Insurance Information

The Top Ten Insurance.

1: Insurance Should be Bought and Used for Every Disaster
Insurance is designed to protect one from catastrophic disasters. An insurance rule of thumb: If you can pay for the loss or damage without a financial hardship then pay it, otherwise expect your insurance premium to eventually show an increase. Also, buying every type of insurance just isn't necessary. Sometimes the risk is worth taking rather than paying a premium.
US Expat Health InsuranceMedical insurance for US expats.

2: If I am Alive, I Must Need Life Insurance!
Life insurance is designed to take care of one's dependants after the caregiver's death. If you have no dependants, then you probably don't need life insurance. This includes children and retired persons. usually they don't have people that depend on their income so life insurance for these groups can, in rare instances, be beneficial but is usually unnecessary.

3: I'm the Breadwinner in the Home, So Only I Need Life Insurance.
Have you seen the cost of childcare lately? Add that along with housekeeping, food preparation, home accountant, and school transportation. From that list alone one can see how much a spouse really contributes to the household budget. It is estimated a non-working spouse contributes at least, but usually more, the equivalent of a full time job. For this reason it is important to buy life insurance for everyone in the household if the absence of their income would cause a financial hardship.

4: Whole & Universal Life are the Best Since I Can Get My Money Back
Term life insurance is probably the best choice for most. Term life is set for a specific term, like 10-30 years, with a much lower premium than whole and universal life. Your best bet?

5: The Flood Insurance is Only for People Who Live in a High Risk Area.
Everyone who lives in a National Flood Insurance Program area is eligible and can buy flood insurance. These areas are not always prone to floods so even if you think your area is low risk you may be eligible.

6: Our Insurance Will Cover My Son When He is Delivering Newspapers
If your vehicle is used for anything but personal use, then you will probably need to extend your personal auto policy to cover business use of your vehicle. Don't think just because you were unaware of your coverages this will get your accident paid for--your insurance policy is a contract that you agreed to adhere to. If you don't understand all the coverages in your contract you need to contact your agent about the questions you have.

7: I Don't Need Disability Insurance Because I can Get Social Security.
Don't count on Social Security to take care of all your needs if you become disabled. If you are able to get Social Security for your disability (not all get approved to receive disability benefits so don't assume you will) then you will still have to wait months before you receive benefits and your disability needs to be long-term to qualify. And even if you qualify for benefits, will it match your current salary? Probably not.

8: If I Need Nursing Care When I am Older, The Government Will Pay for it.
Again, don't count on Medicare or Medicare Supplemental Insurance to pick up the bill. If you can qualify, Medicaid may pay up to half of the cost. Choosing long term care insurance can help you pay for the costs of a nursing facility or home care if the need arises. Also, do you really want your family to have to pick up the bill if you acquire a long term illness or disability? Long Term Care Insurance is a great option and if started early in life the premiums can be very reasonable.

9: Umbrella Insurance Coverage is Just for Rich People.
The Umbrella insurance is not just for the wealthy. With the common occurrence of lawsuits, umbrella insurance is a must for every home, auto, and watercraft owner. Umbrella insurance is designed to give one added liability protection above and beyond the limits on homeowners, auto, and watercraft personal insurance policies. With an umbrella policy, depending on the insurance company, one can add an additional 1-5 million in liability protection.

10: If I Don't Purchase Health Insurance it Won't Affect Others.
The people who don't purchase health insurance eventually affect the lives of every American. When many people in a company choose not to purchase health insurance, it sends a message to the employer that health insurance may not be an important benefit, which in-turn could cost other workers a loss of their health insurance benefits. Also, when healthy people don't buy health insurance, the costs raise for others because the risk is spread through less people. For these and other reasons, many have encouraged the government to switch to a universal health care system where the government would help manage health care. 

Supplemental Health Insurance

Five Reasons You May Need It

If you have a job that provides health insurance benefits as part of your compensation plan. In today's economic world, having these benefits may make you feel as though you've won the lottery. But before you pop the champagne, take a minute (or an hour) to read over your policy.

There's a good chance that your employer has had to make some compromises in the coverage in order to provide the policy at all, so you may find that you are responsible for more of your medical expenses than you had thought. This is where supplemental health insurance can be life-saver (or at least save your savings account).

Supplemental health insurance, or "gap" insurance, is a secondary policy that pays for out-of-pocket medical expenses not covered in your primary plan such as deductibles and co-payments. Some supplemental policies even pay you a cash benefit for lost income due to illness or injury.

If you fall into any of the following five categories, you may want to think about supplemental insurance as part of your overall health insurance strategy.

1. Are you self-employed? If yes, you aren't covered at all by an employer's health plan and you need to provide all coverage yourself. For your primary insurance, you may want to consider a catastrophic policy -- which only covers major medical events and requires you to pay for office visits, prescriptions, and other minor medical care -- but which comes at a much cheaper cost than comprehensive health insurance. A supplemental policy would help cover your out-of-pocket costs, and perhaps more importantly, provide a cash benefit if you become too ill or injured to work.

2. Are you responsible for your family's health care? Remember, each person who is on your primary health plan is subject to an individual deductible and co-pay maximum, making your out-of-pocket expenses larger than an individual's health plan might be.

3. Do you lack savings? If even a few weeks off work could mean financial disaster for your family, you may need additional insurance to provide cash benefits. These cash payments can be used to make mortgage payments and buy groceries when you're off work because of illness or injury.

4. Are you concerned about the risk of cancer? There are certain supplemental policies that provide cash benefits to policy-holders for cancer treatments and the related expenses of treatment.

5. Do you have a pre-existing medical condition? Most health insurance plans will not provide benefits for medical conditions that existed before coverage became effective. However, a supplemental policy can sometimes be purchased to specifically cover a pre-existing condition. Not all insurers offer such coverage, but with careful shopping, you should be able to locate one to meet your needs.

As you can see, supplemental coverage is not always necessary for those who are fortunate to have a comprehensive primary policy. But for certain situations, a supplemental policy can be the difference between financial disaster and financial health.

Life Insurance Quotes

Life Insurance Quotes

The Life insurance quotes don’t always come cheap. That’s because insurance companies are taking a gamble when they decide to insure your life and, like all gamblers, insurers need to know how much of a risk they are taking when deciding whether or not your life is a safe bet.

With high insurance premiums, it can be tempting to be “economical” with the truth or just to downright lie as you fill out your policy form. However, omitting the full truth either by choice or ignorance can lead to your policy being declared void, which leaves those left behind with nothing, even if you have continued to make your monthly payments. Truth is always the best policy, so here are 3 top “don’ts” that you should bear in mind.

Don’t be coy about your age

The age is a determining factor when it comes to life insurance quotes, as the older you get, the more your premium is going to go up. Your age is an easy thing for insurers to check once a claim is made using information from your birth certificate. If the age on your policy doesn’t match that on your other documentation, then your policy is nullified. As incredible as it sounds, some people lie to insurance companies for no other reason than vanity – it simply isn’t worth the risk.

Don’t lie about your health

There are certain health factors that contribute to your lifestyle which will affect life insurance quotes . If you are a smoker for instance or if you have smoked before, then you must declare this to the insurance company. Smoking is a recognised danger to your health and will push your premium up. By not declaring to the insurance company that you smoke, you are in fact committing fraud, which is a sure-fire way to not receiving a payout after your death. Similarly, be honest about the number of units of alcohol you consume in an average week and the amount of exercise you do.

Don’t be ignorant of family health history

Ignorance is not an excuse for giving false information about health problems in your family’s history. Take the time to research your family tree properly for as many generations as you can and see if there are any hereditary illnesses. Assuming the best is not a smart thing to do with health problems, and could lead to your insurer refusing to pay for a claim.

Who Needs Life Insurance?

Life insurance is designed to protect your family and other people who may depend on you for financial support. If you die and lose your income, the people that are dependent on your financial support will lose that income, so life insurance can help cover some or all of that loss depending on the policy you choose. But there are instances where life insurance can be beneficial even if you have no dependents, such as your desire to cover your own funeral expenses. 

 

Some guidelines to help you decide if life insurance is the right choice for you:

1. Children: Children do not need life insurance. Yes, there have been cases where life insurance for one's child has been a blessing, but in the majority of cases, children do not need life insurance since no one depends on income from them. Learn more at Don't Buy Insurance You Don't Need

2. Beginning Families: Life insurance should be purchased if you are considering starting a family. Your rates will be cheaper now than when you get older and your future children will be depending on your income. Learn more at Parents: How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?

3. Established Families: If you have a family that depends on you, you need life insurance now! This does not include only the spouse or partner working outside the home. Life insurance also needs to be considered for the person working in the home. The costs of replacing someone to do domestic chores, home budgeting, and childcare can cause significant financial problems for the surviving family. Learn more at Parents: How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?

4. Young Single Adults: The reason a single adult would typically need life insurance would be to pay for their own funeral costs or if they help support an elderly parent or other person they may care for financially. Otherwise, if one has other sources of money for a funeral and has no other persons that depend on their income then life insurance would not be a necessity.

5. Non-Child Working couples: Both persons in this situation would need to decide if they would want life insurance. If both persons are bringing in an income that they feel comfortable living on alone if their partner should pass away, then life insurance would not be necessary except if they wanted to cover their funeral costs. However, maybe in some instances one working spouse contributes more to the income or would want to leave their significant other in a better financial position, then as long as purchasing a life insurance policy would not be a financial burden, it could be an option. For a low cost life insurance option look into Term Life Insurance

6. Elderly: As long as you do not have people depending on your income for support, life insurance at this stage in life would not be necessary, unless again, you do not have any other means to pay for your funeral expenses. But, be aware that purchasing a life insurance policy at this age can be very expensive. Before doing so, first talk to a financial advisor or accountant about looking into other saving options to pay for your funeral costs before considering life insurance. 

Understanding Health Insurance Terms

When searching for a health insurance plan or after one has already signed up, the plan terms, or descriptions of provisions and coverages can be hard to understand. When one is reviewing the terms they often confusingly say, “What does that mean?”

Deductible
The deductible refers to the amount of money that the insured would need to pay before any benefits from the health insurance policy can be used. This is usually a yearly amount so when the policy starts again, usually after a year, the deductible would be in effect again. Some services, like doctor visits, may be available without meeting the deductible first. Usually there are separate individual deductible amounts and total family deductible amounts.

Co-insurance
This is the amount that would need to be paid by the insured before the insurance pays and in addition to the deductible. Some health insurance plans will let the insured use some services with just the coinsurance payment, like visiting the doctor, even before the deductible is met.

Co-payments
This is another term used for, or in place of, coinsurance.

Out-of-Pocket
The cost one would pay out of their own pocket. An out of pocket expense can refer to how much the co-payment, coinsurance, or deductible is. Also, when the term annual out-of-pocket maximum is used, that is referring to how much the insured would have to pay for the whole year out of their pocket, excluding premiums.

Lifetime Maximum
This is the most amount of money the health insurance policy will pay for the entire life. Pay attention to individual lifetime maximums and family lifetime maximums as they can be different.

Exclusions
The exclusions are the things that the insurance policy will not cover.

Pre-existing Conditions
This is something someone had before obtaining the insurance policy. Some plans will cover pre-existing conditions while others may completely exclude them and, in addition, some health insurance plans will cover pre-existing conditions after a certain time period.

Waiting Period

This is the time one would have to wait until certain health insurance coverages.