The Bull Pen: December 2008

Merry Christmas to all of my new friends at Active Rain.  Thank you for all of your comments and support.  2008 was a tough year but having this forum has helped me a great deal.  I am looking forward to meeting many more of you in 2009 and building many new friendships.  I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday and wish you all continued success in 2009.....

Welcome back to the Bull Pen.  Are you sick of all of these political ads yet?  How about the endless coverage of these elections?  Personally, I am near my breaking point with the endless bickering and misrepresentations that it seems far too common these days.  For most of you folks running for office I submit the following warning...."Don't make me run against you".  You see, I have no desire to run for office but if this keeps up, I may need to throw my hat in the ring. 

So what would my platform be?  What do I represent?  Does it matter?  I have developed what appears to be a bulletproof method for success in getting elected..... All I have to do is legally change my name to "Door Number Three" and keep my mouth shut.... Are you with me my brothers & sisters?  Enough on that for now, let's just keep our fingers crossed and hope that our newly elected leaders move our great nation forward.  Now lets get busy.....

RUBEN BROWN IS IN DA HOWZE....

It is my pleasure to introduce you to Ruben Brown.  You may know Ruben as a nine time NFL Pro Bowl recipient while playing for the Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Bears... If you want to learn more about Ruben as a professional football player you won't find it here.  The Ruben I want to introduce you to is one of us..... A real biker.  Ruben and a dedicated group of volunteers host Ruben's Run in Buffalo New York and Chicago to benefit area children and families via its support of the Salvation Army.  So sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. 

Bull:  Ruben, when did you get the motorcycle bug?

RB: You know, my dad had this old Kawasaki KZ that was chopped.  Man, I loved that bike.  All of dad's friends would bring their cars and bikes to our house to fix them and I was always helping where I could.  I really wasn't into the cars but loved the bikes..  When I was ten, my dad and I were riding and ended up dropping the bike... I lost a tooth in that one but that didn't stop my love of everything motorcycle. 

Bull: So you were a bit of a gearhead as a kid?

RB:  We built go carts, mini bikes or anything that would roll.  You know, anything with an engine... If you can ride it, sit in it or on it, crank it up, pour gas in it and make it go that's what we did... 

Bull:  Ruben, your runs in Buffalo and Chicago benefit the Salvation Army.  Why did you choose the Salvation Army?

RB:  You know, growing up in Lynchburg we were always hanging out at the Salvation Army.  They kept us off the streets which kept us out of trouble.  They were there to help our family out over the years when we were going thru tough times.  You know, we are all welcome at the Salvation Army. 

Bull: So the Salvation Army is biker friendly?

RB:  In a big way.  When we started Rubens Run I was calling buddies to try to help spread the word.  Jim Peterson who wrote for Easy Rider magazine said he could help by covering the event.... It was like, well let me tell you the story.  I told the Buffalo Bills and the Salvation Army that my buddy was going to cover our run in a national biker magazine.  They really rolled out the red carpet for Jim who did a killer story on the run.  I get a copy of the magazine and am in the locker room pre game with my boys showing them the magazine.  Look, we got in easy rider.  About 10 mins later I get a call from the Bills and Salvation Army both telling me they wanted to talk about the mag... 

Bull:  So did the Bills and Salvation Army go ballistic?

RB:  No man, they couldn't have been any cooler about the whole deal.  You know, they rolled with it so easy, and were thankful for the coverage but didn't seem to dig the centerfold.  You know, they even said a lot of these bikers are more considerate, kind and caring than many of the people we meet at other fundraisers, like golf outings. 

Bull:  Ruben, why do you ride?

RB:  I like riding bikes... that's it.  I'm no different than any other biker.. I work hard all week and can't wait until the weekend to hook up with some buddies, grab a big breakfast and hit some watering holes with my boys.  Riding gives me time to chill and enjoy time with friends.  I could ride every day. 

Bull:  Ruben, anything you want to tell our readers?

RB:  You know, we all the same.  I hope you can make it to Ruben's Run this year as we do this thing to help the kids and families in the area in partnership with the Salvation Army.   

I told you Ruben was cool.  Rubens Run is June 8^th and I hope you can make it.  Joining Ruben this year are custom bike builders Dave Perowitz, Donnie Smith, Dave Depour and more Chicago Bears than you can shake a stick at.  You can learn more about Rubens Run at his web site: www.rubensrun.com.  Next month, Norm is in da howze.  That's right, Norm from cheers will be in town for the Green Ribbon Rally and wants to share a cold one with you.... Stay tuned to Thunder Roads.  Enjoy the ride.

Welcome back to the Bull Pen. If you don't remember me, my name is Dean Akey and a few years back I was in a serious motorcycle accident.  I was enjoying a poker run on a brisk Saturday morning and was hit head on by a mini van on a metal grate bridge.  The accident put 60 staples in my head, broke my collar bone and ten ribs.  While sitting on the road holding a shop rag on my head to control my bleeding and waiting for an ambulance many fellow bikers stopped to try to help.  What surprise me was that of all of the folks who stopped, not one had any first aid training or a first aid kit.  What if I had not been able to treat my own wounds?  Would someone eventually have stopped to help that had the training & tools to lend a hand?

Lets face it, motorcycle accidents and fatalities are a big problem for us bikers.  Mary Peters, U.S. Secretary of Transportation has said "Motorcycle fatalities have more than doubled in the past ten years". " I believe that overcoming this tragic trend is the greatest highway safety challenge our nation faces today". 

You may be surprised to know that Mary is a biker herself and was involved in a serious motorcycle accident which broke her collar bone in August 2005. 

It's staggering to think that nearly 62,000 of our brothers & sisters died between 1975-2005 and it is only getting worse.  The fatality rate from 2005 to 2006 went up over 5%.  The largest group of fatalities comes from bikers between the age of 40-50. 

Now with the increasing price of gas, there are many new riders who have been attracted to motorcycles as a economic form of transportation.  Riders with less than three years experience represent almost half of the fatalities across all age groups. 

Are you bummin yet?  Don't, as there is something you can do to help.  About three years I started a program called the Rescue Riders.  The Rescue Riders is free to join and by joining our program you can do something positive to help address this concern. 

So what is the Rescue Rider program?  The Rescue Rider program helps us help each other.  Rescue Riders provide emergency medical assistance to victims of accidents based upon their training and comfort level.  In emergency response there is a term called the "Golden Hour".  The "Golden Hour" is the time immediately after an accident in which a victims survival rate is greatly improved if he or she is in an emergency room within one hour after an accident.  As Rescue Riders we play a critical role in this short period of time.  Rescue Riders provide emergency assistance until professional emergency responders arrive.  What you do in the first few minutes after an accident can literally mean the difference between life & death.

So what should you do when you encounter an accident? 
Prevent Further Injury
Assess the Situation
Contact the EMS
Treat the injured with Life Sustaining Care

Now if you are still with me I am happy to share some great news.  Recently I won a national service award from Allstate Insurance Company.  Yep, I am an Allstate agent.  In addition to the nice crystal chip dish I received, I was also given a grant to be directed to the charitable organization of my choice.  Well I decided to invest in you.  I have directed this grant to a group called Accident Scene Management to pay for training of our Rescue Riders.  This training directly trains you in the concepts mentioned above.  This grant will allow us to put 250 more Rescue Riders on the road which is great news. 

We have invested this grant in training our volunteers in Illinois & Wisconsin and are working on future grants to extend our ability to provide this support to our Rescue Riders in other states so keep tuned in.  I feel quite blessed to work with an organization (Allstate) who has decided to invest in us bikers. I doubt you will see an offer like this from the lizard or caveman... I encourage you to check out our program at www.rescueriders.org and should you like what you see join our program. 

As I mentioned, I am thankful to Allstate for their support and to that extent let me say, you all buy what we sell.  If you are looking for insurance please support the company who has supported us.  I can help you with your insurance needs if you live in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa or Missouri so why not give me a call or drop me a note.  Enjoy the ride.

Dean "Bull" Akey 
Founder & Director, Rescue Riders
Agency Owner,
Akey Financial Services (Allstate)
40W148 Campton Crossings Drive
Suite A
Saint Charles, IL 60175
Office: 630-232-9811
Fax: 630-232-9829

Welcome back to the Bull Pen.  I am Dean Akey, and it's my pleasure to share the road with you once again.  It looks like us bikers are going to have to dig our country out of the mess we are in once again... You are probably thinking, what mess, and what do I have to do now.... 

The mess I am referring to is the price we are now paying for gas.  $4.50 a gallon and rising?  So what can bikers do to dig us out of this mess?  It's simple.... Just ride. 

You may be surprised to know but the pointy heads in Washington study just about everything, including bikers.  I guess it's our tax dollars at work.  Well according to the Census Bureau, there are about one hundred and thirty million commuters in our nation and about one hundred and fifty thousand ride to work. That's only about 1.1%.   

The average United States driver travels 29 miles per day and is driving a total of 55 minutes per day. (This is an average vehicle speed of 32 mph.) US Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.  

According to a study by the Motorcycle Industry Association comparing car and motorcycle performance on real journeys suggest that traveling by motorcycle can shorten journey times by as much as 33 minutes of every hour for town centre and city travel, and 20 minutes of every hour for travel through a mixture of built-up and non built-up areas.

Are you following me so far?  If so let's bring this home for you.  The pointy heads at the US Dept of Transportation, Bureau of Travel Statistics report that the average motorcycle burns about 50 miles per gallon while cars average 22 Miles per gallon and trucks guzzle about 17 Miles per gallon.  Let's do the math and see what you save each week you ride vs. drive. 

Daily     Auto       Truck        MC             Gas        Car             Truck       MC          Weekly    Weekly              Weekly         

Miles     MPG       MPG        MPG             Price       Gas          Gas          Gas          Savings vs. Car   Savings vs. Truck

5            22            17                        50                $4.50         $5.11       $6.62                       $2.25       $2.86                   $4.37

10          22            17                        50                $4.50         $10.23     $13.24     $4.50       $5.73                   $8.74

15          22            17                        50                  $4.50       $15.34     $19.85     $6.75       $8.59                   $13.10

20          22            17                        50                $4.50         $20.45     $26.47     $9.00       $11.45                 $17.47

25          22            17                        50                $4.50         $25.57     $33.09     $11.25     $14.32                 $21.84

30          22            17                        50                $4.50         $30.68    $39.71     $13.50     $17.18                 $26.21

35          22            17                        50                $4.50         $35.80    $46.32     $15.75     $20.05                 $30.57

40          22            17                        50                $4.50         $40.91     $52.94     $18.00     $22.91                 $34.94

45          22            17                        50                $4.50         $46.02    $59.56     $20.25     $25.77                 $39.31

50          22            17                        50                $4.50         $51.14    $66.18     $22.50     $28.64                 $43.68

Now that you see what your individual savings are, let me show you how bikers can make a difference.  Currently there are about 5.5 registered million bikes on the road.  Let's add it all up.  If all of us decided to commute via our scooters vs cars or trucks the savings are considerable.  If we all left our trucks in the garage 5 days a month we would save 32,010,000 gallons of gas.  Assuming we all drove cars the reduction would be 20,955,000 of gas.  That's millions of gallons of gas just for driving to work 5 days a month. 

Of course not all of us work, commute or are in the position to switch vehicles but if you look at what we can accomplish collectively it's pretty impressive.  So I urge you to "Just Ride".  Bikers to the rescue.  In an odd way I guess you could now consider bikers as environmentalists.  Well, don't expect me to run out and buy any Birkenstock's any time soon or stop eating meat but I can and do ride to work about 90% of the time so I guess I am doing my part and hope you will join me.  One other shining star these days is that the price of Thunder Roads is still FREE.  Yep, you get to enjoy our mag, and of course the Bull Pen for FREE.  Until next month, enjoy the Ride.  If you have any comments or suggestions please drop me a note at deanakey@allstate.com. 

Harley One Zero Fizive

 Do you ever feel like there is a dark cloud that follows only you?  That was how my journey to Harley's 105 celebration started.  I packed up on Tuesday morning loaded with everything I could fit on the bike and off I went.  When I crossed into Wisconsin, Betty (my 2001 road king) started to get loud.  I looked down only to see that my left muffler was hanging loose.  I guess its time for a roadside repair.  Well after a few choice words and some bungee cords, Betty and I were back on the road.  About 30 miles later it's time for some gas.  I fill her up admiring my handy work only to notice that a few of my primary inspection screws have disappeared along the way... Good thing I had some duct tape with me so another fix and I am back in business.  Now I arrive at my campground to check in and no reservation?  About thirty minutes later they found my three reservations and confirmed that they did receive my $450 for all of the 10 x 20 sites and all is well. I had to get three sites as we crammed about twenty Rescue Riders on our site.  Time to set up the tent.  Shouldn't a dome tent have more than one pole and stakes?  It did every other time I used it.  In hindsight I should have questioned where the kids got those makeshift swords they were playing with a few weeks back.  Well I can tell you it isn't pretty but you can put up a dome tent with one pole but you better pray that it doesn't rain or get windy.

Finally, I sit down in my portable chair to admire my handy work and crash.... Guess those chairs aren't made to hold someone that weighs over 200 pounds.  I need a beer.  I ask one of the park workers where the vendors are and discover they don't open until tomorrow.... You gotta be kiddin me..... I ask if there is any place where I can get a beer and burger and discover there is a local place across the street.  I need a change of scenery and head across the street.  Damn, the place is packed with no place to sit.  Wait a minute, a stool opens up at the bar... It's my lucky day.  I ask for a menu only to discover the kitchen is closed.  No problem, I spot a jar of pickled eggs on the bar so all is good.  I ask if they take debit cards, nope.  Any ATM? Nope.  Damn my luck as I only have $40 in my pocket.  Well, I decide to make the best of it and order two pickled eggs, two jagers and a draft beer.  I ask the bartender what I owe her and she tells me five bucks.  Five bucks for the shots? The eggs? The beer?  Nope, five bucks for all of it...

I swear I could hear angels singing and a light shining down on me from above.  That ray of hope totally turned around my trip and gave me hope.  It was the turning point in my trip which ultimately turned out to be most excellent.  

On Wednesday, we hosted an emergency response demonstration for area media and were joined by Rescue Riders from across the country.  It was great to meet many of our volunteers who are passionate about helping fallen bikers.  Our volunteers were lead by Vicki Sanfelipo, Founder and Director of Accident Scene Management.  Vicki and our Rescue Riders demonstrated how first responders can safely assess a situation, secure an accident scene, provide emergency aid and improve the survivability of accident victims until professional emergency responders arrive. 

The highlight of the trip was riding in the Harley's parade on Saturday.  We had about 25 Rescue Riders riding together in the parade.  Just imagine 7500 bikers riding ten miles thru Milwaukee being greeted by over a hundred thousand spectators with signs saying "Welcome Home" or "Milwaukee Loves Bikers". 

We capped off the event Saturday by joining Gina Woods and her all girl bike building crew on stage at Hal's Harley Davidson.  Gina and crew interviewed the Rescue Riders on the nationally syndicated Open Road Radio program.  Thanks for the help in spreading the Rescue Rider story Gina.  You, Dozer and Dave rock.   

Now back to home.  You know riding a bike these days seems like a full contact sport.  Each year accidents and fatalities continue to rise.  Unfortunately, most of us ride in rural areas where it can take emergency responders up to 30 minutes to reach a fallen biker.   I can tell you first hand as a past victim and responder, bikers are typically the first to arrive at the scene of a motorcycle accident.  What we do to help secure an accident scene and stabilize a victim can determine if that person lives or dies.  The good news is that you can learn life saving skills by joining the Rescue Riders and taking advantage of our FREE training classes that are being hosted this fall at area locations in Illinois & Wisconsin.  The Rescue Rider program was recently awarded grant support from the Allstate Foundation and the law firm of Hupy & Abraham to provide FREE training for 350 bikers in Illinois & Wisconsin.  You can find out more at www.rescueriders.org. 

Well, that's all I have to say about that.  Betty and I returned safely and yes, she does still have those bungee cords holding the muffler on and the duct tape over the primary screws but dang is she runnin great.  I need to get me some ambition and fix her up.  When I am not sharing my wisdom with you via my Thunder Roads editorials or running the Rescue Rider program, I run an insurance agency west of Chicago.  I enjoy working with fellow bikers helping you protect what matters most.  If I can help you please drop me a note at deanakey@allstate.com or give me a call at 877-232-9899.  Until next month, enjoy the ride.

Welcome back to the Bull Pen.  My name is Dean Akey and I will be your guide thru another fun filled edition.  Are you ready?  Let's get started.

You might be surprised to know but quite often someone will come up to me and tell me, "I wish I sold insurance".  It is a wonderful experience to live the dream and help all sorts of folks along the way but it really isn't as glamorous as you may think....Fortunately the dress code for insurance agents changed a few years back which eliminated the requirement for insurance professionals to wear what we called a "Triple Cleveland".  For those of you unfamiliar with the Triple Cleveland it includes white shoes, a white belt and, you guessed it, a white tie.  Back in the day some mavericks experimented with different versions of a Double Cleveland with mixed results.  Well now that the dress code has relaxed I can spend less time focusing on appearance and more on protecting you.  I hope you don't mind me poking a bit of fun at myself and my fellow agents but I couldn't resist. 

Now that I have that out of my system, I do want to spend a few moments to actually share with you some insurance related information.  If you are like me and ride your motorcycle all year, I would like to share some alarming news with you.  There are many motorcycle insurance policies which suspend your coverage during winter months.  So what does this mean to you?  It means that even though you paid your insurance premiums and your policy term is annual, there are policies that suspend your coverage during December thru February.  This means that if you hop on your scooter on one of those beautiful winter days for a ride you are riding without insurance and any protection.  This is far more common than you may think and as a result of reading this article I hope that you check your policy to make sure that you and your family are riding protected. 

If you need help to determine if you are riding with protection or not, your policy declaration pages should tell you if your policy suspends coverage during winter months.  If you still need help, give me a call and I would be glad to lend a hand. 

If your insurance rates have increased over the past few years you may be wondering why.  You may be the perfect customer with no history of claims in the past and wonder why your rates have gone up.  It's a very common question so I put together the following for you. 

The largest component of your insurance premium goes toward paying claims.  All insurance companies measure their claims paying ability by a measurement tool called a "combined ratio".  What this tool measures is how much of a dollar that an insurance company takes in goes out the door to pay claims. 

What you may be surprised to know is that there is a direct correlation between claims and the economy.  How so?  The higher the unemployment, mortgage defaults, underemployment etc the more claims that insurance companies receive.  I am not implying that everyone that is having financial hardship is turning in bogus claims but the data directly supports my point.

Of course there are other components which go into the cost of insurance.  Recently I had a client who experienced a total loss of their home due to a fire.  It was amazing how much the cost of construction and materials have gone up in the past couple of years.  The cost of gas has impacted the cost of materials from lumber to shingles. 

Now let's go back to the discussion on combined ratios.  Many insurers have ratios in the low 90% level.  What that means is that at a 92% ratio, for every dollar that comes in, .92 goes back out the door to pay claims and provide the service.  In this example, the insurer is making an 8% profit.  Since all insurance companies run on the same or a similar type of measurement, when claims go up, rates go up.  The good news is also that when claims go down, rates go down. 

Now there are also other factors that impact insurance rates like natural disasters.  Most insurance companies segment their business by state or regions as individual companies which are subsidiaries of the umbrella entity.  Insurers typically structure their business this way so that should one state or region experience a catastrophic loss, other states do not end up subsidizing the loss.  In other words, when hurricane Ike hit the coast a few weeks ago, the individual regions where the devastation occurred will experience financial losses but the larger entity is still intact.  This protects both the risk and helps insurers demonstrate impacts or poor financial performance to the pointy heads on wall street.  I do want to point out that this segmentation in no way is created to allow any individual insurers to walk away from their claims commitments in states or regions that have experienced a natural disaster.  There are quite a few safeguards in place which prevent this from happening..

Why do insurers use this type of methodology?  The claims paying ability of the insurer must be sound at all times.  Look at the scare that AIG sent thru the market last month with the potential of a default.  Now, AIG's problems were more a result of their investments vs. a combined ratio issue.  My point here is that your insurance company must be sound financially. 

We will see brighter days in the future as our economy starts to turn the corner.  I know this is a fairly brief explanation of the rate issue but I did want to give you the inside scoop.   

When I am not sharing my wisdom with you via my Thunder Roads editorials or running the Rescue Rider program, I run an insurance agency west of Chicago.  I enjoy working with fellow bikers helping you protect what matters most.  If I can help you please drop me a note at deanakey@allstate.com or give me a call at 877-232-9899.  Until next month, enjoy the ride.

Welcome back to the Bull Pen.  We survived 2008 and now can officially start the countdown clock to riding season once again.  My name is Dean Akey and I will be your guide thru another fun filled edition.  Are you ready?  Let's get started.

It's friggin freezing out there.... Where is all of this global warming Al Gore promised us?  I was listening to Jay Leno and I think he summed up our cold weather best by saying "it was so cold in Chicago that Governor Rod Blagojevich had his hands in his own pockets for once"....   I couldn't have said it any better Jay.

As I mentioned above, we survived 2008 but just barely.  It's amazing how quickly our economy went into the crapper.   Harley Davidson's stock has dropped 60% in the past few months and don't even get me started with the mess our auto makers are in.  Now we will see if the bazillions of tax dollars we invested in these bailouts actually work to get this train rolling once again. 

In 2008 we all felt the direct impact of a bum economy.  There is some hope on the horizon for a much quicker recovery for the greater Chicago metropolitan area.   The hope I am speaking about is the 2016 Summer Olympics. 

Now I have never been a big fan of the Olympics and think some of the things they give medals for are just silly.  Badminton?  Give me a break.  How about medals for Jarts or the bean bag game called Corn Hole?

So why am I a fan of having the 2016 Olympic Games in Chicago?  That's an easy one; it's for what it would do to our economy.  Recently, an independent economic-impact study commissioned Tootelian & Associates to quantify the economic effects on the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago from hosting the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

So what's the damage?  Should Chicago be successful in hosting the 2016 summer Olympics the study found that the Games are expected to stimulate $22.5 billion of incremental economic activity in the State of Illinois - $13.7 billion in the city of Chicago alone - during the 11-year span of 2011 through 2021.

The study also found that 315,000 new job-years will be created during this period.  Just think of what putting 315,000 local folks to work would do.  This would be a major shot in the arm for all of us. 

The International Olympic Committee will decide which city will host the 2016 Summer Olympics early in October 2009 so keep your fingers crossed. 

So is there a downside to hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics?  Of course there is.  With billions of dollars in investment into Illinois our politicians will be in a feeding frenzy.  I bet Governor Rod Blagojevich will really hate missing out on this one but I hear he may have reservations up north at the Governors ward in Oxford Federal Prison.

As you can probably tell, I am quite upset over the whole Blagojevich dealio and the current state of disrepair with Illinois politics.  In hopes of restoring my faith in our political system and the Governors office I put myself to task.   I decided to research our current Governor to see what I could discover to help me feel at peace.   I looked thru his accomplishments to date and couldn't find that one thing that made me think that at some point this guy was working for us...

I kept up my search and broadened my definition of accomplishments and finally was able to find one thing that made me happy.  You see as a kid I have the greatest memories of my parents taking us to a restaurant on Sunday's after Church.  It was always the same restaurant and yes, every time I see Blagojevich it brings back all of those wonderful memories.... 

When I am not sharing my wisdom with you via my Thunder Roads editorials or running the Rescue Rider program, I run an insurance agency west of Chicago.  I enjoy working with fellow bikers helping you protect what matters most.  If I can help you please drop me a note at deanakey@allstate.com or give me a call at 877-232-9899.  Until next month, enjoy the ride.

With Christmas just around corner it's time to start planning my Christmas feast.  This year I am returning to my roots to make my world famous cabbage rolls.  I know this is not what many would consider as a traditional holiday meal but boy are they most excellent.  I have prepared my cabbage rolls for many a German fest with rave reviews.  If you are interested in my recipe please comment on the post and I will post it. 

So what are you making for your big holiday feast??

Health insurance giant Aetna has announced that it will cut about 3% of its workforce in an effort to reduce costs.  Currently Aetna employs over 36,000 people so the reduction will total 1000 jobs.  Aetna is the third largest health insurer in the nation and currently insures about 37,200,000 people.

One of the benchmarks used to track the financial performance of the health industry is the ETF Innovators (ETFI) Health Benefit Providers Index.  Unfortunately, the 28 companies included in the ETF Innovators (ETFI) Health Benefit Providers Index with market caps over $250M have lost over 40% of market value in the past year.

The index includes retail pharmacies such as Walgreens, pharmacy benefit managers such as MedcoHealth Solutions, managed care companies such as UnitedHealth, supplemental health insurers such as Aflac, hospital pharmacy operators such as PharMerica, and workers compensation insurers such as Amerisafe.

In addition to increasing pressures on health insurance companies due to the economy, there is a growing concern amongst insurers regarding the promise of President Elect Barac Obama to reform our health insurance system. 

Some of the concerns include the impact of offering coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions and expanding coverage to the millions or Americans who have been unable to purchase health insurance in the past.   

Dont look for any resolution to these issues for some time as reforming our health insurance industry will be a major undertaking.  I am hopeful that we are able to create a program that helps everyone obtain affordable coverage.  Stay tuned. 

If you need help understanding your health policy, options or to explore other options please give me a call at 877-232-9899 or drop me a note at deanakey@allstate.com

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company announced on December 8th, 2008 it will be raising its rates for new and existing auto customers effective December 29, 2008.  The rate increases will vary and be based upon State Farm's rating territories and loss data.  In addition to increasing the cost of State Farm's auto liability, The cost of the medical payments and comprehensive coverages are also going up.  The comprehensive coverage pays for losses from such perils as theft, storm damage, fire, vandalism and glass breakage.  

If you have not done so, please investigate your options.  Obtaining competitive quotes only takes a few minutes and can save you big $$$ in the long run.  If you live in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri or Iowa, I can help.  Please give me a call at 877-232-9899 or drop me a note at DeanAkey@Allstate.com