PRESIDENT OBAMA’S PATIENT PROTECTION & AFFORDABLE CARE ACT VOUCHERS

First of all please realize that under President Obama, America has gotten into the insurance business as an issuer of health insurance.

An Exchange (SHOP=SMALL BUSINESS HEALTH OPTIONS PROGRAM ACT-PPACA) is an organization that brings together buyers and sellers of health insurance benefits.  From a consumer stand point, it is a web based function intended to be a source of quickly accessed information while providing ease in purchasing. Each state has an opportunity to be a SHOP (with the help of federal government grant money FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES) before January 2014.

Free Choice Vouchers

An employer offering minimum essential coverage who pays any portion of the costs of such plan will provide free choice vouchers to each qualified employee.22 A qualified employee is defined as an employee whose required contribution to the employer plan is greater than 8% and less than 9.5% of the employee’s household income for the taxable year, whose household income is not greater than 400% of the FPL for the relevant family size, and who does not participate in the plan offered by the employer. Beginning after 2014, the 8% and 9.5% would be indexed by the rate of premium growth.

The amount of a voucher will be equal to the monthly portion of the cost of the employer plan that would have been paid by the employer if the employee were covered under the plan for which the employer pays the largest portion of plan costs, for either self or, if elected by the employee, family coverage.

An exchange will credit the amount of a voucher to the monthly premium of a qualified health plan in which the qualified employee is enrolled, and the employer will pay the exchange the credited amount. If the amount of the voucher exceeds the premium, the excess will be paid to the employee. A individual receiving a free choice voucher will not be eligible for the exchange premium credits or cost-sharing subsidies described later in this report.

No penalty will be imposed on an employer with respect to any employee who is provided with a voucher. 

Thanks for reading,

 A.W. Khabir

Registered Federal Lobbyist

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S PATIENT PROTECTION & AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (PPACA-PART TWO)

 

Health Care Reform: Year-by-Year Changes Impacting Employer Plans

2010 Beginning June 23, 2010, some of the benefits provided by employer sponsored retiree medical programs will be reinsured by the federal government. The new program will reimburse employer sponsored plans for some of the benefits provided to a retiree between the ages of 55 and 64. The employer sponsored plan will remain responsible for the first $15,000 of benefits. The government will reimburse the plan for 80% of the benefits in excess of $15,000 up to $90,000. The plan will have full responsibility for claims in excess of $90,000. This program is temporary and expires in 2014, when the Exchanges are scheduled to be up and running. The maximum cost is also capped at $5 Billion, so it could phase out sooner. The Medicare Part D prescription drug donut hole starts to decrease. In 2010, Part D beneficiaries will receive a $250 rebate to help reduce the coverage gap or “donut hole.” The donut hole will gradually shrink and will be eliminated by 2020. For tax years 2010 through 2013, a sliding scale tax credit of up to 35% of an employer’s contribution toward health care premiums will be available for qualified small employers (i.e., employers with less than 25 full-time equivalent employees with average annual wages of less than $50,000) that offer health coverage to their employees and contribute a certain amount toward the cost of coverage. After 2013, small employers who purchase coverage through the Exchange are eligible for a two-year tax credit.

2011 Effective for plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010 (January 1, 2011 for calendar year plans): Employer sponsored group health plans must offer coverage to children of covered employees until age 26. The child need not qualify as a tax dependent and can be married and still qualify for coverage. Group health plans in existence as of the date of enactment (March 23, 2010) are not required to provide coverage to any child who is eligible for coverage under another employer’s plan until 2014. Coverage provided to the adult child is not taxable to the employee. Employer sponsored plans may no longer impose lifetime limits on the amount of “essential health benefits” that will be reimbursed. Lifetime limits on specific covered benefits that are not considered “essential health benefits” are permitted. “Restricted” annual limits (to be determined by the Department of Health and Human Services) may be imposed on the amount that will be reimbursed by the plan for “essential health benefits” until 2014, at which point these annual limits are prohibited. Annual limits on specific covered benefits that are not considered “essential health benefits” are permitted. Preexisting condition exclusions are prohibited for children under the age of 19. Preexisting condition exclusions will be prohibited for all plan participants beginning in 2014. All employer sponsored plans that are adopted after March 23, 2010, are subject to rules designed to prohibit discrimination in favor of highly compensated individuals. These rules have historically applied only to self-insured plans. Employer sponsored group health plans that are adopted after March 23, 2010, must provide certain preventive care coverage without cost to covered employees (e.g., no copayment or co-insurance). Among other things, the preventive coverage must cover evidence-based services that have a rating of “A” or “B” from the United States Preventive Services Task Force, certain preventive care and screenings for women and children supported by the guidelines established by the Health Resources and Services Administration, and certain immunizations recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Employer sponsored group health plans that are adopted after March 23, 2010 must adopt an effective internal claims procedure and appeals process for coverage decisions. In addition, the Act requires group health plans to adopt an external review process that includes the consumer protection measures set forth in the Uniform External Review Model Act promulgated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or, with respect to self-funded plans, meets requirements issued by the Department of Health and Human Services. Notice of the appeals processes and the availability of any state health insurance ombudsperson to assist claimants must be provided to employees in a “culturally and linguistically” appropriate manner. Employees who appeal a coverage decision must receive continued coverage pending the outcome of the appeal. Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, the costs of over-the-counter medications are no longer eligible for reimbursement under a health Flexible Spending Account, a Health Savings Account or a Health Reimbursement Arrangement unless the medications are acquired with a prescription. A 20% penalty (rather than the 10% penalty prescribed by current law) applies to withdrawals from HSAs for reasons other than the payment of qualified medical expenses. On the 2011 Form W‑2, employers will be required to disclose the value of employer sponsored medical coverage. The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (the “CLASS Act”) creates a voluntary long-term care insurance choice that enables individuals to finance long-term services and care in the event of a disability. Employees pay premiums through payroll deductions to buy coverage. Employees must pay into the program for five years before qualifying for benefits. Participating employers must automatically enroll employees, unless the employee elects to opt out.

2012 Insurers and plan administrators must provide a summary of coverage under an employer sponsored plan in addition to the summary plan description. This new summary cannot exceed four pages in length and must satisfy uniform standards to be developed by the Department of Health and Human Services. The Department must develop the standards by March 23, 2011 and the summary must be distributed by March 23, 2012. The summary then must be provided upon initial and annual enrollments.

2013 Effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2013, employers providing retiree medical prescription drug coverage will no longer be able to deduct the Medicare Part D drug subsidies paid to employers. The HI portion of the FICA tax will increase to 2.35% (from its current 1.45%) on wages in excess of $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for married individuals filing a joint return. The increased rate applies only to the employee-paid portion of the tax. A 3.8% Medicare contribution tax will be imposed on individuals and families on the lesser of (i) modified adjusted gross income in excess of the relevant threshold amount, or (ii) “net investment income” derived from interest, dividends, annuities, royalties, rents, gross income from a trade or business, and net gains from the disposition of property less the deductions allocable to such income. Net investment income does not include distributions from qualified pension, profit sharing and 401(k) plans. The threshold amount is $200,000 in the case of individuals and $250,000 in the case of families. Pre-tax salary reduction contributions to a health FSA are capped at $2,500. The 7.5% floor for the itemized deduction of medical expenses will increase to 10%. A new 2.3% excise tax will be imposed on medical device manufacturers, subject to certain exceptions.

2014 Employer sponsored plans will be required to offer a minimum set of benefits prescribed by HHS in order to be considered to be “qualified.” A qualified health plan means a health plan that meets certain certification criteria and provides the essential health benefits package. The essential health benefits package must provide for “essential health benefits” (to be defined by the Secretary), limit cost-sharing for such coverage, and cover at least 60% of the actuarial value of the covered benefits. As described below, employers with more than 50 employees that do not offer qualified coverage and have one or more employees that receive a premium assistance tax credit to buy coverage through an exchange must pay a penalty. All lifetime and annual caps on benefits that are considered “essential health benefits” will be prohibited. Limits are permitted on benefits that are not considered “essential health benefits” to the extent the limits are permitted under federal or state law. Preexisting condition exclusions will be banned for all participants, not just children. Wellness programs will be liberalized. Federal law currently limits the financial incentives that may be offered to employees for participation in wellness programs to 20% of the employee’s plan costs such as employee paid premiums provided certain requirements are met. This limit will be increased to 30% and may be increased to as much as 50%. Employers that offer qualifying coverage and that have more than 200 full-time equivalent employees (“FTEs”) will be required to automatically enroll full time employees in the health plan. Employees must be provided with adequate notice and have an opportunity to opt out of coverage. Employers also will be required to provide employees with certain information regarding the employer’s plans and the Exchanges. New reporting requirements will become applicable, including information regarding whether an employer offers minimum essential coverage to its full-time employees under its group health plan, the length of any applicable waiting period, the monthly premium for the lowest cost health plan option available and the employer contribution, the number of full-time employees, and the identities of full-time employees covered under the plan. Employer sponsored group health plans cannot impose a waiting period that exceeds 90 days. An employer with at least 50 FTEs that fails to offer a qualifying plan will be subject to a penalty equal to $2,000 times the number of FTEs if even one of the employer’s FTEs qualifies for and receives subsidized coverage through an Exchange. The penalty is not assessed with respect to the first 30 FTEs. No penalty is due with respect to employees who have not satisfied a permissible waiting period (not to exceed 90 days). A penalty also may be assessed against an employer, even if it offers qualifying coverage, if at least one of the employer’s full time employees receives subsidized health coverage under the new Exchange rules. If an employer wants to avoid this penalty, it will need to “compete” with the plans offered through the Exchanges. The penalty will equal the lesser of (a) $3,000 for each FTE who receives subsidized Exchange based coverage or (b) $2,000 times the number of FTEs. Again, no penalty is due for the first 30 FTEs and no penalty is due for employees who have not yet satisfied the waiting period. An employer that offers qualifying coverage also will be required to provide certain lower income employees with “free choice vouchers.” The free choice voucher program allows certain employees to choose between coverage under the employer’s plan or coverage under an Exchange based plan. The vouchers are tax free to the employee. Vouchers are only available if the cost of the employee’s share of the premium under the employer’s plan is between 8% and 9.5% of the employee’s household income and the employee’s household income does not exceed 400% of the federal poverty level ($88,200 based on the 2010, $22,050 poverty level for a family of four). The voucher will be used by the employee to help pay for the Exchange based health plan. The amount of the voucher will equal the highest amount paid by the employer under any of its health plan options. The voucher will be adjusted for age in accordance with regulations to be issued. The amount of the voucher will be based on employee-only coverage or family coverage depending on the type of coverage selected by the employee. If the amount of the voucher exceeds the actual cost of the Exchange based plan, the employee is allowed to keep the difference. The excess is taxable. 2014 marks the beginning of the new mandated coverage rules for individuals. All individuals, with few exceptions, will be required to acquire “minimum essential coverage.” Failure to do so will result in a penalty equal to the greater of a flat dollar amount or a percentage of income. The flat dollar amount starts at $95 in 2014. It grows to $325 in 2015 and then increases to $695 in 2016. This amount is then indexed. The income percentage is 1% in 2014, 2% in 2015 and 2.5% in 2016 and later years. The penalty is reduced by 50% for those under age 18. No penalty will be paid by those whose income is less than the income tax filing minimum. Subsidies will be available for those whose income is less than 400% of the federal poverty level. If an otherwise eligible individual is eligible for coverage under an employer sponsored plan, the subsidies are only available if the employee opts to receive coverage under an Exchange based plan and the employee’s share of the cost under the employer sponsored plan exceeds 9.5% of the employee’s household income. The new Health Care Exchanges are scheduled to become operative in 2014. Access to Exchanges is limited to U.S. citizens and legal immigrants. Employers with up to 100 employees will be able to purchase coverage through an Exchange. Exchange based programs will be required to offer benefits that meet a minimum set of standards and the insurers will be required to offer four levels of coverage that vary based on premiums, out-of-pocket costs, and benefits beyond the minimum required. A catastrophic coverage plan also may be made available for those under age 30. Premium subsidies will be provided to families with incomes between 133-400% of the poverty level to help them purchase insurance through the Exchanges. The subsidies will be offered on a sliding scale basis and will limit the cost of the premium to between 2% of income for those up to 133% of the poverty level and 9.5 % of income for those between 300-400% of the poverty level. Coverage will be available through the Exchanges for individuals up to age 65. A number of insurance market reforms also will be effective in 2014. Insurers operating in the individual and small group markets will be required to offer coverage through the Exchanges. The Exchange based policies may not impose preexisting condition exclusions or lifetime or annual caps on benefit levels. The coverage will be guaranteed issue and renewable. No health status underwriting will be permitted. Beginning in 2014, Medicaid will be expanded to otherwise eligible individuals under the age of 65 whose income does not exceed 133% of the poverty line.

2018 A new nondeductible excise tax of 40% will be imposed on health insurance companies and employers that offer plans whose annual premiums exceed $10,200 for individual coverage and $27,500 for family coverage. The 40% tax will be imposed on the value of the plan that exceeds the above mentioned thresholds and will be paid by the employer (for a self-funded plan) or by an insurance company (for an insured plan). The threshold amounts will be indexed for inflation.

Thanks for reading,

A.W. Khabir

Registered Federal Lobbyist

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S PATIENT PROTECTION & AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (PPACA-PART ONE)

The PPACA (PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT)is good for fulltime working consumers, small and some medium sized businesses, but bad for large firms.

The PPACA doesn’t really address the needs of the unemployed or the poor unemployed (such as the homeless). So will the (U.S.A)federal government’s new insurance company, American Health Benefit Ecxchanges provide vouchers for health insurance to the unemployed and the poor unemployed.

In case you readers don’t know about Free Choice Vouchers, here’s what they are and are not.

An employer offering minimum essential coverage who pays any portion of the costs of such plan will provide free choice vouchers to each qualified employee. A qualified employee is defined as an employee whose required contribution to the employer plan is greater than 8% and less than 9.5% of the employee’s household income for the taxable year, whose household income is not greater than 400% of the FPL for the relevant family size, and who does not participate in the plan offered by the employer. Beginning after 2014, the 8% and 9.5% would be indexed by the rate of premium growth.

The amount of a voucher will be equal to the monthly portion of the cost of the employer plan that would have been paid by the employer if the employee were covered under the plan for which the employer pays the largest portion of plan costs, for either self or, if elected by the employee, family coverage.

An exchange will credit the amount of a voucher to the monthly premium of a qualified health plan in which the qualified employee is enrolled, and the employer will pay the exchange the credited amount. If the amount of the voucher exceeds the premium, the excess will be paid to the employee. A individual receiving a free choice voucher will not be eligible for the exchange premium credits or cost-sharing subsidies described later in this report.

No penalty will be imposed on an employer with respect to any employee who is provided with a voucher.

By the way, are you readers familar with SHOP?

It’s an Exchange (SHOP=SMALL BUSINESS HEALTH OPTIONS PROGRAM ACT-PPACA) is an organization that brings together buyers and sellers of health insurance benefits. From a consumer stand point, it is a web based function intended to be a source of quickly accessed information while providing ease in purchasing.

Each state has an opportunity to be a SHOP (with the help of federal government grant money FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES) before January 2014.

So there are some good and bad about the PPACA.

If you’re a Republican and pro-business, you’re probably against the PPACA.

Now if you’re a Democrat, the PPACA is good from a humanitarian stand point.

But there are penalities associated with the PPACA that affect employers, also affect the unemployed and the poor unemployed.

NOW LETS DISCUSS THE FULL DETAILS OF THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (AND AS YOU READ KEEP IN MIND WHY PRO-BUSINESS REPUBLICANS WANT TO REPEAL/KILL THIS PPACA EXECUTIVE ORDER).

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the historic Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “Act”). Together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, which was signed into law on March 30, 2010, the Act will reshape the United States health care system.

A few significant changes will become effective immediately or over the course of the next few months. For example, for plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010, employer sponsored plans may no longer impose lifetime benefit caps (restricted annual caps are allowed). Pre-existing condition exclusions for children up to age 18 also are prohibited.

Many of the more significant changes will not become effective until 2014. For example, in 2014 all pre-existing condition exclusions will be banned (including those for adults) and all annual caps on benefits will be prohibited. In addition, in 2014 the new health insurance “Exchange” rules come into play as do the new “pay or play” rules applicable to employers and their group health plans.

Despite the delayed effective dates that apply to many of the more significant changes, employers that sponsor group health plans should make an effort now to understand the new health plan world in which they will be operating; a world of mandated benefits, “pay or play” concepts, Exchange-based competition and a potentially different health insurer marketplace.

Benefit Mandates. Historically, benefit mandates have been the province of the states. However, even state mandates meant little, since federal law precluded states from applying those mandates to self-insured plans. With the health care reform legislation, the federal government has become a key player in the world of benefit mandates, with new rules that ban lifetime or annual benefit caps and pre-existing condition exclusions and require preventive care and a basic menu of “minimal essential coverage.” Employers that sponsor health plans must become familiar with these new rules.

“Pay or Play” Rules. Employers also will want to brace for the new “pay or play” rules. Under these new rules, an employer that fails to offer a plan with qualifying benefits will be assessed a penalty if it has more than 50 full-time equivalent employees. Even if the employer offers a plan with qualifying benefits, if eligible employees opt out of coverage, a different but similar set of penalties will come into play.

New Competition. Employers that intend to continue their health plans also will want to prepare for competition with a new competitor in the health insurance field — benefit programs available to their employees pursuant to the new state run health care Exchanges. Beginning in 2014, an employee earning less than four times the federal poverty level ($88,200 based on the 2010, $22,050 poverty level for a family of four) will, in certain circumstances, be allowed to opt out of his or her employer’s plan and, instead, receive a voucher from the employer to help finance the cost of heath coverage under a state run Exchange-based program. The opt out election will only be available if the cost of the employee’s coverage under the employer’s plan is at least 8% and less than 9.5% of the employee’s household income. To avoid the “flight of the healthy” to these Exchange-based plans, employers may decide to cap an employee’s share of the premiums at 7.9% of household income.

Changes in the Market Place. Changes in the health insurance market place also may have a significant, albeit indirect, impact on employers that sponsor health care plans. Under these new rules, 85% of the premium dollars paid to health insurance companies must be used to pay claims. In other words, the health insurance company will have a 15% margin that can be used to cover the costs of doing business, paying their employees and rewarding their shareholders. Tighter limits are also imposed on an insurer’s tax deductions for compensation expenses. Will these new rules cause some health insurers to cut staffing levels, leading to poor or non-existent service? Will your health insurer or stop loss carrier exit the market? Will you be able to secure a stop loss policy with an unlimited lifetime benefit?

Employers that sponsor health plans should study and carefully consider these and all of the other impending changes. They also should consider the changes that are on the horizon as they design, implement or modify existing health insurance programs. However, employers should be careful not to overreact at this time. In addition, precise planning at this stage may be premature. These new rules (especially the rules with delayed effective dates) will likely develop over time as the federal and state governments issue additional guidance.

In order to help our clients and friends understand the impending changes and when they will become applicable, the table below summarizes the key features of the health care reform legislation, organized by the year in which each change becomes effective. The table approaches health care reform from the perspective of the employer that sponsors a health insurance program and, as a result, does not address many of the significant changes that have a less direct impact on employers, such as the changes in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Thanks for reading and see part two,

A.W. Khabir

Registered Federal Lobbyist

PROBLEMS @ THE EEOC

The following is an old post indicating problems at

the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission). If you or someone you know has filed a complaint with th EEOC and your complaint is dragging on through

the EEOC red tape, here’s why, not to mention other

reasons. Read the below:

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF EEOC L0CALS No 216, AFGE, AFL-CIO

Office of the President

c/o Denver District Office, EEOC

303 East 17^{th Avenue, Suite 510, Denver, Colorado 80203}

Tele: (303) 866-1337 Fax: (303) 866-1900

PRESS RELEASE

May 2, 2007

Rachel Shonfield

(305) 496-7939

(303) 725-9079FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Gabrielle Martin

EEOC SENATE OVERSIGHT HEARING 5/3/07

 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is being summoned for a Senate Subcommittee oversight hearing on May 3, 2007. This will be the first hearing since EEOC was rebuked in a 2007 Committee report for unilaterally downsizing a dozen offices without approval, “The EEOC’s decision to move forward with its repositioning plan despite congressional concern with the plan calls into question the judgment of leadership at the EEOC.” The offices that were downsized, many in cities with high minority populations, included the EEOCs Baltimore office, which falls under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee Chair Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD).

Senator Mikulski has also been a critic of the EEOCs pilot call center, which outsources calls from the public to contract operators, who rely on scripts to answer questions. The 2007 Senate budget report, citing a negative evaluation by the Inspector General, recommended discontinuing the failing call center, which costs $2.5 million annually.

According to Gabrielle Martin, President of the National Council of EEOC Locals, No. 216, which represents EEOCs employees, “Senator Mikulski is a civil rights champion, who knows whats wrong with the EEOC and how to fix it. The EEOCs administration has lost sight of its priorities, making strong oversight a must. Instead of wasting precious budget dollars on more bureaucracy, like the call center or restructuring, EEOC needs to address a frontline staffing crisis, which is harming customer service. “

Based on the administrations 2008 budget request, EEOC faces its fourth year of level funding. Staffing is down at the EEOC from 2,924 to 2,250, since a hiring freeze began in 2001, i.e., a 23% slashing of the workforce. At a recent briefing, EEOC Chair Naomi Earp informed stakeholders that EEOC will face a backlog of over 100,000 cases by 2010, assuming no new resources are forthcoming.

“We are hoping that the oversight panel asks Chair Earp some tough questions about whether she has a plan to reduce the backlog and why the EEOC should not end the contract with the call center, when the agencys own staff can do a better job of answering the publics calls and for a fraction of the price,” states Martin.

EEOCs oversight hearing will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday May 3, 2007, Dirksen Senate Office Building 192, before the Commerce, Justice and State Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

LAWS OF ATTRACTION-WATCH WHAT YOU THINK & SAY

The Following Scriptures Deal With The Laws of Attraction(things you desire knowingly or unknowingly).

Matt. 14:13-14 “Whatsoever you ask in my name that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the son. If you ask anything in My name I will do it.”

Mark 11:24

“Therefore I say unto you, What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

LAWS OF ATTRACTION

It is a universal force that attracts to you whatever you focus your attention on most of the time. This drawing power allows you to manifest your thoughts and emotions into reality. It has been existent since the beginning of creation. The greatest people who have ever lived practiced this universal law of “God.” The most successful people in the world today are practicing it.

With the law of attraction, you have the power to attain anything. The bible says “Whatsoever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive and so shall ye have it.” Want to know how to have great self confidence? Focus, believe, think, and feel that you have amazing self-confidence and you will manifest that.

This applies to almost every possible endeavor that you intend to accomplish.

This law of attraction is one of the most popular of the universal laws. The very theory behind the law of attraction is that we create our own realities. We do not realize how much we attract the things we want and the things we don’t want.

We attract the people into our lives, we attract the things we have in our homes, and the money in our bank accounts through our thoughts and feelings.

When we limit our beliefs, we attract limited wealth and we compromise our well-being. When we believe that we can do all things through
“Christ,” anything is possible, the sky’s the limit. When we focus on the “lack of” we are creating a less-than reality.

But, if we focus on being abundant and happy we will enjoy a luxurious and glorious reality.

“God’s” law of attraction states: I attract to myself, whatever I give my focus, attention, or energy to; whether wanted or unwanted. If you think about being broke, poor, lonely and believe your thoughts guess what? That is exactly what you’ll be. This Law applies to your life and every other person’s life on earth. Like all laws, it is impartial and impersonal, which means it works when you want it to and when you don’t want it to.

The theory behind the law of attraction is very simple, putting it into practice on a conscious level takes work. Negative and limiting belief systems are buried deep inside us and our environments along with the negativity of others reinforce these negatives and limits.

Ridding yourself of ideas and old habits that defeat you at every turn can be done. Get ready for the challenge of change.

Consider these three steps to attracting all your desires.

1. Ask – Know exactly what you want. I mean, really know what you want. The universe can’t deliver without first knowing what it is that you want to have manifested into your life.
2. Believe – You must truly believe that what you are asking for will become yours. Doubts need to be pushed away. The idea that failure is a possibility will mess up the your opportunity to receive what you believe.
3. Receive – Become a full time active player in reaching your goals. When opportunity comes your way, seize it without hesitation.

Everything comes to us through the most elemental law of physics – meaning Like Attracts Like!

This like attracts like is nothing more than the Law of Attraction. It is absolute and has nothing to do with your personality, your religious beliefs, being a “good” or a “bad” person or anything else. Absolutely no one lives beyond this Law. This law of attraction is an unquestionable law of the universe.

STEP ONE

MANIFEST YOUR DESIRE

If You Don’t Have One, Shame On You.

If your goal is to attract your burning desire into your life then you must be perfectly clear on what your desire is.

 “God’s” law of Attraction is the reason for everything that is occurring, has occurred, and will occur in our lives. Perhaps you may occasion ally feel like you’re living a life that is not what you’d like it to be, well this is because of your thoughts.  Do you really believe in yourself and your right to live the life of your dreams? If you’re not living that life the answer is no you don’t believe.

If you have you ever met a person who is living the life of their dreams? It may have been a high school kid going straight to the pros, or a man no one initially thought would ever become President of the United States. You knew immediately when you meet them because they radiate joy, they’re an absolute pleasure to be around. Can you see the answer here?  They’re living their “true vision for their life”. They are in vibrational resonance with what they are attracting. What they are putting out is what they are getting in return.  Why would anyone not choose to live their life like this?

Once you start living your true vision for your life, you’ll be floating on a cloud of bliss. You will attract from the Universe all you need effortlessly. Your positive emotions are the key ingredient in this recipe for life.

When you start listening to your heart and focusing on how you are feeling emotionally, you will be allowing the Law of Attraction to do its thing. If you find yourself in a situation where you’re experiencing anxiety, anger, or stress you are not supposed to be doing it – stop!  Are there times when we need to do something we don’t want to do? Of course. That we aren’t talking about that, what we are talking about here is asking you to focus on identifying your “true vision for your life.” It may not come to you in an instant but I promise you if you make the effort, it will become apparent to you.

This may sound easier said than done. How do I determine what I am passionate about and what my true vision for my life is?  Well first of all you really do know but you’ve probably suppressed it.  When you’re sitting alone daydreaming, what do you daydream about?  What is it you see yourself doing?  What do you do in your spare time?  What are you doing when time just seems to fly by?  Keep a journal and record these ideas and thoughts.

Do not pay any attention to thoughts that tell you you’re being impractical.  Don’t listen to “helpful” friends and family who tell you “you can’t do that”.  Not only can you do it, it’s exactly what the Universe is telling you you’re supposed to be doing.

I am not recommending you quit your job and go on a spiritual journey; though many have and are living the life of their dreams.  When you discover your desires, your passion, your true vision begin to take action and move toward it and never look back.

 STEP TWO

HOW TO WRITE AN AFFIRMATION

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Luke 11:9

 

But who do you ask and how do you ask? Well, who is the Universe, God, The First Cause and how is the easy part. Everything you have achieved so far in your life – whether good or bad, is a result of asking for it. I know that’s really hard to accept but it’s true. How often have you worried about something like – boy, I sure hope I don’t get a flat tire on my way to my interview this morning or whether it will rain for Saturdays picnic. And then, guess what happens – the things you were focusing on not having happen, happen. It happens to people all the time. We attract what we think about and focus on. I know if you will think about things that have happened in your life, you will remember giving those things attention before they happened. Again, both good and bad.

Ok, so how do you focus your attention on what you desire? Affirmations! An affirmation is defined as – Something declared to be true; a positive statement or judgment. Well, there you go. But how do I use affirmations to get what I want? Let’s first discuss how to construct a powerful affirmation.

1) They need to be stated in the present tense.

I have a beautiful new BMW is more powerful than I will have a beautiful new BMW. Will indicates future and you will always be in a state of waiting for it to happen.

2) They need to be stated in positive terms.

I’m no longer broke won’t cut it. I have an unlimited income stream, that’s powerful!

3) They need to be short and specific.

The subconscious mind as powerful as it is, cannot understand long statements. It is more easily influenced by short, positively worded specific statements.

Now that you’ve constructed a powerful positive affirmation, here’s how to make it part of you.

1) Repetition

The best times of the day to repeat your affirmation are in the morning when you awaken before you get out of bed and as you are lying in bed at night just before you go to sleep. Additionally, put it up on your bathroom mirror, in your car on the visor, and in your office. The more you see it the more quickly it will manifest.

2) Emotions

Have fun, imagine you’re an actor reciting your lines, and repeat it with emotions as though you have achieved what you desire. I AM FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT, wow that felt good!

3) Belief

Here’s the tough one. When you’re not there yet it’s tough to believe it. So, here is what you do. Feel what it will be like when achieving your desire. I mean really get into it. Imagine what it will be like. Live it right now in your mind. Go the places you’ll go, see the things you’ll see. Make your vision so real that your subconscious mind will know that you are already in possession of your desire.

Your subconscious mind is about 90% of your total minds power. Your conscious mind that you use in your daily life is only 10%. Your subconscious mind will accept anything you submit to it without question and will begin to manifest your desires into your life where you can experience them fully.

What You Should Know About
Using Affirmations Correctly

“I am, therefore I exist,” is a phrase affirming one’s actuality as a person. It may be a simple phrase, but it says everything about the individual affirming it. It indicates a confidence not commonly found in others.

But why do people need affirmations? Why do beings need to be affirmed? Is being relative to one’s affirmations?

Affirmations are a very powerful technique to empower one’s subconscious. Once the subconscious is programmed to believe one’s affirmation, the new belief is converted into positive action for the conscious mind. Through affirmations, beings are empowered to do, to work, and to strive for more things. Affirmations allow people to believe in themselves and to put their thoughts into action.

Affirmations are a combination of verbal and visual techniques used by a person to succeed in a preferred state of mind. Strong affirmations can be very powerful, and can be used by almost anyone to accomplish his goals and fulfill his desires. However, the power of an affirmation depends on how strong or weak the affirmation is.

An affirmation is merely a statement made by a person, about something or about a state of being. A person can affirm things that he chooses to attain, like “I now have a good life.” Being healthy in mind, body, and spirit is also possible through affirmation.

A strong affirmation should be stated in the present tense to be most effective. An affirmation stating “I am now a happy being” is more powerful than an affirmation saying, “I am going to become a happy being.” Affirmations should always be in positive terms because they are supposed to work for you and not against you. Instead of saying, “I am not sad,” create an affirmation saying, “I am happy.”

An affirmation should be made up of simple but concise words, and it should be short to be most effective. A very long affirmation can work to confuse the mind, instead of creating a positive mindset. A short affirmation can be easily spoken and repeated by a person. It can serve as a mantra that can be repeated over and over again.

To be effective, an affirmation must be repeated often. Repetition works and influences the subconscious, which in turn motivates the person into acting out his affirmation. A person who creates the affirmation should be deeply involved with the words s/he will be using, so s/he will be able to manifest their affirmation. Writing words that one believes in can be very powerful, and this can be put to good use when creating an affirmation.

However, creating an affirmation alone and repeating it a million times will not make the affirmation a state of mind. The important thing is to live one’s affirmation and to be open-minded enough to do the things that would help the affirmation become a reality. Feeling the affirmation and applying it in one’s life will help in making the affirmation a reality.

While affirmations are as a rule used to make an individual better, they can also be used to lift or recognize another person’s value. By affirming another person’s existence, you are helping them improve their self-worth.

Affirmations are a very simple thing that can make a very big difference in a person’s life. They can be great motivators and can make things happen for the better in your life.

STEP THREE

BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

When You Envision Your Desire, You Bring It Into Reality In Your Mind And Then Into Your Life.

Have you ever been driving down the highway and begun to daydream? As you envision your destination, where you’re staying, what you’ll be doing, you realize you’ve driven the last 10 miles and don’t remember it. Maybe you’ve been standing in the shower and all of a sudden you receive a solution to a problem that’s plagued you for days. When you are performing a task that is so automatic that you are mentally disengaged from what you’re doing you are probably experiencing the Theta Brainwave State. The brainwork that can take place during the Theta State is often free flowing and occurs without censorship or guilt. It is typically a very positive mental state.

The Theta Brainwave State occurs between 4Hz – 8Hz and is characterized by deep relaxation, meditation and vivid imagery. Theta is also the state at which communication with the subconscious mind is most insightful.

So why am I telling you this? What does this have to do with envisioning your desire? Everything!

You see if your conscious mind is in the way, telling you you’re full of bologna when you repeat your affirmations, they’re probably not going to have much effect. I wish it was different but… it isn’t.

The Theta Brainwave State occurs naturally upon going to sleep at night and again when awakening in the morning. As you drift off to sleep you move from Beta to Alpha to Theta to Delta and when you awaken you go through the same sequence in reverse. This is a natural time to repeat your affirmations because they will be most effective.

If you practice meditation (if you don’t you should) repeating your affirmation while meditating will also be a most effective time.

As I stated earlier, you must be in a state where you’re communicating directly with the subconscious.

For those of you that want to speed things along, there are audio programs that you listen to with headphones called binaural recordings that will move you from Beta Brainwave to Alpha to Theta. These recordings can also contain subliminal recording of your affirmations so you can sit and relax and do work in months that might take years without the recordings.

While repeating your affirmations you must also envision what your life will be like when you have achieved your desire. This also is much easier in the Theta Brainwave state as you can more easily achieve vivid imagery in this state. Literally try to visualize yourself doing the things you desire, having the things you desire, and living the life you desire.

Until you have reprogrammed your mind to believe that you can have your desire through envisioning it in Theta, it will remain only a dream. And this is where that reprogramming happens.

STEP FOUR

TAKING POSITIVE ACTION

When You Get An Idea, Take Action On It. The Universe Is Guiding You Toward Your Desire.

Without action, nothing happens.

From your affirming and envisioning will come ideas and inspirations. Act upon these when they occur.

Have you noticed that when you bought that blue Batwing 5000 sedan that hundreds of others had also bought the same sedan? Once you have brought something into your consciousness, you begin to focus on that thought, idea, or thing. From that focusing will come a flow of ideas and inspirations that are coming to you from the Universe. This is where action comes in. If these ideas pass the feel good test then I would strongly encourage you to take action upon them. You will get ideas that just don’t seem right. When you get these ideas evaluate them, just because you might not feel comfortable acting upon them does not mean they will not get you closer to your desire.

This website was an idea that came to me. I am so excited about this information I’ve been studying and learning that I wanted to share it with others.

If for example your desire is to Cruise on the Rivers of Europe then find out who offers these cruises. Call them and get a brochure. Read your brochure often and carefully, select your cabin, decide on what excursions you will take along the way. Read about the cities you’ll visit get to know their history and what you will shop for. Get excited about your upcoming cruise because you will have it. This will impress upon your subconscious mind that you are serious about your desire.

Newton’s Third Law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This relates to the Law of Cause and Effect which is referred to in some cultures as Karma. I bring this up because it also applies here. When you take action the Law of Cause and Effect goes into action to get the effect you desire. Nothing happens by coincidence.

It is important to understand that just daydreaming about your desire will not bring it to manifestation. You must act upon the ideas you get, that action will bring you ultimately to your desire.

 STEP FIVE

GRATITUDE

“The gratitude of most men is but a secret desire of receiving greater benefits.”

François, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)

 

One of the great benefits of the Law of Attraction is that you get more of what you show gratitude for. Whether you are grateful for the big things or small doesn’t matter. What does matter is being grateful.

Each day we’re given so many opportunities to be grateful. Our morning meal, the beautiful view on the way to work, a kiss from our children and spouse, a good friend, help from a co-worker. When was the last time you took a moment to appreciate all of the blessings in your life? Because when you show gratitude for these things you will attract more of the same.

These feelings of gratitude bring many positive emotions into your life. These positive emotions give you a more positive attitude. This positive attitude will continue to attract more positive experiences into your life.

Here are some Practical Steps to Practicing Gratitude

(1) Start a gratitude journal. Write as many things down from you day as you can recall. What works for most people is to say “thank you” for everything they encounter each day, for example a sunrise/sunset, frost on the trees (especially when the sun is shining), food, shelter, warm homes and offices, clothing, colleagues, work/jobs.

(2) Do a gratitude alphabet exercise. In your gratitude journal, write the letters from A – Z. As fast as you can, write down I am grateful for ????? starting with the letter A and going through the alphabet. For example: I am grateful for apples, I am grateful for bananas, I am grateful for carrots, and so on until you finish all the letters.

(3) Practice an “Act of Kindness” everyday.

(4) Look for ways you can genuinely praise your partner, your child, your colleague, your employees, the person who serves you – waitress, mail carrier, paper delivery person, police officers.

(5) Thank the Universe (GOD) for sustaining your life by providing food, air, and water.

NON-PROFIT FUNDRAISING

 

Almost any non-profit can get assistance with fundraising through refferals to educational seminars, consultants and materials.

Keep in mind that even raising funds is competitive and all non-profits are competiting for dollars. Many non-profits are not going to share information with you, so you must do your own research. We strongly advise that you don’t share much information on your non-profit and how your non-profit plans to address a social ill. Your non-profit’s idea may be so good that another non-profit with greater funding than your non-profit, just might beat you to implementing the idea. So don’t let the left hand know what the right hand is doing.

And last but not least, “learn to fundraise thinking outside the traditional fundraising box. ” ; your fundraising organization could create a C-corporation, sell stock to investors, then with the investors permission tie a portion of their investment to the non-profit and then give the investors, now donors, a tax write-off receipt for the portion of their investment that went to the non-profit. Now you have both an investor and a donor. Additionally you also increase your non-profit’s donor bank and you can re-load these donors annually. This is advantageous to the investors now turned donors, because all investors need tax write-offs, so they can keep more of their capital gains.

For example

We know this works because we are using it successfully and thats because we are former stock brokers & investment underwriters, turned lobbyists, C-corporation, S-corporation, LLC, LP, non-profit organization creators and fundraisers. 

 

For more information on how to do this feel free to email us at: lobbyistsofficesofgrw@yahoo.com. Make sure to give us a officer contact name, non-profit phone number, non-profit email address and breifly tell us about your non-profit and how much your organization is seeking to raise and how the funds will be used.

Also as your non-profit raises funds, make sure your non-profit keeps cost down, straying away from large salaries and large expenditures. And by all means do invest a portion of your non-profits fundraising dollars into safe, sound and secure investments such as GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS (G.O. BONDS) that are issued by the federal government and gaurantee the return of your principal plus interest. In using these types of investment strategies for your non-proft, your non-profit’s organization increases its net worth. 

 

We also advise that your non-profit organization do not rely soley upon the tradition fundraising dollar ideas below. Although they do work, but it is also time consuming when it comes to getting the funds and another problem is when the funding dries up, esp. funds from writing grants, if your organization has relied heavily upon such traditional fundraising methoding, your non-profit organization will suffer and perhaps go out of business.

Fundraising Refferals 

 

There are directories on fundraising consultants who specialize in all aspects of fundraising activities, such as planned givingm direct mail, special events, annual campaigns, capital campaigns, proposal writing and feasibility studies. Ther are also other sources, so please surf the web.

Fundraising Seminars 

 

You can also surf the web for specialized and general fundraising seminars. There are educational organizations that provide fundraising workshops for organiztions that provide services to various types of groups such as minorities, women, children and youth.

Fundraising Materials 

 

There are fundraising materials that will help you develop and implement fundraising strategies specific to your organization’s needs. Surf the web.

Developing An Overall Fundraising Strategy 

 

When a non-profit organization develops a fundraising strategy, the non profit organization needs to gather and analyze information about itself as well as the environment in which it operates. This also includes, but is not limited to the following:

1) The non-profits fundraising trends as well as the benchmarks for the service in its field.

2) Non-profit involvement and the skill of the board/volunteers for the fundraising.

3) Non-profit fundraising as well as the non-profit economic trends.

4) Historic as well as the trend analysis for the types of fundraising goals.

5) The non-proft skill and availability of time of the executive director and the non-profits development staff.

6) The non-profits image, name recognition of the non-profit and the reputation of the non-profit.