I
started in the health insurance business in 1986, marketing directly to individuals
and small businesses all over the state of Georgia. Over the next 11
years I built an agency from the ground up that eventually produced over $10,000,000
in business per year. During that time I personally met one-on-one with
several thousand individuals and small business owners concerning their health
insurance needs.
In
2000 my wife Christie and I took a year off to travel around the world.
The entire trip is documented on our website, www.longsstrangetrip.com.
After 13 months, we finally left Bali and headed back to the “real”
world.
When
we returned from Bali, we moved to Fort Collins, Colorado to both go back
to school. Christie’s in veterinary school, and I recently completed
my master’s in Nutrition and Exercise Science. In January of 2004
HSAs first became available, and HSA for America
was born. In addition to running the company, I am the author of the
monthly newsletter Maximize Your HSA,
I have written for Agents Sales Journal, and I have been featured in American
Airlines Magazine, Pregnancy Magazine, the LA Times, and numerous other publications.
The
introduction of Health Savings Accounts has created a tremendous opportunity
for individuals and businesses to lower the cost of their health care, receive
a generous tax-break, and save money for future medical expenses. By
introducing market competition into the medical marketplace, HSAs will force
doctors and hospitals to begin posting their prices and actually competing
for their customers’ business. As anyone with a basic understanding
of economics can tell you, competition leads to lower prices and higher quality
for all.
Too
often government programs encourage dependence and discourage personal responsibility.
Health savings accounts reward people for saving for their future, and further
reward them for taking care of their health. The person that puts aside
money in their HSA and then doesn’t use it will be rewarded with tax
deductions and tax-deferred growth and a savings account that can be used
to pay medical expenses during retirement. I am a big believer that
individuals should take greater responsibility for their future, instead of
relying on the government “nanny” to take care of them.
I
believe that HSAs are the best thing to happen to healthcare in a long time.
They save people money, they encourage responsible behavior, and they force
the medical providers to compete for our business. I started HSA
for America to make it easy for people to learn about and
set up these plans. Our mission is to find our clients the best plans
that meet their needs, at the lowest premiums available, and to make the process
easy. By helping you save money and have peace of mind, we expect to
continue to earn your business for life.
