Category Archives: Insurance / Medical Services

Agents Recommend Business People Meet With Them Regularly To Review Policies

April 4, 2019April 5, 2019

DeWitt Jenks, president of Jenks Family Insurance Agency.
©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com

By Christine Graf
Because the insurance industry is constantly changing, insurance agents suggest that business owners meet with their agents on an annual basis in order to review their policies.
Jennifer Longtin, owner and president of Lighthouse Insurance Agency in Ballston Lake, said this is the only way for agents to ensure that their clients have the coverage they need. She has operated her business for 17 years and has been in the insurance business for more than 30.
“It’s not always about just adding more expense. It’s really about providing the right protection for whatever their needs are,” said Longtin. “Insurance should always change as the times change and as the business changes. And honestly, I don’t know any business that stays in business for years and years and doesn’t change.”

Clifton Park Braces And Adirondack Orthodonics Steadily Expanded Over Time

April 5, 2018April 6, 2018

By Susan E. Campbell

Clifton Park Braces and Adirondack Orthodontics is celebrating five years in the Capital District. During that time, Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn, owner and founder, has expanded from his first office near Shenendehowa Central School District to, now, Albany and Latham.

The flagship Clifton Park office was recently expanded.

“This past summer, we took over the adjacent office at 931 Route 146 and increased our space by one-third,” he said. “Local contractors and suppliers provided the renovations. A.B.P. Builders out of Albany was recommended by someone who had used that firm to build his medical office.”

Insurance Against Cyber Breaches Is Among The Policies Recommended By Local Agents

April 5, 2018April 6, 2018

Kyle Wessels is a partner with the KPM Group in Saratoga Springs.
Courtesy KPM Group

By Jill Nagy

A critical part of launching a new business should be a meeting with an insurance agent to discuss the company’s needs, said Bill Bergan, an account executive with Amsure, the insurance arm of Adirondack Trust Co.

The new business will need the legally required coverages, such as Workers’ Compensation, disability, and paid family leave, along with coverages probably required by the lease for the business premises, such as general liability coverage and coverage for fire, water and other damage to the business contents, he said.

Saratoga Plastic Surgeon Named ‘Top Doctor’ By Nationally Recognized Survey Company

April 5, 2018April 6, 2018

Dr. Steven Yarinsky was named a ‘Top Doctor’ for the Capital District, New York Metro area.
Courtesy Dr. Steven Yarinsky

Dr. Steven Yarinsky of Saratoga Springs Plastic Surgery PC was recently named a 2018 Top Doctor for the Albany, Capital District and New York Metro areas by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., a nationally recognized surveying company.

It is the fifth consecutive year earning the title for Yarinsky.

Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. releases a Top Doctor guide each year after compiling multifaceted research components and peer-reviewed nominations. The awards are broken down by specialty and geographic region within the United States.

Business Report: A Life Insurance Secret To Know About

April 5, 2018April 6, 2018

Brian M. Johnson, director, business development, Advisors Insurance Brokers. Courtesy Advisors Insurance Brokers

By Brian M. Johnson

Our country is going through a dramatic demographic shift. Baby boomers are now turning 65 at a rate of 10,000 per day. With this comes planning considerations we must address to protect those we love and the assets we’ve worked for. With proper planning, generational wealth can be created and preserved; however, most people fail to address risks.

One risk that will impact nearly all of us, and potentially decimate the savings of millions of Americans is the need for extended health care or long-term care. We hesitate to use the words “long-term care,” as most associate those with nursing homes. The stark reality is that 80 percent of care is received either at home or in the community, and it’s often provided by family members or other informal caregivers. This raises a few questions:

Brain Injury Association Of New York To Hold Events In June At Holiday Inn In Saratoga

April 5, 2018April 6, 2018

The Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS) announced the return of the Professional Symposium on June 12 to the Holiday Inn in Saratoga Springs.

Also on June 12, the organization’s 36th annual One Voice for Brain Injury conference will take place, running through June 14 at the Holiday Inn.

This year, the Professional Symposium will feature a new format and theme focusing on milestones in childhood brain injury.

“We are thrilled about the schedule for this year’s Professional Symposium,” said Eileen Reardon, executive director for the Brain Injury Association of New York State. “We have leading medical professionals from across the state addressing milestones in childhood brain injury with a focus on a map to recovery. Brain injury is complex, often impacting physical and cognitive abilities. It is extremely important for professionals working in this field or with children in any capacity to understand the complexity of the issues.”

Business Report: Workplace Wellness Plans

September 11, 2017

Suzanne Smith is a senior counsel of Bond, Schoeneck & King.
Courtesy Bond, Schoeneck & King

By Suzanne Smith

With so much uncertainty about the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), employers may be in a holding pattern with respect to their health insurance plan design. And, this is understandable.

While waiting to see what healthcare changes are coming under President Trump’s administration, employers will generally want to maintain the status quo.

But, with the increasing costs of health insurance premiums, co-pays, and deductibles as well as the increase in the cost of prescription drugs, employers may be wondering what they can do to help employees with their healthcare circumstances.

One strategy that many employers are considering is a workplace wellness program. The theory is that if a wellness program helps employees improve their health, then the wellness program may help employees control their health care spending.

A workplace wellness program is a plan designed to promote health or prevent disease. Generally, the wellness program will be incorporated into your employer group medical plan and offered to the medical plan participants or integrated into your employee assistance program (EAP) and offered to all employees.

Many wellness programs offer some kind of reward to encourage employees to participate or achieve a particular health goal. However, a reward system is not a required component of a wellness program, and many programs do not offer any reward whatsoever.

Outdoor Festival Promoting Health And Wellness Set For Gideon Resort, Spa State Park

April 7, 2017April 11, 2017

A two day-outdoor festival promoting natural health, wellness, mindfulness, fitness and the outdoors is coming to Saratoga Springs April 29 – 30.

Called the Festival for Change, and Powermastery Retreat for Human Potential & Breakthrough, the event is being dubbed by organizers as “a major launch and re-birth of the Saratoga region as a hub for health and wellness.”

It will be held at the Saratoga Spa State Park and utilize the Victoria Pool and Gideon Putnam Resort.

Events will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both days. The festival will be held rain or shine.

The festival is produced in cooperation with the Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau, Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, I Love NY, and Carson Worldwide.

The goal of Festival for Change is to get individuals and families active, informed, into the outdoors, connected with natural health and wellness, empowered with possibility, creating outcomes, and to introduce the area as a go-to, one-stop destination for health and wellness, officials said.

Riverview Construction Associates Planning New Office Building On Vischer Ferry Road

April 7, 2017

By Jill Nagy

A new office building is planned for the corner of Grooms Road and Vischer Ferry Road in Clifton Park. Riverview Construction Associates of Rexford is the developer.

According to Robert Romano, a principal at Riverview, the building is in the final planning stages. It will be a two-story brick and stone building with about 20,000 square feet of office and retail space.

The style will be “kind of Saratogian,” with gabled roofs, he said. The six-acre corner lot at the busy intersection is currently vacant.

Romano hopes to start construction in April, with completion anticipated some six to eight months later. He expects to have retail tenants on the first floor and offices on the second floor.

Business Report: Living Benefits Of Life Insurance

April 7, 2017

Brian M. Johnson of New York Long-Term Care Brokers Ltd.
Courtesy New York Long-Term Care Brokers Ltd.

By Brian M. Johnson, CLTC, MBA

Do you own a life insurance policy? Do you own the old life insurance or the new life insurance? Don’t know the difference? Let me help.

Traditionally, life insurance, whether it’s term or whole life, benefits only the beneficiaries of the policy, meaning you probably met your maker. No one wants to think about it, but we buy life insurance to protect our families, our businesses or to leave a legacy. However, other risks are far more likely to happen than an untimely death.

What if we live too long? What happens if we develop a sickness or become disabled? What if my needs simply change?

Consumers and advisors need to know about the new life insurance policies that allow you to use the death benefit while you’re alive. If the insured person is diagnosed with cancer, suffers a heart attack, stroke, etc., the critical illness rider on a new life insurance policy allows the insured to accelerate a portion of the death benefit to use for medical expenses or to offset lost income.

If the insured requires long-term care, whether at home or in a facility, the chronic illness rider allows the insured to use 100 percent of the death benefit to pay for the services he/she needs.

If the insured’s needs change over or time or he/she determines that the coverage is no longer needed, the return of premium rider allows the insured to take a portion or 100 percent of the premiums paid as a refund.

If you currently own a whole, universal or variable life insurance policy, the accumulated cash values in that policy may be exchanged (using section 1035 of the tax-code) tax-free to fund a new policy with these valuable, new riders that provide living benefits. These riders are available on both term and whole life insurance policies, meaning this additional layer of protection won’t necessarily increase your premium.