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Health Insurance Tips That Everyone Should Know
Health Insurance Tips That Everyone Should Know
Having quality health insurance is an absolute must in today’s world. The cost of medical care just keeps rising and rising. The results of having to take care of a medical issue when you are uninsured can be deadly to your finances. Take control and learn how to manage your health insurance.
Health insurance is confusing. Be sure to go over your policy frequently to refresh your memory on what your insurance covers and does not cover. If you have made changes in your life, talk with your agent about modifying your policy to what you need.
It is worth investigating government insurance plans if you need health insurance. The income requirements are often higher than you would expect and even if you do not qualify for free health insurance, discounted rates may be available. These plans can be invaluable if you are ill and have recently been denied insurance.
Consider the pros and cons of the different types of health insurance plans that are available. You will need to research Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), Point of Service (POS), Health Savings Account (HSA) and traditional indemnity. Find as much information as possible about each kind before enrolling into the program.
Take advantage of a little-known fact about health insurance: you may be able to get a “free look,” or test-drive, of an insurance plan. When shopping around, be sure to ask if the provider allows this test period, and make sure that you understand any restrictions or requirements for requesting a refund if you are dissatisfied.
If you need more health insurance, do not take out a second policy. Instead, add a “rider” to your current policy. This is usually far less expensive. Only in some instances, is it more cost efficient to take out a second policy. If the person is in excellent health, you may want to shop around.
Before applying for health insurance, talk to your doctor about your medical history. Your records will be checked, and they could look at up to 10 years worth of data! Ask your doctor to review your history and let you know if there are any items that might be highlighted by the insurance company as they review you.
You should always keep in mind that a single visit to a hospital or a doctor can involve many separate procedures and tests. Your insurance company is not obligated to pay for an entire visit. When you have preparation time, double-check with your insurer to find out if any parts of your visit fall outside your insurance coverage.
Double check your health insurance enrollment form before applying! Even a single mistake could later invalidate your claim and cause you to lose your insurance completely. It is up to you to cross every T and dot every I. My recommendation is to complete the form in small chunks, leaving it overnight and reviewing what you’ve finished the next day.
There is a level of health insurance that can work for you and your particular needs. Examine your current situation and health and research what will work for you. The only thing you need to remember is that the cost of insurance is much less than the cost you’ll pay if something goes wrong when you are uninsured.
You Should Raise Your Deductible If You Want To Lower Your Insurance Rate
You Should Raise Your Deductible If You Want To Lower Your Insurance Rate
Imagine the following scenario. It is a stormy night outside, and you decide to stay in with your children. The wind howls outside. All of the sudden, you hear a loud CRASH. A tree from your backyard has fallen through your kitchen and office. A large portion of your house is destroyed. Would you be protected with insurance? Use the tips in this article to learn more about home owner’s insurance.
When building an addition to your home, consider insurance factors during the design process. Depending on the insurance carrier and region of the country, using durable construction materials like concrete can reduce insurance premiums for the new addition. These materials are less likely to be damaged by time or natural disaster, which means your insurance carrier may charge less to insure the new addition.
Home owner’s insurance policies usually include a 0,000 liability coverage. Talk to your insurance representative if you feel that the coverage in your specific neighborhood is not enough. Be familiar with this provision, as the policy may pay for certain injuries suffered as a result of damage to your property.
If possible, pay your home insurance premiums annually. When you spread your payments over monthly or quarterly installments, insurance providers will normally charge you an admin fee and interest. By paying your home insurance in a one-off payment at the start of the year, you can avoid these extra expenses.
Keep humidity levels low in your home to reduce the likelihood of mold problems. Mold remediation is typically excluded from most home owner’s insurance policies unless it results from a covered peril like a burst pipe. However, the cost of removing mold can mount quickly if it is not caught early. Keeping humidity levels low helps prevent mold growth.
Don’t be afraid to ask your insurer for a better deal. Before changing your home insurance provider, call up to your existing insurer and ask if they can offer you a better deal. Insurance companies do not want to lose customers to their competitors, so this technique can quite often cut your annual premiums and save you the hassle of having to change providers.
As part of your home owner’s insurance, consider increasing your liability coverage to protect you from bodily injury or property damage claims. This coverage protects you in the event of damage or injury occurring to others either on your property or from actions of someone in your home. For example, if your child damages a neighbor’s home by accident, the liability coverage on your own policy often covers the claim.
Know your insurance terminology. Replacement cost value is the maximum an insurance company will pay out for property that is damaged. This means they pay you the total amount, without deducting depreciation. Make sure your policy pays replacement cost instead of actual cash value, which reduces the payout by the amount of depreciation for each item.
The scene depicted in the beginning of the article is just one example of how unexpected life can be. Now that you know how important home owner’s insurance is, apply the tips in this article to stay informed about this kind of insurance. The more knowledge you have, the more protected you will be.
What Everyone Should Know Regarding Life Insurance
What Everyone Should Know Regarding Life Insurance
Life insurance protects families if something should happen to the main breadwinner. Although discussing the possibility of losing a family member seems grim, it’s an important part of a family’s financial planning. Life insurance provides financial flexibility in difficult times, and can prevent the remaining family’s financial devestation if something happens.
If you have children, you should definitely consider life insurance. Perhaps you can apply for an end term insurance that will cover the first twenty years of your child’s life. If the worst should happen, your child will be able to go through college and get a good start in life thanks to the policy you subscribed to.
No matter how many times you’ve read it somewhere, it bears repeating that knowledge is truly power when attempting to make a decision regarding your life insurance. Understand what you’re getting into, what your family needs after you’re gone and also how much of a burden the policy payments will be going forward.
Keep an eye on your life insurance agent. Life insurance agents are like any other salesman. They will tend to overstate potential returns, and are happy to sell you whatever will get them a personal payday. Do not make the mistake of thinking this person is your friend. This is simply not the case.
Life insurance policies aren’t just for the elderly. If you are young and concerned about what might happen should something happen to you it doesn’t hurt to look into it. Actually, being younger, usually life insurance companies offer you the lowest rates because they face a lower level of risk in insuring you.
If you do not understand the lingo that comes with a life insurance policy, hire a local life insurance agent. They can explain the terms of your policy so that you are not buying into a policy that is wrong for you. Usually, these agents do not charge a lot of money.
Deciding who to put on your life insurance policy is a tricky business. You don’t want to choose person X,Y, and Z and have person I get upset and ask why they weren’t chosen should you pass. However, as a general guideline, you should choose those you trust the must, as they will be responsible for carrying out the policy and your will.
Life insurance is one area where you don’t want to be cautious with your money. Make sure to purchase the right amount of life insurance to fit your needs. It’s often debated how much to spend on life insurance, but a good rule of thumb is 6 to 10 times your annual income.
Don’t rely on the life insurance plans provided by your employer. The coverage provided by the group term life insurance plans that many employers take out may not meet all your life insurance needs. Also, if you quit your job, you usually can’t take your life insurance policy with you.
Parents need to know that their children would be taken care of should the worst happen. Life insurance doesn’t have to be a costly venture. If you can follow the advice laid out above, you can find the right package for the right price.
Why This Lawyer Says You Should Buy Car Insurance From An Independent Broker
Why This Lawyer Says You Should Buy Car Insurance From An Independent Broker
I don’t sell car insurance, but as a lawyer practicing in the field of personal injury I frequently see people suffer because they have the wrong insurance coverage. Often, this happens because they purchased directly from an insurance company instead of an independent broker.
Many of my clients who have been seriously hurt in a car accident were struck by someone who had no insurance or only the minimum liability insurance coverage, which is ,000 in New York and much less in many other states. Unfortunately, many of my clients were sold insurance policies with liability limits of 0,000 or 0,000, but were not sold matching uninsured and underinsured coverage.
Just this week, yet another new client had this problem. My client was a pedestrian crossing the street when she was struck by a car which fled the scene. The driver was caught shortly after leaving the accident, but the owner of the car only has the New York State minimum liability insurance of ,000 and my client has serious injuries consisting of many broken bones including a fractured arm, leg and skull.
My client owns a car with liability insurance limits of 0,000, but she purchased the insurance from GEICO whose salesperson didn’t sell her underinsured coverage. GEICO does not use independent insurance brokers, but sells insurance directly to consumers through in-house sales agents.
For a small fee, my client could have purchased underinsured coverage of 0,000 which would have allowed her to recover 0,000 for her injuries instead of ,000. Ironically, she did not need the 0,000 liability coverage to protect her assets. However, since you cannot buy underinsured coverage higher than your liability coverage, I would have advised her to purchase 0,000 liability coverage for the sole purpose of being able to purchase 0,000 underinsured coverage.
I have had many clients in this situation who lost their jobs because of serious injuries and incurred substantial debt. If they had matching underinsured coverage, the additional money available to pay their claim would would be a big help to pay their bills and get their life back together.
Underinsured motorist coverage will pay you money from your own automobile insurance policy if you have been hurt in a car accident by someone who was negligent for causing your injury and who had less liability insurance coverage than you did. Uninsured motorist coverage will pay you when the other car did not have any insurance coverage or the identity of the other car is unknown.
Underinsured and uninsured coverage is inexpensive and usually available in limits that match your liability insurance coverage. It is not available in amounts greater than your liability insurance coverage.
Underinsured and uninsured coverage is so important that a couple of states now require coverage limits matching your liability insurance limits, unless you decline the coverage in writing. Several years ago, I suggested to several New York State senators that they enact a similar law in New York.
I have also seen many clients who were not sold the maximum medical payments insurance, which costs me only .01 per month on my car insurance policy. This is particularly important for people who do not have a good health insurance policy. It is also beneficial for passengers who do not have health insurance.
Why should you buy car insurance through an independent insurance broker? The courts have defined the reason. There have been several “malpractice” lawsuits against insurance companies for failure to offer underinsured and uninsured motorists coverage limits matching the liability limits. However, when the insurance company sells directly to consumers, these cases have gone in favor of the insurance companies. The courts found that when a consumer buys insurance directly from an insurance company, rather than an insurance broker, the consumer is only buying insurance and is not paying for advice.
When you buy auto insurance from an independent insurance broker who represents several different insurance companies, you get the advantage of an insurance professional who can evaluate your needs and advise you accordingly. Additionally, only an independent insurance broker can provide you with a choice of insurance companies and premiums, so you get the best coverage at the lowest price.
Whether you buy your car insurance directly from an insurance company or through an independent insurance broker, always make sure that you purchase matching uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and the maximum medical payment benefits.
Things You Should Know About Home Owner’s Insurance
Things You Should Know About Home Owner’s Insurance
When a person first moves into a home, there are many things that are far from their mind. One of these things may be homeowners insurance. Getting a policy is crucial, as you want to make sure your home is insured. The following article is going to give you valuable tips to picking out the best homeowner insurance policy.
When dealing with homeowners insurance, try raising your deductible. Like with other kinds of insurance, the higher the one you choose, the lower your annual premiums will be. The issue with a higher deductible is that many small home issues like a broken window can become your responsibility to take care of directly.
If you have a small boat, it may be covered under your home owner’s insurance policy. It really depends on the boat’s size, the engine’s horsepower, and the policy you hold. Give your insurance company a call and they’ll be able to tell you if your boat is fully covered or if you should get a separate policy for it.
To keep your homeowners insurance reasonable, invest in a security system. Many insurance carriers provide discounts for homes protected by an alarm system and the discount can be significant. Percentages may vary based on whether the system is connected to a central reporting station or police monitoring stations, so be sure to research all of your options.
Take out your buildings insurance and contents insurance with the same home insurance provider. Insurance companies want as much business from you as possible, so if you take out buildings cover and contents cover with the same firm, you can usually negotiate a substantial discount off your annual insurance premiums.
Make sure any valuable personal possessions are fully documented in case of loss. Take photographs or have items appraised so that, should you experience a claim, you have full documentation to back up the value of the items. This can make the claims process much simpler and easier for you and your home owner’s insurance carrier.
Be sure to take the time to research the company that you are considering getting your homeowners insurance through. You are going to want to be sure that there are not several complaints about payout times and denials of claims. If the company takes a long time to pay out or rejects claims, you may find it in your best interest to keep looking.
Although it sounds petty, you can be covered by home owner’s insurance for the cost of food spoilage in certain situations. If a power line near by is cut and causes loss of power to your home, you may be covered for the lost food. Some home owner’s insurance also will cover you in the case of storm-related power outages. Call your insurance agent for clarification.
In conclusion, homeowners insurance is important to have when you purchase a home. It is important that you do not forget about getting it. The information given to you in the above article is made to help educate you about homeowners insurance so you are able to pick the best policy.