GracePoint Solutions

03/20/2018

Listening to two of my friends, Honey Leveen and Betty Doll, speak at a Long Term Care Insurance Conference.

04/01/2017

Faith Friday at GracePoint

The healing hand of God most often works through the minds, hearts and hands of His children; those who use their gifts to serve others. I’ve always believed this, but now that I’ve lived it, I know it to be true. When I learned just a few short weeks ago that I needed triple heart bypass surgery, I confess I found it difficult to understand why. After all, I felt healthy! Some occasional fatigue yes, but I didn’t have any of the other symptoms common to atherosclerosis or in layman’s terms, blocked arteries.

So, I had a decision to make. Trust what a cardiologist I had met once and a heart surgeon I had never met told me or seek other opinions. After talking with Becky, doing some personal research and a lot of prayer, I decided to go ahead with the bypass surgery.

And I got to see God’s healing hands working through those who served as my caregivers.

Now, I don’t know the faith status of any of the wonderful people who provided my care; the prep nurses, the surgery team, the cardiac ICU team, and the ones who removed all the wires, tubes, etc. placed in my body so that I could go home. What I do know however, is that the fount of all knowledge comes from God and that these wonderful people used their knowledge and skill to make me whole again.

I was expecting a week-long stay in the hospital; I was released after three nights. I was expecting unbearable pain; three days after release, I left the narcotics behind and was on Tylenol only. As I write this I’m sitting at my desk with no pain, just some residual fatigue.

This was possible because of an amazing surgeon, a fantastic surgery team, wonderful cardiac nurses and a beautiful, loving wife who whispered words of love and encouragement throughout; all of them allowing themselves to be used as instruments of God’s healing hands.

Prior to the surgery, I chose not to view a video of a bypass procedure, although many are available. Last night I finally got the courage to watch one and realized that although the doctors may try to convince you that bypass surgery is routine and there is nothing to worry about, it most certainly is not routine. Nothing to worry about perhaps, but routine? No, this was special. This was the result of men and women who studied hard, practiced hard, and worked hard to be the best they could be so that they might best serve others. This was men and women who trained themselves to be healers, partners with God in repairing broken bodies. And I am grateful they did.

Through this process and after learning more about the heart and how it functions, I believe author Charles Martin said it best in his book When Crickets Cry; “In all my reading and study, I have come to know one thing without any shadow of doubt: If anything in the universe reflects the fingerprint of God, it is the human heart" Reese -Charles Martin, When Crickets Cry

We see the mystery of God in the heavens, the majesty of God in the mountains, the power of God in the seas and the provenance of God in the lands, but we see the love and compassion of God in the human heart.

Thanks to all who have cared for me these past couple of weeks, most especially my wife Becky. Now, with new arteries leading to my heart, I will continue to strive to Grow Old with Grace; but not for a while. I think I’ll just enjoy being a young 61-year-old for now.

03/18/2017

These figures are sobering. Have you prepared for the possibility of you or someone close to you developing Alzheimer's?

More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease. Share the facts and join the fight at alz.org/facts.

03/17/2017

Faith Friday - Can the lessons of Solitaire help you Grow Old with Grace?

Have you ever played Solitaire on your phone, tablet or computer? If you have, you know that most Solitaire games have an “undo” button. I confess to using the “undo” button. I know for you who are Solitaire purists, this is an anathema but hey, the instructions say you can.

Here is how I use it: I hate to lose at Solitaire so when I get to the end of the card stacks and have no more moves, I undo all the way back to the beginning and start over. Then I change which cards I turn over first. Now this may seem like it wouldn’t make much difference; after all, the cards themselves don’t change, right?

What I’ve discovered though, is that just one or two changes in the order I turn over the cards can reveal a needed card sooner than it was shown the first time; and that makes all the difference. I then zoom through the rest of the stacks and win the game. I’ve got a terrible score of course, but I win!

My point? Sometimes a very small change, especially if made early, can make a huge difference. Growing Old with Grace is like that. Small changes we make in our 50s and 60s can make a big difference in the quality of life in our 80s and even 90s. Maybe it’s not taking the salt shaker to the dinner table, or taking a walk instead of watching the evening news, or eating more fish and less steak, or hundreds of other changes that might not seem like much now but can make a significant difference later in our lives.

My pending bypass surgery has caused me to think a lot about this. What if I had started exercising regularly 5 years ago, or adopted a lower cholesterol diet, or made different choices that would have reduced stress, or…
Without Mr. Peabody’s “Wayback Machine,” I can’t make changes to avoid surgery next week. However, I can and have made changes right now to try to make sure open heart surgery is never needed again.

Our faith in God also responds well to small changes. Perhaps it’s starting a personal Bible study or setting a specific time for prayer each day or changing the focus of our prayers from a litany of requests to a time of praising God. Things that bring us closer to God and enable us to feel His presence daily rather than just in times of trouble.

Small changes in our health habits and our faith habits can work together to make major changes in our lives. What small, seemingly insignificant changes can you make today? They may be the changes that will make it easier for you to Grow Old with Grace.

Jim Cates

P.S. My favorite Solitaire game is Spider. It’s more challenging than the traditional Klondike Solitaire, but not as daunting as some like FreeCell are. What is your favorite Solitaire game? Tell us in the comment section and let’s see which one wins.

03/16/2017

OneAmerica is a leader in a new type of long term care insurance and is headquartered right here in Indiana.

Fast-growing business lines are hard to come by in the insurance industry. Locally based OneAmerica Financial Partners Inc. has one on its hands, and it’s beefing up efforts to capitalize.

03/15/2017

Good, short article from USA Today on Long Term Care Insurance

Most don't buy long-term care insurance. Unfortunately, Medicare does not cover the cost of most long-term care services because they aren't technically medical services.

03/15/2017

Some good information.

What Happens to Our Muscles as We Age? Read more about how maintaining our strength as we age is important for our health.

03/13/2017

The response to my post on how spending $50 on a simple heart scan may have saved my life has been amazing! Thanks to all who have shared the post. Together we can make a difference in someone's life. I've had many people ask how to get the test. If you are in the Fort Wayne area or somewhere served by Lutheran and Parkview hospitals, here are the numbers to call and the links for more information. Don't delay, call now!

Lutheran CardioRisk: (260) 435-7377

Parkview HeartSmart CT Scan: (877) 225-5747

http://www.lutheranhospital.com/interior.php?t=35

https://www.parkview.com/en/health-services/heart/Pages/HeartSmart-CT-Scan.aspx

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. When detected early, however, persons affected by CAD often have a...

03/10/2017

Faith Friday at GracePoint-A personal story

$50 may have saved my life!

My birthday is next week. I’ll be 61 years old and will celebrate with a triple coronary bypass; not really what I was expecting. I was thinking more of a quiet dinner with my beautiful wife Becky. Still, I thank God for the pending bypass surgery and that I will have it before any damage was done to my heart. I had a heart catheterization yesterday and my cardiologist told me that one artery is up to 70% blocked, one is 90% blocked and one is 100% blocked.

What is confusing to me is that I’ve not had any noticeable symptoms: no chest pain, no trouble breathing (except when I had pneumonia last year) no excessive fatigue, no problems with extremities and no irregular heartbeat. So, how did I find out I had heart problems?

I spent $50.

At my annual physical in January, my doctor was concerned about my cholesterol level and suggested medication. I asked if I could have six months to try to reduce it through diet and exercise. She hesitantly agreed but said she wanted me to get a heart scan or what is often called Cardiac Scoring. It’s a simple CT scan of the heart area to identify potential arterial blockage. Insurance doesn’t usually pay for it but it only costs $50 and both Parkview (877) 225-5747 and Lutheran (260) 435-7377 hospitals offer it.

I agreed and scheduled the test for the following week. I had the test on Monday and early the next morning I got a call from my doctor’s office asking me to come back in the next day to talk with the doctor; never a good sign. On a calcium score scale where over 400 is bad, mine was 948. Fast forward to today: after a stress test, a consult with a cardiologist, an echocardiogram and a heart catheterization, I’m planning for triple bypass surgery followed by a week in the hospital and a two-month recovery.

And I’m praising God that it’s going to happen. Two thousand years ago, God healed people through the hands of Jesus and his disciples. Today he heals through the hands of doctors, nurses, technicians, medical device inventors & manufacturers, and many others. And I’m grateful that He does. Sure, I would love to get prepped for surgery only to find that my arteries have been miraculously cleared. I know God can do that, but I also know it is more likely that it will be His will to use others to create the opportunity for healing.

As I learn more about the heart, I’ve discovered that there are a lot of people out there like me. Men and women who are not significantly over weight, eat in moderation, don’t smoke, and are seemingly healthy. But like me, they have heart problems and don’t know it. Some of them are not as fortunate as I am. Some didn't discover the problem until experiencing a major heart attack that significantly disabled them or even caused their death.

That’s why I wrote this post. If you have never had a Cardiac Scoring test, schedule one now. Perhaps like me, you’ll discover significant blockage before your heart is damaged. Or, perhaps you’ll discover minor blockage that can be easily treated without bypass surgery. Better yet, maybe your arteries will be clear and your $50 will just buy peace of mind. If so, I think that’s still a good deal, don’t you?

As a Long-Term Care Planning Specialist, my job is helping people plan for the future so they can Grow Old with Grace. I would like the opportunity to Grow Old with Grace myself. With God’s grace, a triple bypass surgery might help me do just that.

And it started with spending just $50.

Jim Cates

P.S. If you've read this far, thank you. I'm going to ask a favor of you. Please share this post. I wish I had been more aware of how valuable a heart scan was five years ago. I might have made changes in my diet and exercise in time to avoid my pending surgery.

Please take the time to share this so someone else might benefit from my experience. Thanks!

P.S.S. These onion rings tasted wonderful but I've learned that their cost and the cost of other foods like them is just too high.

03/08/2017

Short read with good ideas.

After seeing their parents need Long Term Care, Richard and Barbara Adams searched for answers. It was the fall of 2008 when Richard and Barbara Adams, ...

03/06/2017

I guess I need to watch W***y Wonka and the Chocolate Factory again!

No one wants to discuss long-term care planning, but its crucial for most people's future but a look at long-term care through the story of W***y Wonka and The Chocolate Factory provides a more upbeat manner to address long-term care and cover important long-term care planning concepts.

03/04/2017

Are you considering a Christian healthcare cost sharing plan?

Although I don’t sell nearly as much health insurance as I used to because of the ACA (Obamacare), I still assist clients as much as I can. This past year, several of my clients opted for one of the Christian healthcare cost sharing plans instead of traditional health insurance. The obvious advantage of these plans is cost. They cost much less than unsubsidized ACA plans. The biggest disadvantage I’ve seen is that many of the plans don’t use provider networks which can provide you with a significant discount.

Anyone who has seen an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from an insurance company knows that the medical providers bill amounts far in excess of what the insurance companies agree to pay.
Here’s an example from a recent X-ray when I had Pneumonia.
Amount Billed: $513.00 Amount Allowed: $88.04 Out of Pocket Cost: $88.04

So, the hospital billed the insurance company $513.00. However, due to the negotiated rate my insurance company received, I ended up paying $88.04 out of pocket since I had not yet met my deductible. In other words, I received an 82% discount over the original billed amount.

Now I think we can all agree that this kind of billing practice is ridiculous! Either it costs the hospital $513 to provide my x-rays or it doesn’t. If it did cost that much then why were they willing to take $88.04? If it didn’t cost that much, then why did they inflate the charge so much in the first place?

This of course is modern medical billing and we’re not going to change it today. Perhaps someday, pricing will be more uniform and less dependent on what seems like the whims of the medical providers and insurance companies.

Meanwhile here is my point in bringing this up. If you have chosen to join a Christian healthcare sharing plan, before you receive medical treatment negotiate the cost in advance! Some cost sharing plans assist you with this, some don’t. Many medical providers will give you a discount for paying up front and in cash. However, you may still pay more than an insurance company discounted rate.

I do know at least one of the Christian cost sharing plans uses a preferred provider network so if you are considering a cost sharing plan and don’t want to have to negotiate medical bills yourself, you might consider looking for a plan that has a network.

Bottom line advice: Whether you have traditional insurance or a Christian cost sharing plan, make sure you know what you are paying before agreeing to any significant medical procedure.