More Than A Number

When getting a home insurance quote, it’s easy to get confused by the variety of different policies and options available. As a general rule, there are three main types of insurance for the home that are applicable for most home owners. They are:

• Dwelling coverage: This provides coverage for you to repair or rebuild your home in case of a covered accident or other incident.
• Personal property coverage: This gives you additional coverage in case the contents of your home are stolen or damaged in an accident. Having proof of items and value is usually required for this coverage.
• Liability coverage: In case a person is injured while on your property (or injured by a family pet such as a dog), this coverage gives you liability protection against lawsuits and other personal claims.

Depending on your needs, cheap home insurance might not be the best, especially if you require additional protections. Make sure to review all policies closely before deciding on the one that’s right for you.

For most homeowners, a basic home insurance policy is all they need to protect themselves in case of an emergency. But residents of some states need to be aware of specialized insurance policies that can provide additional coverage for events common to their area that are not otherwise covered in general plans.

Just like getting hurricane and flooding insurance is important in the Gulf Coast, so too is having earthquake insurance in the West Coast, particularly in the especially seismically-active regions of California. When a California resident is getting a home owner insurance quote, they should make sure they also get a quote for earthquake insurance to give themselves protection in case of a major jolt.

The good news is that earthquake insurance is relatively affordable, making it a great option for additional protection. After all, who can predict when the “Big One” will hit? It makes sense to get a free home insurance quote for earthquake protection to see how much it will cost.

If you’re thinking about selling your life insurance policy through senior life settlements insurance, the process can be overwhelming. That is why the best way to complete such a transaction is through an experienced professional such as a broker or provider.

Unlike insurance companies, life settlement brokers and providers work for the policy holder and therefore look out for the policy holder’s best interests. To make sure that you choose a reliable broker or provider, find out whether they are affiliated with recognized trade groups such as Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA). The following is a quick guide to life settlement brokers and providers and the difference between the two.

Life Settlement Brokers: A life settlement broker is responsible for providing the policy holder with free policy analysis to determine an estimated market value. Since the broker is working on behalf of the policy owner, he or she will attempt to find the best possible offer from buyers.
Life Settlement Providers: A provider is a company that specializes in buying life insurance policies in the life insurance settlements market. These providers will gain funds from institutional investors and keep the policies in-force with money from the financing institutions.

The best option is typically a broker – such as Advanced Settlements – because a broker will solicit multiple competitive bids on behalf of the policy holder.  The only benefit of working with a provider is that there is no middle man.

Despite the recent trend towards rising dental insurance, certain companies are bucking the trend and keeping prices competitive for their clients. One company is Delta Dental insurance, who announced in July 2009 that they would be freezing rates for small-employer group plans for the third straight year. This is despite an increase in overall dental costs that some analysts believe will be as high as 6.75 percent, a number that has a major impact in determining premium costs.

With more than 34,000 subscribers in group and individual dental plans, Delta officials believe they can spread out the risk over a large group. Delta Dental President and CEO Bernard Glossy says that freezing costs helps small business owners as they deal with the current economic situation and rising overall costs. Customers of Delta Dental are happy with the news, as premiums for other forms of insurance have been rising – for example, Blue Cross of Arizona is raising its premiums by 3 percent over the next year.

Making smart decisions about insurance is extremely important for anyone, but especially for senior citizens. Many are receiving health care coverage through Medicare, but may require additional services not covered through their plan. Many private companies offer Medicare Supplemental insurance frequently known as “Medigap” plans to give coverage beyond what is provided by Medicare. If you have specific health needs, you may want to consider this option.

As a senior citizen, it’s also important to begin thinking about what happens after you are gone. Even if you don’t have life insurance now, there are many reasonable senior life insurance options that can provide some benefits to your loved ones after your death. Reviewing your goals for having senior life insurance will give you a good sense of which policies are right for you. If you don’t plan on having life insurance, burial insurance is one way to ensure that your loved ones can afford to pay for the funeral services you want.

The Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA) has announced that it will be hosting its 2009 Broker Summit in Orlando, Florida on August 7. According to the announcement, the summit will provide a chance for industry leaders to discuss the future of the life settlement industry as well as evaluate current business practices and political issues. Some of the issues that will be brought to the table include best practice models, licensing requirements, forms, reporting, and disclosures. 

In addition to discussing the aforementioned issues related to life settlements, the Broker Summit will also provide networking opportunities for industry leaders and personal. Both members and non-members will have the chance to network during luncheons, breaks, and topic sessions.

The program begins at 7 a.m. with a continental breakfast and ends at 2:30 p.m. with a final session entitled Preparing the Game Plan. The tentative agenda reveals some of the topics that will be discussed during the program, including a facilitated discussion about how business is typically transacted, what works, and what doesn’t. During a roundtable lunch break, attendees will have the opportunity to discuss insurance company activities and how they affect the business of senior life settlements insurance.

Individuals interested in attending the conference will need to register by June 19 to receive the best possible discount.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the overall cost of cancer in 2007 was $219.2 billion, including $89 billion for direct medical costs, $18.2 billion for lost productivity due to illness, and $112 billion for lost productivity due to premature death. Clearly, cancer takes an extreme toll on people’s financial health as well as their physical and emotional health.

Lack of health insurance can be an obstacle to optimal health care for many people diagnosed with cancer. The 2006 National Health Interview Survey found that 24% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 and 13% of children had gone without health insurance for the past year.

Yet a large portion of the uninsured is at risk for cancer. More than 1,5000 people die every day from cancer, making it the second most common cause of death in the U.S. behind heart disease.

So how can uninsured get help with their mounting medical expenses? One option is cancer insurance, the benefits of which may be used for both medical and non-medical expenses.

Getting insurance quotes from cancer insurance providers is simple. To receive an insurance quote, visit Insurancequotes.us and provide basic contact information. The service will provide quick quotes from top providers of cancer insurance. Online quote services such as Insurancequotes.us can help people diagnosed with cancer quickly get the help that they need most.

Caring for people with chronic illnesses and disabilities can take its toll, both personally and financially. Beyond medical and nursing care, services such as assisted living services can be costly. Some health plans and Medicare do not cover long-term care expenses. That’s why there are long-term care policies.

What does long-term care insurance typically cover? Depending on the policy, it may cover in-home assistance with activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating; adult day care; assisted living services outside of the home; visiting nurses; and nursing home care.

But be prepared for high premiums. Long-term care insurance quotes will show you just how much you can expect to pay for these types of services. If you’re in good health and the cost of the insurance will lower your current standard of living—or if the premiums will become unaffordable if your current income declines—then it may not be a good idea. However, if you’re at risk for certain diseases and want to minimize your financial dependence on family members, then you might want to consider it seriously.

When you are trying to find the best insurance quote, take into account such factors as the waiting period (how long you must wait to begin receiving benefits), the benefit period (how long benefits will be available), whether the policy offers a daily or monthly benefit, and where coverage is provided (nursing home only, home only, or a mixture). It’s easy to receive a free insurance quote online; just remember to do your research to determine which level of coverage is right for you.

The idea of life settlements became popular in the 1980s during the beginning of the general awareness of AIDS in the United States. During the early years of the epidemic, AIDS patients had a much shorter life expectancy than they do today; thus, many were left with unwanted life insurance policies. To accommodate this circumstance, viatical settlements were created. Viatical settlements provided the opportunity for a terminally or chronically ill individual to sell his or her life insurance policy to a third party for a lump sum. Through a viatical settlement, the third party becomes the new owner of the life insurance plan and must pay the monthly premium until the original owner dies. Shortly after, the senior life settlements industry was born. In order to qualify for a life settlement, a policy owner must be at least 65 and not terminally or chronically ill.  According to Advanced Settlements, policy owners should be over 70, with a life expectancy of less than 12 years, and must have owned a life insurance policy with a face value of $250,000 or more for not less than two years. When a policy owner decides to choose a life settlement, the amount that the individual receives is typically more than the cash value offered by the life insurance company because it is bid upon by various financial institutions.

When shopping for auto insurance quotes, everyone’s looking for a good deal. However, before opting for the cheapest insurance quote, be sure to take into consideration the minimum requirements for auto insurance. They vary by state, but most states require the following:

• Liability coverage. This coverage is designed for accidents where you are at fault. This coverage is quoted in three numbers: bodily injury coverage for one person, bodily injury coverage for all people injured in an accident, and property damage for one accident. So if liability coverage is listed as 15/30/5, it will provide $15,000 for one person injured in an accident, $30,000 for all people injured in an accident, and $5,000 for property damage. 

• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. This coverage provides for all damage done to you, your car, and any passengers by an uninsured or underinsured driver, as well as hit-and-run drivers.

• Personal injury protection. This coverage pays for your medical expenses (even if the accident occurs in someone else’s car), lost wages, and other expenses that arise as the result of an accident. Personal injury protection generally covers about 80% of your losses and may also include a death benefit.

• Comprehensive and collision insurance. If your car is leased, you may be required to purchase these two types of coverage as well. The former protects your car from almost everything except the latter.

For many drivers, the minimum requirements are not sufficient for their needs. Still, it’s good to know the requirements so that you can effectively sort through your options when applying for free insurance quotes.