Sunday, February 13, 2011

California Mesothelioma Lawsuits, Mesothelioma Claims and Insurance Companies

Insurance companies don't like to pay for things, and if there is any way around their obligation to foot the bill, they will. That is how they stay in business. They need to have a large percentage of money coming in and a very small percentage going out. Insurance adjustors are not humanitarians, they are business people. California mesothelioma claims are a huge liability in the eyes of the insurance companies.

California mesothelioma lawsuits run the risk of drying up the insurance companies limited resources. Juries are willing to award victims of Mesothelioma and their families large amounts of money based on the company's previous knowledge of the asbestos exposure, which is the sole proven cause for it.

Nearly all California mesothelioma lawsuits are filed by people who have held laborious positions all their life, including factory workers, those in the automotive industry, demolition crews, and construction crews. These men and women worked hard every day of their lives and in so many cases the company was well aware of the asbestos risks and did little or nothing to inform or protect their employees.

It's just another example of the wealthy taking advantage of the average. Juries listen to testimony and more often than not are willing to award excessive sums of money to the victims of Mesothelioma. Insurance companies are then forced to pay the claims, only in much higher amounts than would have been necessary had they simply paid the initial claim.

Insurance companies have much more stringent requirements than juries. Insurance companies have the right to initially deny claims until they are forced to pay. Juries are asked to form opinions based solely on reasonable doubt and presented evidence. Juries are fallible. Juries come with their own thoughts and feelings and experiences that create the filters in which they hear evidence being presented.

A jury reviewing a Mesothelioma case that is comprised of upper echelon and society's elite is likely to award nominal sums for cases than a jury comprised of laborers, artists, and retirees reviewing the same Mesothelioma case.

Mesothelioma has had enough press that most people recognize that it is caused by asbestos and typically can only be ignored by the people who hold a position of power. Asbestos laws are not stringent enough to prevent future cases of Mesothelioma. People with annual income of less than $75,000 are more likely to identify with victims than those with annual incomes over $100,000. Those who fall in between are likely to hear the case for what it is.

The insurance companies aren't willing to place their financial future in the hands of juries quite so readily any longer, and legislation is continually making it more difficult for hard working middle to lower class people to present their Mesothelioma cases in court.

More often than not, insurance companies have various rules in place that protect them. Speaking to a California mesothelioma lawyer immediately after diagnosis even if you have not yet decided to file a lawsuit is recommended. Should you choose to file, the lawyer has already advised you of the basic requirements necessary to continue with the filing of the Mesothelioma lawsuit.

Without this information, it is possible to make an innocent mistake that can cost you the right to your benefits. The insurance company is willing to work very hard to deny you the basic coverage under asbestos related laws, it only make sense to respond with someone working hard on your side to protect your rights against insurance company regulations. It is not a disease that can be contracted by a poor diet or unhealthy habits. Mesothelioma has been proven to be caused only by prolonged exposure to asbestos.

Whether you are not receiving fair benefits or treatment from your insurance company in regards to your Mesothelioma or not, you may be able to file a lawsuit. It is possible that you are entitled to many benefits that you are unaware of. Unfortunately, it is a crippling and terminal disease.

Often in these cases there are more benefits available to the victim within their rights provided by the law than they are aware of, and it is not likely that the insurance company is going to make the offer. A qualified California mesothelioma lawyer can fully explain the benefits available to you and your family in a much more user friendly fashion than even the best insurance company.

How the Insurance Companies Look at Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a malignant cancer that is found in the mesothelium (or protective covering) of the lung, heart, and abdomen. It is caused by the exposure of asbestos and is the focus of thousands of lawsuits across America.

Many people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are those who worked in factories, automotive factories, construction, and with jobs that manufactured or produced products that was made of the asbestos fibers.

Thousands of people are winning billions of dollars in mesothelioma lawsuits; however, the insurance companies frown on these lawsuits because of the lack of evidence that the asbestos exposure is the cause of the mesothelioma. The insurance companies are feeling the pain of these lawsuits because they are losing billions of dollars.

Although it is proven that mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos, it is not known for sure where and when the asbestos exposure really occurred since it probably occurred over the course of thirty to forty years.

Mesothelioma is not a disease that occurs overnight. It occurs as a result of prolonged exposure to asbestos. Many people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma worked for company's decades earlier where asbestos exposure was very high. It is evident that that the mesothelioma was probably caused by this exposure, but the insurance companies say that there is not real evidence to prove this exposure. Therefore, the insurance companies really frown on the mesothelioma cases.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and you are having a hard time getting your insurance company to pay for your medical expenses, then you should contact a mesothelioma lawyer. You have a right to have your medical expenses paid regardless of what evidence your insurance company says it has or is missing.

There are mesothelioma lawyers who are trained and who have a lot of experience in dealing with insurance companies and mesothelioma and they can answer any questions or concerns that you have about your mesothelioma and how your insurance company is or is not handling your medical expenses that are related to your condition.

So, if you feel you are not receiving fair benefits or treatment from your insurance company in regards to your mesothelioma, you may be able to file a lawsuit and you may be entitled to many benefits as a result of your mesothelioma lawsuit. There is no need to suffer more than you already have. A mesothelioma lawyer will be able to help you.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Free Insurance: covering your life without a penny

As people around the world continue to increase in numbers, more and more people prefer to get their insurances to make their financial well- being or other entities protected when an unexpected incident arises.

Insurance is a sort of promise of compensation wherein a certain individual will benefit for particular possible future losses in exchange for a regular payment. People are urged to get insurance to protect themselves, and their financial well-being, and other certain entities. As well as, when an unexpected incident happens they wouldn't experience a great loss, or they will be compensated for such.

However, insurances nowadays costs big amounts, and many cannot manage to pay for such insurance. Due to this, many are yearning to get free insurances, such as a free auto insurance, free life insurance, free health insurance, free home insurance, and free long term care insurance. Every individual is looking after certain no cost insurance.

Teenage years is a crucial point in time in an individual's life, it is during this time where individuals are most active and crave for attentions and adventures. The moment these young individuals are allowed to drive their own automobiles it is necessary to provide them a car insurance policy or a life insurance just in case something happens. But have you ever think of how it will cost you? It will be an additional expense for the family. So try to find yourself free auto insurance and a free life insurance and avail it for your child.

An example of a free life insurance is a program called LifeBridge in Massachusetts. Health insurance is a leading topic discussed by the politician nowadays. At this moment there are barely 50 million Americans who do not have a so- called health insurance. For some it is due to economic reasons, while others say it is a matter of not understanding a health insurance. While for those who can barely eat meal three times a day, what they need is a free health insurance.

Building a family is not easy, especially that the whole world is experiencing economic crisis right now.  Building a family means building a home for them. The supply needed in constructing a house is quite expensive. Once the home is fully furnished, would you want to jeopardize your home and the money it costs you in building it, if not, buy a home insurance for your home security. A home security covers basically fire, lightning and other third party liability. It may also include typhoons, fire, riots and many others as additional to the home insurance coverage. There are also countries which provide a free home insurance for those who cannot afford to buy one.

Insurance policies are legal contracts. Once both parties agreed, a long term care insurance company should uphold the contract in the form of a letter, or in a lawsuit. Every policy is made with maximum care with the use of the possibilities of actuaries and a contract lawyer's deep analysis for both parties.

Acquiring Health Insurance Quotes

Acquiring Health Insurance Quotes through Phone Calls

Calling an insurance company for health insurance quotes may sometimes be full of hassle. First, it will really take time especially if you want to understand more about the details and you want to ask a number of questions. Secondly, when you call these insurance companies, it is a trend that your call will be put on hold. It would really be frustrating especially if you need the health insurance quotes already and you are made to deal with all these hassles when you make that phone call. But, there are positive points when you inquire for health insurance quotes over the phone.

The first good thing about getting health insurance quotes over the phone is that you get to talk to a human being who is well knowledgeable about the health insurance quotes. While the person is explaining to you the different details of the health insurance quotes, you have the choice of asking follow up questions.

When you talk to an insurance consultant through the phone, you can also inquire on other offers on that same policy you are interested on. Usually, insurance companies do adjustments on health insurance quotes to suit your needs better.

If you already like the health insurance quote presented to you by the insurance consultant, you can directly buy the policy. These transactions are usually made through credit cards.

Another option: Online Health Insurance Quotes

Given this modern day, there is another option you can explore if you want to get health insurance quotes –online. This is another simple and fast way of getting your health insurance quotes and purchasing your insurance policy.

Insurance companies now have their websites where you can check the policies they offer and ask for free online health insurance quotes. It is also an easy way for you to check on different insurance companies and to choose among the companies and the policies would suit your needs.

When you get the quotes online, it will save you more time because you receive the health insurance quotes faster and from multiple insurance companies as well. So this means you will be saving more time than you calling different insurance companies one after the other. This is also an easier way of comparing the health insurance quotes that you receive from the numerous insurance companies.

Purchasing policies online is also easy. After choosing which health insurance quote you want best, you can then acquire that health insurance policy fast and simple. You just need your credit card for this transaction –don't worry, transactions are secured for this.

You can also choose to hire an independent agent to find you the best health insurance quotes. Some independent agents get discounts from some companies so you will get better health insurance quotes from them. Just make sure that even though you are presented with health insurance quotes that are light on your budget, they must cover your needs well too.  Independent agents can be really big help especially of you do not have time for the phone calls or you do not really know how to compare and contrast health insurance quotes.

A person looking for affordable health insurance quotes can also simply apply for various health insurance quotes. Getting your hand on such diverse quotes as well as comparing all of their estimates will definitely provide you with a very sensible idea about which plans in reality can provide you with affordable health insurance.

Tips for California Auto Insurance drivers

The state of California requires all car owners to have auto insurance for licensing, registration and operating a vehicle. Purchasing auto insurance with adequate coverage at the lowest price can be difficult.

With many preferred insurance carriers, California Auto Insurance searches and gets quotes for each consumer because the types of freight companies can be very difficult to deal with on your own. Insurance rates are based on the experience of past losses and expenses. These can be very different for each insurance company, even within a given town, city or metropolitan area. To make insurance shopping an easier experience fill out some basic information on a single form to get car insurance quotes from multiple agents instead of one carrier. The right California Auto Insurance agents can help you get the best coverage at the best price. So take some time to shop before you buy. You can save money and get better coverages by finding the right agent.

The required auto insurance coverage in California includes:
  • Bodily injury coverage with a minimum of $ 15,000 for an individual and $ 30,000 for all persons in any accident.
  • Property damage liability with a minimum of $ 5,000. This pays for damage to property of others.
Shop Around for Auto Insurance. You may not realize it, but the insurance rates you pay for on your car can vary greatly depend on the company that you choose. You should always compare before deciding on a policy. California also has what's known as the California Low Cost Auto Insurance Program. This program helps reduce the number of uninsured drivers on the road, providing low-income good drivers with affordable auto insurance options. Qualifications are based on household income, good driving record and the value of the vehicle at the time of purchase. Here are some examples of what determines the cost of your auto insurance premium.
  • Type of vehicle - car insurance is more expensive for newer cars, because it costs more to repair or replace. Car insurance varies from car to car, so before buying or leasing a new vehicle, check to see how much the car insurance will cost.
  • Use - The more miles you drive, the more your insurance will cost.
  • Deductibles - You can increase your deductible to reduce your auto insurance costs, but make sure it is financially viable and the right decision.
  • Driving record - Many companies offer discounts on auto insurance for consumers without accidents and violations. Drive safely and pay less on your auto insurance.
  • Multi-Policy Discount - Some insurance companies offer a discount to consumers who purchase both auto insurance and home insurance from them. This also makes it easier for you to have one insurance agent to work with.
  • Group Discount- Some companies have discounts available if you are a part of a specific group- for example, the employer, association, occupation, etc. Be sure to ask your California Auto Insurance agent about group discounts.
  • Good student – Teenage drivers on your policy can increase your auto insurance rates. If the teen is a good student, most companies offer a discount on your auto insurance.
  • Restraint systems and anti-theft devices - Many companies offer a discount on your auto insurance if your car is equipped with safety devices, such as certain anti-lock brakes, air bags, anti-theft and / or vehicle recovery systems.

Ways of finding cheap insurance

Top Ways to Change Your Current Car Insurance into Cheap Insurance:

Get Theft Devices: Most new cars have theft devices. Some are automatic and some have to be started at the touch of a button, but all usually get discounts on car insurance. Also, some states provide extra discounts for such things as window sketching.   Ask for a Multiple Car Discount: Did you know sometimes insuring two cars can be the same price as insuring one? If not the same price, insuring another car usually does not cost as much as you may think. If you have two cars, it is very wise to check with your insurance agent, or while obtaining your online insurance quote, to make sure you can get this discount on your car insurance. Also, if you are planning to sell a second car, the cheap car insurance trick would be to keep that car on just liability to get your multiple car discount.
Sometimes people are surprised when they call their car insurance company to take a car off of their insurance, only to find that their price did not go down but possibly increased!   Stick With Yearly Policies: Choosing a yearly policy can extend your savings on your car insurance. Purchasing a yearly policy instead of a six month policy gives you a rate that cannot be changed for one year vs. changing every six months.
Look Into Comprehensive Storage Coverage: If you are planning to store your car for any period of time, you can save on your car insurance by only keeping comprehensive coverage during the storage time. Since the car would be stored, it is very unlikely it will get in a collision or need the liability coverage.   Re-Check Your Mileage: This is a great way to get cheap car insurance: If you are really close to the "miles to work" break-off, you may want to check your mileage closely. When your car insurance company or insurance agent asks you "How many miles do you drive to work one way?" this is a crucial question that will designate you into a particular class.
Each class can have significant differences in prices.   Look for a Group Discount: Many companies offer a discount on car insurance for being affiliated with certain organizations. These can range from credit unions, college sororities, or just having a certain credit card. Call your service center and ask them for a list of organization affiliations.   Lower Liability, Comprehensive, Collision, or Medical Payments Coverages: Of course, you can lower your basic coverages but it may just give you the cheap insurance you need right no!. Comprehensive and collision are probably the first to look at lowering by increasing your deductibles on your car insurance. Most vehicles that are on bank loans can have up to a $1000 deductible.
Next, lowering your liability and medical payments could help, but only if you are having a hard time paying for your premium and is not recommended for general savings.   Make EFT Payments: Many car insurance companies are now charging up to $5.00 or more for mail payments, but sometimes nothing if you choose to have payments automatically deducted. And, sometimes the deductions can come from your credit card, so you don't have to worry if the money will be in your bank account when payment time comes.

Small Business Health Insurance Problem

Through the debate on reforming health insurance for small businesses, an important piece of information was missing: Policymakers had little data on why only some young companies offer their employees health insurance. Common sense and much research indicate that cost plays a big role in business owners' health insurance decisions. Why do some entrepreneurs choose to incur this cost while others do not?

Back in March, Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, which in 2014 will require all Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty. Although many people would now like to put discussion of employer health insurance behind them, the question of why only some founders of small businesses offer insurance remains an important one. Its answer will influence how much of a role government will play in providing employee health insurance for years to come.

One part of the new law is a set of tax credits and penalties designed to encourage employers to provide insurance.The problem is that for most young small businesses, it won't work.That's the conclusion I reached, based on research I conducted with Alicia Robb of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.We examined the decisions of founders of young companies on whether or not to offer health insurance, using information from the Kauffman Firm Survey, which tracks a cohort of nearly 5,000 new businesses started in 2004.

The data show that very few new businesses offer employee health insurance. Nearly two-thirds of companies with employees did not offer employee health insurance at any time during their first five years of operation. Moreover, only one in five offered insurance to their workers in all of the years.
insurance: no performance benefits

The few young small businesses that offered health insurance differed dramatically from those that didn't: They tended to be larger and higher-paying, structured as partnerships and corporations, and they offered their employees a wide variety of benefits. Most young businesses don't fit this profile. The majority are sole proprietorships with few, modestly paid employees. Only a handful of young companies grow dramatically. A minority shift from sole proprietorships to other legal structures. Few ever add a lot of benefits. This means that only a small portion of young small businesses are health-insurance-providing types. Most are not.

One argument that's often made to justify giving employees health insurance is that doing so helps companies perform better. Those that offer employee health insurance, the argument goes, get better and harder-working employees. We examined whether the provision of employee health insurance provides any performance benefits to young companies. We found that it does not.

Controlling for a variety of other firm and founder characteristics, we saw no significant effect from providing employee health insurance on firm survival, growth in assets, growth in sales, growth in profits, or growth in employment during the first five years of operation. Stated differently, offering employee health insurance doesn't appear to do anything to improve the performances of young companies, despite what some observers argue. We shouldn't claim that the new law will benefit small business owners by making their companies more successful.
low-paying, sole proprietorships

The data offer three key takeaways for policymakers. First, only a minority of new businesses offer health insurance to employees, even by age five. Fewer still move from not offering insurance to providing it. When thinking about how to manage small business health insurance, policymakers need to keep in mind that offering insurance isn't something that young companies naturally evolve to do as they mature. Consequently, most of the employees at new businesses that don't offer health insurance will need to be covered by government programs and state exchanges.

Second, new companies that don't offer insurance tend to be smaller, lower-paying, sole proprietorships with a large share of part-time workers. These offer employees limited benefits. Policy makers need to recognize that offering employee health insurance is something that fits certain kinds of new companies and not others. Small business owners who don't offer employee health insurance aren't being heartless. They are responding to the economics of the industries they are in and the business models they are pursuing.

Third, offering employee health insurance doesn't improve the financial performance of new companies. Policymakers need to understand that despite the many reasons why they want the founders of all businesses to offer health insurance to employees, requiring that entrepreneurs provide such insurance won't benefit many of the business owners.

Hundreds of thousands of new businesses with employees are founded in the U.S. every year. Few of these companies are large enough, pay enough, or are structured in a way that would lead them to offer employee health insurance. Moreover, few will turn into businesses that provide health care coverage to their workers. As a consequence, most of the several million workers hired by young businesses annually will be getting their insurance from government programs and state exchanges for years to come.

How to Collect on Lost Life Insurance Policies

A relative has just died. He had a life insurance policy with you listed as the beneficiary. There's just one problem: the life insurance policy is missing. You have no idea which insurance company wrote it.

If you find the missing life insurance policy in the future, are you still eligible to receive the death benefit?

Hope they paid their insurance bills

If you're a beneficiary and you find the lost life insurance policy shortly after the insured dies (within six months to a year, for example), claiming the death benefit should be trouble-free.

First, determine if the insured had term or permanent life insurance. If the insured held a term policy, you'll receive the death benefit if he died before the end of the policy term. If he died after the policy expiration date, you would get nothing.

If the insured had a permanent life policy, you'll receive the money if the death occurred while the policy was "in force," meaning all premium payments were made up until the time of death. If the death was a while ago, you'll receive the benefit with interest from the date of death.

If the life insurance policy lapsed — meaning the insured stopped making premium payments before he died — there's a chance you might get nothing. When a permanent life insurance policy lapses, most insurance companies switch its status from permanent insurance to one of two options:

"Extended term" — The insurance company uses the cash value of the policy to buy a term life insurance policy for the same death benefit using the cash value of the policy. The death benefit will continue for the longest period the cash value will purchase.

"Reduced paid up" — The insurance company will keep the policy in force permanently, but will reduce the death benefit.

Gerry Brogla, an actuary for State Farm, says in the majority of the cases at his company, the permanent policy continues as extended term if it lapses. At State Farm, extended term is the default option for most permanent policies.

If the policy lapses, and the extended-term period expires before the insured dies, the policy is worthless and the life insurance beneficiary will get nothing. If the insured dies before the extended-term period is up, the beneficiary will receive the death benefit. If the policy lapsed because the insured died (thus ending premium payments and causing the insurance to be placed in extended-term status), the beneficiary will still collect the full death benefit, regardless of when the extended term was up. The beneficiary always needs to supply the insurance company with a death certificate to verify the date of death.

There is no time limit during which a life insurance beneficiary must step forward to collect the money, according to Jack Dolan, spokesman for the American Council of Life Insurers. "If a person shows up 30 years after [the insured's] death, the company still makes good on it," Dolan assures.

What happens if no one ever reports the death?

If the insured dies and the insurance company does not learn of the death, the policy lapses. Insurance companies will take steps to find out why a policyholder stopped making payments.

When an insurance company stops getting payments, it sends letters to the insured informing him the policy may lapse as a result of unpaid premiums. If the letters go unanswered, the company might initiate a search to find the insured. If that comes up empty, the company will then lapse the policy.

If a beneficiary to a policy never steps forward, it unfortunately means the insured paid money to a policy throughout his life and his beneficiaries never see a penny. This is why its a good idea to make sure beneficiaries are aware of any life insurance policies you have.

If you're lucky, the state may have your money

In some cases when a beneficiary fails to claim a death benefit for several years, the money is transferred to the state where the insurance policy was purchased under the escheat laws.

If a company knows an insured died and it cannot find the beneficiary, it must turn the full death benefit over to the state comptroller's department within three to five years of the insured's death. The money is transferred to the state where the insured bought the policy. The money is considered "unclaimed property" and gets lumped in with dormant bank accounts and uncollected rent deposits. The comptroller's department maintains a database that lists the names and addresses of lost life insurance beneficiaries.

Many states will try to contact life insurance beneficiaries in an effort to pay the death benefits. In Texas, for example, the names and addresses of the beneficiaries are published annually in each county in the state. In New York, the Web site of the New York State Comptroller's Office of Unclaimed Funds has an online search to find any unclaimed death benefits owed to you. You can find out the procedures in your state by contacting the office of your state comptroller or treasurer.

Keep in mind your chances of finding the policy with the state are slim. The insurance company has no obligation to hand the money over to the state if it's unaware the insured died. In most cases, it's the beneficiary who contacts the insurance company.

Also, the insurer only transfers the money to the state three to five years after it cannot find the beneficiary but knows the insured died. If the state doesn't have the death benefit, it's likely the insurer is still looking for the beneficiary or doesn't know the policyholder has died.

Unclaimed death benefits are rarely transferred to the state. Dave Potter, a spokesman for Hartford Life, says less than 1 percent of his company's death benefits go unclaimed.

Del Chance, a life insurance claims manager at State Farm, says, "Turning over life policy benefits to an individual state after the death of an insured is extremely rare. State Farm utilizes their own search techniques as well as outside vendors to locate lost beneficiaries in the event of the death of one of our insureds. By and large these procedures have always located the beneficiary.

Tips for making sure your life insurance beneficiaries get your death benefit:

1. Give your beneficiaries your policy information. It can be a difficult and awkward conversation, but an important one.

2. Keep all your financial records (especially your life insurance policies) in one place. Don't force your beneficiaries to search your house from top to bottom after you die.

Tips for looking for lost life insurance policies:

1. Go through canceled checks or contact your relative's bank for copies of old checks. Look for checks made out to insurance companies.

2. Ask those who may have known about your relative's finances. Speak with the relative's lawyer, banker or accountant. Also contact the relative's insurance agent.

3. Contact your relative's past employers. They might know of possible group life insurance. The insured might have also purchased supplemental life insurance through work.

4. Check the mail for a year. Premium bills and policy-status notices are usually sent annually.

5. Look at income tax returns for the past two years. Check for interest income from policies or expenses paid to life insurance companies.

6. Contact the Medical Information Bureau. If your relative bought life insurance fairly recently, there might be a trail of the companies to which he applied. The Medical Information Bureau (MIB) maintains a database that might show if insurers requested your relative's medical information within the past seven years. Record searches can be requested through the MIB's Policy Locator Service and cost $75. The MIB says that nearly 30 percent of searches turn up leads.

Individual Health Insurance Effects

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as the health reform bill will impact almost every American. One of the most important ways it will affect individual health insurance is that insurance companies will not be permitted to deny insurance to those with preexisting illnesses. Another important affect is that all Americans will be required to hold insurance. Insurance companies will be prohibited from placing annual and lifetime limits on coverage. Group health exchanges may also help to reduce the cost of insurance plans, giving individuals the buying power of large companies. You will be able to purchase insurance through a state exchange from 2014. The exchanges have yet to be formed, but the intended goal is to provide more affordable and subsidized individual plans. The Obama effects on individual health insurance addresses the biggest weaknesses in the individual health insurance market. Easy To Insure Me
As the reform bill was passed policy rates were climbing. A report revealed that members of the middle class were losing health insurance faster than any other income group. Those who missed the Government provided safety net because of their income were thrown on the mercies of the individual market. Here, insurers have been denied coverage based on preexisting conditions and are vulnerable to charges of high and ever increasing premiums.
The limits insurers placed on who gets coverage is one of the three major problems that needed to be addressed in the individual market. The other two are the affordability and whether the policy would pay for what is needed when the insured gets sick. A study found that excluded conditions varied by insurer. In a 2001 study by the Georgetown Health Policy Institute, researchers 37 percent of applications were rejected. There were insurers who would turn you down if you had hay fever. The public thus was a victim of a roulette insurance market. How easy is it for individuals to wade their way through the market to insurers who would cover them is a question. Although federal law requires insurers to sell policies to certain people who lose group coverage, including those who lost their jobs due to lay offs; but places no limits on what an insurer can charge. In February 2010, Connecticut announced that health premiums for individual medical plans rose in price by 20 percent over in 2009. In this void have stepped some states in varying degrees. Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont required insurers to sell individual policies to everyone, irrespective of their health. Washington state required insurers to take individuals with some health problems. While, Iowa required insurers to cover preexisting conditions in new applicants, if they had insurance previously for those conditions and did not let the insurance lapse.
Of those who do buy their own insurance the health insurance market works well for some; but, not for others. In the individual market prior to the reform bill, in order to lower their risks insurers preferred the healthiest applicants. In most states, insurers may consider the health history of the applicant in deciding coverage and its cost. Unlike group plans offered by employers which provide coverage to everyone, there is no guarantee in most states individuals can obtain insurance. It has been realized that solving problems in the individual market would improve the health care crisis. In California, Connecticut and several other states regulators have taken actions against insurers who revoked individual coverage after policyholders fell ill. Before the President won the election Senators Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, and Bob Bennett, a Republican from Utah were supporting a bill that would shift workers getting coverage through employers to purchase their own insurance. The intention of their proposal was to break the link between employment and insurance. The two supporters of the bill believed this would let people keep their coverage even when they lost or switched their job. The proposal would have required everyone to have coverage and insurers to sell insurance to all applicants. The health reform bill has addressed these failings. Both presidential candidates had expressed the desire to improve options for people who buy their own coverage. Candidate Obama wanted to allow individuals and small firms to have the bargaining leverage and purchasing power of latge firms by creating ways for individuals to buy insurance in groups. Advisors to candidate McCain had acknowledged the current system was broken. Douglas Holtz Eakin, who was a senior policy adviser noted that he did not want to give the impression the individual or small group market is a good place to be, as it was not
The public hospitals have been at the vanguard of the victims of inadequate and absent coverage. They have provided for the uninsured and those under insured by Medicaid, that reimburses them at below cost. They are also unable to compete with private and nonprofit hospitals for patents with private health insurance coverage. Yet, the cost of providing care to the uninsured and under insured has climbed and taxpayer support remained static.
Currently employers are looking to shift more burdens to their employees due to rise in the cost of health insurance. A Reuters research team in analyzing claim data has discovered that smaller employers saw costs rise the most. According to a report released in March 2010, the cost for an employer to offer individual plans to workers increased by 43 percent over a eight-year period. The amount employees paid for the single plans increased over 64 percent.
Large corporate employees have enjoyed the most secure and highest quality coverage in the nation during their employment. They have not been victimized during their employment with revocation or denial due to preexisting conditions. Nevertheless, a recently released annual survey by the National Business Group on Health has indicated that the impact of rising costs means this island of safety is about to be buffeted. This surveyed large employers indicated they were considering shifting more of the cost on their employees.
Harvard researchers looking into what portion of bankruptcy filers filed for medical reasons found some enlightening information. They found that illness caused the majority of filings. The study looked at a year that preceded the housing bust; but reveals what is the general scenario absenting this reason. The larger segment of filers were covered by insurance they lost or proved to be inadequate. Majority of these were middle class homeowners who had college degrees. The study revealed the vulnerability of Americans who were literally one major illness from bankruptcy. There are big Obama effects on individual health insurance coverage. Certainly there are due to be major Obama effects on individual health insurance.

Insurance Savings Guide For All

Homeowners insurance and automobile insurance are 2 types of insurance that almost all individuals need to have sooner or later. If you have a number of different insurance plans, the price of premiums can easily become a financial difficulty. With regards to insurance, everybody wants to have the cheapest price and also the best coverage. The best method to reduce costs on your insurance premiums is to merge your home and automobile insurance with one insurance carrier.
Merging your home and car insurance policies with one carrier could lower your rates. According to the Insurance Information Institute, combining your property and car insurance can save you up to 25 % on both premiums. To compete for your business, numerous insurance carriers offer discounts to consumers who buy both home and car insurance.
Combining both home and car insurance could significantly lower your payments to insure the belongings in our properties from fire, theft the structure of your house in case of fire, wind, and other types of damage covered under the terms of the policy. In addition, you'll have insurance on your auto in case of an incident, liability, collision, theft, and vandalism. Many insurers that provide combined home and car insurance coverage will bill you for both policies at the same time. Therefore you'll make one monthly payment.
The easiest method to get a cheap home and car insurance rate is to look online. The quickest and easiest method to locate a combined low cost home and car insurance will be to compare quotes using an online insurance comparison tool. There are numerous insurance sites that provide this comparison tool totally free without any obligations. All you need to do is complete a quick quote form and you receive a number of quotes. You could then select the best insurance plan that meets your wants.
Whenever you merge your home and car insurance, you won't just lower your expenses, but you would have the added convenience of one insurance package, one payment to make every month, one renewal date, and a single deductible which would apply in case of a claim.
Just like any type of insurance, it is very important to shop around. You need to learn how an insurance company ranks when it comes to how well they pay their claims and how strong they are financially. Additionally you need to read the insurance plan very carefully so you know exactly what you are protected for and how much the insurer pays for a claim. It's crucial to remember that getting the correct amount of coverage outweighs the cost of inadequate coverage.
Anybody with a home and auto should be covered by insurance. With the present unpredictable financial economy, it's simply smart to save cash by merging both your home and automobile insurance policy.