Pronoeo Facebook Contest

Rules and Regulations

The promoter is Pronoeo Insurance Agency, LLC, located at 1150 Coddingtown Center, Suite 3, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. Pronoeo is a proud sponsor of the Giro Bello, an annual event hosted by The Rotary Club of Santa Rosa.

There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this contest.

By entering this contest, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.

Route to entry for the competition and details of how to enter are via http://tiny.cc/k2073y, Pronoeo’s Facebook page.

Only one entry will be accepted per person per designated action. Multiple entries in the same location from the same person will be disqualified.

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Contest will begin at 12:01 am April 1, 2019. Closing date for entry will be midnight on May 20, 2019. After this date no further entries to the contest will be permitted.

No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.

The rules of the competition and how to enter are as follows:

Entries can be generated in three ways:

Like Pronoeo Insurance’s Facebook page = 1 entry
Join the Pronoeo Contest Group and comment why you would like to win this contest = 1 entry
Respond to the Giro Bello event posted on the Pronoeo Facebook page = 1 entry

The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the contest and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the contest will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter via Facebook.

The promoter is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition.

The prize is as follows: Two (2) ride registrations to the Giro Bello for June 22, 2019. Winners will have the choice of riding the Fun, Metro, or Century rides. Each registration will include a swag bag, T-Shirt, route maps, SAG support, rest stops, and tickets for a post ride meal and drink at the Expo. Total value of prize depends on the rides chosen but may range from $130 – $200. The prize is as stated, and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. The prizes are not transferable within the contest but may be transferred per Giro Bello rules and conditions at the event. Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice. For more information regarding the Giro Bello, go to www.girobello.com.

Winners will be chosen at random by software, from all entries received and verified by Promoter and or its agents.

The winner will be posted on Pronoeo Insurance’s Facebook page on May 21, 2019. Attempts will be made to notify the winner directly by email and/or DM on Facebook within 3 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.

The promoter will notify the winner when and where the prize can be collected.

The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the contest will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

By entering this contest, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.

The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by laws of the State of California and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Sonoma County, California.

The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material, as well as their entry. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.

The winner’s name will be available 28 days after closing date by mailing the following address: Pronoeo Contest, PO Box 2593, Santa Rosa, CA 95405

Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Network. By participating in this contest, you are giving complete release of liability to Facebook and Pronoeo Insurance Agency, LLC.You are providing your information to Pronoeo Insurance Agency, LLC and not to any other party. The information provided will be used in conjunction with the following Privacy Policy found at https://pronoeo.net/privacy-policy/.

In consideration for being allowed to participate in this Contest, you agree to release from liability and waive your right to sue Facebook, and/or Pronoeo Insurance Agency, LLC, their employees, officers, volunteers and agents from any and all claims, including claims of the promoter’s negligence, resulting in any physical injury, illness (including death) or economic loss you may suffer or which may result from your participation in this Contest, travel to and from the Giro Bello (including air travel), or any events incidental to this Contest or its prize.

Fixing Healthcare is Like Eating an Elephant

by Karen Ball | Health Insurance, Insurance

The cost of medical insurance in California (and nationwide) has spiraled out of control. It is not uncommon for a married couple to be paying more for medical insurance than for their mortgage. And then they can’t afford to use the insurance because of ridiculous deductibles and copays.

Factors:

Unfortunately, it’s a lot like homelessness: there is no ONE underlying cause. There are many factors that drive up the cost of healthcare:

Fee-for-Service systems: providers (doctors and facilities) are paid per procedure so it incentivizes them to utilize many procedures and tests, even if it isn’t warranted by the diagnosis. On the flip-side, underpayment or low reimbursement of these procedures also encourages over-treatment because the providers don’t make enough to cover their costs.
We have an aging population. Over 70% of the medical services you receive in your lifetime will be received in your retirement years. As we age, we become less resilient to disease and physical injury.
We want the latest drugs, technologies, services, and procedures to keep us healthy. But new on the market usually equates to higher priced treatment.
Mergers and Acquisitions of health organizations have created near monopolies in the various areas of medical care. When there is no one to compete against, you can set your prices wherever you want. M&A’s have caused the price of medical services to rise at a rate much higher than inflation.
We live in a litigious society. People know that doctors and hospitals have to carry malpractice insurance and see them as a ‘deep pocket.’ Doctors are afraid of being sued (sometimes ‘again’), and so there is a propensity to utilize defensive treatment: prescribing something “just in case” there may be a medical issue, so they won’t get sued.
With the rate of reimbursement falling for Primary Care Physicians (your general/family doctor), there are more specialists in this country than there are Primary Care Physicians. Specialists are paid much more than a family doctor. Hence, we have a serious shortage of family physicians.
The cost of medications keeps going up – even the ones that have been on the market for years. This one, the politicians probably COULD fix. America is one of two countries worldwide that allow drug companies to advertise. We are paying for their advertising expense through our high drug prices. That’s why other countries don’t have a problem with high drug prices.

And I’m sure the list goes on and on. So let’s just PICK ONE, and fix it. Then we can work on the next one. Focusing on one problem at a time allows more resources to go to its solution instead of just doing a little here and a little there and so nothing gets completed. It’s just like eating an elephant – you can only do it one bite at a time. When the elephant has been consumed, everyone will have access to AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE.

Affordable Healthcare: An Oxymoron

by Karen Ball | Health Insurance, Insurance

Healthcare has become such a political issue that the concept of “affordable healthcare” has vanished.

There is no single fix for obtaining affordable healthcare because the things making it unaffordable are as diverse as the people needing it. Let’s look at just three:

Current Issues:

1. Cost of care for CHRONIC DISEASES and overall POOR HEALTH.

The reality is that people with chronic diseases and/or overall poor health have greater medical needs and expenses than the average person. Medications, hospitals, ER and ambulance services are utilized more frequently by these individuals out of necessity, not because of system abuse. Finding a system that makes their care affordable is tricky – someone has to pay for all that.

2. Availability and access to DOCTORS and MEDICAL FACILITIES.

The current system may give more insurance coverage to individuals, but that does not equate to access to doctors and medical facilities. Reimbursements are so low, many doctors will not accept patients who are not part of an employer’s group policy. Many doctors have refused to accept Medicaid and Medicare patients because of the low reimbursements. The reality: it’s difficult to find a doctor, and when you do, you cannot get an appointment for weeks (or months).

3. QUALITY of available care.

Many of the providers that will accept the low reimbursements are rated poorly on sites on the internet. They may be fine providers under normal circumstances. But with low reimbursements, they are forced to push patients through as quickly as possible just so they can meet their overhead (rent, payroll, utilities, insurance, etc.). Misdiagnoses is the THIRD leading cause of death in the US (John Hopkins 2016). Doctors are forced to choose volume over quality.

MISCONCEPTION:

There is a misconception among our politicians that affordable health insurance equals affordable healthcare. There are two things wrong with that equation:

If you are not subsidized by a government program for your health insurance, it is ANYTHING but affordable. Especially if you are between 60-65 years old. Your monthly insurance premium could be more than your mortgage.
Deductibles, copays and coinsurance are so high on these insurance plans that people are avoiding going to the doctor when sick or injured.

Having access to insurance does NOT mean you have access to healthcare. Attempting to manage healthcare through the insurance industry is like relying on your auto mechanic for investment advice. And if you want to muck it up further, get a politician involved. YOU DON’T WANT SINGLE-PAYER.

Let’s work on actually addressing the causes of HEALTHCARE unaffordability and not INSURANCE affordability (a symptom). Coverage without access is an empty promise.