Administrators with tools to help make administering their benefit plans easier and more efficient, so they can focus on the many other aspects of their job. She also believes in communicating with employees personally about their claims and benefit questions, and hosting enrollment meetings so that employees are better educated about their benefit plans. Products: Medical, Dental & Vision Plans Life and Disability Plans Voluntary Plans Employee Assistance Plans Business Travel Accident Plans Flexible Spending & Transportation Accounts Benefit Plan Administrator Tools: Explanation of the Affordable Care Act and assistance with compliance of the law Annual marketing of employee benefit plans Strategic employer/employee contribution solutions Personal assistance with employee s benefit plan and claim questions Online enrollment systems Installation of new plans Open enrollment meetings with customized handouts Customized employee benefit summaries New hire enrollment form processing Customized Plan Administrator s manual COBRA & HIPAA administration 5500 preparation For more information on Employee Benefit Plans, or to get a personalized quote, please contact Cristy Jones at (415) 460-1200 or email: cjones@cristyjonesins.com.
Disability Insurance Cristy Jones assists her clients with purchasing personal Disability Income Insurance to insure their most valuable asset -- their income. Disability Income Insurance is one of the most important components of any financial plan. It helps assure that an individual and his or her family will have the income to live on if the income earner becomes disabled and cannot earn any income. California State Disability Income (SDI) provides 55-60% of weekly earnings up to a maximum weekly benefit (adjusted periodically) for up to one year of disability. Federal Social Security Income is very difficult to qualify for, and may not be enough to support a household. Insuring one s income could be the most important insurance product one purchases, other than medical insurance. Individuals who are candidates for purchasing Disability Income Insurance: Self-Employed Individuals Partners of a Partnership High income earners who are not properly covered (underinsured) by their firm s Group LTD plan Important Features of a Disability Income Insurance Policy: Make sure the policy is non-cancelable and guaranteed renewable. The policy should include the own occupation definition of disability. This refers to the occupation the insured was working in just prior to the disability. If the own occupation is protected, the policy will not require the insured to work in another occupation. The policy should include partial, residual and loss of income disability. Some policies will pay a proportional benefit if the insured becomes partially/residually disabled and experiences a loss of earnings. Benefits begin when there has been a 20% loss of income due to disability. In most cases, if the insured loses 75% or more of his income, he is considered to be totally disabled. It is important to purchase the guaranteed future insurability feature, which means that while the insured is working, he can increase the policy s monthly disability income benefit as his salary grows without providing new evidence of medical insurability. Another important rider to purchase is the cost of living adjustment rider, or COLA. This feature increases the benefit amount (usually 4%) when the insured is disabled and collecting benefits, to keep pace with inflation. Some benefit periods are two or five years, and some policies are written so that disability benefits are paid to age 65, or longer if available. The longer the benefit period, the higher the premium. The elimination period is the length of time the insured must wait before benefits begin to be paid. It can be as short as 30 days or as long as one year. As a rule, the shorter the elimination period, the more expensive the premium. For more information on Disability Income Insurance, or to get a personalized quote, please contact Cristy Jones at (415) 460-1200 or email at: cjones@cristyjonesins.com.
Life Insurance Cristy Jones understands the complexity of life insurance products, and how each individual has a unique life situation, age and income level to consider. Cristy works with her clients on a personalized basis to assist with the best placement of life insurance considering her client s goals and objectives, as well as their current health status and medical conditions. She then works closely with the life underwriters to get the best offer possible for her clients. After determining the amount of life insurance that is needed, the insured must decide on the type of life insurance to purchase. There are many types of life insurance policies. Some give coverage for a lifetime (permanent insurance) and others cover the insured for a specific number of years (term insurance). Some build up cash values and others do not. Some policies may offer other benefits while the insured is still living. The choice should be based on the insured s needs and what they can afford. There are two basic types of life insurance: (I) term insurance and (II) cash value insurance. Term insurance generally has lower premiums in the early years, and does not build up cash values within the policy. Cash value insurance has more expensive premiums in the early years of the policy, and builds cash value within the policy that can be used in a variety of ways. 1. Term Insurance covers the insured for a term of one or more years. It pays a death benefit only if the insured dies within that term. Term insurance generally offers the largest insurance protection for the premium dollar. 2. Cash Value Life Insurance is a type of insurance where the premium charges are higher at the beginning of the policy, than they would be for the same amount of term insurance. The part of the premium that is not used for the cost of insurance is invested by the insurance company and builds up a cash value that may be used in a variety of ways. The insured may borrow against a policy s cash value by taking a policy loan. If the insured does not pay back the loan and the interest on it, the amount he owes will be subtracted from the benefits when he dies. The insured can also use the cash value to assist with paying the insurance premiums; purchase additional life insurance; or increase the income. However, to build up this cash value, the insured must pay higher premiums in the earlier years of the policy. There are several types of cash value insurance policies: Whole Life, Universal Life & Variable Life. For more information on Life Insurance, or to get a personalized quote, please contact Cristy Jones at (415) 460-1200 or email at: cjones@cristyjonesins.com.
Healthcare Reform On March 23, 2010, President Obama and Congress passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This law has changed the health insurance marketplace more than any other previous state or federal legislation has. The Affordable Care Act provisions pertain to 3 specific markets: Individual & Family Plans (not employer-sponsored) Small Group Employers (1 to 50 employees) Large Group Employers (51+ employees) Effective January 2016, Small Group Employers will be redefined as 1 to 100 employees. There are many goals of this legislation, most importantly to provide health insurance coverage to all individuals, regardless of pre-existing conditions, employment, or financial ability to pay premiums. The law also dictated that healthcare coverage include 10 Essential Health Benefits which include: Ambulatory patient services Emergency services Hospitalization Maternity and newborn care Prescription drugs Laboratory services Mental health and substance abuse services Rehabilitative services and devices Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management Pediatric services, including vision and dental care Most employer sponsored plans written in California have already included the health benefits listed above (other than pediatric dental and vision). Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, many provisions of the law have been postponed, and penalties and fines have been delayed. Recent California legislation has been passed (SB 1446) that provides Transitional Relief to employers with renewal dates of September 2014 through December 2014. This law is more commonly referred to as the Grandmothering Law, and allows employers to delay being renewed into Affordable Care Act plans for one more year if they so choose. Healthcare Reform continues to be very fluid. If you would like to review your questions about the Affordable Care Act, please contact Cristy Jones.