We care about Aflac’s policyholders affected by recent weather:
To help provide relief for California policyholders residing in one of the 53 following counties: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, orange, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, or Yuba that were affected by recent winter storms, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting March 1, 2023, and ending Aug. 15, 2023. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder.
To help provide relief for Iowa policyholders residing in Union County affected by flooding, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting June 29, 2023, and ending Sept. 15, 2023. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder.
To provide relief for policyholders/certificate holders residing in Vermont and affected by the torrential rains, flooding and landslides, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting July 7, 2023, and ending Sept. 5, 2023. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy/certificate during the grace period. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy/certificate upon request by the policyholder/certificate holder.
To help provide relief for policyholders residing in the state of Oregon affected by wildfires, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting July 22, 2023, and ending Oct. 12, 2023. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder.
To help provide relief for Iowa policyholders residing in Des Moines, Lee, and Sioux Counties affected by flooding, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting Aug. 4, 2023, and ending Oct. 12, 2023. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder.
To help provide relief for California policyholders residing in Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Tulare, and Ventura Counties affected by Hurricane Hilary, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting Aug. 18, 2023, and ending Oct. 18, 2023. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder.
To help provide relief for California policyholders residing in Del Norte and Siskiyou Counties affected by wildfires, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting Aug. 15, 2023, and ending Oct. 30, 2023. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder.
To help provide relief for policyholders residing in the state of Washington affected by wildfires, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting Aug. 19, 2023, and ending Oct. 27, 2023. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder.
To provide relief for policyholders/certificate holders residing in Florida and affected by Hurricane Idalia, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting Sept. 1, 2023, and ending Oct. 31, 2023. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy/certificate during the grace period. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy/certificate upon request by the policyholder/certificate holder.
Caring is in Aflac’s DNA, and we are committed to addressing long-standing health inequities, including the cost of care. Our work to help close the health and wealth gap is a reflection of who we are and our belief in always striving to do what’s right for our policyholders and our communities.
Over the last year, we’ve been hard at work demonstrating this commitment by addressing the critical issue of medical debt, and we took it a step further to once again showcase our culture of caring to the world beyond Aflac’s walls. It started when we announced our CareGrants initiative, our intent to give away $1 million to families, individuals and organizations throughout 2022, shining a light on the urgent issue of medical debt.
The CareGrants program has two components:
As we continue the CareGrants initiative into 2023, we also reflect on the impact these funds have had for those who receive them.
Becoming a part of their stories
Our vision is to create a world where people are better prepared for unexpected health expenses — it’s our “why.” Our Individual CareGrant program is the demonstration of how we care for the underserved and underinsured, and it helps illustrate our collective mission to care on purpose.
Through the CareGrant programs, we’ve seen up close how these awards truly help change lives, like that of Lashandra Covington from Columbus, Georgia, who battled breast cancer twice during her 20s and was later diagnosed with colon cancer in 2021. Lashandra needed money to pay for a vital procedure, which our CareGrant helped fund.
Another powerful story came from John Shadock in Riverview, Florida, who was diagnosed with glioblastoma at age 35. John and his wife Allison were married only a short time before he received his diagnosis that changed the young couple’s life instantly. Allison, John and their two dogs had to relocate to be closer to John’s doctor, which meant leaving jobs and undergoing extremely expensive cancer treatments, MRIs and never-ending travel expenses.
John and Allison Shadock receive their CareGrant during a digital exchange with Aflac U.S. President Virgil Miller.
Shortly after, John had a fall that forced them to seek around-the-clock care and lean even more on family and friends for support. The $5,000 grant they received from Aflac helped get the family back on their feet so they could focus more on John’s care, not finances.
In the communities
In January 2022, we announced the Aflac Care Index, a nationwide study that examined Americans’ awareness of and exposure to debt resulting from medical bills not covered by insurance. To support the highly vulnerable regions identified in the Care Index, Aflac distributed $500,000 in Community CareGrants throughout 2022 to select organizations that improve medical outcomes for individuals in these regions. In each community where we gave a grant — including Harlan, Kentucky; Lexington, Virginia; Orlando, Florida; Houston, Texas and Columbia, South Carolina — we installed an Aflac Park Bench to serve as a physical manifestation of the company’s commitments to education, support and advocacy to help close the gap.
As part of its Community CareGrant program, Aflac installed its first Park Bench in Dressen Park in Harlan, Kentucky.
Community CareGrants help organizations address key health issues unique to their communities. For example, Libby’s Legacy Breast Cancer Foundation in Orlando is using their CareGrant to increase access to breast health services such as diagnostic testing and biopsies for underserved and underinsured individuals.
Our first Community CareGrant and Aflac Park Bench installation was in Harlan, Kentucky, one of the most at-risk states, according to the Aflac Care Index. Within the state, Harlan County stood out for its high rate of cardiac conditions. Aflac contributed $100,000 to Harlan’s Appalachian Regional Hospital to help create better health and wealth equity among local residents. With Aflac’s $100,000 CareGrant, Harlan ARH Hospital is reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease in Harlan County by increasing residents’ access to disease education and providing access to AEDs.
More to come in 2023
As we extend our CareGrants program into 2023, non-policyholders nationwide can share their medical debt stories for the chance to win $10,000 by visiting www.aflac.com/aflac-cares/caregrant.aspx. The contest runs through April 30. Be sure to follow @Aflac and @AflacDuck across social platforms and stay tuned for the 2023 CareGrant winners.
THE AFLAC CAREGRANTS CONTEST: NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S./D.C., age 18+ (19+ in AL and NE, 21+ in MS), who as of the date listed in the applicable Appendix, are not insured under any policy issued or administered by Aflac, Inc. or its subsidiaries or affiliates (collectively “Aflac”), and who incurred a medical debt before the date listed in the applicable Appendix. Void where prohibited. Each Contest starts at the time and date listed in the applicable Appendix and ends at the time and date listed in the applicable Appendix (the “Contest Period”). Total ARV of all prizes: $200,000. Subject to full Official CareGrant Individual Contest Rules available here. Sponsor: American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (Aflac), 1932 Wynnton Rd., Columbus, GA 31999.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation for insurance. Information is not intended to provide tax, legal, health or financial advice for any person or for any specific situation. Employers, employees and other individuals should contact their own advisers about their situations.
Aflac | Aflac New York | WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999
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