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And their Wacky Tobacky! Via email this morning from Mutual of Omaha : " MutualCare Solutions underwriting guidelines for marijuana use has changed.  Effective 10/1/18 we will consider occasional recreational use ." So I must admit, when I first read this, I thought " what the ... college kids aren't buying Long Term Care insurance! " And then it hit me: it's not Joe College, it's Ned and Nancy Boomer, taking tokes at Bridge Club. Wow.

This past summer, I had my annual physical. Okay, to be more accurate, I had a physical for the first time in  [too many] years. As a result of which, we've transitioned to a low-carb diet, and I've joined The Cult of the FitBit �. It's not so bad, really, and I've noticed that I feel better (although I don't seem to have instantly shed substantial poundage). I bring this up because, as we noted last week, insurance companies are really pushing widgets like mine: " John Hancock, one of the oldest and largest North American life insurers, will stop underwriting traditional life insurance and instead sell only interactive policies that track fitness and health data through wearable devices ." But that's on the life insurance side. Today's email brings us this news from United Healthcare and the health insurance side: " Help clients get fit for less: Savings on Samsung wearable devices ." That is, UHC policyholders are now eligible for some...

Andrew Sprung hosts this month's collection of health care wonkery, including an interesting post on reinsurance and a podcast about Big Pharma and cost controls. Truly a smorgasbord of informative content.

LIAM, of course, referring to Life Insurance Awareness Month (which is still with us for the next few days). I just got off the phone with a long-time client who was calling about her husband's soon-to-expire 20 year term life policy. She started the conversation with his beautiful, stealable remark: " I'm calling with good news about his life insurance policy. It's been 20 years, and we haven't used it ." Doesn't get much better than that. Thanks, Rene!

Who is offering you advice on Medicare options? Your friends, relatives or neighbors? How about the person who styles your hair? Maybe you feel better talking with Medicare.gov or a volunteer at a not-for-profit organization. Surely they are impartial. WHERE you go for information and WHO you talk to is important. Otherwise you could make a costly mistake. You might have done just as well asking the person who served your fast food meal. Agents don't charge for their advice. If you talk to the right one you will probably save money. #GeorgiaMedicarePlans #GAMedigapQuotes #Turning65

Science: How does it work? " NHS sued for failure to help transgender patients with fertility " No kidding? This time, it's really not the Much Vaunted National Health Service� at fault, though. The rocket surgeons at Britain's Equality and Human Rights Commission is suing the Service because it doesn't pay for the (non-existent) fertility rights of those who choose to change genders (they seem to have no problem paying for the sex-change surgery, however). The Commission has put the MVNHS� on notice that before the surgery physicians must offer to extract and store ovum and sperm of the victims patients. Unfortunately, that process hasn't been a covered expense, and some folks can't afford it. One wonders when the British anorexic community will sue to be provided with diet pills. [Hat Tip: Co-blogger Mike ]

No, not that Liam (although he's probably getting a life insurance quote from his agent), but rather Life Insurance Awareness Month. And FoIB Brian D has his own really interesting and helpful post about how easy it is to figure out how much life insurance you really need, and what to do with that information. Here's a taste: " As for the uncomfortable thought of losing a loved one, turn the idea around. Ask yourself �will my family be able to survive financially after I am gone?� If you view life insurance as taking care of your family, you gain a better perspective on the need for life insurance. " Indeed. Do check it out .