Life and Health Insurances info...business,travel,jobs,types,aviva,marine,fire,course,mega...

Article : Why Do I Need Health Insurance?

2010-05-23T05:45:00.000-07:00

source : healthinsurance.about.com

By Michael Bihari, MD, About.com Guide

Updated April 06, 2010

It is important to get health insurance for yourself and members of your immediate family. Insurance helps to protect you from high health care costs, especially those related to chronic medical conditions or the need for hospitalization.

You should get health insurance for the same reason that you have auto insurance or homeowners insurance - to protect your savings and income.

How Do I Get Health Insurance?

Depending on your age, job status, and financial condition, there are many ways that you can get health insurance, including:

* Health insurance provided by an employer. Most large companies in the U.S. provide health insurance as an employee benefit. You may be required to pay some portion of the monthly premium, or cost of the health insurance.

* Health insurance that you purchase on your own. If you are self-employed or work for a small company that does not provide health insurance, you will need to buy it on your own.

* Health insurance provided by the government. If you are 65 or older, disabled, or have little or no income, you may qualify for health insurance paid for by the government, such as Medicare and Medicaid. ...

read all

News : Health Insurance Companies Try to Shape Rules

2010-05-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

source : nytimes.com

by Robert Pear

Published: May 15, 2010

“The health insurance industry has shifted its focus from opposing health care reform,” Senator John D. Rockefeller IV said.

WASHINGTON — Health insurance companies are lobbying federal and state officials in an effort to ward off strict regulation of premiums and profits under the new health care law.

The effort is, in some ways, a continuation of the battle over health care that consumed Congress last year.

Insurance lobbyists are trying to shape regulations that will define “unreasonable” premium increases and require them to pay rebates to consumers if the companies do not spend enough on patient care.

For their part, consumer groups say they worry that their legislative victories could be undone or undercut by the rules being written by the federal government and the states.

The health care overhaul provides a classic example of how the impact of a law depends on regulations needed to interpret it. The rules deal with relatively technical questions but go to the heart of the law, pushed through Congress by President Obama and Democratic leaders with no Republican support. ...

read all...

Article : Importance of Life, Health and Long Term Care Insurance

2010-05-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

source : selfgrowth.com

by Matt Marksbury

Many of us do not have any or not enough Life, Health and LTC Insurance and we should really take a deeper look at all three to protect our families’ future.

Let us start off with Life Insurance. Most people especially the younger generation do not see the need for Life insurance. People believe that if they cannot actually use something after they are dead it is of no use to them but they are wrong. All Life policies do build cash value over time and it is generally very cheap to buy. Whole life products are the most expensive but will build into a very important investment tool for your future years of retirement or if you ever need to cash it in for you can. Term Life and Universal Life also build cash value over time and can be surrendered at a future point for its current cash value, it can also be sold to a third party in a vaticle agreement if you are ever diagnosed with a life threatening disease.

Health Insurance is one of our country’s biggest obstacles just for the plain fact that it is really expensive and for some hard to obtain if they have an illness. Without health insurance one can lose everything they own if they were to get ill. For example let’s say you get diagnosed with cancer you’re looking at least 6-12 months of no work, which would decimate most people’s savings account if they even have one and without insurance to pay the bills the courts can take your assets including your home to pay the balance. Over 50% of bankruptcies are caused by a sickness. Once you are diagnosed with a life threatening sickness and you don't have coverage in place obtaining a traditional policy is very difficult and in most cases impossible, and then your only option is to obtain a guaranteed issue product which does give you some level of protection but not nearly as much as major medical plan or a catastrophic policy. ...

read all...

Article : How To Choose A Company To Buy Life Insurance From?

2010-05-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

source : ratedetective.com.au

Apr 08, 2010 - Eric Smyth

When you finally decide that you are ready to buy life insurance and once you have familiarised yourself with the different types of life insurance then it is time to choose a company and agent.

Some people prefer to purchase policies straight from the insurance company, while others prefer to buy life insurance through an agent or life insurance broker. All agents and brokers have to be licensed to sell life insurance in Australia.

It is important to purchase from a company that has a proven track record and is known for paying claims and has a good rating.

Credit ratings for a life insurance company

All life insurance companies in Australia are rated by their financial strength and the well known insurance companies will be more than willing to tell you their rating. The strongest life insurance companies are the ones with an A rating or better.

These ratings are issued by an independent credit ratings companies such a Standard & Poor's or A.M. Best. Rate Detective compares only financially stable and reputable life insurance companies with A.M. Best rating of A, A-, A+ or A++.

What can you expect the life insurance broker to do for you?

When life insurance broker or agent first makes contact with you, they should provide you with a statement of advice, and some may provide you with copies of the product disclosure statements for the insurance policies that they have recommended to you. The broker will then establish your life insurance needs....

read all...

Article : The Importance of Life Insurance

2010-05-05T00:47:00.000-07:00

source : i5ive.com

What would happen to your family if you never made it home from work today? If you were to die, would they be able to continue to live in the same house, and still be able to make the rent or mortgage payment? How can you be sure that you can provide for your family even after you’ve left this planet?

Well, through life insurance, you can make sure your family is protected, even in the event of your death. Consider it your last act of love and kindness that you can perform. In general, your life insurance policy should be about double what you owe on your house. This is just a quick rule of thumb that works for most American families. It really depends on what your debt is.

The idea of having a good life insurance policy is to take care of your family, right? Well, then. You’ll need to have enough to pay off the house and any major outstanding debts, pay for your burial or cremation, and still leave enough that your family is able to take a little time off to grieve properly. No child or newly widowed man or woman wants to immediately jump up and go back to work after having lost a loved one. However, if it comes down to a choice between that or starving to death, most will force themselves to go. How much better it would be to have $20,000 in reserve, so they could take a few weeks or a month off and be ok. With a properly sized life insurance policy, you won’t have to worry about your family needing to rush right back to work, and you’ll know that they will be able to take the necessary time to heal a bit before heading back out into the world.

As you can no doubt see, life insurance serves many practical purposes. ...

read all...

Article : 3 steps to finding the right travel insurance

2010-04-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

source : travelinsurancereview.net
By Damian on Apr 11, 2007

Finding the right travel insurance can be difficult. There are many products to choose from, and all travelers have different needs. This simple guide will help you find the right coverage for your trip.

1. Determine your needs

Ask yourself this question and write down the answer:

“What are my 3 biggest concerns about this trip?”

Some people want to make sure the cost of their trip is covered if they need to cancel, others want their health and medical needs covered by travel medical insurance. Maybe you have a nice new set of luggage to protect, or you heard about the astronomical cost of emergency evacuation.

Everyone looks for travel insurance to cover different needs. You need to determine what your needs are, and find the policy that works best.

2. Compare all quotes from all companies

This is actually quite easy. Instead of visiting several different websites and getting trip insurance quotes one at a time, use a comparison engine. These work much like Expedia .com, where you put in the trip dates and see all the options from all companies at the same time. Then you can decide based on features. ...

read all...

Article : Pet Health Insurance

2010-04-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

source : buzzle.com

By Gaynor Borade

When you adopt an animal as a pet, in time, the canine or feline becomes part and parcel of the family. The insurance of the animal with a dedicated insurance plan then becomes your responsibility!

Insuring your pet – the best bet:

The welfare of the animal adopted by the family is a collective responsibility. Just like every investment and member of the family is insured, the pet needs a finance cover too. Pet health insurance has been around for a while now, but the importance of the cover has only recently made the rounds. The availability of pet insurance plans has in a way been affected and limited largely due to the various policy restrictions and prohibitive clauses included in many cases. However, in last few decades, pet owners around the world have pursued the changes adopted within the dedicated pet insurance industry.

Why is it important to insure your pet?

Pet health insurance now equips and supports the pet owners with insurance covers that are provided at different levels of care. The changes include the areas which were previously considered ‘cost prohibitive’ by the insurance providers. Most pet owners react from the hassles they face when dealing with insurance red tape and problems prevalent in the human health care fields. The increasing cost of veterinary medicine and the responsibility of the pet are leading pet owners across the globe to address the need for dedicated pet health insurance. The cover basically takes care of animal hospitalization and health care needs addressed by the veterinary.

What does pet health insurance take care of?

The pet owners are responsible for veterinary costs incurred, like preventive or routine pet care, emergencies and conditions that require hospitalization. The pet health policies are quite similar to human insurance policies. Pet health insurance also involves the payment of annual or semi annual premiums, calculating deductibles and evaluating the different coverage plans based on budget and specific terms and conditions. In the case of the animals, the pet health insurance plans are based on the species, the pet’s age and any pre-existing health conditions. In certain policies, the lifestyle of the pet, which needs to be declared as indoors or outdoors, is also considered. Most of the pet health insurance companies offer policies to animals that have completed a certain number of months since birth. There are some that do not follow the ‘age limit’ criteria at all and yet some others who actually design pet health insurance policies and plans for ages between those specified by the company only.

Qualification criteria:

The various pet health insurance companies seek information on pre-existing health problems. Policies differ form one company to another and in type. Some pet health insurance companies insure the animal only if the pet is veterinary declared ‘stable’ or ‘controlled’. There are policies where companies refuse to insure animals with existent health conditions or terminally ill. The animal, in some pet health care insurance programs are not covered if the breed is understood as prone to developing certain diseases. A good example of this is the common health hazard in German Shepherds - hip dysplasia!

How does pet health insurance work?

There is a fixed current average for annual deductibles in the case of pet health insurance. The actual costs of the policies vary widely. The affecting factors include the animal species and the different packages designed with the species in mind, from which the owner can choose. There are pet health care insurance packages that including annual checkups and vaccinations and preventive medication, along with routine health care visits to the veterinary. The comprehensive-insurance packages for the animals also cover spay and/or neuter surgeries. Almost all insurance plans cover accident and illness and offer immediate coverage, literally within a month, in the case of illness claims on new policies. If you have more than one pet, then additional pets are offered pet health insurance at a reduced rate.

You need to check with your veterinarian about the wellness packages offered by certain hospitals, at discounted prices and the geriatric health checkup packages for preventive health. Comparison shopping for premium rates and maximum coverage helps you save on precious time and money!

Article : Get the Cheapest Individual Health Insurance - Helpful Tips to Save You Money

2010-04-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

source : ezine articles
By Andy Ryan

Shopping for insurance like a health plan takes several steps to save money. It might be more stressful than shopping for groceries but the truth is that it easier than shopping for clothes, groceries and any other item. The basic thing you need to do before shopping for a cheap health insurance plan is to collect quotes which you can get for free.

Many people who do not know about getting insurance quotes are spending a lot of time finding the cheapest and most affordable health plans. To be able to be successful and effective, the first step is finding the insurance quotes. Finding them may take some time if you are not aware of the best source which can save you time and money.

The best way so far is the internet. You can find a lot of things in the internet and for sure you can also find cheap insurance quotes online.

Several websites online make it easy for you to find cheaper health insurance. Some websites are as simple as placing your zip code and they will process it for you. They will find the cheapest, closest and the best insurance quotes available.

If you are looking for a cheap health plan there are different types for individual and for a family cover and there are a lot of details that you can find online. This will help you if you would decide to get an individual health insurance plan or a family health insurance plan.

In short, any type, term or budget you want and have they can help you decide and collect information you need. If you are confused by all the terms and cover the last thing you want to do is to contact an insurance agent. the first thing they are going to ask for is your phone number so they can keep calling you until you take a policy with them.

Now you can imagine if you go through the phone book and call several insurance agents for quotes. Your phone will be ringing all hours of the day and night with people trying to sell you insurance.

The ideal solution is to find a comparison site on the internet that will give you the best quotes based on your budget and a few basic details to help you find cheaper health insurance.

Article : Individual Health Insurance Plans

2010-04-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

source : health-insurance.suite101.com

How to Choose the Best Individual Insurance Plan

Group health insurance and individual health insurance are the primary types of insurance available to people in the United States. With group health insurance a person’s employer pays a portion of the insurance in conjunction with the employee. It’s called a group plan because the rates are based on a group (the group of all employees), rather than an individual. Conversely, individual health insurance premiums are based on an individual, or the individual and their family members.

Cost of Individual Insurance Plan

The cost of an individual insurance plan to the consumer versus the cost of a group plan depends on the amount of the premium that the employer is paying. There are circumstances when the employer pays such a large portion of the insurance premium that the group plan is less expensive to the employee. However, in most cases the individual insurance plan would be less expensive.

The caveat is that individual insurance plans can be very difficult to obtain. This is because insurance companies routinely deny people who have preexisting conditions, lapses in health insurance coverage, or any other circumstance that the insurance companies view negatively. Consequently, individual health insurance providers get to “cherry pick” those who they prefer to cover. ...

read all...

News : Life insurance may become more accessible for government employees

2010-04-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

source : netquote.com
Tuesday, January 5, 2010

New rules would make it easier for enlisted and civilian government employees to buy life insurance, even if they are overseas

The federal government's Office of Personnel Management has proposed new rules to make life insurance more available for government employees stationed abroad., GovExec.com reports.

The Federal Employees Group Life Insurance program, or FEGLI, would be newly opened to federal employees who are called into active duty in the National Guard or Reserves. At present, military members only have access to the Servicemembers Group Life Insurance program; under the new rules, government workers would be able to maintain FEGLI coverage for up to two years. The government would foot the cost for the first year and the servicemember would pay in the second year. ...

read all...

News : More people turn to life insurance in November

2010-04-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

source : netquote.com
Wednesday, December 16, 2009

The number of people buying life insurance policies jumped in November, MIB Group data shows

North American life insurance policy purchases increased 3.9 percent year-on-year, data from insurance company coalition MIB Group shows.
In the U.S., life insurance purchases were up 4.1 percent from November 2008. The upswing was driven by a surge in purchases among older people: the 45- to 59-year-old group saw activity increase 6.7 percent and the 60-and-up group bought 18.8 percent more policies than they had a year ago.
Increased life insurance purchases among older Americans is a trend that started earlier in 2009. For nine of the last 10 months, MIB said, insurance purchases among Americans 60 and older saw double-digit increases from 2008. ...

read all...

Article : Smoker vs Non-Smoker Life Insurance

2010-04-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

source : ratedetective.com.au
Apr 12, 2010 - Eric Smyth

When you finally decided to take out life insurance one of the many questions that the adviser asked you when assessing your health was whether you were a smoker or a non smoker.

Besides being bad for your health, by being a smoker you will be required to pay more for life insurance cover than a non-smoker.

By quitting smoking you could be eligible for a reduction in your life insurance premiums if:

You have decided to quit smoking and stay that way for at least 12 months, and then you can ask for re assessment of your life insurance premiums.
You will have to have no intentions of smoking tobacco or any other substance in the future.
Hopefully you decided to give up smoking on your own accord and were not told to do so due to a medical condition associated with smoking.

By kicking the habit you too can save money on your life insurance premiums. ...

read all...

Article : Cancelling Your Life Insurance Could Be Costly

2010-04-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

source : ratedetective.com.au
Mar 17, 2010 - Eric Smyth

Most people don't like to think about insurance. The very thought of laying out money for something you may never need, especially when times are tough seems like a waste. It therefore becomes very tempting to cancel the life insurance at the time.

If you are considering cancelling your life insurance you should first think about the long term consequences.

What would happen if you were suddenly to become ill? Insurance policies are not cheap at the best of times, and with a health problem will seem even less affordable.
If circumstances become unbearable and the policy becomes too expensive to afford, then there are ways of reducing the cost. ...

read all ...

Article : How To Choose Your Life Insurance

2010-04-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

source : www.ratedetective.com.au
Mar 01, 2010 - Eric Smyth

Research has shown that only 22% of Australians believe that they have adequate life insurance.
Life insurance can help provide a secure financial future for your family if you were to pass away. Life insurance pays a lump sum which can help your family manage expenses like the mortgage and every day bills, school fees and other unforeseen expenses like funeral costs.

How to choose your life insurance?

There are lots of different types of Insurance policies, and everyone's circumstances are different.
If you are married and have children or have a partner who depends on you financially you may find that life insurance cover on its own is sufficient for you.
However if your family have all grown up and no longer live at home, then you may decide that funeral insurance is all that you require to help shoulder the burden of loved ones left behind having to pay for your funeral.
On the other hand if you have no one who depends on you financially, you may decide that accident insurance is all that you require helping to maintain your finances in the event of your suffering a serious accident.
You may need to research all options available till you find the product that best suits your needs.
In general most people take out enough life insurance to replace five to seven years of their salary. If you have children then you may need to replace as much as 10 years of your salary.
Age and health restrictions may apply when taking out the policy. The premiums may increase over the years to keep up with inflation or other factors. ...

read all...

News : Over 100 families helped every day by critical illness and life insurance

2010-04-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

source : news-insurances.com
Published on 21 December, 2009 by Barbara karouski

In 2008, over 100 families and individuals a day were helped at the most difficult times in their lives by claiming on their life or critical illness (CI) insurance policies, according to data published today by the ABI. The average claim was £52,000, double the average UK annual salary.

The number of CI insurance claims being paid has risen significantly. In 2008, 90% of CI claims were paid, up from 80% in 2005. This is a result of the success of the ABI Code of Practice on CI Insurance that has led to less claims being declined due to non-disclosure of medical information. To reduce the number of declined claims still further, the ABI is working with its members to tackle the number of claims declined due to not meeting the definition of Total Permanent Disability on a CI policy. ...

read all...

Article : When Life Insurance Is More Valuable as Cash

2010-04-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

By CHARLES DELAFUENTE
Published: March 3, 2010

THE children are grown. Each spouse — or a surviving spouse — has enough assets to last a lifetime. Yet a life insurance policy is still in force. It could be used to make gifts to those children now, a down payment on an inheritance, in effect.

Or, in another case, an older person with such a policy needs the money it represents not for heirs but for personal needs — perhaps to pay for long-term health care, to travel or just to make ends meet.

A life insurance policy is a financial instrument, an asset. Like all other assets, it has a value. There is not just the face value — what it will pay at the owner’s death — but some lesser amount that a buyer may pay in order to collect the face value when the insured person dies.

The concept of selling rights to life insurance policies first appeared in the late 1980s, as the AIDS epidemic mushroomed. Some patients lost their jobs; others needed extra funds for medical treatment. Selling a life insurance policy could give someone with AIDS cash quickly.

Buyers of such policies sprang up, attracted because they believed most of the sellers had short life expectancies.

As AIDS was transformed from an almost-certain death sentence to a chronic disease, at least for many people in the United States, the need for such patients to raise cash for medical treatment subsided. And the market for such policies shrank as life expectancy rose.

But another category of people were willing to sell, those approaching their 70s, and there remains a pool of buyers. The sale of a life insurance policy is known as either a viatical settlement, if the holder is not expected to live more than two years, or a life settlement. They have different tax consequences, but the concept behind the two is similar, according to Gloria Grening Wolk, who has written three books on the subject, including “Cash for the Final Days” (Bialkin Books, 1997). ...

read all

Link to a forum : "Whole Life or Term Life"

2010-04-06T03:07:00.000-07:00

Posted : 03-02-2010
(>64 replies)

Opening post of this forum :

"I am married and in my thirties my wife is the same age. We have an 18 month child and another baby on the way. After doing some research between Whole Life and Term Insurance I decided that Term Insurance should be able to fulfill my needs incase something should happen. My question is:
1) Am I making the right decision in going with Term?
2) How much coverage should I buy
3) How many years should I buy
4) Can anyone recommend a reputable Insurance Company
Thanks! "

see this forum

Article : Importance of Health Insurance

2010-04-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

Mar 20, 2010 –PR Log (Press Release)

These days Health Insurance reform will provide immediate relief to families by preventing insurance companies from inexplicably and raising their rates. Some insurance companies eliminate lifetime and unreasonable annual limits on benefits. Compare to family insurance, individual insurances are paying higher premiums, higher deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses.

In some countries governament will reduce the 10% income for their people. They are also giving much preference to their people's health.

read all

Article : The Value of Life Insurance

2010-04-02T05:35:00.000-07:00

Why Life Insurance?

What would happen to your family's financial health if you and your income were gone? Could they maintain their standard of living? Pay for college tuition? Household bills? What about monthly mortgage or rent?

We know money is tight these days, but don't be tempted to skimp on one of the most important and affordable investments you can make to protect your family's financial health: Life Insurance.

Why Now?

Having adequate life insurance coverage should be an essential part of your overall financial plan - at every age. And the sooner you buy, the better. That's because the younger and healthier you are when you purchase coverage, the less you'll pay in premiums.

Some life insurance plans also offer cash savings options, which means the sooner you begin saving, the sooner the cash value of the plan can begin growing.

How Much is Enough?

If you're working, your employer may provide you with a life insurance policy as part of your benefits. But depending on your personal situation, that policy may not be adequate for your unique situation and needs.

read all

Questions about life and health insurances

2010-03-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

Ask your insurance questions, as a comment.
We will publish your questions as a unique discussion post.

share your questions now

Ideas about life and health insurances

2010-03-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

Share your ideas about life,health insurances, as a comment.
We will publish your ideas as a unique discussion post.

share your ideas now

Insurance Experiences

2010-03-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

Share your experiences as a comment.
We will publish your experiences as a unique discussion post.

share your experiences now

Health Insurance News

2010-03-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

At last: Final health care measure heads to Obama
Press Writer Erica Werner, Associated Press Writer – Fri Mar 26,2010

Obama makes final health-care pitch
CBC News Fri Mar 19, 2010

Link to a forum : Life Insurance Question

2010-03-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

opened : 01-21-2010
(>15 posts)
First comment from this forum :

"I am new to life insurance so sorry if this question sounds alittle stupid but hey I am here to learn so here it goes. If I have a life contract with lets say Mutual Of Omaha can I write a policy on myself and still earn the commission. Why i want to do this is for two reason one I have a child which god forbid something should happen to me want to have something left over for him and two why give the commission away if I can take that commission and pay for the policy for the first year "

see this forum

Article : The Three Types Of Life Insurance Explained

2008-07-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

By Joe Stewart

It recently occurred to me that I've been writing several articles about life insurance, individual, group, family, and so on, but I haven't taken the time to actually explain the basics of life insurance itself. I'm going to do that in this article.

Life insurance policies pay a death benefit, which is known as the "face value" to the beneficiary of the policy. The face value is nothing more than the amount of the policy. Example, a $100,000 life insurance policy would have a face value of $100,000, a $50,000 life insurance policy would have a face value of $50,000, etc. that's all there is to it.

Besides the insurance company, there are only three other people normally involved with any one life insurance policy. These three people are the owner, the insured and the beneficiary. Let's take a look at each one of these people.

The owner of the policy is the person who purchased the policy and is making the premium payments. The owner of the policy makes all of the decisions regarding the policy, including who is going to be insured and who the beneficiary is.

The insured person is exactly that, the person that the insurance was bought for. In the event that something happened to the person that is insured by the policy, a payment would be made to the beneficiary.

The beneficiary is the person that receives payment in the event that anything happens to the insured. There can be more than one beneficiary for each insurance policy. Example, let's say that one of your parents has a life insurance policy and they pass away suddenly. If you have brothers and sisters there is a good chance that your parents named all of you as beneficiaries of the policy.

Example, let's say that you have one brother and one sister and the policy was for $60,000 even. In this case, you would each receive $20,000. If you're an only child you'd receive it all.

There are only three basic types of life insurance. These are Whole Life, Endowment and Term. Although there are different variations of insurance policies, these are the three that you really need to focus on if you're considering getting a life insurance policy for yourself.

source : http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Three-Types-Of-Life-Insurance-Explained&id=587787

Joe Stewart Is A Webmaster And Former Life And Health Insurance Agent.