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News, tips, info and more…
Insurance is more than policies and paperwork.
It’s about safeguarding the people, businesses and dreams you love. At Giles County Insurance where we offer Professional Benefit Solutions and Insurance, we see it as part of your life’s story. Whether it’s protecting the business you’ve built, providing for your family or planning for retirement, your needs evolve over time.
Our blog is designed to grow with you, offering timely updates, important deadlines, educational articles, helpful tips and even a few healthy recipes. Here, you’ll find practical information you can act on – the kind of news you can truly use to protect what matters most.
We invite you to explore the Giles County Insurance Professional Benefit Solutions Recipe Collection where you’ll find a curated selection of healthy recipes designed to support a variety of specific medical and dietary needs, along with favorites from local and regional cooks across Giles County and surrounding areas.
Avoiding the Holiday Blues
Surprising numbers of surveyed people quietly admit that the holidays are a source of stress, anxiety and depression. In fact, it is 64% and 8% higher for Gen Z. The difference between Holiday Blues and clinical anxiety and depression is the the Holiday Blues are temporary. But it does not mean that it is less serious...
Suicide Prevention
Suicide Prevention 1-800-273-TALK OR Call 988 Suicide is NOT the Answer. And that means "It's OK to Talk About Suicide." While there have been high profile deaths by suicide this past year, there are some statistics that help us understand a little about people who are in distress. 78% of the people who die by...
Keep the Sun Fun
One of the most important things to pack for summer fun or outdoor work is sunscreen! But not all sunscreens are created equal. Understanding both what to buy and how to use sunscreen is critical to staying safe under summer skies. There are two types of sunrays, UVA and UVB. Both can be harmful, but sunscreens...
Springtime Changes
Graduations, Weddings, Babies, Moves, Vacations! Say "Hello" to May! Springtime brings so many changes. It is a month full of weddings and graduations, thoughts about moving, and vacations. It is a time to make sure that your insurance policies are keeping up with the changes that are happening in your life. Whether you...
Counseling Awareness Month
Self Care, Advocacy and Inclusion is the focus of Counseling Awareness Month, but the real message is to reach out for the help that you need. The need for Mental Health care does not always mean a diagnosis of a serious illness. What it does mean is that you find in yourself or notice in those you love that they are...
How We Work With HR Departments
The search for insurance solutions for companies starts with finding the most comprehensive and cost-beneficial plans. Beyond that, it is also about finding a partner that will take on the labor intensive work of enrolling employees and dependents, orienting new team members to their benefits, assistance with filing...
March is Kidney Month
More than 9 in every ten of people with Kidney disease do not know they have a problem! A healthy diet, regular exercise and weight management are the surest ways to promote kidney health, but there are factors that are not within your control that can impact kidney health. Kidneys are the most fragile of our vital...
Protect That Heart
It's Heart Month for the entire month of February! So let's celebrate the hardest working muscle we have and pledge to protect it! Our goal is to make sure that our hearts pump at a rate of about 100 beats a minute with the rich life-sustaining oxygen-filled blood that you need to stay healthy! Heart disease remains the...
Get the Most From Medicare
Getting the most from Medicare means understanding the coverage that you have and keeping track of the parts that you are paying for that you need and things that you do not! It also means that you are keeping careful notes about changes in the types of care and medications that you are taking to make sure that everything...
Blood Awareness In January
There are few more loving gifts that a human being can do for others than to donate blood. To those who make it a priority to donate throughout the year, we are all grateful! The time all in is a half hour to donate a pint of blood (with the actual donation taking about 10 minutes). You can do this every 56 days. Every...
Hand Washing Awareness
Nothing can spoil the season as quickly as family members getting sick. We all have a heightened awareness of how serious those illnesses can be. As the season turns to indoors, it is just the right time to remind us all that there are important steps to washing your hands to help protect you from whatever you may have...
The Last Few Days of Open Enrollment
So many of us have learned this past year just how well matched we are to our health insurance coverage! The good news is that Medicare has this time each year when Medicare recipients can make changes to their coverage to get better coverage or better pricing or both! At Professional Benefit Solutions & Insurance we...
Snooze You Loose?
Whether you are one of the Pandemic 25 Pounders who hasn't been able to shake the weight gain of the stressful years of lockdowns or whether you would just like to slim down for a healthier you, allow us to suggest you just go to bed! While what you eat and the portions you feed yourself will always be a weight...
Part D Medicare
A Special Note About Medicare Part D Medicare Part D is the coverage for your prescription drugs. As your health changes, so may the types of medications you require. It is very important that you review your Part D coverage to assure that your plan covers the drugs you actually are taking. Some Medicare beneficiaries...
It’s Medicare Election Time! October 15 – December 7
Just like when you had insurance through work, insurance plans need to be updated periodically and with Medicare, they need to be updated as your health needs change! Once each year you are given a time each year to make changes to your insurance plan. As we age, sometimes our needs change and sometimes there are new...
Mental Illness Awareness Week
We have shared a very tough time. The pandemic, the natural disasters, the everyday stress of just moving through each day has taken a toll on all of us. it is important to be mindful of those who may be struggling with stresses. In fact, this year, more than maybe other years, we need to recognize that the response of...
Breast Cancer Awareness
Knowing the Symptoms Saves Lives! 12% of all new cancers, and 25% of all new cancers in women are breast cancer. As we enter Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is a good time to remind ourselves that men get breast cancer also. And it is the perfect time to review the symptoms of the most common types of breast cancer....
Suicide Prevention
9881-800-273-TALK There is a very real consequences of lingering isolation, a return to our new normal, the unrest in the country, the loss of economic security and the changes in the ways we communicate have left people at a higher risk of self-harm. #Bethe1To Ask is the Suicide Prevention Week goal. It asks that we not...
Know the Types of Insurance
Life Insurance is generally available in two types of products. They are known as "Term" and "Whole" life insurance. Each is designed to provide the financial coverage that would protect your family should something happen to the wage earner(s), but they approach the investment in different ways. Term Life...
Life Insurance Protects In Several Ways
There are a three different ways to think about life insurance. The first, and most obvious, is that it is a tool to assure that your family will have the financial resources to pay for mortgages, utilities, pay off big ticket items like cars, send children to college, and continue to survive financially if something...
Kids Vision Care
After a year of close screen work with online schooling, children are heading back to classrooms. This is exactly the right time to schedule eye exams to assure that your children haven't had a vision change over the past year. Near work activity, not just the hours we all spend on screens, is associatedwith a world-wide...
Younger Spouse
Life Cycle Changes. When you were married, the fact that one of you was a few years younger didn’t seem like such a big deal. But when you are 65 or older and the one with the job that has the health insurance benefits, retirement can be complicated. At Professional Benefit Solutions we are asked all the time to find a...
Hepatitis Awareness
There are 300 million people in the world infected with Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C, and the vast majority of them don’t know it. In fact, 80% of those with Hepatitis C and 90% of those with Hepatitis B have no idea that they are infected with the virus that kills 1.4 million per year – more than HIV/AIDS and malaria....
Employer’s Role in Income Protection
Employers play an important role in providing income protection options for their employees who may have accidents or illness that cause them to take an extended time away from work. Making sure that you have options in your cafeteria benefits plans to help people experiencing short or long term disability is...
Real Income Protection
Life happens! Accidents Happen. Illness Happens. While life may change, your lifestyle does not have to change at all. The difference in financial security for families is generally whether that family had long or short term disability insurance in place before the accident or illness occurred. May is Disability Insurance...
Change Is In The Air
Change is in the Air! It is MAY! And with this first breath of spring often comes life changes. Your calendar begins to fill with dates for graduations, weddings and babies! And while some of these lifecycle celebrations may have had to alter with the pandemic, these types of changes still have major implications for the...
Health Insurance Shopping for Your Business
The process of selecting health insurance benefits for a Human Resource Director or a Board of Directors for a business carries the competing responsibilities of doing what could be the most comprehensive plans for employees and their dependents and the reality of the available funds in the company budget to purchase a...
Catch Oral Cancers Early
Every professional organization that has an interest in oral health have banded together to make the month of April a time to focus on Oral and Pharyngeal Cancers. Each year about 45,000 Americans are told that they have oral cancers, those that occur in the mouth or pharyngeal cancer which grows in the back of the throat...
Reducing Stress Can Save Employers Money
Stress carries a staggering cost to business of stress-related illnesses, accidents, absenteeism, lower productivity and even employee turnover. April is national Stress Awareness month in the United States. It is a good idea to take a look at the implications of Stress on workplaces and on the individuals reporting that...
Wear Red February
Celebrate National Wear Red Day February 7, 2025, to remind people of heart health. Employers can celebrate heart health in a variety of ways by committing to certain lifestyle promotions that last beyond the month. Consider heart healthy snacks in break areas. Encourage staff to take quick walk breaks. AND consider...
Happy Hearts!
Wishing You A Healthy Heart! February is National Heart Month and a healthy heart is the goal! In fact, we want hearts that are pumping at a rate of about 100 beats a minute with the rich life-sustaining oxygen-filled blood that you need to stay healthy! With all the focus on COVID-19, heart disease remains the biggest...
Medicare Advantage Enrollment
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment! Retirees who have selected Medicare Advantage Plans have an opportunity to make changes between January 1 – March 31. Unlike open election periods in the fall of each year, when Medicare recipients can make changes and then change their minds, this period allows you to make one change...
A Gift of Life
A Gift of Life - January Is Blood Donor Awareness Month In honor of Blood Donor Awareness Month we take a moment to thank the people who donate a half hour of time (with the actual donation time taking about 10 minutes) every 56 days to literally save hundreds of lives. In the United States about 37 percent of the...
November is Diabetes Month
November is Diabetes Month! November marks National Diabetes Month.Diabetes is a tough diagnosis. Whether someone learns of their disease as a child or whether symptoms begin later in life it is a diagnosis that will require rapid changes in the patient and often the entire extended family. And it is an everyday all day...
Smoke Out
Great American Smokeout! The third Thursday of every November is the Great American Smokeout sponsored by the American Cancer Society. The challenge for all smokers (including Vapers) to spend a day smoke free. Just 24 hours. This year there are special needs to highlight the Smokeout at workplaces and in college campuses...
Medicare Election Time
October 15 - December 7 Just like when you had insurance through work, insurance plans need to be updated periodically and with Medicare, they need to be updated as your health needs change! Once each year you are given a time each year to make changes to your insurance plan. As we age, sometimes our needs change and...
Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month
Children's Eye Health & Safety Month Launches in August! August is National Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month. As children traditionally head back to classrooms, it is reminder time to schedule those eye exams to assure that children are able to see clearly the activities in school. Near work activity, not just...
Business HR Busy Season!
The Business HR Busy Season! For businesses on a fiscal year that begins January 1, it is important to take a hard look now at what your benefit package is going to include for the coming year and to ensure that you are giving your employees the most cost beneficial plan that carries the biggest bang for the money you are...
Employers Play Important Role for Cancer Survivors
Employers have a role to play in the every day fight against cancer. One of the most important is a provision for optional Cancer Insurance policies that allow employees to guard against what can be the financial devastation of a cancer diagnosis. Once someone has a diagnosis, it is too late. Cancer Insurance is designed...
National Cancer Survivors Day
Navigating among us are unsung warriors who each and every day are battling cancer. They join 16.9 million Americans who are cancer survivors. Tucked between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day is a special celebration that happens on the first Sunday in June. On this day, we take a moment to celebrate those who have survived...
Find the Missing Millions
Recognizing that 290 million people are unaware that they have viral Hepatitis, leaves employers with opportunities to raise awareness within the workplace and encourage people to be tested if they are experiencing symptoms of Hepatitis OR if they engaged in higher risk behaviors now or decades ago. The other good news is...
Hepatitis Awareness
There are 300 million people in the world infected with Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C and the vast majority of them don’t know it. In fact, 80% of those with Hepatitis C and 90% of those with Hepatitis B have no idea that they are infected with the virus that kills 1.4 million per year – more than HIV/AIDS and malaria....
Employers Can Help Ease Disability Income Loss
Employers can help ease the worry of a lost paycheck due to a long or short-term disability: Employers can help protect those working for them and their dependents by offering short and long-term disability options in the cafeteria benefit plans. While nobody wants an extended illness or injury, life just happens and...
Life Cycle Changes In May
May Brings Change! The one certainty is that life will always change, but the month of May often brings a lot of change! May brings graduations, lots of weddings and babies! And regardless of whether formal celebrations of these events have had to alter, those changes still have major implications for the types of...
Employers Can Help with Stress
What Employers Can Do to Limit the Costs of Stress... Employers are well served to assure that chronic stress is addressed within the workforce AND their dependents. Learning positive coping strategies should be everyone’s goal. Developing a healthy diet and making daily exercise a priority is one of the most successful...
Understanding the Real Cost of Stress
The Story of Stress Even before the stress of the Covid Pandemic, stress was a real cost to people in the United States. In fact, stress costs the United States economy more than $3 BILLION every year. This staggering cost reflects the very real business costs of stress-related illnesses, accidents, absenteeism, lower...
We Have a Plan for That!
Professional Benefit Solutions has a long and successful track record of helping Business find the most comprehensive and cost-beneficial Disability, Health, Dental, Vision, Cancer, Long-Term Care and Life coverage available for your employees and their dependents. Working as an arm of your HR department, Professional...
Employers Raise Awareness of Kidney Disease
Employers can help reduce Kidney Disease by raising awareness of the importance of early detection. A helpful poster from the National Institutes of Health can be downloaded here. In addition, Employers can consider incentives for healthy lifestyle habits, including an encouragement to drink water through the day. Making...
National Kidney Month
The most fragile of our vital organs, kidneys (we each have 2 of them) serve a slew of important functions! Your Kidneys regulate your blood pressure, keep your mineral in balance, filters waste, directs the production of your red blood cells, activates Vitamin D to keep your bones strong and healthy AND they regulate the...
Getting Insurance Right for Your Business
Any senior who has attempted to navigate the Medicare enrollment process can tell you that feeling comfortable that you have found the best value for your money and the best plan for your actual needs can be harrowing. On a daily basis we assist those who are reaching the age of 65, including those who plan to continue...
The Cost of Stress
Stress costs the United States economy more than $3 BILLION every year. This staggering cost reflects the very real business costs of stress-related illnesses, accidents, absenteeism, lower productivity and even employee turnover. April is national Stress Awareness month in the United States. It is a good idea to take a...
It is the Month of Hearts
Be Mine! “Be still my heart!” February is National Heart Month and a “still” heart is not at all the goal! In fact, we want hearts that are pumping at a rate of about 100 beats a minute with the rich life-sustaining oxygen-filled blood that you need to stay healthy! In honor of National Heart Month take a few moments to...
Medicare Advantage Plans Open Enrollment!
Retirees who have selected Medicare Advantage Plans have an opportunity to make changes between January 1 – March 31. Unlike open election periods in the fall of each year, when Medicare recipients can make changes and then change their minds, this period allows you to make one change if you are enrolled in a Medicare...
Blood Donor Awareness Montlh
January Is Blood Donor Awareness Month The American Red Cross is the only organization that wants your time as a volunteer or student in one of their CPR courses, your money as a donor to helping neighbors hit with disasters or active duty service members and their families AND your Blood! But they want all those things –...
The New Plan Year Starts January 1
The new plan year begins for Medicare on January 1. We have some suggestions for you as you start the year so that you will be aware of any changes you may want to make in the 2020 Open Enrollment period that begins next November. 1. Keep a running list of what you needed health coverage for and make a note of any out of...
November is Diabetes Month
November is Diabetes Month! November marks National Diabetes Month.Diabetes is a tough diagnosis. Whether someone learns of their disease as a child or whether symptoms begin later in life it is a diagnosis that will require rapid changes in the patient and often the entire extended family. And it is an everyday all day...
It’s Medicare Election Time!
It's Medicare Election Time! October 15 - December 7 If you have Medicare coverage, you are given a time each year to make changes to your insurance plan. As we age, sometimes our needs change and sometimes there are new plans that have been created that would be a better match for your individual needs. Even if you think...
It’s Smoke Out Time!
Great American Smokeout! The third Thursday of every November is the Great American Smokeout sponsored by the American Cancer Society. The challenge for all smokers (including Vapers) to spend a day smoke free. Just 24 hours. This year there are special needs to highlight the Smokeout at workplaces and in college...
Mental Health Awareness Week
We recognize Mental Health Awareness week October 6-12 by taking some time to learn the symptoms and how to help people we love get the help that they need. For most of us it seems routine to greet people with a friendly, “Hi. How are you doing?” And the socially accepted answer is almost always, “Fine.” One in 5 American...
Gearing Up for Medicare Election Period
Medicare Election Period October 15 - December 7 Medicare Election Period is the right time to take a hard look at Your Medicare Insurance Plans each year. This is your opportunity to make some changes to your coverage. There are usually three reasons that would cause a Medicare recipient to change their insurance plans:...
October Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Knowing the Symptoms Saves Lives! 12% of all new cancers, and 25% of all new cancers in women are breast cancer. As we enter October Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is a good time to remind ourselves that men get breast cancer also. And it is the perfect time to review the symptoms of the most common types of breast...
Protect Yourself From Unexpected Costs
It's no secret that most of us have seen our share of healthcare costs rise since 2010. It isn't your imagination. Deductibles are rising and so are uncovered or excluded services that may be necessary for you or your family. In fact, 50% of us are seeing higher out-of-pocket costs. This is where income replacement...
Getting Medicare Right!
What do all the "parts" mean? Getting Medicare Right is a challenge for all retirees. Part A of Medicare covers enrollees for what is done inside a hospital and requires a hospital admission. Most people will complete the enrollment form for Medicare Part A when they turn 65 years old - even if they are working with...
International Clean Hands
Most of us learned the fun fact that the dirtiest part of a dog is his/her mouth, but the lesser known fun fact is that the dirtiest part of the human body is our hands. While everyone gets the message to head to your local health source for a flu shot in September and October, we often do not know that September is the...
After the Shock of a Cancer Diagnosis
There were a million things that ran through Bobby’s mind when he finally heard the words that the pathology report indicated cancer. After the initial cold shock, he says his thoughts moved immediately to his family. What would they do? How would they make it financially? Did they have the funds saved up to handle his...
Easily File Claims and Check Benefits
Professional Benefit Solutions has created an easy launch page on our website for our current customers and policyholders so that you can track your benefits usage as well as your dependents, manage claims and ask questions directly to your insurance carrier by creating your online account and logging in. Click HERE for...
A kiss for luck and we’re on our way…
June has traditionally been associated with weddings. Obviously, weddings occur throughout the year, but the idea of a beautiful June bride is ingrained in the American romantic imagery. It’s after the wedding when the marriage begins, and with it comes responsibilities and changes. We’ll be happy to discuss your specific...
Men’s Health Week
Each year, the week leading up to Father’s Day is known as Men’s Health Week. During Men’s Health Week we want to remind you that this is really a family issue. The overall health status of men and boys is enhanced with early recognition of symptoms and treatment.The week is an opportunity to encourage men and boys to...
There is a Day for Everything
There is a day set aside for everything, and insurance is no exception. So, pull out the party hats because June 28 is National Insurance Awareness Day! Professional Benefit Solutions is celebrating National Insurance Awareness Day by inviting you to let us do a quote for your business coverage to see if we can get more...
August is Immunizations Month
August marks Immunization Month in the United States. As kids head to annual checkups for preparation to return to school and the sports check offs so that they can try out for teams, most Pediatricians, Family Medicine doctors and the teams of Nurses who treat children will help assure that their shot schedule is up to...
Is it Time to Talk about Medicare?
Planning for Medicare supplemental coverage requires a highly individualized discussion. We've been having these conversations for years, and thousands of individuals have trusted us to help them understand and choose the right supplement plan. Let's talk about your Medicare coverage! Starting roughly 90 days before your...
The Business HR Busy Season!
For businesses on a fiscal year that begins January 1, it is important to take a hard look now at what your benefit package is going to include for 2020 and to ensure that you are giving your employees the most cost beneficial plan that carries the biggest bang for the money you are spending. PBS Giles County Insurance is...
The Importance of UV Protection
It is a good to remember that the ultra violet rays of the sunshine we love can be dangerous if we are not protected. We have all learned a lot about the need to slather everyone with sunscreen to protect skin from sunburns which can lead to skin cancers later in life. Most of us are pretty careful to protect the backs of...
Term vs Whole Life
Once you have a good idea of how much life insurance you may want to protect your loved ones in the event of your death, the next decision will be what type of insurance you may need to buy. Professional Benefit Solutions can help you decide what type of plan makes sense for you.There are two basic types of life insurance...
Special Kind of Love
Life Insurance is a Special Kind of LoveWhat would happen to the people you love if you were to die? That is usually the starting point for everyone considering whether or how much life insurance they might need. At Professional Benefit Solutions, the answer to whether or how much means it is time to get down to basic...
Nursing Homes
Covering the Cost of a Nursing Home! If you are over the age of 65, congratulations! You made it to Medicare coverage! And Professional Benefit Solutions can help you with all your questions about signing up for your coverage, but while we are meeting, we really need to discuss Long Term Care coverage. If you are 65,...