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Holiday Blessings and End-of-year reminders!

Holiday Blessings and End-of-year reminders!

"If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" — Percy Bysshe Shelley

Happy holy-days, winter solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year, and welcome to the spirit of the season!

This has been another massive year, which has seemed to fly by even faster than usual. So, as we enter the darkest part of the annual cycle, it is time to review, reflect, and re-work our priorities for the new year.

This year we celebrated Hanukkah very close to the Thanksgiving holiday, and to me, the celebrations have a very similar energy. Ritually lighting the candles and remembering the gift of light at Hanukkah has much in common with gathering with family and counting our blessings at Thanksgiving. Both holidays feature special meals that we enjoy together with loved ones and ask us to go inward. Along with the Solstice, Christmas, and the New Year, these holidays bring the eternal message of hope and light - not just physical, but miraculous.

Remembering and celebrating the return of the light will help us, with another wave of the virus bringing a new unknown into our lives. Again, we are experiencing the importance of showing up and taking care of ourselves. How can we continue to alchemize our fears into creativity? How are we as individuals finding the light and bringing it forward? These are the lessons we have learned over time.

We are approaching the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. A time for going inward, but also rekindling our hope for a brighter future. The Solstice is an invitation to ignite the light: our inner fire of awareness, strength and joy. As we prepare for a new year, we celebrate all that we have accomplished and all the groundwork we have laid for 2022.

By consciously tending to our inner fire, we can create positive energy that will last throughout the season. It is a time to meditate and spend some time in stillness and quiet space, and become clear on the intentions we will bring into the coming year. This holiday season, I wish an abundance of peace, hope, and joy to each of you, to all living beings, and to our beautiful planet we get to call home.

Namaste and happy holidays,

Naama and the Rightplan.com team

EMPLOYER’S UPDATE

As Open Enrollment continues, we are seeing that the market remains level and compatible as far as cost. The only savings we are seeing is if employers/groups begin to reduce actual benefits. How to solve this dilemma? Health Savings Accounts are still our favorite way to be covered and take care of ourselves in a more holistic way.

They are an excellent solution for plans that balance a higher deductible with coverage of all routine benefits at a $0 copay. Many of our employers are choosing this way to allow coverage and give more flexibility to their employees. Plus, HSA plans have many tax benefits in the long run - this Forbes article outlines several of the ways your employees can use HSAs to help with medical expenses now and well into the future.

Remember, if you have an FSA (Flexible Spending Account), be sure you’re using your funds before the end of the year. While HSA benefits don’t all need to be spent during the calendar year, FSAs do. Some unexpected things you can buy are found in this article. Also, if you’ve been putting off seeing the dentist or getting in your routine exams, now is the time to squeeze them in! Make sure you take advantage of your maximum dental and vision benefits for the year.

OPEN ENROLLMENT + COVERED CA

With the end of the year approaching, this is the moment to finalize our choices for the 2022 benefits year.

Deadline Reminders!

Many more people will qualify for CoveredCA subsidies this year - and it’s crunch time to review your benefits and plan to see if you qualify.

December 31 is the cut off for January 1, 2022 effective date for all major insurers, private or CoveredCA. The one exception is Kaiser who has a December 15 deadline for 2022.

See if You Qualify for High-Quality, Affordable Health Care Coverage with Covered California

Health insurance coverage matters. From needing to see a doctor when you’re sick or injured to preventive care to avoid chronic but treatable conditions, having coverage means you and your family are protected and can readily receive care whenever needed. Having coverage also means access to all possible health care needs, including physical and mental health care.

Covered California and private insurance annual Open Enrollment period is now open. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, there is more financial help than ever before to help you get quality, name-brand health insurance.

An estimated 1.1 million uninsured people are eligible for significant savings by enrolling in low or zero-dollar coverage through Covered California or no-cost coverage through Medi-Cal. In addition, about 90 percent of Covered California enrollees receive financial help under the American Rescue Plan.

Protect yourself and your loved ones by getting covered today. To find out if you qualify for a Covered California health plan, we urge you to connect with us asap. Please email [email protected] or call 818-508-7177.

Business Boosts Vol. 3!

I'm thrilled to be a co-author of Business Boosts Vol. 3: Strategies, Tactics, and Ideas to Boost Your Business and Your Bottom Line. Along with its sister book, Life Boosts Vol. 3, we are sharing important information to help boost our health, wealth, and so much more!

My chapter contribution is "Modern Leadership in a Meta Corporate Culture." It focuses on techniques for holistically implementing, minting, and re-imagining a radical way to lead, heal, and love!

Please connect if you are interested in learning more about the book or getting a copy!

What we are reading

Holiday time is full of delicious foods we only indulge in once a year. Here is one of our favorite vegan treats that might just become your next holiday tradition!

Oat Milk Chocolate Pudding (New York Times)

INGREDIENTS

⅓ cup/65 grams granulated sugar
⅓ cup/30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups/480 milliliters nondairy milk, preferably oat
3 to 4 ounces/85 to 115 grams bittersweet bar chocolate, finely chopped (see Tip 1)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION

In a medium saucepan, use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to stir together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Slowly stir in the milk and keep stirring until smooth and combined.
Stir the mixture constantly over medium-low heat, scraping the bottom, sides and corners of the pan, until the pudding thickens, begins to bubble, and coats the back of the spoon or spatula, 5 to 10 minutes. (If the pudding is coating the bottom of the pan too quickly, reduce the heat.)
Add the chocolate and stir vigorously until the pudding is very thick and smooth, about 30 seconds longer.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Spoon the pudding into a serving bowl or individual cups or ramekins. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled (see Tip 2). It will thicken as it cools.

Naama in the News!

Check out my recent podcast interview with George Grombacher of Lifeblood, where we discuss proactive solutions to get the most out of your travel healthcare coverage options.

https://moneysavage.podbean.com/e/with-naama-pozniak

Travel

Many of us are packing our bags for international travel this holiday.With a new variant and ongoing uncertainty, the importance of travel health insurance cannot be understated. We are seeing 90% or more of our clients choosing to purchase a policy, factoring it in as part of the cost of their trip. Several popular destinations are indeed requiring proof of coverage upon booking trips.A travel insurance plan will not only cover illness while abroad, but can help connect you with an English-speaking doctor, access telemedicine while abroad, and even help with medical evacuation.

In health, peace, and joy –

Happy New year full of ❤