Finding Your Own Health Insurance Coverage

If you've ever taken the huge leap of leaving that secure 9 to 5 job for the self employed route, you probably know how it feels to have to go looking for your own health insurance plan.

To be sure, most of us at one time or another have worked for a company simply because we wanted the security that their benefit packages provide. Health insurance would be one of the most vital parts of all of this.

Yet with corporate downsizing and layoffs, staying with a company simply for the insurance isn't as secure any more. So if your in position to have to find insurance for yourself here's a few bits of advice that might be of help.

First off, don't be stupid and go without. Some years ago I found myself between jobs and between coverage. I got hurt simply playing a pick-up game of basketball and needed surgery. Unfortunately I had no other option. I couldn't work if I didn't get the damage repaired and I didn't have insurance to cover the cost so I ended up putting it all on a credit card. It took me years to pay the debt off. In particular, if you have a family, you can't afford to go without some form of insurance.

Often right after leaving a company you can still have access to insurance through a company's COBRA option. The company is lawfully required to give you access to the plan. You'll have to pay the monthly premiums of course with no additional assistance from the company, but you may find it more affordable than an individual plan. COBRA plans should be looked at as a short term solution to your insurance situation.

If your self employed, you may want to look at group insurance plans from organizations like the NASE. The National Association of the Self Employed can provide you with more information and you may find some of their rates to be very competitive.

A number of trade organizations and associations may also have benefit plans that could provide you with coverage. If you belong to a trade organization don't hesitate to contact them to see what might be available.

It's also important to compare individual or family plans from a number of companies. Be sure that things such as the stated deductible and coverage guidelines are comparable when looking at the cost. Eventually we found a good plan for my wife and I that is fairly affordable for what we have in coverage.

At one point, I was denied coverage by an insurance company and my wife was leaving her company position to work in her own business. One thing I learned at this time was that many states will provide some type of insurance coverage for you if you have been turned down at some point. The rates are a bit higher than you might have to pay with a standard policy but at least you have coverage. So don't rule out a state funded program if your having trouble getting insurance.

Regardless of what company you go with, remember that's it's very important to maintain health insurance coverage for yourself or your family. You'll never know when you may need it in a time of crisis.

Mark Washburn is a freelance writer with experience on health insurance and insurance services.

Skin care forums

Guitar Hero 2 Song List!

It's no secret that the Guitar Hero series of games for xBox 360, Nintendo Wii and PS3 are some of the hottest games to ever hit the market! Many players are now searching the internet for game lists, specifically the Guitar Hero 2 song list! In this short article, we'll go over a pretty comprehensive Guitar Hero 2 song list so that you can get an idea of what to expect when playing!

Remember, this game can be addicting but also hours and hours of fun! Here's our guitar Hero 2 Song List!

1. Opening Licks

In this section, you're pretty much a nobody! These aren't the hardest songs in the world, so you should be ok!

Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil

Danzig - Mother

Cheap Trick - Surrender

Wolfmother - Woman

Spinal Tap - Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight

2. Amp-Warmers

Ok, a little bit harder, but still not too bad. This is a good level to find out what you really got, or to practice and get good!

Kiss - Strutter

Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box

Police - Message in a Bottle

Van Halen - You Really Got Me

Kansas - Carry on Wayward Son

3. String-Snappers

Now we're starting to get into the harder levels, and the better songs! Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains etc...

Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench

Alice in Chains - Them Bones

Iggy Pop and the Stooges - Search and Destroy

Pretenders - Tattooed Love Boys

Black Sabbath - War Pigs

4. Thrash and Burn

And you thought Cherry Pie and Sweet Child O' Mine were lame songs? Try playing them!

Warrant - Cherry Pie

Butthole Surfers - Who Was in My Room Last Night

Mathew Sweet - Girlfriend

Rolling Stones - Can't You Hear Me Knockin'

Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine

5. Return of the Shred

If you've made it this far, you're pretty darn good! That, or you have absolutely NO LIFE outside of gaming!

Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name Of

Primus - John the Fisherman

Sword - Freya

Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation

Aerosmtih - Last Child

6. Relentless Riffs

These next two levels are for the very experienced, talented players. You're skills will definately be put to the test here!

Heart - Crazy on You

Stone Temple Pilots - Tripping on a Hole in a Paper Heart

Stray Cats - Rock This Town

Allman Brothers - Jessica

Jane's Addiction - Stop

7. Furious Fretwork

Anthrax - Madhouse

Living End - Carry Me Home

Lamb of God - Laid to Rest

Reverend Horton Heat - Psychobilly Freakout

Rush - YYZ

8. Face-Melters

"Face Melters", how awesome is that? You'll see as you get down to Hangar 18 by Megadeth. Great song, and equally hard to master!

Avenged Sevenfold - Beast and the Harlot

Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized

Dick Dale - Misirlou

Megadeth - Hangar 18

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird

Hopefully this Guitar Hero 2 song list has clued you in on what to expect from the upcoming levels of the game. If you're up to Furious Fretworks or even Face Melters, you are truely a Guitar hero legend! This Guitar Hero song list in not necessarily comprehensive, as there are songs that you can unlock! Hint, Hint!

How awesome are the Guitar Hero series of games? They're unreal...and also hard to find at a good price. At GameSystemBundles.com we offer a wide selection of game consoles and bundles for xBox 360, Nintendo Wii, PS3, PSP etc, all in stock and at rock bottom prices! We also have Guitar Hero Bundles in stock, and ready to go!

Free Online Games at GamingBooth

Gaming Booth is a great free online games arcade that offers over 5,000 games. My favorite game is Onslaught 2. Check out the site and see which game is your favorite.

The 5Ps and 5Ws of Blogging

Those of you who are in the marketing field will be very familiar with the 7Ps. For those who have no idea what Im babbling about, the 7Ps are the marketing mix, kind of like a roadmap marketers adhere to or code of conduct which they sworn by.

The 7 Ps - price, product, place, promotion, physical presence, provision of service, and processes comprise the modern marketing mix that is particularly relevant in service industry, but is also relevant to any form of business where meeting the needs of customers is given priority.

Going through the principles of 7Ps made me think of how I can modify and apply its good values to blogging. I began combining different management techniques and business theories and came up with the 5Ps and 5Ws of blogging.

1.Planning

As with all things we do, planning is a critical phase to ensure our task gets off to a right start, accomplished what it sets out to achieve, and reach its end goals within the set time frame. Blogging is no different, and there are only too many examples of failed blogs that started out without proper planning, eventually fizzling out when the novelty dies down.

In the planning phase, you got to ask yourself some hard questions and prepare to give brutal honest answers. Thats where the 5Ws come into the picture, Ill come to the 5Ws later.

2. Point

Does your blog have a specific point to make? A message you want to get across to your audience? If it doesnt, then whats the point of blogging? Got my point?

3. Passion

Im sure you would agree with me that blogging is much like journalism, except in a less controlled environment. Journalists are passionate writers, writing is after all, their livelihood. In order to write quality content on your blog, you need passion in writing too. If you dont have the passion for writing, why should anyone bother to read your posts? Your passion, or the lack thereof, will eventually shine through in your writings.

4. Perseverance

To set the record straight, blogging is hard work. It gets particularly difficult if you have to hold down a full-time job and has a family to take care of at the same time. I am speaking from real-life experience. Blogging is not only about writing, it is more dynamic than that. Unless your blog has a team of writers, you are basically the writer, the designer, the marketer and the PR manager of your blog. All these roles take time, passion and most of all, perseverance to execute, and we are not only talking about the first three months. Are you prepared to get your hands dirty for the long haul?

5. Preparations

Once you have established your 5Ws, the real work just got started. There are thousands and one things to prepare before you launch your blog. From naming your blog, registering the domain name, to the technicalities of web hosting sorted out, to the design of the blog, there are many critical factors to consider and important decisions need to be made. Once these tasks are taken care of, you can then focus your attention in researching and writing your content.

Earlier on, I touched on the 5Ws, questions you need honest answers before you even think of starting your blog. Here are the 5Ws:

1. Who?

Who will write the blog? Will you be the solo author or will there be a team of contributors? Who is your target audience? Determining your target audience will drive the content of your posts and the way you write them.

2. What?

What is your blog about? Is it going to be a personal blog, a niche blog about parenting, technologies or sports etc.? You have to focus on your topic in order to target the right audience.

3. When?

Blogging experts generally recommends a minimum of 2 3 times posting frequency per week. Depending on your level of commitment, decide on your posting frequency and fix it. It could be one post per day or posting once per week. Establishing a routine early on not only help you with better time management in researching your topics, but also create stickiness for your readers know when to expect new post will be published.

4. Where?

Where do you intend your blog to go? In other words, what is the goal of your blog? Set goals for your blog and plan how to get there. If your blog have no there to get to, it will likely go nowhere!

5. Why?

Why do you want to blog? If you cannot answer this question satisfactorily and convince yourself, you probably shouldnt even get started.

Article link: http://www.betshopboy.net/the-5ps-and-5ws-of-blogging/

I am blogging at http://www.betshopboy.net and I am inspired and committed to share blogging tips, useful web resource, and internet happenings.