Insurance Details

Computer Technical Support Services in UK by Smartsupportguys.com

2012-02-14T23:41:00.001-08:00

Repairing the Computer Online is not a new concept , It has been popular for years. Users take Remote Computer Support and Remote Laptop Repairing Services from various Online Technical Support Companies.

Smartsupportguys is also a Online Computer Support and Online Laptop Support Company based in UAE , Dubai. Smartsupportguys has dedicated team of Tech Support guys who are Microsoft Certified and are expert Computer Technicians , and they fix all Computer and Laptop related problems like Virus, Software problems, Internet Problems, Malwares, System Issues, MS Office Issues and Email Issues etc.

Smartsupportguys has various Technical Support plans which you can find at the below link :-

http://www.smartsupportguys.com/content3.asp?Country=

For Technical Support or any further inquiry You can call us at 0207 193 9836 .

Computer Support Services in United Kingdom by Onlinepcmasters.com

2012-01-28T03:22:00.001-08:00

Onlinepcmasters is a Computer Support and Laptop Support Company based in Luton UK. It provides all kind of Remote Computer Repair as well as it provides Technical Support Packages for your Computers and Laptops.

We have team of Microsoft Certified Technicians who work and support to customers 24by7 . You can call us 02081445602 or Visit http://www.onlinepcmasters.com/contact.html

Facebook Password Change

2012-01-18T03:08:00.001-08:00

Hey Radheyshyam,

You recently changed your Facebook password. As a security precaution, this notification has been sent to all email addresses associated with your account.

If you did not change your password, your account may have been the victim of a phishing scam. Please follow the link to regain control over your account:
https://www.facebook.com/checkpoint/checkpointme?u=1847203088&n=lU7oCIsA

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

Facebook Password Change

2012-01-12T05:55:00.001-08:00

Hey Radheyshyam,

You recently changed your Facebook password. As a security precaution, this notification has been sent to all email addresses associated with your account.

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

Facebook Password Change

2012-01-12T05:52:00.001-08:00

Hey Radheyshyam,

You recently changed your Facebook password. As a security precaution, this notification has been sent to all email addresses associated with your account.

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

You requested a new Facebook password

2012-01-12T05:51:00.001-08:00

Hi Radheyshyam,

You recently asked to reset your Facebook password. To complete your request, please follow this link:

https://www.facebook.com/recover.php?n=667771&id=1847203088&s=100

Alternately, you may go to https://www.facebook.com/recover.php and enter the following password reset code:

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Please note: for your protection, this email has been sent to all the email addresses associated with your Facebook account.

*Didn't Request This Change?*
If you did not request a new password, let us know at:

https://www.facebook.com/login/recover/disavow_reset_email.php?n=667771&id=1847203088

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

Facebook Password Change

2012-01-12T05:46:00.001-08:00

Hey Radheyshyam,

You recently changed your Facebook password. As a security precaution, this notification has been sent to all email addresses associated with your account.

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

Facebook Password Change

2012-01-12T05:39:00.001-08:00

Hey Radheyshyam,

You recently changed your Facebook password. As a security precaution, this notification has been sent to all email addresses associated with your account.

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

Facebook Password Change

2012-01-12T05:25:00.001-08:00

Hey Radheyshyam,

You recently changed your Facebook password. As a security precaution, this notification has been sent to all email addresses associated with your account.

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

Website Designing Company Delhi

2012-01-04T02:43:00.001-08:00

DLL Incorporation is a Website Designing Company based in Delhi, India. We provide very attractive Website Designing on affordable rates.

We Provide .com Domain + 5 GB Web Hosting + Web Designing only in 3000 Rs.

We also provide Google Adword Coupons of 80$ in 100 rs. and 100$ Adwords Coupons only in 200 Rs.

For more information Call 09990721183 or

Visit http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-to-make-simple-and-easy-contact-us.html

Do not forget to Visit my News Aggregator Website www.speakmeme.com

Broadband Connection Delhi

2011-12-23T01:39:00.001-08:00

Ruhan Maketing Provides Broadband Connection and Data Cards of Airtel and TATA Photon on very Affordable Price. We are direct associate of Airtel and Tata Photon.

For taking Broadband Connection within a day on very affordable price call 9990721183.

Visit http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/2011/12/broadband-connection-delhi.html

Buy Adwords Coupons

2011-12-20T00:31:00.001-08:00

You Can Buy Adwords Coupons of 50$, 100$ , 75$ and 80$ on very affordable rate. 100$Adwords coupon code is in 200 Rs. and 80$ is in 100 Rs. only.

For more details Contact 9990721183 or Live chat at bestboydelhi@gmail.com

Visit http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/2011/08/get-google-adwords.html

Get Google Adwords Coupons Call 9990721183

2011-12-07T05:01:00.000-08:00

DLL incorporation is IT company based in Delhi , India Which provides Google Adwords Coupons and Web Designing Services on very affordable cost.

For more details Call +91-9990721183 or Visit http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/2011/08/get-google-adwords.html

Computer Repair UK Call 02071939831

2011-12-07T04:21:00.001-08:00

24/7 Annual Unlimited PC Support

Technical support: 0207 193 9836 Sales: 0207 193 9831

Smartsupportguys.com is Dubai based Technical Support Company which provides Online Computer Repair, Remote PC Support in UK, USA and all over Europe . For more Details Visit http://smartsupportguys.com/ Call 02071939831

Google Adwords Accounts Activation

2011-12-02T01:41:00.001-08:00

DLL incorpoation provides activated Google Adwords Accounts in India , Pakistan and USA in 500 Rs. Only.

For more details call +91-9990721183 . or Visit http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/

Google Adwords Coupons Providers India

2011-11-30T01:33:00.001-08:00

DLL Incorporation is Google Adwords Coupons Providers and Web Designing Company from India. We sell 100$ coupon only in 300 rupees , and other amount coupons are also available at very affordable.

For more details call +91-9990721183 or email at bestboydelhi@gmail.com

Online Computer Support UK

2011-11-28T02:52:00.000-08:00

Smartsupportguys provides Online Computer Support , Online Computer Repair, Laptop tech Support, Printer and Email Support for customers of UK, USA and Canada.

For more details have a look on our official website http://www.smartsupportguys.com/or Call 02071939831 Now.

Cheap Google Adwords Coupons

2011-11-26T01:51:00.001-08:00

DLL Incorporation provides Google Adwords Coupons of worth 50$ only in 100 INR. in India and abroad.

For more details email at choicedelhi@hotmail.com or call us at +91-9990721183

OR Visit http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-to-get-google-adwords-promotional.html

Cheapest Google Adwords Coupons Call 9990721183

2011-11-25T05:05:00.000-08:00

DLL Incorporation provides Google Adwords Coupons on very affordable rates .

Get 100$ adwords coupons only in 300 rs. 75$ adwords coupon and 50$ adwords coupons also on affordable rates.

For more details call +91-9990721183 or visit

http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/2011/08/get-google-adwords.html

Computer Support UK Call 0207193 9831

2011-11-24T04:27:00.001-08:00

Smartsupportguys.com Provides Computer Support in UK and USA. Its a Tech Support company which has technical support technician for 24*7 support .

They are expert in Online Computer Repair , Online PC optimization, Technical Support, Desktop Support, Printer Support, Email Support, Anti Virus Support and Internet Support.

For subscribing our Technical Support Packages details Call our sales Depart 0207193 9831.

Or Visit http://smartsupportguys.com/content3.asp?Country=

How to Get Goji Berry in India Call 9990721183

2011-11-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

We are Goji Berry Supplier from India and abroad. We provide Goji Berry Products on very affordable rates. We have online delivery in all over world. For inquiry or delivery please call at +91-9990721183 any time.

Visit http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/2011/11/goji-berry-india.html

Mercedes Benz Truck Parts | lloydfedders.com

2011-11-22T23:42:00.001-08:00

lloydfedders.com is supplier and provider of Mercedes Benz Truck Parts and all truck and heavy machinery parts.

For more details Visit http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/2011/11/truck-parts-dubai.html

or Visit http://www.lloydfedders.com/contactus.php . You can call us at +971.4.2231942

Google Adwords Coupon Codes

2011-11-19T05:54:00.001-08:00

Get Google Adwords Coupons on very cheap rates by DLL Incorporation. We provide 100$, 80$ and 50$ Adwords Coupons Codes.

100$ Coupon code is only in 300 Rs. Other are not fix price. If you are looking for adwords Coupons then Call me at +91-9990721183 or Visit http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/2011/08/get-google-adwords.html

Tech Support By Smartsupportguys

2011-11-18T01:38:00.001-08:00

Smartsupportguys is a company which provide Tech Support For Desktops & Laptops. We have dedicated Microsoft Certified technicians who provide 24x7 Tech Support to its Customers for UK , USA and Europe.

For Technical Support or Online Computer Repair in UK or USA Call 02071939831

Need Google Adwords Coupons Tricks Call 9990721183

2011-11-17T00:15:00.001-08:00

DLL Incorporation provides Google Adwords Coupons Trick on very affordable rates for all kind of Coupons like 100$, 80$ and others.

For more details Call +91-9990721183 or Visit http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/

Goji Berry India

2011-11-15T04:56:00.000-08:00

We are Goji Berry Supplier from India and abroad. We provide Goji Berry Products on very affordable rates. We have online delivery in all over world. Visit http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/2011/11/goji-berry-india.html

For inquiry or delivery please call at +91-9990721183 any time.

Facebook Password Change

2011-11-09T00:28:00.001-08:00

Hey Radheyshyam,

You recently changed your Facebook password. As a security precaution, this notification has been sent to all email addresses associated with your account.

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

You requested a new Facebook password

2011-11-09T00:27:00.001-08:00

Hi Radheyshyam,

You recently asked to reset your Facebook password. To complete your request, please follow this link:

https://www.facebook.com/recover.php?n=LKJPUzxBg&id=1847203088&s=10

Alternately, you may go to https://www.facebook.com/recover.php and enter the following password reset code:

LKJPUzxBg

Please note: for your protection, this email has been sent to all the email addresses associated with your Facebook account.

*Didn't Request This Change?*
If you did not request a new password, let us know at:

https://www.facebook.com/login/recover/disavow_reset_email.php?n=LKJPUzxBg&id=1847203088

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

स्वागत है आपका नये दोस्तो की एक अनोखी दुनिया मे।

2011-10-15T06:52:00.001-07:00

Hi vamsi.683.insure4me5@blogger.com,

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Telemarketing executives Jobs Delhi UK Outbound Sales

2011-10-10T01:17:00.000-07:00

Urgently Required Telesales Executives or Opening for Telesales Executives Jobs for UK Outbound Sales for South Delhi based International BPO .Handsome salary and unlimited growth.Candidates with 0-2 years of experience are most welcome.No Targets fixed salary. For more details call +91-9999279229 and send your CV at onlinepcmastersofficial@gmail.com .

Web Designing India | Speakmeme.com

2011-10-03T04:45:00.000-07:00

DLL Incorporation is a Web Designing & SEO Company Which also provides Online earning, Google adsense and Google adwords Services.

Our Web Designing packages starts with 3000 INR. Only. In this we will provide 10 pages website in wordpress with all required features Enquiry , RSS, Live Feeds, Blog etc.

For more details Visit http://www.mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/ or http://speakmeme.com Or call us +91-9990721183

Earn Online In Genuine Way

2011-09-27T05:43:00.001-07:00

Hi friends Join http://www.viewbestads.com and give reference ID 611536. Its really Genuine and free way to earn online.Nothing to invest.

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Second method is you can earn with Google adsense also .Visit http://speakmeme.com/google-adsense/

Let's Grow Together-Free Signup

2011-09-27T04:01:00.001-07:00

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PC Support UK | Onlinepcmasters

2011-09-05T05:31:00.000-07:00

Online IPhone and PC Support UK, USA, Canada Visit http://onlinepcmasters.co.uk/ or call 0208144 5602 .

Repair your PC Online with Expert Technicians Visit http://onlinepcmasters.co.uk/

Onlinepcmasters | Online Desktop Support & Technical Support By Onlinepcmasters.com

2011-08-31T23:31:00.000-07:00

Onlinepcmasters.com is a Luton UK, based company which provides PC Support, Technical Support , Iphone Support , Desktop Support and Online PC repair on very affordable rates.

Our Packages are too affordable and our team is well expert in Technical Support and online Desktop Repair in UK, USA, Canada and Europe.

For Technical Support or Online Computer Repair Services Kindly Visit our websites http://www.onlinepcmasters.com/ or http://www.onlinepcmasters.co.uk/

Or You can call us at this number for sales 02081445602 .

Onlinepcmasters | Onlinepcmasters.com | Onlinepcmasters.co.uk

2011-08-23T02:11:00.001-07:00

Onlinepcmasters is a Luton UK, based company which provides PC Support, Technical Support , Iphone Support , Desktop Support and Online PC repair on very affordable rates.

Our Packages are too affordable and our team is well expert in technical Support and online Desktop Repair in UK, USA, Canada and Europe.

For Technical Support or Online Computer Repair Services Kindly Visit our websites http://www.onlinepcmasters.com/ or http://www.onlinepcmasters.co.uk/

Or You can call us at this number for sales 02081445602 .

You requested a new Facebook password

2011-08-20T00:34:00.001-07:00

Hi Radheyshyam,

You recently asked to reset your Facebook password. To complete your request, please follow this link:

https://www.facebook.com/recover.php?n=EaQysHJsj&id=1847203088&s=100

Alternately, you may go to https://www.facebook.com/recover.php and enter the following password reset code:

EaQysHJsj

Please note: for your protection, this email has been sent to all the email addresses associated with your Facebook account.

*Didn't Request This Change?*
If you did not request a new password, let us know at:

https://www.facebook.com/login/recover/disavow_reset_email.php?n=EaQysHJsj&id=1847203088

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

onlinepcmasters

2011-08-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

onlinepcmasters is a online pc support, technical support , desktop support and iphone support company based in Luton UK.

For more information visit our official website http://www.onlinepcmasters.co.uk/ or http://www.onlinepcmasters.com/ .

Online Desktop Support & Technical Support By Onlinepcmasters.com

2011-08-19T00:48:00.001-07:00

Onlinepcmasters.com is a Luton UK, based company which provides PC Support, Technical Support , Iphone Support , Desktop Support and Online PC repair on very affordable rates.

Our Packages are too affordable and our team is well expert in technical Support and online Desktop Repair in UK, USA, Canada and Europe.

For Technical Support or Online Computer Repair Services Kindly Visit our websites http://www.onlinepcmasters.com/ or http://www.onlinepcmasters.co.uk/

Or You can call us at this number for sales 02081445602 .

Google Adsense India | Google Adwords India | Join Now | Call 9990721183

2011-08-17T03:35:00.001-07:00

Start Earning With Google Adsense Account and Google Adwords Accounts .

Get Adsense Account only in 500 INR. Get Adwords Coupon Worth of 100$ only in 300 INR.

Call 9990721183 or email at choicedelhi@gmail.com

www.onlinepcmasters.com

2011-07-20T06:27:00.001-07:00

www.onlinepcmasters.com is a very popular company which provides online PC support, Technical support and Computer support in UK, USA, Canada and Europe.

onlinepcmasters

2011-07-20T05:55:00.001-07:00

Onlinepcmasters (Onlinepcmasters.co.uk ) is a very popular company which provides online PC support, Technical support and Computer support in UK, USA, Canada and Europe.

Free Google Adsense provider In India Call 9990721183

2011-07-15T06:16:00.001-07:00

DLL Incorporation (speakmeme.com) is first free Google Adsense Provider company in India.

Just Need to email your name on choicedelhi@gmail.com or sms your name address at +91-9990721183.

For any enquiry call us +91-9990721183 . For purchase whole earning package visit below link :-

http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-make-money-with-google-adsense.html

Web Designing Services India | call 9990721183

2011-07-09T03:42:00.001-07:00

If your are looking for great looking website in very affordable rate Then you are on right place.

DLL incorporation is a Web Designing , SEO and Web Development Company from India.

It provides Web Designing of all kinds of websites whether its static or Dynamic .

Our Web designing Services Starts with 2000 Only with free Domain name .

For more information visit our website http://www.speakmeme.com or Call 9990721183

How to Earn With Hostgator and Adsense In India

2011-07-05T23:43:00.001-07:00

We Can Earn online with Hostgator on commission basis .

To join this earning program visit below link :-

http://secure.hostgator.com/~affiliat/cgi-bin/affiliates/clickthru.cgi?id=choicedelhi

Many Bloggers are earning from the affiliate program of Hosting portal hostgator.com

You can earn with Google adsense also visit following links for reference :-

http://mychoicedelhi.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-make-money-with-google-adsense.html

Earning Online With Google Adsense | Call 9990721183 | www.speakmeme.com

2011-07-04T23:38:00.000-07:00

We are providing Tricks and process to Earning Online With Google Adsense Google Adsense . We are providing One Google Adsense Account , 2 Lac Bulk Email Ids , One Bulk Emailer Software, 2 Customized Blog and 10 Guidelines Ebooks (related to Google Adsense Tricks, Online Earn, Traffic Generation , Adsense Optimization and Blogging Tricks).

To Get this package call us at 9990721183 or can call us 8802795782.

These all will cost Only 1000 Rs. (INR) which is very nominal for a starting a work for a student, Housewife, part time job, Working people and for full time Blogger also.

This all is genuine way of earning nothing is fraud or scam. You can pay us online or could deposit cash in our account .

To Get this package call us at 9990721183 or can call us 8802795782.

Health Insurance Plans - Life Insurers vs. Non-Life Insurers

2008-10-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

The media is full of stories on how non-life insurers, especially the PSU behemoths, are avoiding taking new consumers in health insurance as the health insurance business is reportedly not profitable. On the other hand, we see widespread campaigns by life insurers, including LIC, advertising the benefits of their newly launched health insurance plans. These new health insurance plans advertised so widely by life insurers have brought much needed public attention to this vital insurance segment.

As a consumer, you could be forgiven for being confused. Allow us to throw some light on this and clear this confusion.

The first aspect you need to understand is that the term 'Health Insurance' is a catch-all term that covers three distinct kinds of health policies.

There is the health policy that reimburses you the actual hospitalization cost for treatment of any disease, offered only by non-life insurers. These kinds of policies are popularly called "Mediclaim" policies (Mediclaim is actually a brand name but has now become a generic term for such policies).

Then there are two other types of health insurance plans offered - by both life insurers and non-life insurers.

One can loosely be referred to as a "Hospitalization Policy," where you primarily get a daily allowance for every day spent in the hospital. Some policies also provide higher daily allowance for stay in intensive care (the ICU). Yet others have a provision for a lump sum payment if you undergo any of the surgical procedures covered in the policy.

The other type of health insurance cover offered by life insurers and non-life insurers are the critical illness covers. Given the increased stress and strain of modern life as well as unhealthy and sedentary lifestyles, most of us are becoming increasingly prone to serious illnesses, such as cancer, heart attacks, organ failure, strokes, etc. Advances in modern medicine ensure that most of us survive these illnesses. This survival, however, comes at a cost - a serious dent in our ability to earn (salary or from business). Critical illness cover steps in here and pays off a lump sum benefit - that helps in protecting your current lifestyle.

Most life insurers have long offered these covers as riders (Riders are covers for additional risks or to enhance existing risk covers). Now these critical illness covers are also being offered as stand-alone policies to cover the risks of specific kinds of critical illness such as say, cancer. These policies are recommended, at the very least, for income earners - contracting a critical illness has a huge financial impact on their future income.

A very relevant question at this point would be:

Do I require a hospitalization policy if I already have a Mediclaim policy?

The Mediclaim policy only reimburses the expenditure incurred in the actual treatment of the disease/illness at the hospital. There are several other expenses that are typically incurred, which the Mediclaim policy does not reimburse. Expenses such as travel, attendant's lodging, loss of income (for both the patient and/or the attendant), pre-hospitalization diagnostic tests, medicines, etc. can run up to as much as 30-40% of the total cost of treatment of a disease or illness. A hospitalization policy takes care of these expenses.

Life insurance companies have done a great job in bringing this topic of health insurance to the forefront of consumer consciousness and hopefully each one of you (unlike our earlier generation which mostly left it to God) will cover your health risks adequately.

We have put together a table that gives you an easy comparison of the various features in each type of policy, and the relative advantages and disadvantages of life insurers and non-life insurers offering these products.

As you will find, the policies offered by life insurers are actually in addition to, not replacing Mediclaim policies.

Remember, it is an absolute must that you and your dependents have adequate cover on your Mediclaim policy. It cannot be replaced by any other kind of policy.

Importance of PI Insurance for Photographers

2008-10-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

When you are setting up your photography business, you should ensure adequate protection for your business by insuring your profession against any likely risks with Photographers insurance. By opting for a PI Insurance you can cover all your legal and fiscal liabilities. A small expense on Professional indemnity or PI insurance will provide you immense peace of mind and will insure your liabilities, errors and omissions.

In your routine photography business also you require photographers’ insurance coverage against claims made against occurrence of accidences during a photographic session. You are liable for the personal injury sustained by your customer on the way to your studio or home. You become indirectly responsible for the errors not committed by you.

As a professional photographer you may commit errors and omissions from the first stage of taking photographs to the last stage of finishing the image and delivery to the customer. You may lose the film due to your fault or on the part of the processor. The photo images may also be lost or damage while in transit, shipping, private careers or postal system. The images may be lost in the cyberspace or you may send the photo images to an incorrect party.

You need a PI insurance cover according to the type of work environment and your models. It may happen that your model may be struck by a stray horse or lightning at an outside location during a photography session. The insurance policy should ideally cover the photography equipment in the place of your working area. With the photographers insurance you can protect not only camera and lenses, but a host of other equipments such as fax machine, computer and your software.

Photographers insurance or PI insurance has a unique target market with great potential for growth. Special insurance policies are designed especially to meet the needs of commercial photographers. The PI insurance coverage is essential for every photography business to meet the risks of coverage for photography equipment, cost coverage for replacement of studio contents. To get the best value for your hard earned money you can also combine the PI insurance with other types of insurance. Photography insurance keeps your photography business well and alive should a misfortune happen and cause loss or damage to your equipment, whether at your studio or round the world.

Health insurance – tips for self employed people

2008-10-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

Most of the employees working for any organization find health insurance coverage as a part of the package they receive from the company. The question, however, arises for the one who are involved in their own business or, in other words, are self employed. Who makes health insurance coverage for these people then? When looking at it practically, the self employed people are the soul of their business. If these people are left uninsured, any unforeseen circumstances might render the business itself incapable. Hence, getting yourself insured becomes the first and foremost responsibility for self employed people.

When self employed people are shopping for a health insurance, it is extremely important to research well and opt for the best deal possible. Apart from getting quotes from the insurance companies on foot, you can also try the faster and sure shot method of getting quotes online. While getting quotes is quite easy, what comes next is the biggest challenge in getting you a health insurance.

The market offers many deals and products to the self employed for health insurance. Which product will prove to be the best is the biggest possible question that many users worldwide have faced extreme difficulty in answering. While some made a wrong choice, others were too boggled to finally drop thinking of a health insurance. So what is it that makes for the best health insurance product for a self employed? Read on for more!

While it is easier to find one a health insurance in a younger age without any ailments, as the age increases and the ailments start increasing too, getting yourself a health insurance becomes tougher by the day. For the same reasons, for those who are working alone in their business, getting the advantage of a group insurance will help. Joining an association that provides for insurance to all its group members will help you get the necessary coverage. Apart from this, there are many companies offering various schemes for the risk pools, that is, those people who are in the danger zone. If you appear well on their criteria, you can manage to bag a health insurance scheme for yourself.

Meanwhile, self employed people, who are in the safe zone of the health insurance companies, are also eligible to use the medical savings account (MSA), which is legalized by the rule book offered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The MSA help in reducing the premiums for the health insurance while also allowing you to use the money from pre-taxation to pay for your medical bills and expenses. By opting for a high deductible plan, you can further increase the pre-taxation amount that you can withdraw for the paying of medial bills.

Finally, while choosing the best health insurance scheme for you does matter, finding yourself the best insurance dealer also matters equally well. Therefore, research the market well and find the dealer who is ready to provide you the kind of plan you are looking forwards to. This will ensure that you and your business remain ensured, in terms of health, as long as you live.

Cheap Car Insurance – Not at Difficult Task to Find One

2008-10-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

To find a cheap car insurance one has to take efforts as it may seem simple but requires patience. There are numerous car insurance coverage’s that one can choose from over the internet. A little bit of research is required then one can find the plan that is suitable as per ones needs.

The next step while searching for cheap car insurance is to find out whether you are eligible for the coverage, as normally cheap car insurance is not provided without any conditions. Some basic criteria is a must to avail of such insurance. The insured party has to primarily feel that there is less risk associated with your insurance policy, only then will they be willing to offer low premiums and insurance rates.

To avail of cheap car insurance determine the condition of your car and check out its value. If the car has a high performance value and is esteemed to fetch a high price in the market, then the risk associated with insuring such a car is more, hence it would not fall under the category of cheap car insurance. Next check out if you have any record of traffic violations as this would make a negative remark about you and would increase the level of insurance rate as you would be prone to accidents more frequently than others. Try and install safety devices in the car such as seat belts, anti-lock systems and more as this would help in fetching cheap car insurance rates.

Lastly find out if there are any discount schemes going around or select plans with flexible payment schemes and reasonable rates. Find out about multiple policies and multicar policies which would help in lowering the rates of premium if purchased from the same service provider.

Some insurance providers offer cheap car insurance rates for women as it is considered that women are safe drivers as compared to men and the severity of accidents in the case of women drivers is also relatively less. One can get cheap car insurance rates over the internet by doing a comparison study of various insurance quotes. Insurance quotes can be obtained by filling online application forms and requesting for quotes which are sending to the email account of a person within minutes. Such quotes are free of cost and one can compare them to get the best rate of insurance.

Out of the Ordinary Insurance

2008-10-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

When people think of insurance, they most likely conjure up images of cars, houses, travel and pets but there are some not-so-standard insurance policies that you may never have thought about!

Believe it or not there is actually a company in Florida which offers insurance against Alien Abduction! You can insure yourself against being kidnapped by extra-terrestrials, and if you are snatched by a bright light from the sky, then you need to hope you are dropped back on Earth so you can fill in the paperwork and make a claim. So if you're worried about seeing UFO's near your home or have been watching too many X-Files episodes then this type of insurance could be just the ticket.

Many celebrities over the years have insured parts of their bodies that were vital to their success. Michael Flatley insured his legs for millions, Bruce Springsteen covered his voice and Egon Ronay took out a policy on his taste buds. It's unlikely that most of the general public would consider such extreme measures but when there's big money and livelihood at stake, it can often make sense.

The term ‘moral turpitude' is not one you hear every day but it refers to a type of insurance policy that covers celebrity endorsements when they go wrong. If, for example, a company paid a celebrity millions of pounds to endorse a product and then during that time the celebrity was convicted of wrongdoing then the policy would protect the company's investment.

Sporting events also come into play within the insurance market and not just in the way you might think with regards to sponsorships. Big sporting events like the Olympics and the Superbowl are often heavily insured against things going wrong and the event not being able to take place. One policy even covered Scottish football fans for trauma should Scotland ever go on to win the World Cup. Another possibility could be to insure against being hit by a stray ball at a golf event or cricket match, because you just never know.

In recent years insuring your pets has gone from being considered rather quirky and unnecessary to being a must have item for animal owners, so who knows what areas of insurance may grow in popularity in the future? All it needs is one or two confirmed Alien abductions and a whole new market could open up!

For most people however, such insurance is nothing short of fantastical and the likelihood of finding insurers to cover such bizarre potential occurrences is likely to be slim at best. There is of course a more down-to-earth side to insurance however than all of these extreme policies and remembering to get a home insurance quote for example before you move house will prove much more useful in your day-to-day life than wondering if E.T. is going to pay you a visit.

Cheap Car Insurance Australia

2008-10-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

The increasing cost of repairs and other damage to your car is a result of the number of car accidents increasing in Australia. Car insurance will help cover the cost of repairs and other damages to the car. Having adequate car insurance is a necessity for all drivers in Australia and you must insure your car to protect both your car and yourself when driving. Cheap car insurance makes sense if you are looking for a low premium option, with the security of the protection insurance provides. Having car insurance will help if you have repair costs and you may be offered car replacement or other extras if the mistake is not on your part.

A cheap car insurance policy that provides minimum coverage is the third-party insurance policy. With such a policy, if there is damage caused by you to someone else's property is covered by your policy. Fire and theft coverage will protect your car in case of any sudden calamities which cause serious damage to the car. Your insurance company will cover your losses if your car is damaged by such unforeseen accidents. If you opt for a full comprehensive insurance then you will be covered for all major insurance needs. Property liability and additional needs are provided by the motor/vehicle insurance with a full comprehensive policy.

The cost of your car insurance is influenced by several factors and it is worth understanding how this works. Factors influencing the cost of your insurance premium can include the type of car and the protection you select to take out. Additionally, the location where you park the car impacts upon the cost of theft coverage; owners parking in an unsafe area will face a higher insurance cost. Factors such as age and sex of the driver also determine the premium you have to pay, as teenagers and men are more likely to cause accidents and consequently the insurance company will ask higher premiums to cover the higher risk.

Budget car insurance is a good option if you are on a low budget, but be aware that there is a lesser coverage that you obtain with this option. If you're a good driver with demonstrated experience controlling your car then you can also find it easier to obtain cheap insurance. Higher premiums can often be a consequence of a poor driving record or when a new driver hasn't had time to build a solid rating. The insurance companies will also charge higher premiums if the car owner has committed motor offences.

Having a cheap car insurance policy means you pay lower monthly premiums, while protecting your vehicle and yourself in the case of accidents. To select the best policy for your needs it is worthwhile getting quotes on cheap car insurance from a number of different insurance vendors. Today car insurance companies offer online support, which provides you with quotes from several vendors at the same time to choose the best one for you. Before taking out car insurance, assess what coverage you need and then include this when asking for the quotation from the insurance companies. Comparing car insurance quotations is the key to making a wise decision; which a broker can help you with if you are still unsure of your needs.

Health insurance may get new law

2008-10-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

The government is examining various amendments to the insurance law, including a special statute for health insurance, aimed at improving the functioning of domestic companies and increasing their penetration.

"There are several amendments being considered such as allowing foreign reinsurers to set up branches in India, allowing insurers to raise hybrid capital and having a special statute for health insurance," Tarun Bajaj, joint secretary in the Union finance ministry, said on the sidelines of a seminar here on Tuesday.

In 2004, a committee set up by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) had suggested that the minimum capital requirement for standalone health insurers be reduced to Rs 50 crore from Rs 100 crore. In addition, a reduction in the solvency requirement and providing other regulatory flexibilities were suggested. The move was proposed to make the business a more viable proposition for standalone players.

Though the government and Irda have not implemented the recommendations so far, standalone players have already entered the market. "Increasing health insurance penetration and ensuring affordable premium rates remain the key challenge," Bajaj said.

"Health insurance has been growing at 50 per cent." We have started seeing some product innovation. But the need of the country is very varied. Another issue is taking care of senior citizens, improving the coverage for senior citizens as suggested by the Sastry Committee Report." he added

The government is working on a Bill to amend the Insurance Act, Irda Act and laws governing the Life Insurance Corporation and public sector general insurance companies. Among other things, amendments to the LIC Act are proposed to increase the company's paid-up capital base from Rs 5 crore to Rs 100 crore.

Insurance Jokes: View of insurance

2008-09-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

Insurance Jokes-1: Auto Insurance Joke

2008-09-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

Americans fear for their life insurance after financial turmoil

2008-09-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

Americans fear for their life insurance after financial turmoil

Americans who have ploughed their savings into life insurance and annuity-linked pension funds were running scared yesterday as financial titans collapsed around them.

"We're receiving phone calls that we wouldn't usually get," said Robert Willis, Executive Director of DC Life and Health Insurance Association, part of the national network that guarantees insurance policies.

"Given what's happening with AIG and Lehman Brothers, people are looking at their life insurance and annuity products and are concerned about these companies going under and what the impact would be on them," he said.

Wall Street icon Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy in New York on Monday after suffering massive losses from the subprime crisis of loans to high-risk customers.

The following day, the US Federal Reserve stepped in with a $85-billion bail-out of American International Group (AIG) after the insurance giant also fell victim to the mortgage subprime lending meltdown.

In a statement issued Tuesday, AIG assured its life insurance clients that their policies were not at risk.

Willis tried to reassure them, too, by explaining how warranties such as those provided by DC Life and Health work. Most of the guarantees allow the investor to recover his or her initial investment plus any earnings, up to a ceiling of $300,000 in death benefits.

But the ceiling is only applicable once per person. Someone with three separate pension plans, each worth $200,000, for instance, is protected only to the tune of $300,000, said Willis.

Are insurance companies fair?

2008-09-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

As long as the government is disinclined to act responsibly, nothing can be done. So, you should do some research and compare the services provided by the various insurers and the products they offer, as suggested in the following paragraphs..

SINCE THE dawn of time, some type of insurance or the other has been offered; health, disability, auto, life and home insurance are just a few that can be named. The concept of protecting the policyholder against losses is revolutionary. However noble it may be in thought, today, insurance itself has become a risk factor.

Although insurance is required in most cases, the government does not regulate the insurance industry adequately. It results in policyholders answering questions such as, “Will the insurance company pay for treatment, replacement, rebuilding or even my death?” I am sorry to tell you this but buying any type of insurance policy today is like playing the Russian roulette. It is a potentially lethal form of risk-taking, where the policyholder is, in effect, gambling with his / her life. What is even more disturbing is the fact that the policyholders are forced to play the game while the government and the insurance companies bet on the outcome.

Modern insurance companies are money-making businesses which have little interest in the policyholders other than their credit history. Your credit history does not show that you have made your insurance payments on time and have been with the same company for 20 years. Why do they use your credit history? To drive the tariff up so the insurance company makes more money. Who pays more? The poor and the middle class… YOU DO!!! You can argue it’s not right until you’re blue in the face and you would be right in doing so. However, as long as the government stands on the sidelines indicating its unwillingness to hold itself officially responsible for directing the policies and the organisation of insurance, nothing can be done. So, what can you do? You should do some research and compare the products the various insurance companies offer.

For example,

When a natural disaster struck, did they compensate the policyholders in most cases?
How many times they raised the tariff in the past five years?
Do they attach too many exclusion clauses?
When you call the company, are you required to deal with a call centre where a staff-member reads from the script or an agent who can answer your questions?
Do you demand that the insurance company hold itself responsible for directing the policies and the organisation of insurance?

Tata-AIG policy holders need not worry

2008-09-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Trouble at American Insurance Group in US will have a bearing on its business in India, particularly its insurance business, which it is running in collaboration with Tata.

However, sources in the industry say that the policy holders need not worry as the financial conditions of insurance subsidiaries of AIG in India is stable, and they can meet all the liabilities arising out of the claims from the policy holders.

Insurance watchdog, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has also expressed concern over the recent developments in the US Financial Markets. AIG, which is a leading insurance group of US, has sought financial support from the Federal Reserve.

AIG is operating in both life and non-life insurance sector. In both the companies, Tata owns 74% stake each and AIG holds the rest 26%. With AIG facing the heat in US, IRDA has asked for a report from both Tata AIG Life Insurance Company and Tata AIG General Insurance Company on the development regarding one of its promoters AIG in the US.

Choosing motor insurance for your car?

2008-09-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

When it comes to choosing any insurance, say health, travel, student, home etc, you compare the various policies in the market. As each company offers innovative covers, it becomes easier for you to make a decision based on the coverage as well as the premium offered . However, it is not the same case of Motor Insurance.

Motor Insurance in India is governed by the Indian Motor Tariff. The coverage for your vehicle would be the same no matter which company you would buy it from. Moreover, motor insurance is mandatory and needs to be renewed every year. So, how do you choose the right plan and where do you buy it from?

Here are a few pointers that shall help you to make a more sound decision.

Check out the premium
Even if the coverage offered would be the same, the premium charged by various companies would still be competitive. Study the cost involved with various companies and choose the one which gives you the best rate. However, don't let premium be the only deciding factor.

Name/ goodwill of the company
Try and buy insurance from an insurance company which has a good name and reputation. It always helps to go with the number one in the country!

Consider the garage tie-ups
All insurance companies tie up with various garages across the country for cashless settlement of claims. When you get your vehicle serviced at any of these garages, the claims are directly settled by the insurer. Always check the number of cashless garages the company has a tie up with. Also, consider the quality and the location of these garages.

Payment options
What are the various payment options available? Does the company offer you various options from which you can choose the one which is most convenient? Does it have an EMI option so that you do not have to pay in lumpsum? Do get this valuable information.

Buy online, it has many benefits
When you buy online, a digitally signed policy is generated. This is a valid legal document. The soft copy of your insurance policy is available online and can be accessed anywhere and at anytime. Now you don't have to worry about being extra careful about your hard documents. Also, buying online is most convenient and hardly takes a few minutes.

Make the sound choice for our car insurance based on the parameters above and avail complete peace of mind.

Do check the comprehensive Car Insurance policy by ICICI Lombard, GIC. Offering the most competitive rates in the country, ICICI Lombard gives you multiple payment options along with a 0% EMI facility. The number one general insurance company (in India) has one of the largest cashless garage network of more than 2,500 garages. Click here to buy or renew your car insurance online instantly.

Insurance firms to up micro sector presence

2008-09-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

Insurance companies across the board are exploring options to branch out into rural areas and enhance their presence in the micro-insurance sector in the country.

Among the major players, LIC, ICICI Lombard, Agriculture Insurance Corporation, IFFCO-Tokio and Tata AIG are seeking ways to consolidate their presence in the sector. Also, MaxLife has launched Max Vijay to tap the micro-insurance potential.

Incidentally, the Indian insurance industry is expected to witness a 500% growth and reach $60 billion in next four years. Insurance firms are keen to exploit this potential; in keeping, ING is planning its entry in India.

The fact that these companies are focusing on micro insurance is crucial as traditionally insurance has never really expanded beyond urban geographies. This has been attributed to poor insurance literacy and awareness, high transaction costs, inadequate regulations, and inadequate understanding of client needs and expectations. According to the Centre for Insurance and Risk Management (CIRM)--which operates under IFMR Foundation-- the Centre and Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority (Irda) need make administrative and regulatory changes to enable penetration of micro insurance, especially in rural areas.

However, Rupalee Ruchismita, coordinator of CIRM, told FE, “The perception that entering rural markets is expensive has been replaced by the possibility of making rural insurance not only commercially viable and sustainable but also profitable. This is provided questions about product design and models of delivering risk hedging products are innovatively addressed.”

She admitted that India is the only country with micro insurance regulation. However, she noted that IRDA should allow more players in the sector. Ruchismita was speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on “Indian Microinsurance: What Works?” organised by Microfinance Insights, IFMR Foundation and CIRM.

She said that while the Micro Insurance Act stipulates an upfront payment of premium for micro insurance policies, people in rural areas have low incomes and are incapable of paying a lumpsum amount upfront. Therefore, allowing them to pay the premium in monthly installments will help in stimulating demand for insurance products, she added.

Ruchismita urged the centre to take administrative measures for promotion of micro insurance. She said that data must be made available to insurance companies so that they can expand their activities in rural areas.

Travel insurance: The good, the bad and the ugly

2008-09-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

On a family holiday in Switzerland in May, a father's worst nightmare came true.

On a Friday afternoon my son had acute pain in his abdomen, the general practitioner whom we consulted advised us to rush to a hospital. At the hospital he was advised to undergo an emergency appendicitis removal operation. We were apprehensive as we were in a strange country and even communication with some of the doctors was a little challenging as some of them could not speak English fluently. In the late evening after considering the risks of not operating we gave our consent for the operation.

We could afford to pay for the operation on our own but at the back of my mind was a question whether the insurance company (my travel insurance policy was taken from a public sector insurance company) would actually pay up. The policy was part of a package taken through the tour operator who had made the travel arrangements for us. He in turn had used the services of an insurance broker to buy the package policy.

Here is my experience described in greater detail:

Friday, May 23: My son got operated at around 10 pm. He was admitted and operated without us having to fill in an admission form or making any deposit. They did not even know whether we had insurance to cover the costs.

Late at night I sent an email to the international TPA, the Indian TPA and the Indian insurance broker informing them of our impending claim.

Saturday, May 24: My son was fine and so started to try and call for activating the claim process. The initial call to the Paris toll-free number was not very fruitful with the male consultant on the other end of the line not giving any satisfactory response. But when I checked my email I had received a response from them indicating a file number for my claim and laying down the documents needed to process the claim.

I also reached a very helpful gentleman called Prakash who was the claims executive with the insurance broker in India. He made several calls to me and also spoke to the TPA in Paris and generally guided me. The hospital was also helpful and provided the necessary facility for faxing the papers to the Paris TPA. However a confirmation from the TPA to the hospital got stuck because they wanted a medical report from the hospital before providing a coverage confirmation (which would have enabled me to avail of cashless facility from the hospital).

The hospital informed me that this was not a usual request and it took a couple of hours before I could get the report and fax it to the Paris TPA. Meanwhile since it was a Saturday I was forced to make a deposit (around Rs. 125,000) to the hospital by using my credit card. While we received no final confirmation from the Paris TPA the Indian TPA had not responded at all.

Sunday, May 25: My son was discharged from the hospital.

The hospital said the deposit was enough to cover the bill and they would refund the balance in due course by crediting the balance to my credit card account. No final confirmations from the Paris TPA, though I must say that by then a very competent lady from the Paris TPA kept calling me to update me on what was happening. She also informed me that she had sent a confirmatory fax to the hospital (this was after the discharge) and as the hospital office was closed we could not confirm the receipt of the fax by them.

Monday, May 26: The hospital confirmed that they had received the fax confirmation from the Paris TPA and would refund the entire deposit amount to my credit card in a few days time after they actually receive the payment from the insurance company. Prakash had been in touch with me through out.

Tuesday, May 27: We return to India.

First week of June: Submitted a claim for expenses paid for the general practitioner in Switzerland, the ambulance charges, and the medicines purchased amounting to about Rs 25,000. This was submitted to the Indian TPA through Prakash.

Second week of June: Got the Switzerland hospital deposit amount refunded in my credit card account. Was shocked to discover that even though in Swiss franc terms I had received the full refund, there was a difference of around Rs. 13,000 in the rupee amount that I had paid and the rupee amount credited to my credit card account. On closer inspection it proved to be because of the huge 3.5 per cent each way commission that the credit card company charges (making it 7 per cent in all) as well as the significant differential in the buying and selling rate of the foreign exchange.

Meanwhile Prakash informed me that my other claim had been approved on June 13 and I could expect the payment cheque in 15 days time.

July 2008: No cheque despite vigorous follow up. Finally in the last week of July sent an e-mail notice to the insurance company that I would complain to the Insurance Ombudsman if I did not receive the payment.

August 4, 2008: Finally I receive the cheque by courier.

My learnings from the whole episode:

1. Never pay by credit card overseas. Only the card issuer goes laughing all the way to the bank.

2. The Indian insurance companies have specific requirements that make the process of pre-approval that much more difficult overseas as it is not in line with local practices.

3. The moment you submit claims to the Indian TPA brace yourself for delays.

4. Use the two magic words 'Insurance Ombudsman' in your letters and e-mails. That's the one thing that makes the wheels move.

5. The insurance broker is worth his weight in gold if they have people like Prakash working for them.

6. While the delays were annoying and the amount retained by the credit card company was scandalous, I don't think I will ever venture outside Indian shores without a proper travel insurance policy.

7. If you have to fall ill do so in a country like Switzerland, where even the general ward is better than the luxury suites of Indian hospitals. The nursing staff actually helped us in booking a hotel for the night and summoned a taxi for us. A level of service that I cannot even imagine in India.

Protections for AIG Policyholders

2008-09-20T23:12:00.000-07:00

People with an annuity or a life-insurance, auto or homeowners policy through American International Group are no doubt mighty worried right now as they watch that company struggling.

But policyholders don't need to panic, experts say. For one thing, while the holding company is in financial distress, AIG's insurance subsidiaries are separate entities that are financially sound, regulators and others say.

AIG's insurance subsidiaries "did not receive a bailout; they are financially solvent," Sandy Praeger, president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, said in a statement last week. She added in an interview that "state insurance laws regulate the AIG subsidiaries to assure that the assets are preserved to protect the interests of policyholders."

Further, if an insurance company were to fail, each state runs an insurance guaranty association to protect policyholders. Insurers ante up fees to ensure customers of failed firms are protected. Still, those state guarantees are limited -- and that potentially could mean problems for some policyholders if an insurer becomes insolvent.

Your best bet now is to take a measured approach. Find out whether you're fully protected by state guarantees. Contact your state insurance department, or look up your state's rules at www.nolhga.com.

If you're not, weigh your options. Talk to your insurance broker about possible surrender charges or other penalties for exiting your policy or annuity, and determine the cost of purchasing similar products elsewhere. Remember that even consumers with policies worth more than their state's guaranteed limit may have nothing to worry about given that these insurers are solvent.

Life-Insurance Protections

State guaranty associations protect life-insurance policyholders for at least $100,000 in cash surrender or withdrawal value and at least $300,000 ($250,000 in California) in death benefits, says Peter Gallanis, president of the National Organization of Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Associations in Herndon, Va. Some states provide protection up to $500,000.

For policyholders within their state's limits, if a company fails, "there is a very good chance that your policy will be transferred [to a different insurer] and you'll never miss a beat," Mr. Gallanis says.

For fixed annuities, states generally cover up to $100,000, though some guarantee $300,000 or more.

Variable annuities are investment products. Generally your money is invested through a subaccount that is separate from the insurer's assets and not covered by state associations. However, the portion of the contract that promises a payout from the insurer usually is covered.

Usually a failed insurer's business is taken over by another company in what can be a seamless transition for policyholders, Mr. Gallanis says.

"Typically the new insurer will provide all of the protection that would have been provided under the old policy," he says.

But it is possible in some situations that people with life-insurance policies worth more than the state limits may find they're on the hook for a higher premium or a reduced death benefit, Mr. Gallanis says.

Similarly, it's possible an annuity contract might be modified by an acquiring company; for instance, if the promised interest rate is deemed too high. But that's a rare event, requires approval by regulators, and is much likelier when an insurance company's failure is rooted in its policy-writing practices.

Auto, Home Policies

There are similar state guaranty associations protecting consumers with homeowners and auto-insurance policies. If you have a claim filed with a company that then fails, "the guaranty fund steps into the shoes of the insurance company from a claims-paying perspective," says Roger Schmelzer, chief executive of the National Conference of Insurance Guaranty Funds in Indianapolis. Most state guaranty associations cover homeowners- and auto-policy claims up to $300,000, he says.

If you've prepaid a premium, that is also usually recoverable through the guaranty association, says Barb Cox, the group's vice president of legal and regulatory affairs, though the limit may be $10,000 or $25,000.

Meanwhile, if you're simply holding a policy, with no claims in process, then consider shopping around, Mr. Schmelzer says.

Why some insurance claims are not payable

2008-09-20T23:08:00.000-07:00

Last week a friend called to say that his Ford Ikon had been stolen and he didn’t have theft coverage for his car. A few hours later he called back. The car had been found! But the thief had crashed it. “Thank God” he told me, “I am now going to claim for the repair from the insurer”. But he was disappointed when I explained to him that “theft” being the proximate cause of the loss and an excluded peril, the claim will not be paid by the insurance company.

When life insurance emulates the mutual fund sales pitch

While paying claims, Insurance companies look at “what exactly caused” the event leading to a loss. In my friend’s case, it was the theft of the car. It was the thief who wrecked it. Theft was the ‘proximate cause’. My friend didn’t have coverage for theft, so the insurance company would not honour the claim.

Life insurance agents are in demand

What causes a loss? On its face, this seems to be a simple question. But real life is rarely that simple. Many events and circumstances combine to produce a particular result. So, confusion prevails when there are multiple events that lead to the loss. This is where the doctrine of proximate cause helps.

Insurance reforms close to reality

‘Proximate cause’ is defined as “The active, efficient cause that sets in motion a chain of events, which brings about a result, without the intervention of any new or independent force.”

Mediclaim: Ten questions you should ask your TPA

As one is aware, every policy has a set of perils that are covered and another longer list of perils that are excluded. In fact, while deciding to opt for an insurance policy, what you actually decide is to protect yourself against is the financial losses you may suffer due to a set of certain perils.

Insurers get innovative on renewal payments

Take, for example, a home owner choosing a Fire policy and skipping a Machinery Breakdown policy (which would have covered his electrical equipment). He has chosen to take cover for Fire and allied perils and ignore Breakdown-related perils.

'Health insurance premium reduced'

There happens to be a fire in his building, following which there are frequent electrical fluctuations and his refrigerator breaks down after a few days. He would naturally expect that the claim will be paid through the fire policy! Alas! He would be in for a disappointment.

The fire policy does not include “breakdown-related” perils and since the proximate cause was ascertained to be “breakdown” and not the “fire” directly! If you get selective in coverage (innocently or otherwise!), well, the insurer gets selective in paying claims too!

The following two cases illustrate whether a remote cause can be considered as the proximate cause of a loss:

Case I: Lightning damaged a building and weakened a wall. A day later, the weakened wall was blown down by high winds. Lightning was considered to be the proximate cause.

Case II: Fire damaged a wall and weakened it. Several days later, a gale blew down the weakened wall. It was held that fire was not the proximate cause.

The point to note here is the length of time that passed before the remote cause occurred which made the difference between the two cases.

In the second case, there has been a break in the chain of causation because of which the initial event will not be treated as the proximate cause for a loss.

Consider this too: Firemen remove undamaged stock from a burning building to protect it from fire. It is stacked in the open yard and subsequently damaged by rain. Was the proximate cause of the damage — the fire or the rain?

If the rain damage occurred before the Insured had an opportunity to protect it, then the proximate cause of the damage would be fire, which is covered under the fire insurance policy. However, if the stocks were left unprotected for an unreasonably long period, the rain would be a new and independent cause of damage that is normally not covered under the policy.

There are many examples of such claims, which at first sight suggest that the proximate cause is obvious, but on more detailed enquiry, different conclusions are reached.

Understanding proximate cause in the context of a loss can be a daunting task. The facts of insurance claims are usually complicated — given the different potential causes of loss involved and exclusions in play.

More India business stories

Some jurisdictions may view the exclusion ambiguous and in favour of the insured and other jurisdictions may view it as being clearly in the insurer’s favour.

In the end, a claim on an insurance policy is an exercise in patience.

Your Money at Work, Fixing Others’ Mistakes

2008-09-20T23:05:00.000-07:00

IT looks as if we may get through this weekend without another scramble to save a troubled financial firm with a trillion-dollar balance sheet.

But that doesn’t mean taxpayers are out of danger. No, sir. No, ma’am. Because lawmakers are at work on a bailout fund that would buy the kind of distressed assets (defaulted mortgages, for example) that have ignited this firestorm.

Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. has called the fund the “troubled asset relief program.” I’ll just call it TARP for short (you know, the kind of thing they spread over muddy fields so you don’t soil your Guccis).

And depending on how TARP is operated, and how the assets are valued before taxpayers are forced to buy them, it could bloat our final bill for this mess while benefiting the very institutions that got us into it.

Yes, we need a smart plan and a concerted effort to get the frozen credit markets up and running. But we also have to be certain that the types of conflicts of interest that riddle Wall Street aren’t visited upon TARP.

Consider: A bank wants to sell the TARPistas (also known as TAXPAYERS) a pile of stinky mortgage securities that it currently values at 60 cents on the dollar. Let’s assume that the most recent actual trade between market participants for similar assets was struck at 30 cents on the dollar.

So what’s a fair price that we TARPistas should pay for the assets?

If we bought at 60 cents, a price that the bank would argue is appropriate, we would most likely face a loss. The bank, however, would be much better off than if it had to dump at 30 cents.

Conversely, if the assets were sold at 30 cents, taxpayers could wind up making a profit on the purchase if the assets performed better than expected over time. But the bank would have to write down the value of the assets as a result of the sale, possibly threatening its financial standing yet again.

Do you think, perchance, that financial services lobbyists might be working their Hill contacts right this very minute to ensure that the TARP valuations are rigged in their favor?

You know the answer to that.

And you also know that we should steel ourselves for heavy losses as the TARP gets pulled over our eyes. Never mind that it was the banks, with their reckless lending and monumental leverage, that drove us into this ditch.

Such is our lot today: They break it. We own it.

Taxpayers deserve better than this, of course. But we have no lobbyists, so we get skinned.

IF federal regulators and political leaders want to earn back some trust, they could do two things. First, they could provide us with some transparency about whom precisely we are backing in the recent bailouts.

Take, for example, the rescue on Tuesday of the American International Group, once the world’s largest insurance company. It was pretty breathtaking. Since when do insurance companies, whose business models seem to consist of taking in premiums and stonewalling claims, deserve rescues from beleaguered taxpayers?

Answer: Ever since the world became so intertwined that the failure of one company can topple a host of others. And ever since credit default swaps, those unregulated derivative contracts that allow investors to bet on a debt issuer’s financial prospects, loomed so big on balance sheets that they now drive every bailout decision.

The deal to save A.I.G. involves a two-year, $85 billion loan from taxpayers. In exchange, the new owners — us — get 80 percent of the company. If enough of A.I.G.’s assets are sold for good prices, we may get our money back.

Credit default swaps, which operate like insurance policies against the possibility that an issuer of debt will not pay on its obligations, were the single biggest motivator behind the A.I.G. deal.

A.I.G. had written $441 billion in credit insurance on mortgage-related securities whose values have declined; if A.I.G. were to fail, all the institutions that bought the insurance would have been subject to enormous losses. The ripple effect could have turned into a tsunami.

So, the $85 billion loan to A.I.G. was really a bailout of the company’s counterparties or trading partners.

Now, inquiring minds want to know, whom did we rescue? Which large, wealthy financial institutions — counterparties to A.I.G.’s derivatives contracts — benefited from the taxpayers’ $85 billion loan? Were their representatives involved in the talks that resulted in the last-minute loan?

And did Lehman Brothers not get bailed out because those favored institutions were not on the hook if it failed?

We’ll probably never know the answers to these troubling questions. But by keeping taxpayers in the dark, regulators continue to earn our mistrust. As long as we are not told whom we have bailed out, we will be justified in suspecting that a favored few are making gains on our dimes.

A.I.G.’s financial statements provided a clue to the identities of some of its credit default swap counterparties. The company said that almost three-quarters of the $441 billion it had written on soured mortgage securities was bought by European banks. The banks bought the insurance to reduce the amounts of capital they were required by regulators to set aside to cover future losses.

Enjoy the absurdity: Billions in unregulated derivatives that were about to take down the insurance company that sold them were bought by banks to get around their regulatory capital requirements intended to rein in risk.

Got that?

Which brings us to Item 2 for policy makers. Stop pretending that the $62 trillion market for credit default swaps does not need regulatory oversight. Warren E. Buffett was not engaging in hyperbole when he called these things financial weapons of mass destruction.

“The last eight years have been about permitting derivatives to explode, knowing they were unregulated,” said Eric R. Dinallo, New York’s superintendent of insurance. “It’s about what the government chose not to regulate, measured in dollars. And that is what shook the world.”

And it will continue.

Know about Insurance, Types of Insurance

2008-09-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium. An insurer is a company selling the insurance. The insurance rate is a factor used to determine the amount, called the premium, to be charged for a certain amount of insurance coverage. Risk management, the practice of appraising and controlling risk, has evolved as a discrete field of study and practice.

Some Insurance Types
Different types of Insurance plans are offered based on your needs. Some of them are
• Life Insurance
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Automobile insurance
• Property insurance

Life Insurance
Life insurance or life assurance is a contract between the policy owner and the insurer, where the insurer agrees to pay a sum of money upon the occurrence of the insured individual’s or individuals’ death or other event, such as terminal illness or critical illness. In return, the policy owner (or policy payer) agrees to pay a stipulated amount called a premium at regular intervals or in lump sums.

Health Insurance
The term health insurance is generally used to describe a form of insurance that pays for medical expenses. Basically, the client pays a sum of money called the Premium and in turn the Insurance firm would commit to pay a predetermined sum of money to meet the customer’s claims. Health insurance plans are offered in two categories. They are individual and group insurance policy. The individual plans covers health costs for a single person whereas the group health insurance plan covers medical coverage for the entire family.

Dental Insurance
Dental insurance covers dental costs for an individual or group. The costs include normal dental care cost as well as damage to teeth in an accident. Dental insurance protects people from financial hardship caused by unexpected dental expenses.

Automobile insurance
Auto insurance protects the policy owner against financial loss if he has an accident. It is a contract between policy owner and the insurance company. The policy owner agrees to pay the premium and the insurance company agrees to pay the losses as defined in your policy.

Property insurance
Property insurance gives protection against your property. This includes specialized forms of insurance like fire insurance, flood insurance, earthquake insurance, home insurance etc.

Travel Insurance - Smart Choices

2008-09-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

You decide to take that once-in-a lifetime trip, the one you’ve always dreamed of and you want to make sure that nothing goes wrong. As any human being, you are aware that you do not have a total control over your life and that accidents can happen. Travel insurance is a necessary item if you are going on a vacation.

The competition on the insurance market is stringent and there are many companies ready to offer travel insurance suitable for one’s needs and preferences. Remember that is vital that you purchase travel insurance in order to protect your travel investment.

While browsing, decide what type of coverage you require. Take in consideration several factors such as: journey duration, destination and your age and health conditions. You should also check if preexisting conditions are covered by your travel insurance.

Travel insurance is a necessity you cannot do without. It offers coverage for unpredictable situations such as: cancellation of trips, delays of travel, lost of luggage and personal belongings, emergency evacuation or medical expenses. Some travel insurance policies have additional claims for accidental deaths.

For travel to Canada, it is best that you choose to purchase travel insurance for Canada as it has certain advantages. Former English colony, Canada is the world’s largest country by land mass and offers a broad range of cultural and geographical features. This outstanding country offers its visitors one of the most untamed landscapes in the world. Still, all tourists are encouraged to have travel insurance in Canada for safety reasons.

You should also check if the travel insurance you choose has additional features like: travel document loss, optional medical benefits (helicopter for emergency cases), and accidental death during flight. These things are difficult to think about but not impossible to happen. It is best to be prepared and purchase complete travel insurance. In order to arrive to an informed decision search online, compare prices and benefits. In short: canvas and compare.

The tricky part is finding the appropriate travel insurance quotes. You just log on to your computer and go online. There are many insurance companies ready to offer free travel insurance quotes on their sites. Consider the features and compare figures.

Travel insurance quotes can be easily obtained by completing a form with basic information. After filling out the form, you will receive travel insurance quotes from several companies. These travel insurance quotes show in detail different travel insurance options, deductible and other details. This will help you pick out the best plan based on your need and preferences.

Choosing a reputable website can help you obtain instant travel insurance quotes from leading companies and also personalized travel insurance assistance. These travel insurance quotes are always up-to-date and accurate not to mention that there is a wide selection online. You can look at several different travel insurance quotes at the same time online, in a short period of time.

You can find on the Internet various travel insurance quotes for Canada from leading Canadian companies. These companies are the best on the market and they have been meeting the demands of a diversified population for many years. Travel insurance quotes in Canada are easy to find but you have to be careful if they are meeting your needs.

Traveling will always offer lifetime lasting memories. So it is in your best interest to look after yourself and purchase full travel insurance in order to feel safe and have fun. There is no reason to be skeptical; purchasing travel insurance is a must.

Homeowner’s Insurance Tips Guide

2008-09-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

As the demand for homeowner insurance is increasing day by day, numerous companies are offering the home insurance policy. Since a myriad of options are available now, an individual needs to be quite careful while purchasing a policy. There are several key points that should be borne in mind and that can actually help you purchase a good policy.

Before you start looking around for a policy, decide amongst yourself what all coverage and the coverage amount you want. Then look for various companies and their offers. In this you can take help of agents, friends and family members. Internet too is a good source for information. You can obtain various price quotes from there. While comparing rates make sure that they are for same coverage’s.

Deductibles play a crucial role in choice of a policy. Deductible is the amount a person needs to pay before the insurance company to pay for him. Higher deductibles are instrumental in lowering the premium rates. So it is better to look for high deductibles though you will have to pay if you have a claim.

Never think and try of giving fake information to acquire the insurance policy. You can land yourself in grave trouble. So be true while obtaining a price quote and applying for insurance. For wrong information can lead to denial of coverage and incorrect price quotes.

But don’t just get carried away with the price (premium rates etc.) as most people do. Other factors such as company’s financial ratings and stability, its reputation in the market, customer service record, complaint index and the like also do matter a lot. Thus make sure you check these things out.

Also see if the agent offering the policy is licensed or not. It is in your interest to purchase a policy from certified i.e. licensed companies and agents.

Usually it is very difficult for people who reside in high-risk zone and defaulters to acquire a homeowner’s insurance. High-risk zone stands for areas prone to floods, hurricanes and other natural calamities and also areas where the crime rate is quite high. In such a case you need to make an extra effort to get a homeowner’s policy. You need to speak to other people living in the zone and any previous insurers. If you propose to shift to one such place then ask you current insurance agent to help you get one such insurance.

You should also know that usually the homeowners insurance covers personal items such as jewelry, fur, watches, silverware, valuable papers and securities etc. If you seek to have coverage apart from this then you have to fill up the Personal Articles Form. Speak with your agent about the coverage that is already there and about what additions you require.

When it is time to renew your homeowner’s insurance policy, ponder again over the coverage issue. Check your personal details in the policy and see if it is up to the mark. In case you require more coverage for any expensive items you purchased such as electrical appliances etc., ask your agent to get your policy changed accordingly.

Top 5 Jobs Which Require Life Insurance

2008-09-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

Life insurance is an important aspect of everyone’s lives and is something which everyone will have to face at some point in time throughout their lives. This point may come sooner rather than later for some individuals because of the job they perform on a daily basis.

While some individuals start everyday by putting on their suits and racing to get to the coffee shop for their morning coffee, others are strapping on their work boots and preparing themselves for a day of excruciatingly hard labor. As scary as it may sound, there are many individuals who are willing to put their lives in danger every single day when they get up and go to work.

The following is a list of the top 5 jobs which are considered to be the most dangerous jobs in the world. Individuals who perform these jobs are highly recommended to have a life insurance plan incase (god forbid) anything goes wrong on any given day. These are the 5 occupations which made the list:

1.Police/Detectives - Police Officers face life threatening situations almost everyday. They are highly trained to defend themselves and are equipped with protective equipment at all times. Life insurance and disability insurance are crucial for individuals working in the field of policing.

2. Airplane Pilots - Believe it or not, airplane pilots require life insurance because they are dealing with such powerful machines which have been known to have mechanical glitches. Airplane pilots are also highly trained in their field to make sure they do their best to fly safely.

3. Construction Workers - Construction workers are somewhat unappreciated for the amount of hard work they do everyday. They not only put their lives in danger from all the machinery they are expected to operate, but they also face many factors which will affect their health in the long run. Overexposure to sun, heat and excessive lifting are just a few of these factors.

4. Farm Workers - Much like construction workers, farm workers are at high risk of injury or death due to the fact that they are constantly operating heavy machinery. There are hundreds of farm work related deaths a years and thousands of injuries for individuals working in farm fields. Life insurance and disability insurance are important for individuals in this occupation.

5. Fire Fighters - It is a known fact that fire fighters put their lives on the line everyday to save the lives of others. Knowing the potential consequences and performing the job anyways indicates that these workers deserve the highest level of respect from others. Individuals who have chosen careers in firefighting are also likely to have a life insurance policy.

Is your job dangerous? Is your life on the line everyday? Maybe not, but there are many other factors other than your occupation which may indicate you need life insurance. Life insurance is a plan which will ensure your loved ones are taken care of incase anything happens to you. Wouldn’t you like to know your family would be looked after should this type of situation occur?

About the Author: Bill Mason is a retired insurance agent who now writes as a freelance writer for insuranceguide101.com - a site that offers information on insurance of all kinds including online life insurance, business insurance and more.

Your Health Insurance Company Is Scamming You

2008-09-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

The growing number of consumers taking up health insurance plans has led to the mushrooming of scam health insurance providers. These providers often target new retirees and the elderly individuals and small-business owners, who can’t negotiate better rates with legitimate insurers. Be very cautious before you invest in any health policy. Read on to get an idea about 3 ways in which your health insurance company can scam you.

1. Failure to pay claims: Usually fraud health insurance agents sign up a huge number of people quickly by offering them lucrative deals. These insurance providers keep paying small premium amounts and medical claims, but if there is a substantial claim amount or regulators catch them, these illegal companies vanish as if they never existed.

So, just beware if you are getting delayed payments or your service provider is offering fake excuses for the failure to make the payments. If you have signed up for these illegal plans, you may be liable for the medical bills of your employees as well.

2. Non-licensed health plans: If the company from which you have bought your health care policy is not licensed by State Insurance Commissioner, you can be in trouble. If all the protections of insurance regulation do not apply on your service provider, then the company may be phony. In this case your service provider is scamming you by selling non-licensed health plans.

Insurance agents are not allowed to sell any legitimate ERISA or union plan as federal law governs them. So, if your insurance agent tries to dupe you by selling an “ERISA” or “union” plan, report them to your state insurance department.

3. Unusual coverage offered at lower rates: If you are offered an unusual coverage irrespective of your health condition and that too at lower rate and much more benefits in comparison to other insurers, its time for you too hit the panic button. Do not get fooled by the lucrative offer, else you can be taken for a ride. The ‘scamsters’ aim to collect huge amounts as early as possible so, they try to sell maximum number of policies at attractive prices.

Learn more about Insurance

2008-09-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

Life insurance is the building block of any good financial plan. It can protects your family against the loss of income caused by a premature death. Some life insurance policies are permanent, while others only last a specific amount of time and are commonly referred to as term life insurance. Whether you think you need term life insurance or a permanent life insurance plan, you should always get the policy that is right for you.

Disability insurance can protect against the agony of income loss caused by an injury or sickness outside of the workplace.

Group Health Insurance can help employees pay for some of the costs of medical services including yearly physicals, blood testing, and surgeries. Most group health insurance plans require a co-pay for covered doctor visits and prescription drugs.

Travel insurance is a type of insurance that can help indemnify you against a trip cancellation or evacuation. A travel insurance policy comes with specific definitions regarding to what it considers an emergency evacuation or travel related sickness or accident. You can find insurance coverage for terrorism, hazardous sports and activities, annual travel insurance (Holiday Insurance policy), and much more.

Travel Health Insurance is a health insurance coverage for those that do not reside in their native country. Many American's health insurance plans do not offer medical protection outside of the United States. If you are a college student abroad, missionary, or expatriate in need of a doctor or hospital in another country, you might need to purchase a travel health insurance policy; otherwise the school or organization has it available for you. Travel Health Insurance is also known as international or global medical health insurance.

ndian Sarees Of The Women

2008-02-23T02:10:00.001-08:00

The Indian sarees of the women in India has a history which goes way back during the ancient times. There have been several versions of its beginnings, why women consider wearing it as part of their tradition.

According to one legend, a beautiful woman, Draupadi, is lost to a gamble because of her husband. The enemies of her husband have a desire to embarrass her, so, they pulled on the cloth that has been draped around her body. But no matter how much they keep on pulling, the cloth never seems to end. In a spiritual view of the tale, the men who have won the gambling game stand for whatever that is evil in the world, and they keep on pulling the cloth which stands for eternity. This cloth that they have been trying to unwind is now known as the Indian sarees.

Another legend also states that the Indian sarees originated from the loom of a weaver who likes to dream so much. As he weaves on the loom, he dreams of a woman, the way her tears fall down her face, the way her hair falls down on her shoulders. He imagines her moods as various kinds of colors, and her skin soft to the touch. With these ideas in mind, he keeps on weaving for a long time until the cloth reached a hundred yards. And when he looked at what he has done, he smiled in satisfaction. This tale is among the reasons why women wear Indian sarees, this is to exude the femininity in them.

The earliest version of the Indian sarees has been that of a short cloth. It has been used as a skirt or a veil. During those early times, women have not been wearing a blouse under their Indian sarees, their chest is bare. In other rare areas of India, the women there still do not wear a blouse or choli underneath their Indian sarees.

The reason why Indian sarees do not have stitches in the past is because they are considered as pure. During olden times in India, the needles that are being used are made from bones, and the people considered their traditional clothes as pure so they dared not taint the purity by running bone needles on the cloth.

For the Indian weavers of the Indian sarees, the precise measurement of the saree is 47 inches by 216 inches. Even though the Indian sarees are not tailored, the design of the cloth speaks of sophistication. The print on the Indian sarees follows a specific method of weaving which manifests a rhythm of design.

The design pattern of the Indian sarees depends on the region and culture where the saree is made. The Muslims are known to design their Indian sarees with so much gold. These kinds of sarees are mostly used for ritual traditions. There are also Indian sarees which are made from silk with gold embroiders.

In the past, the women of India have no options for the style of their Indian sarees. But recently, there have been an emerging various styles of sarees which are available not only for Indian women, but also for other women from all over the world who want to try out a different kind of clothing style.

Article: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=160820&ca=Culture

The Best Clothing Styles for Your Body Type

2008-02-23T02:07:00.003-08:00

The majority of women do not have the model body type that allows designer clothing to drape over us effortlessly, but we can come pretty close if we make the right choices. This begins by understanding your body type and letting go of those inner demons telling you to be thinner so you'll look better in clothing. How many times have you or a friend said "I refuse to buy any new clothes until I lose ten pounds", or my favorite, "I'll by this smaller size and it will give me incentive to lose weight". Ladies, please stop!

Train your eye to choose clothing that flatters your individual shape, not an idealized form. Get to know your body and its unique measurements. When you learn to balance your proportions and accentuate your assets, you will achieve effortless style and will have the ability to look as good as any fashion magazine model.

BODY TYPE 1: Triangle Often referred to as the "pear", you have narrow and sloped shoulders, and larger hips. Most have a slim torso and rib cage and your waist may be smaller in proportion to your hips. You also have a fuller bottom and legs. This is the most common figure type.

FIT SOLUTIONSThe key is to draw the eye away from your widest hip area. Your best styles will accentuate your neck and slim upper body and minimize your lower half.

Tops: Avoid a short boxy line on top. Your best tops will focus on widening your shoulders. Choose ballet and boat necks, puff sleeves, dolman and batwing sleeves. V-necks and blouses with princess seams that accentuate your waist. Stay away from crop tops and anything that stops at your navel or above - it will cut you in half thus accentuating your lower half!

Dresses: Empire waisted and babydoll styles as well as kimono, dolman and flutter sleeved. Wrap dresses that accentuate your waist and draw attention to your neck and shoulders with a v-neck style.

Skirts: Choose a circle or a-line skirt with a lower waist and minimal waistband. Straight skirts work well worn just above the knee in a fabric that drapes well.

Pants: A straight cut with a bootleg or slight flare is your best bet. Choose a lower waist pant that has a flat front - no pleats or pockets placed across your widest part! High waist pants that are at or above your navel can mold around your hips and butt and give the appearance of bulk. Capris should also have a slight flare at the bottom.

Fabric and Color: Darker colors will recede and make you look smaller, so generally darker bottoms and lighter tops work nicely. Bold, large prints can work well for taller Type 1 women, but stick with smaller prints if you are average to petite.

BODY TYPE 2: Hourglass

You have well proportioned shoulders that are in line with your hips and a waist approximately 10" smaller. Curvy describes you the best and you have a small to average, defined waistline and an average to full bottom and many have of you have great legs.

FIT SOLUTIONSYou can wear any type of clothing that stays in proportion to your height and weight. Find clothing with shape and soft, fluid fabrics to highlight your curves.

Tops: Almost anything goes. Best bets are fitted blouses, halters, wrap tops, and blouson. If you have a fuller bust, avoid breast pockets, pleating or ruffles in that area.

Dresses: Tank and sheath dresses, nipped-waist and bias, wrap, strapless and anything that highlights your curves.

Skirts: Pencil and bias cut skirts look great on your body-type. If you are fuller in the stomach and hips, avoid excess material or horizontal pockets in this area.

Pants: A straight cut with a bootleg or slight flare is your best bet, but you can opt for slimmer styles if your hips and thighs are average to small. Choose a lower waist pant that has a flat front.

Fabric and Color: Experiment with color, prints and texture to see what fits your personality and stature. Choose fabrics that drape well and are not stiff. You want to highlight your curves, not hide them or create a boxy midsection.

BODY TYPE 3: V-Shape

You may describe your figure as boyish or athletic, but you are lucky to have the model type body that looks great in almost every style. Your shoulders are broader than your hips. Your waist is average and less defined and you have narrow hips, a smaller and sometimes flat bottom with slimmer legs.

FIT SOLUTIONS Your narrow hips give you choice and versatility. If your shoulders are very broad, you will want to add volume to your hips for balance and stay away from styles that exaggerate the shoulder area.

Tops: V-necks, U-necks, sleeveless and tanks with wider straps. Avoid tops with a horizontal line or widening effect near the top such as puff sleeves, boat necks, epaulettes, or fussy details.

Dresses: Avoid high waistlines and empire seams or ruffles near the top. Look for details like bold prints, pockets and pleats on the lower half to add fullness and keep it simple on top.

Skirts: Torso skirts with soft pleating, tiers and gathering are your first choice because they add volume and balance your figure. Stay away from any style that gathers at the natural waist or appears to cut you in half, thus exaggerating the upper body.

Pants: Your choice - with narrow hips you can wear them all.

Fabric and Color: Experiment with color, prints and texture to see what fits your personality and stature. Create interest on the bottom half with prints and color and keep the top simple to downplay the shoulder area.

Suitable Indian Bridal Attire For A Short, Dark Complexion Woman

2008-02-23T02:07:00.001-08:00

Becoming a bride is on every girls priority list at some point of time in her life. And this priority is just not restricted to any caste, creed, color or religion. Being short and dark complexion women does not really cause any hindrance in terms of becoming a bride. All those girls who feel that they won't look nice in their bridal attire just because they are short should better think again because being short and dark could never effect the looks of the bride.

What matters most is that you pick yourself right type of bridal attire combined with right hairstyle and proper accessories suiting your complexion and height.

Most women, whether Indian or international prefer to wear Indian bridal attire as they are considered most graceful as compared to any other woman attire. However, these days an endless variety in terms of Indian bridal attire is available to us. One can make a fair choice of which attire to wear suiting their personality.

Some girls prefer to go for Indian bridal attires like lehengas while others enjoy wearing a saree or a gown. But in all these cases large-scale preparations are made by near and dear ones. The bride usually follows strict pre bridal make up sessions and then goes for her shopping. But it is advisable for a short dark complexion bride to choose suitable indian bridal attire for themselves with perfect accessories so that they look quite tall and fair on their d-day.

For a dark complexion and short would be bride, it is mandate to know what suits her the best in terms of clothes, color sequence and make up. In case she is unaware about the same, it is sensible that she experiments a few times before her wedding date.

As far as a short and a dark complexioned woman is concerned, it is suggested that she avoids wearing fluorescent colors, clear whites, shades of pink, very light colors and bright yellows. In other words, she should preferably use mid tones of all colors. Shocking fluorescent colors should be avoided at any cost. In addition to this, dark colors like black should not be worn as it would make her look darker. As far as make up is concerned a dark complexion bride should avoid bright make up as it would make her look darker. Indian bridal attires for a dark complexion bride should be neither very dark nor very light coloured. They should be quite with mid tones.

Assuming that the bride is even short in height, she should not wear tight garments. Also semi open necks would give her a better look as in she won't look very plump. Very short or long length would again give her a fat look. Thus, a mediocre length kurta would do justice to her physique. A short bride should prefer to wear some high heels to complement those beautiful Indian bridal attires. But remember they should be equally comfortable in walking. The next big thing that's important for a short bride is her hairstyles. Short brides should always prefer to go for high buns which will make them look taller.

These are just a few things that should be kept in mind while selecting the Indian Bridal Wear for a short and a dark complexioned woman. A bride whether short or dark looks equally beautiful on her d-day as others but what's most important is that your attires, color combinations and accessories should be according to your complexion and physique.

Saree Articles: How to Drape a Saree

2008-02-23T02:04:00.001-08:00

Saree, the eternally fashionable and elegant drape from India, has defined Indian womanhood for over 5000 years now. Its charm lies in its simplicity, flowing grace, the endless possibilities it offers. Available in countless interesting fabrics, patterns and colours, this six-yard wonder is the most preferred garment in any woman's wardrobe.

Saree - Always Trendy, Always Appropriate Over the years, the saree has evolved to suit the changing lifestyle and preferences of its wearer. In spite of the growing popularity of western wear, saree still holds its ground firmly. Being the only garment that conceals figure flaws and brings out the best in any woman, saree is equally admired by both wearers and designers. It is considered the most sensuous, stylish and sophisticated attire even today. From Shimmering Silks and Elegant Chiffons to Flowing Crepes and Georgettes, available in vivid colors and embellished with the most intricate embroidery work, saree comes in the most mesmerizing avatars one can imagine. Such wide-ranging variety makes it suitable for all occasions - from weddings to formal functions and official meetings to social get-togethers. Moreover, it looks gorgeous on women of all ages and builds.

Tips for Saree Wearers

Heavier women should wear fabrics like Chiffon, Crepe, Georgette and avoid Organza, Tissue and Cotton. This rule applies vice versa for very thin women who want a fuller look.Large prints and sarees with broad borders make one look shorter. Heavier women should wear straight cut, non-flare petticoats underneath the saree.Cotton sarees should be starched and ironed properly before wearing.For office wear, one should choose cotton sarees in subtle colours and prints. These should be worn with the pallu folded in pleats and pinned on the shoulder.Heavy silk sarees with golden thread work should be wrapped in a saree cover before storing. Always wear sandals before draping the saree.

Endless Draping Possibilities

A saree can be draped in innumerable innovative styles. Few of these styles have originated as regional preferences - Bengali style, Gujarati style, Maharashtrian style, and others like the Airhostess style to suit professional requirements. Rest are purely inventive ways of wearing the same fabric differently. Most popular style of draping a saree is the Nivi drape (reverse style). Here the saree is tied around the waist, close to the navel, with 6-9 pleats tucked into the petticoat at the front and the pallu draped over the left shoulder. One can choose to either pin up the pallu loosely over the left shoulder or try a more professional look with a pleated pallu firmly put in place on the shoulder.Another popular style is the Gujarati drape. It is different from the reverse style, in the way the pallu is draped. Instead of the left shoulder, the pallu is brought to the front over the right shoulder and the left corner of the pallu is tucked near the left hip.Then there is the charming Bengali style where the sari is tucked in at the left side and then stretched back to the right hip from the left shoulder. The pallu is then encircled around the back to come out below the right arm and thrown again on the left shoulder. Interestingly a heavy key is used to keep it in place.

These are just a few of the possibilities in saree draping styles. With a little creativity, it is possible to experiment and create different styles for different occasions.

Insurance Rate Methods

2008-02-21T19:54:00.001-08:00

The price of insurance depends ultimately on the risk the insurer is taking on on behalf of the customer. Simply put, this will depend on the chance of the insured event occurring, and the likely cost of the outcome. The way insurers calculate this risk, and quantify the amount of the premium, is through the use of what is known as actuarial science. Using certain probability and statistical mathematical models, the insurance company can predict with a fair degree of accuracy, the approximate cost of future claims.

For example, supposing a someone wishes to insure their $100,000 home against fire. For argument's sake, lets assume that 1 in a 1000 homes in this area burn down every year. This would mean that just to break even, on the mathematical model, the insurance company would have to charge $100 a year for the premium. What the insurance company will in fact do is charge something more than $100, say $120. This extra $20 will cover the overhead costs of the insurance company's operation. It will also cover an amount for profit of the insurance company. The only other way the insurance company generates profits is by investing all the policy premiums it is paid. That way, all the premiums earn interest, or investment returns, while they are in the possession of the insurance company. While this method represents a significant income for the insurance company, the majority of insurance company's funds do actually come from the payment of premiums.

It has been argued that those who pay premiums and do not have to make a claim lose out by effectively wasting their unused premium. In this sense, the insurance industry can not be held to produce any net gain for society, and therefore, the huge profits they generate are unwarranted. Defenders of insurance companies however claim that the peace of mind they offer to all their customers is a significant societal benefit which they provide. Simply knowing that you will be compensated if disaster strikes you is worth something to people, even if the disaster never strikes.

The funds the insurance company holds, from premiums that have not been claimed for payouts, is called its float. Massive profits can be generated from the float alone. While losses are just as possible as gains with all investments, the profits made from insurance company floats, for the five years ending 2003, was $68.4 billion. In the same period, insurance companies paid out $142.3 billion in insurance claims. Some do not believe that the insurance industry will be able to sustain itself for ever on profits generated by the float and so predict large premium rises for the future.

Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the insurance site http://www.insure121.com/ where you will find information, news and links to the leading providers of car insurance in the UK.

Article Source: ArticleStreet.com

A Guide to Finding the Right Health Insurance Company

2008-02-21T19:53:00.001-08:00

There are many people in America today that are in dire need of health insurance for either themselves or for their entire families. This can be for many reasons. Sometimes their employers do not provide health insurance. Other times, the people are self employed. For either of these situations, you must obtain health insurance on your own. It is often hard for people in these situations to determine which health insurance company to go with. If you happen to be one of these people, then please read on for a guide to finding the right health insurance company.

There are various ways to look for a health insurance company. The easiest way is to go online and type "health insurance company" into the search engine. Then press enter. A whole list of health insurance companies and their websites should pop up. Try to select a website that lets you compare health insurance company to health insurance company. You may also call individual health insurance companies, but this tends to be more time consuming. This can be done by finding their numbers in your local yellow pages.

When choosing a health insurance company, first decide on if you want your coverage to be for PPO or for HMO. HMO stands for health maintenance organization. With an HMO, you can only see a limited list of doctors or doctors that are contracted with the HMO health insurance company. PPO stands for preferred provider organization. A PPO plan means you can select to see certain doctors on a list, as well as doctors that are not in the network, but they still accept the type of health insurance.

Next, you need to decide how much coverage you need because this affects the price you with pay monthly to the health insurance company. Some coverage is very limited and does not include emergency room visits, lab work, x-rays, etc. Also, some coverage's have varying deductibles for emergency room visits. Deductibles can vary from $100 to $2500. The cheaper the deductible, the higher your monthly payments are for the health insurance. Also, some coverage's require co pays for doctor visits. The cheaper the co pay, the higher your monthly payment. Lastly, this is the same for prescription drug coverage. You must keep in mind how much you can afford to pay monthly in conjunction with what type of coverage you need.

Hopefully this guide to finding the right health insurance company was helpful to you. There are a lot of important aspects you must consider when selecting a health insurance company. Your health and perhaps your family's health depend on you making the right decision. Utilize this information carefully to help you make a wise decision.

Bob Hett offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning health insurance coverage. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Finding the Right Health Insurance Company

Article Source: ArticleStreet.com

Top 10 Tips to save Home Insurance

2008-02-21T19:52:00.001-08:00

As there's no place like home, it makes sense for you to protect it.

A home insurance policy is basically a contract you make with an insurance company. It is a combination of property and liability coverage, which means it, can protect you if you're sued, as well as if you're robbed. The insurance company also agrees to pay for damages resulting from injuries or damage to other people for which you are held legally responsible. In exchange for your premium, the insurance company will pay for financial losses related to your home or your property during the period of the contract.

There are several things to remember about insuring your property.

These tips doesn't involve huge amount of time or effort but if you would follow, it could save your fortune. Better safe than sorry.

1. You need to SHOP AROUND

As Price does not necessarily guarantee quality in the wonderful world of financial products, you need to shop around as the cost savings and quality of cover vary greatly. Also check consumer guides, insurance agents and companies. Quality service may cost a bit more, but it provides added conveniences.

2. Make sure insurance really does cover you

Just because an insurance company has sold you a policy this does not mean you're eligible to claim on it. You can challenge them to confirm in writing that your particular circumstances are covered.

3. Make sure you won't get ripped off by your mortgage company

Mortgage lenders can entice you greatly with cut-price rates as mortgage markets are becoming increasingly competitive. But these home or mortgage payment protection policies will be overpriced and cost you a lot more than necessary.

Increasingly they're charging a fee - often £25 - if you insure elsewhere. This type of penalty is known as a "tie in", unlikely to give you the best value. So it's better to ignore compulsory insurance tie in scams, no matter how urgently you want the mortgage.

4. Security Tips

• Many people let their absences be obvious and/or do not remember to lock doors and windows, both of which are signals to experienced thieves. Remember to lock all doors at night and whenever you go on a vacation.
• Don't let strangers into your home. Similarly report any strangers you notice loitering in your neighborhood with any apparent purpose.
• Install an alarm if the house doesn't have one. As many companies offer discounts if you have installed reliable fire/ burglar alarms or other security systems.

5. Auto Insurance agent

If your auto insurance company offers home insurance, they might provide you with a home insurance discount. Another good idea is to talk to the agent that is writing it up and ask them for the details. Be sure to ask a lot of questions about home insurance quote, since once something happens to your home, this policy cannot be changed to fit what just happened.

6. House can be insured but not your land.

As the land under your house isn't at risk from theft, windstorm, fire and the other perils covered in your home owner's policy. Don't include its value in deciding how much homeowners insurance to buy. If you do, you'll pay a higher premium than you should.

7. No to smoking

Many companies offer discounts to non-smokers. That's why some insurers offer to reduce premiums if all the residents in a house don't smoke.

8. Negotiate

Insurance never comes with fixed price. So get on the phone and negotiate. Always try taking it to your existing insurer and a broker by mentioning your best quote. Also beware, opt to pay monthly rather than in a lump sum and it costs more.

9. Inventory

Make an inventory of everything you own in your home and in other buildings on the property. Take either still or video pictures and attach receipts to the inventory when available. Store the inventory and visuals for future records and keep updating the when you make major purchases.

10. More

Ground your television antenna to prevent damage from a lightning strike. Keep your yard tidy and free of debris.

Hope these tips may help you to prevent from situations that lead to a typical claim.

My Greetings

I'm Renuka Devi, Freelance Web / Graphic Designer from India. I'm capable of Designing Websites, Animations Using Flash, Making E-cards, and confident enough to work with the softwares which I have learnt, untill now. My Goal is to Keep the Customer at complete satisfaction and maintain a long term relationship.

Personal Website: http://www.renukadevi.com

Article Source: ArticleStreet.com

Life Insurance - Money Saving Top Tips

2008-02-21T19:51:00.001-08:00

More and more people are buying life insurance online and the numbers seem to be doubling every two years. The reasons are clear. Prices are lower on the Internet and life insurance is fundamentally a simple insurance product.

Despite the underlying simplicity of life insurance, most web sites channel their online clients through a telephone based help and advice service manned by experienced personnel. They represent your safety net so if a little technical knowledge is called for, help is at hand.

But it's always a good idea to have a few Top Tips in your back pocket when you're shopping online for life insurance. They'll help you ask the right questions and find the best policy.

1. Always have your Life Insurance policy "Written in Trust".

This means that in the event of a claim, the money goes directly and immediately to the person(s) you nominate when you first take the policy out. It also avoids all possibility of your estate having to pay Inheritance Tax on the proceeds of your policy and that could represent a 40% tax saving !

All you have to do is tell the online brokerage organising your policy that you want your policy "Written in Trust" and the names of the people who the life insurance company pay in the event of a claim. They will then sort it all out for you. The extra good news is that this service is invariably free of charge. So it's a win win situation and there aren't many of those around these days !

2. In the early years a Reviewable Life Insurance Policy will be cheaper but a Guaranteed Policy will work out a better buy in the longer term.

With a "Guaranteed Policy" the insurance company guarantees never to increase your policy's premium.

With a "Reviewable Policy" you agree that your insurance company can review the cost of your policy at regular intervals. But don't be kidded – in our experience a "review" is just another word for a price increase. After all, who's ever heard of an insurance company passing up a chance to charge you more! The review intervals are usually between 2 to 5 years but this does vary between insurance companies. You will find the details of the review intervals on the documents sent to you before you accept the insurance – these are called The Key Features Documents.

So, comparing otherwise like for like policies, in the early years the premiums for a "Reviewable Policy" will undoubtedly be lower than the premiums for a "Guaranteed Policy". Thereafter, the premiums for a Reviewable Policy increase eventually catching up with and overtaking, the premium for a "Guaranteed Policy".

In our experience, you can expect the monthly premiums for a Reviewable Policy to exceed those of a Guaranteed policy in about 7 to 10 years and then within the following 10 years, more than double again. If your budget is currently tight then by all means choose a Reviewable Policy - after all your salary may increase in coming years and ease the strain. On the other hand, if the premiums for a Guaranteed Policy are affordable, we think they represent your best buy.

A footnote. Many insurance companies have stopped offering "Guaranteed" rates for standalone critical illness insurance policies. This because they have experienced much higher claim rates than they initially expected. However, you may still find a Guaranteed life insurance policy that also provides critical illness cover. As we have explained, "Guaranteed" rates are especially good value and if you can get a quote for a Guaranteed life policy that includes critical illness cover, you may have a real bargain.

3. Thinking about a Joint Life Insurance Policy?

A Joint Life Insurance policy is usually written on a first death basis. This means that the policy will pay out on the death of the first policyholder, subject to the policy being in force at the time. This leaves the second person uninsured and older. Older people can struggle to get life insurance at an affordable premium, so rather than a Joint Policy consider taking out separate policies now. Overall it will work out a little dearer - but you get twice the cover and double the peace of mind.

4. Taking out a Life Insurance Policy? Now would be an ideal time to include Critical Illness cover.

Are you likely to need Critical Illness Insurance in the future? Yes? Then consider adding it now to the life insurance policy you're arranging. Why? There are three reasons.

Firstly, a Life Insurance policy combined with Critical Illness cover will work out significantly cheaper than buying two separate policies. Secondly, as we have already explained in the footnote to Tip 2, you may be able to buy a combined Life and Critical Illness policy with a guaranteed premium. That could be a real bargain. Finally, premiums for critical illness cover increase rapidly as you get older – so the sooner you take it out, the cheaper it will be.

5. Don't confuse Terminal Illness cover with Critical Illness cover.

There's world of difference between Terminal Illness and Critical Illness cover so it's important to understand the difference.

Terminal Illness cover pays out the insured lump sum if a Medical Doctor diagnoses you with an illness from which the Doctor expects you to die within 12 months. Most good life policies automatically include Terminal Illness cover at no extra cost. It's basically an early, and welcome policy payout.

A Critical Illness policy pays out the insured lump sum if you are diagnosed with one of a wide range chronic illness and there is no life expectancy criteria. Indeed, with many of the insured illnesses you could expect to survive for many years. For example: certain cancers, heart disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, loss of speech, sight or hearing, onset of Parkinsons or Alzheimers disease, third degree burns etc. Say you were an engineer aged 40 and you lost your sight. A Critical Illness policy would pay out immediately and that money could well be vital in helping you and your family through many difficult financial years ahead. If you just had Terminal Illness cover there'd be no chance of a payout.

So as you can see, Critical Illness cover is far more comprehensive than simple Terminal Illness cover and for that reason critical illness cover always costs you extra.

Michael Challiner has 15 years experience in financial services marketing at senior level, the last 5 of which specialised in online marketing. Prior to that he spent 15 years in advertising with two of the world's top advertising agencies, J Walter Thompson and Saatchi & Saatchi. Tel. ++ 1477 535920 http://www.express-life-insurance.co.uk

Article Source: ArticleStreet.com

India Insurance News : Tax benefits only on health cover premium

2008-02-17T21:46:00.001-08:00

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has clarified that only the premium collected for providing health cover in the case of unit-linked health insurance policies will be eligible for tax benefits.

At present, all health insurance products are eligible for tax benefits under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Besides, all life insurance products enjoy tax benefits under Section 80C of the I-T Act. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) would be issuing a clarification shortly, said sources close to the development.

Unit-linked insurance products provide a combination of risk and investment, with the investment risk usually borne by the investor.

In a unit-linked health product, a portion of the premium collected accounts for providing the health cover, while the rest is earmarked for market investment.

The regulator has found that in unit-linked health insurance products, almost 80 per cent of such premiums collected are invested in market instruments, whereas only 20 per cent account for the health cover.

In its actuarial evaluation report for 2007, Irda has observed that the proportion of Ulip (unit-linked investment plan) in the total product portfolio has gone up by 65-70 per cent, which ties up the fortunes of insurance companies and investors to the vagaries of the stock market.

In its revised guidelines for Ulips, Irda has made it mandatory for insurance companies to issue the sales document with clarity regarding the benefits of each product as a part of the overall policy document.

This is aimed at providing an idea to policyholders of what instruments they are investing in and what are the risks involved in them. In the document, insurance companies will have to explain the components that actually go towards the life cover and investment.

The health insurance problem is not an insurance problem, it is a health problem

2008-02-16T07:31:00.001-08:00

When people start talking about health insurance reform and how to bring health insurance to the American people, they inevitably end up in a ridiculous discussion about how to negotiate the cost of drugs, how to provide drug discounts to senior citizens, or how to engage in a system of managed care that denies medical services to certain groups. It's all a rather useless exercise in shifting paperwork, blame, or money from the pockets of one organization to another. And in the end, it helps no one.

Health insurance reform needs to focus on the health, not the insurance, because you can never solve a problem by shifting paperwork to another party or bu denying services to an ever-expanding group of people. It's similar to the way in which the federal government wants to solve social security: just keep raising the qualification age until it's so high that almost nobody lives that long. How's that for security? "If you live long enough, we'll even pay you back all the money you worked for!"

In the realm of health insurance, we need to start talking about disease prevention. The only way we're going to lower the costs in the long run is if we make our population healthier. And the only way we're going to make people healthier is if we start admitting the truth about the detrimental health effects of prescription drugs, processed foods, junk foods, soft drinks, lack of physical exercise and so on, and then start educating people about how to take control of their health and reduce their risk of ever experiencing chronic disease. That's how you solve the health insurance problem: by making people healthy. What a novel idea, huh?

Right now people are getting all the wrong messages about their health. They are being told that unhealthy foods are good for them. The FDA has approved health claims that mislead consumers into thinking things like sugary oatmeal is good for your heart because it contains oats. It's a ridiculous claim. And yet the legitimate food claims -- like olive oil prevents breast cancer, garlic prevents cancer, raw nuts prevent heart disease -- are not allowed at all. In fact, those are outlawed by the FDA. So today we have a regulatory environment that actually prevents people from learning the truth about foods that could help prevent disease. Thank goodness the FDA is protecting us from all those dangerous health claims!

When was the last time the FDA ever allowed the claim that blueberries reduce LDL cholesterol? You'll never see that claim because the blueberry companies aren't going to engage in the corruption, bribery, and political influence that would normally be required for the FDA to approve something. Blueberries are just blueberries. They are straight from nature. They are healthy. And they actually lower bad cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health regardless of whether or not the FDA allows such a claim.

Getting back to health insurance, you have to remember that the health insurance business is just that – a business. There are a lot of people making money pushing paper, providing unnecessary medical procedures to the public and selling prescription drugs over and over again to people who are undoubtedly suffering from downright fatal side effects from the long-term consumption of such drugs. It's big business and thus there is no real financial incentive for anyone to reform the way health insurance works right now. Let's face it: sick people generate revenues. It doesn't mean there's some evil conspiracy behind it all, it just means that there's no financial incentive to teach people how to be healthy.

Who makes money if people get healthier? Well, nobody does! The only people who benefit from widespread health are the individuals themselves. In fact, billions of dollars in profits would be lost by Big Pharma if the country were suddenly swept up by a wave of health. So don't look for any serious health insurance or health care reform in your lifetime. Nearly every public discussion about these topics is nothing but sleight of hand designed to distract you from the real problem, which is the disease-care industry and food & beverage industries that have no incentive to help people get healthier.

Here's a final question in all of this: Why is it that other countries can provide meaningful, full coverage health insurance for their entire population at the equivalent of about $25/month? Of course, I am referring to Taiwan. A country that provides full service health coverage for only $25/month. And that includes maternity care, dental care, everything! And it's the same $25 whether you're 16 or 60, regardless of your health history. You can't be disqualified as long as you're a Taiwan citizen.

Yet in the United States, some people are being charged $1000 per month for only partial coverage. Why is that? Because health insurance is extremely inefficient. Probably 80-90% of the money that goes into health insurance is falling into the pockets of people who do nothing but push paper around. It's not going to the bottom line services that people really need. And virtually none of it is going to disease prevention education or public advertising campaigns that would inform people about how to take charge of their own health and prevent chronic disease.

So all of this money is just going down a black hole. It's utterly wasted. And today, the money spent on health care comprises a significant portion of G&P. Something like $1 out of every $4 spent in this country is spent on health care. We've also just learned that 50% of all personal bankruptcies in the United States are caused by medical bills. Think about that for a moment: the disease-care industry is bankrupting our families and our nation. Only a fool would think the answer is to introduce a drug discount card or some other such nonsense. That's like tossing a cup of water on a raging house fire.

We don't need to be spending 25% of our G&P on health insurance and health care services. What we should be doing is spending something like 3% of the G&P on disease prevention and education. If we were to do that, within one generation we could slash our health care costs to perhaps 1/20th of what we're spending today. And that would bring a significant enhancement in quality of life for everyone.

If you want to pay off the national debt, take the money you would save from health care and pay down the national debt with it. The quality of life would go up, the debt would go down, and within a generation, we could be a nation of healthy, debt-free individuals, rather than the nation we are now, which is regrettably the most diseased population in the history of the world combined with the greatest national debt ever witnessed in the history of the United States of America.

It took some real short-term thinking to put us in this mess. And it's going to take some tough choices to pull us out of it. Frankly, I'm not sure the politicians and voters have the will to make any tough choices at all. As long as their drugs are paid for by insurance, and as long as Medicare covers Viagra, they're sufficiently sedated to prevent any real cry for reform.

That's part of what prescription drugs really accomplish, by the way: the keep the population doped up in a never-ending state of brain fog from which it is impossible to rally enough people to demand real reform. Think about it: according to a new study published in The Lancet, the Vioxx drug alone seems to have killed as many as 60,000 Americans. Where's the outcry? Where are the demonstrations? The marches on Washington? The declaration of war against Big Pharma? If terrorists killed 60,000 Americans, we'd be bombing yet another nation into dust. If an herb killed 60,000 Americans, the FDA would be screaming about how we have to regulate all herbs to "protect the people!" If a virus killed 60,000 Americans, we'd call it one of the worst outbreaks since the 1918 bird flu outbreak.

But when a prescription drug kills 60,000 people, the FDA is all but silent. The CEO of a drug company warns us not to "overreact." The newspaper headlines dedicate their space to the Michael Jackson trial. The politicians argue about whether cell phones should be banned on the road. And, don't forget, the Superbowl is coming, too! Apparently, there are a lot more important things on the minds of Americans than the fact that 60,000 of their family members, neighbors and loved ones have been killed by just one drug. And hundreds of thousands more are killed each year by other drugs, medical mistakes, failed surgical procedures and the like.

What kind of society has this become anyway? Has this population been so dumbed down, doped up and brainwashed by pharma-funded TV advertisements that it can't see the crimes against humanity taking place right before our very eyes? We get front-page news and priority cable coverage when twelve people die in a train wreck. But when 5,000 times as many people die from a prescription drug, there's no news coverage at all. Silence.

And you know why? Because it all happens quietly. In hospital beds, family rooms, and ambulances. Each victim slips away quietly, and their death certificate gets recorded with the phrase, "natural causes." There's no footage to show on the evening news. No sound bite. No wreckage. No explosion. No guided missiles or embedded war footage. So it isn't newsworthy, apparently.

And, of course, there's the fact that most of the news organizations in this country are beholden to the drug companies for their financial lifeline (advertising). Don't discount the power of half a billion dollars to influence the day's news. What news organization would possibly want to expose the pharmaceutical catastrophe and risk angering their top advertisers?

In looking at what's really happening today, I'm astonished. It's beyond outrage, really. I'm just astonished that people will take this treatment and think of it as normal. Maybe it's the fluoride in the water supply. Maybe it's the brain-busting hydrogenated oils in the foods, or the MSG found throughout every grocery store in the country. Maybe it's all the TV programming. Or maybe you, me, and a handful of other people who read this site have been time-warped into bizarro world where all the laws of sanity have been reversed, and someone put the most insane people of all in charge.

46.6 million Americans now have no health insurance: Uninsured gap widens

2008-02-16T07:30:00.001-08:00

New census data shows that although the average American household earned more money last year, an additional 1.3 million citizens became uninsured, pushing the total number of Americans without health insurance to 46.6 million.

The percentage of uninsured in the United States in 2005 -- 15.9 percent -- was the highest since 1998, with poverty rates staying steady at 12.6 percent.

Households with incomes between $25,000 and $75,000 were hit the hardest by skyrocketing health insurance costs. 2005 saw the numbers of people with health insurance grow by 1.4 million, but the uninsured ranks also swelled by 1.3 million.

"We're going to continue to see a million-plus added to the (uninsured) rolls every year," says Kathleen Stoll, health policy director for the consumer advocacy group Families USA. Stoll says businesses will find it more and more difficult to offer health coverage to employees as insurance prices continue to rise.

"Skyrocketing health insurance costs threaten to bankrupt our economy," warns Mike Adams, consumer health advocate. "The profiteering prices of prescription drugs, combined with a near-total lack of disease prevention efforts, are creating what I call a 'disease economy' -- an economy that will soon be spending one out of every four dollars to manage diseases that could be prevented for nearly nothing," he says.

Many U.S. workers are forced to go without insurance in spite of health plans offered by employers because deductibles and premiums -- which employees must pay before coverage goes into effect -- are on the rise.

"It's the out-of-pocket costs," says Stoll. "If you add that deductible on top of premiums, it becomes a tough choice."

Though Medicaid has covered growing numbers of uninsured in past years -- particularly children without insurance -- the government-funded health plan did not significantly increase its coverage in 2005, leaving an additional 400,000 children without health insurance.

Most Americans agree smokers should pay more for health insurance

2008-02-16T07:29:00.001-08:00

A new survey published this week indicates that most Americans believe smokers and the obese should pay more for health insurance. However, those surveyed were unsure how to assist the millions of citizens who currently have no health insurance.

More than 1,500 people were surveyed for the study, and of that number, 80 percent believe that the health care system in the U.S. needs to be fixed. It is estimated that approximately 46 million Americans currently have no health insurance. The study also indicated that 60 percent of those surveyed indicated favoring higher insurance premiums for smokers while 30 percent favored higher premiums for the obese.

The report stated "When it comes to personal responsibility, consumers increasingly support making people pay more for unhealthy behavior." The survey was released a week after Democrats -- who are generally in favor of more government intervention into the lives of uninsured citizens -- won control of both houses of the U.S. Congress.

The health insurance industry unexpectedly began to support a plan for universal health insurance for American citizens earlier this week. With nearly 16 percent of Americans now uninsured, the rate has been rising for years as prices for prescription drugs and hospital care have escalated.

Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, said that about 20 percent of large employers already give insurance discounts to non-smoking workers, and that this stance is rapidly growing in popularity -- with Darling indicating that it will continue to grow faster.

Darling added that, in regards to obesity, "I think it will be a while before we get to the point where people begin tying a financial discount to something like BMI (body mass index)." When asked about the government's role in a type of universal health insurance, Darling added that "Our view is that it has to be shared responsibility; the government is going to have to pay" with the other half of the responsibility going to taxpayers, according to Darling.

Why Michael Moore's SiCKO is a health care documentary every American must see

2008-02-16T07:28:00.001-08:00

America's disastrous health care system is heaving the country head-first into near-certain economic collapse. Just about everybody's either financially strained or going broke due to spiraling health care costs: the people, the employers, state governments and even the federal government. Multinational corporations are fleeing the United States due to health care costs, taking jobs and economic productivity with them. Meanwhile, 50 percent of personal bankruptcies in the U.S. are due to medical expenses.

But not everybody's doing badly. The drug companies, surgeons, medical specialists, health insurance companies and private hospitals are making out like bandits, raking in multi-million dollar CEO salaries and -- I'm not making this up -- greater than 500,000% markups on prescription drugs. And while the American people get sicker, the drug companies, insurance companies and many health "care" providers (it's really more like "sick care providers") are rolling in cash. Drug companies are now among the richest corporations in the world, and they got there by inventing fictitious diseases, then selling drugs to people who mostly don't need them. See my CounterThink cartoon, Disease Mongers, Inc. to learn more about this topic.

Meanwhile, the American people are the most diseased people in the world among advanced nations. We spend more on health care than anyone, we pay the highest prices for medications, and we're constantly told that we have the best medical technology in the world. But if our health care system is really so good, why do 50 million Americans have no health insurance? Why are hospitals literally dumping uninsured patients on the street, abandoning the sick to protect profits while our politicians actually negotiate on behalf of Big Pharma to make sure Americans keep paying the highest prices in the world for medications? (Click here to see our CounterThink cartoon on President Bush's price negotiations with drug companies.)

What's wrong with America's health care system?

SiCKO is a must-see documentary

SiCKO creator Michael Moore answers that all-important question in his best documentary yet. Forget whatever criticism you may have heard about SiCKO -- this is a Michael Moore masterpiece: A courageous, impactful and outrageous documentary that exposes the arrogance of modern medicine and the utter failure of America's corporate-controlled sick care system to provide decent health care to the people. Watching this movie will leave you either steaming mad or shedding tears (or both). It reveals the deep-rooted corruption in America's health care system and explains why the whole system was actually designed to deny health care to the American people.

I've been ranting about America's health care failures for years, and as I've consistently stated to the amazement of some, the health care corporations actually have a plan to keep people sick. There's no money in preventing disease, especially in the cancer industry. Click here to read my recent report on the American Cancer Society's refusal to help prevent 77% of all cancers using affordable, scientifically-proven vitamin D supplements.

In SiCKO, what Moore does very effectively is tells this story to a mass audience, weaving together the emotionally-charged stories of American citizens who lost husbands, daughters and other family members to preventable disease, all thanks to intentional, well-planned payment denials by health insurance companies. In one segment in the film, he features archival footage of former President Nixon, who strongly approves of a new 1970's health care concept called the "HMO" where the more patients are denied health care services, the more money the hospitals and health insurance companies rake in!

In contrast to all this, Moore shows us the universal health care systems in countries like Canada, the UK, France and even Cuba... all countries where health care is free to everyone. It's called universal health care (or "socialized medicine"), and it's a system followed by nearly every modern nation in the world... and even some not-so-modern nations. Only America practices medicine in the Dark Ages, tied to a hopelessly corrupt system of financial exploitation and monopoly price controls, where Big Pharma gets richer, the FDA gets more powerful, and the American people get the shaft.

See my CounterThink cartoon, The Disease Economy, for a visual representation of this mess we're in, or read my book Natural Health Solutions and the Conspiracy to Keep You From Knowing About Them to see just how evil and corrupt our modern health care system really is.

Why Moore is being so vicious attacked

Moore, as usual, is being targeted by all sorts of critics who would like nothing better than to see this guy disappear and stop rocking the Good 'ol Boys boat that seems to be floating just fine in America (as long as you're part of the wealthy elite, anyway). For starters, U.S. government officials are investigating Moore for violating travel restrictions to Cuba. And why? Because Moore gathered a dozen Americans who were denied health care in the U.S. and brought them to Cuba where they received free, quality health care in a modern Cuban hospital.

The message is hard to miss: Cuba takes better care of its citizens than America does. In fact, Cuba is willing to take care of a few American citizens that America abandoned! That kind of "in-yo-face" embarrassment to U.S. officials isn't appreciated much in police-state America these days, where practically anyone who dares question the wisdom of the government is branded a terrorist. Moore is clearly being targeted not merely because he took some 9/11 heroes to Cuba and got them health care, but because he dared to make it all public. Humiliating the King is a quick way to find your head on a chopping block. Just ask all the scientists who publicly disagree with the Bush Administration's hopelessly politicized view on climate change...

Other critics of Moore are either the greedy, corrupt corporations impacted by his film (drug companies, health insurance providers, hospitals and so on) or juvenile stay-at-home back-seat Internet critics who don't like Moore for the simple fact that he dares to stand up and say "The Emperor Has No Clothes!" Nearly all the criticism leveled against Moore is without substance. People attack Moore personally, but they won't dare debate what he's presenting in the movie. Why? Because Michael Moore is right. America's health care system is an embarrassment to the nation, and to the world. It's so bad that most informed world citizens wouldn't be caught dead in this country, unless of course they actually visit America and have an accident that lands them in the U.S. health care system.

Personally, I opted out of the American health care system long ago. I'm a holistic nutritionist, and I exercise, eat right, get lots of sunshine and gorge on superfoods and raw berries. I have no need for a doctor, or a pharmaceutical, or a health insurance policy. I don't get annual physical exams, and I have zero risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes or other common health conditions. (I posted my health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org if you want to see my blood workup.)

At the same time, I realize that not everybody is in such a fortunate health position. Most people simply don't take care of their own health, and while I could argue for days about the need for more patient responsibility alongside corporate responsibility, the fact is that relentless advertising from drug companies and food manufacturers has bred a mindset of disease, junk food consumption, pharmaceutical dependence and patient victimization. We have a health crisis in this country, and it's going to take genuinely radical reforms to turn this around and save America from a financial wipeout exacerbated by runaway health care spending.

What's missing from SiCKO

The material that's in SiCKO is hard-hitting, and it accomplishes what it sets out to do. But there's something missing from the film: A serious discussion about how a nation can prevent disease using nutrition, medicinal herbs, sunshine, clean water, avoidance of toxic chemicals, smart dietary choices, banning the advertising of junk foods and pharmaceuticals, and so on. Of course, that's not really what SiCKO set out to do, and this topic would require another film all by itself, but personally I wouldn't have minded a stronger nod towards solving our nation's health care problems through genuine prevention (rather than the current policy which is basically centered around waiting for everybody to get sick and then treating their symptoms while ignoring the true causes of their disease).

Of course, it might be tricky for Moore to argue for disease prevention given that he is obviously not the poster boy for ideal physical health. But he never claims to be. So the critics who attack Moore's own personal health are missing the whole point of the film. Moore is simply pointing out what's wrong with America's health care system, and he does so brilliantly and convincingly, regardless of his own personal health status. And besides, if you want to argue about the health of "experts," just walk into any hospital and take a look at the health of all the people who work there. Many aren't any healthier than Moore, and they work in the industry! The average lifespan of a U.S. doctor is less than a Cuban peasant. That's not a joke.

Regardless of Moore's present physical fitness challenges, he's obviously operating with a great degree of healthy skepticism about the way the U.S. operates today. Moore is an independent thinker who simply refuses to follow the crowd, and with this film, he's doing the job that the American people should have been doing all along -- questioning the sanity of our health care system. But sadly, the truth is that most Americans are sheeple who just follow the herd and do what they're told. A recent poll revealed that nearly 45% of Americans still trust the FDA! That's astounding, given that I've solidly established the Food and Drug Administration is far more dangerous to the health and safety of the American people than all the terrorists in the world. To learn more, read my article The lawlessness of the FDA, Big Pharma immunity, and crimes against humanity.

How will SiCKO play?

I think SiCKO's timing is perfect, and I think the movie will be a significant factor in the upcoming 2008 elections. Those politicians who run on a platform of radical health care reforms are likely to pick up a lot more support than those unwise enough to try to defend the current system.

This is a tough call for Republicans, since most Republicans support Big Pharma and the corporate control of modern medicine, usually at the expense of the people. Democrats, though, are also on Big Pharma's payroll, as was obvious with the recent voting record on the FDA Revitilization Act co-sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy. The truth is, Big Pharma owns virtually all the politicians in Washington (except Rep. Ron Paul, of course).

The movie will definitely get America talking about serious health care reforms. But as I've pointed out in a previous article, Where's the Health In Health Care Reform?, almost nobody is considering proposals that would genuinely solve the health care problem in America today. You can't "treat" your way out of a nation that has become so over-drugged, over-fed and over-diseased that even the little children are now being put on speed (also called "Ritalin"). Nearly 50 percent of American adults are now taking pharmaceuticals, most of which are utterly unnecessary from a medical point of view. Drug advertising has taken over the media, the FDA has suppressed natural alternatives, and the American Medical Association continues to peddle such health nonsense that it's amazing the AMA hasn't yet been invited to join the Smithsonian's Museum of Outdated American History.

The American Cancer Society, in my opinion, is a supremely corrupt, big-business front group that actually takes steps to ensure more cases of future cancer by "preventing prevention," the American Diabetes Association takes money from candy and soda manufacturers, and the American Psychiatric Association is so steeped in Big Pharma money that they've practically become inseparable. (Click here to see my CounterThink cartoon on this topic.)

The future of America looks dim

Clearly, something has to change in this country if we're going to survive as a nation. Under the current system of massive debt spending, widespread political corruption, war mongering and health care failures, the United States of America will simply not survive another generation. No nation that abandons the health of its people can expect to have a future. As Moore points out, however, there is a chance to save America, but only if we make significant changes starting now.

Truly radical changes must be put into place. I've offered many suggestions in a popular article, The health care reform legislation that Congress should pass, but won't. Lawmakers, you see, have no interest in actually saving America from financial demise. They're only concerned about the next election, and raising campaign reelection funds means kow-towing to the interests of the powerful corporations that really run Washington.

Personally, I don't see that meaningful reform is possible under the current system of politics in America. The Big Business sick care industry has a stranglehold on the American political system, and the whole ugly thing will mostly likely have to collapse and be rebooted before we'll see significant change.

And make no mistake: that's what's coming. I predict America will not survive its health care crisis. It won't be the first empire to crumble from arrogance and corruption. In fact, it will join a long (and growing) list of civilizations that have risen and fallen, securing its place in the pages of history as yet another imperialist nation that thought it could rule the world while abandoning the needs of its own people.

The bottom line on SiCKO

It's a must-see documentary. It's surprisingly even-handed and well grounded, never resorting to unsubstantiated claims merely to shock the audience. In fact, as a person who has been writing about America's health care problems for four years, I didn't detect a single false statement in the film. It's all true, and it's pretty damn scary. Go see it. It opens on June 29th.

And if, like one person featured in the film, I ever have to choose between reconnective surgery for my middle finger at $60,000 vs. my ring finger at $12,000, I'll choose to have my middle finger sewn on first just so I can visually demonstrate to U.S. Senators precisely how I feel about America's health care system today.

Hillary Clinton's Universal Health Care Plan: Buy Health Insurance or Else!

2008-02-16T07:27:00.001-08:00

NaturalNews) As candidates for U.S. President continue to battle for their respective parties' nominations, details are beginning to emerge about their (disastrous) health care plans. The New York Times is now reporting that Hillary Clinton's universal health care plan will be accomplished through "enforcement measures" that may include garnishing the wages of people who choose not to buy health insurance. What this comes down to, of course, is yet another form of medical tyranny where citizens are forced by threat of financial penalty to participate in conventional medicine's health insurance scheme that pushes drugs, surgeries, chemotherapy and other harmful treatments while disallowing converage of naturopathic health therapies that really work (like nutritional therapy).

Hillary Clinton's universal health care plan, then, is nothing more than a system for threatening all Americans to buy health insurance, and then financially punishing them if they don't. For people like myself who choose not to participate in America's drugs-and-surgery health care scam, Clinton's proposal would equate to yet another form of government-inspired financial tyranny that further erodes personal freedoms in a country that claims to be "free."

Clinton claims that people who choose to not buy health insurance are a "burden" on those who do, as if our opting out of that whole system of sickness and disease is somehow costing the nation extra money. It isn't, of course: People who choose to prevent disease and stay healthy while refusing to buy health insurance are actually saving money for the nation and, in fact, adding productivity to our economy. It's the sick people who eat junk foods and take pharmaceuticals that are the real financial burdens on society, and those are precisely the people who typically stay enrolled in the drugs-and-surgery system of health insurance.

With Clinton at the helm, the government will now exercise yet more control over your paycheck, stealing yet more of your money by confiscating a portion of your wages and turning them over to corrupt health insurance companies that do absolutely nothing to encourage real health.

It would be yet another government scam to further enrich the corporations that make money by keeping people sick and diseased, and under a Clinton regime, the enforcement of this ridiculous measure would push the United States of America ever closer to a nation of pharmaceutical enslavement where virtually all options for alternative medicine are eliminated. Consumers must be required to participate in conventional (pharmaceutical) medicine, didn't you know? And the government, of course, knows what's best for your health.

The Clinton-led invasion of your paycheck

If this wasn't a serious plan put forth by Hillary Clinton, the whole thing would be laughable. It won't be so funny, however, if Clinton becomes President and starts dictating such policies to the American people. If you thought George W. Bush was insane with his invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, just wait until Hillary Clinton starts invading your personal lives and weekly paycheck. By the time you pay off the IRS, the mandatory health insurance scam, your home mortgage and local property taxes, you have just enough left to pay for prescription medications and junk food. And that, of course, is right where the folks in charge want you: Broke, diseased and powerless.

Clinton believes that the best way for society to solve problems is to force the people to follow government policy, and take away their paychecks if they don't. It's a form of financial tyranny, and the fact that she's announcing all this even before winning the election indicates just how little respect Clinton has for individual liberty and real freedom.

Fortunatately, Obama is giving Clinton some stiff competition on the Democratic side, and if we're lucky, we won't have to face the possibility of seeing Clinton elected. I'll take Obama over Clinton any day. And yet, the only real choice for people who desire genuine freedom is, of course, Ron Paul. As President, Paul would get the government out of our lives (and our paychecks), returning freedom and responsibility to the American people. This fact -- that people might actually have to think for themselves -- scares the bejeezus out of at least half the U.S. population, and that's why they're continuing to blindly support status quo candidates who openly stand for more war (McCain and Huckabee) or more Big Brother enslavement (Clinton).

In terms of health care, the NaturalNews ranking of candidates to support, is:

1. Ron Paul: A champion of health freedom. Would curtail FDA powers and restore health freedom to America.

2. Dennis Kucinich: No longer a serious candidate, but he's a vegan, and he believes in preventive medicine and protecting the environment.

3. Barack Obama: Believes in universal health care coverage, and he's an outsider who doesn't have as many dirty corporate ties that keep the Clinton machine running. Obama supports animal rights (he says), and might be willing to rock the health care boat if elected president. Obama holds promise, but we'll have to wait and see whether he's willing to stand up to Big Pharma.

Beyond these three candidates, there is nobody else that has a position on health care that NaturalNews can support. Even Obama's health care plan remains to be seen -- it might end up being just as bad as Clinton's. If there's one thing we've all learned about politicians, it's that they will say anything to get elected. Just because they promise something doesn't mean they'll pursue it once they get into office.

The truth about health care that politicians won't dare admit

Want to know the real truth about health care in this nation? I tell it like it is:

1. Health care spending will bankrupt this nation. 84% of the U.S. government's budget is now spent on three things: Disease, debt and war. The national debt is now over $9 trillion (see clock). The U.S. dollar is losing value. This nation will not survive its own crushing debt. Expect hyperinflation of an increasingly-worthless currency.

2. No elected president will propose a health care system that actually makes people healthy. (The disease corporations wouldn't stand for it.) There is simply no profit to be found in teaching the public how to avoid disease. Eliminating disease and the sick care industry would put millions out of work and implode the economy.

3. All this talk about "who pays" for health care is a joke. Unless you start talking about ways to keep people healthy and ban the advertising of pharmaceuticals, junk foods and sodas, we will remain stuck in a system of disease management where nobody wins!

4. The Fall of Western Medicine is fast approaching. When the United States collapses under a worthless dollar and a desperate hyperinflation bailout attempt, much of what the U.S. espouses will also be shunned by nations around the world, including its deadly system of pharmaceutical-based medicine. The collapse of the U.S. money supply will inevitably result in the collapse of Big Pharma's profitability, since it is nothing more than debt spending (at all levels: Personal, municipal and nation) that currently supports Big Pharma's monopoly prices for pharmaceuticals.

Haven't heard these statements from mainstream politicians? Of course you haven't. Expecting popular politicians to tell the truth is like expecting pigs to fly. Only Ron Paul dares to talk about reality, and for his efforts he's been marginalized by the MSM.

Let's face it: The American voters love to be lied to. In fact, they can't accept a President that tells them the truth. What they really want, when it comes down to it, is four more years of lies: The economy is great, your future is secure, we're winning the War on Terror, the War on Drugs, the War on Cancer and every other lie you can imagine. Oh yes, and don't forget: Deposit your life savings in dollars, please, and don't question anything we tell you, or we'll label you a terrorist and have you arrested.

Of course, despite all this talk about Clinton's disastrous health insurance proposal, let me be clear that electing a Republican for President will likely only continue Big Pharma's powerful influence over Washington. The drug companies have been very, very cozy with the Bush Administration, and there is a fundamental lack of understanding about nutrition, Mother Nature and natural medicine in the Republican party. So in terms of health care, I don't support any of the Republican candidates either (other than Ron Paul, due to his "freedom" platform and the fact that he's really a Libertarian).

The way this election is shaping up right now, it looks like we're going to be given a choice between bad and worse. Sound familiar?

Heard of preventive care? Get ready for one

2008-02-16T07:26:00.001-08:00

Preventive care - That's the new mantra of today. Gone are the days when you only visited a neighbourhood doctor while you were absolutely unwell and your usual die hard habits of popping in pills never helped much. With the new age science of preventive healthcare bringing sweeping changes in the healthcare industry get set to see a total transformation in healthcare.

More professionalism:

The concept of managed care is coming up in a big way, which will provide a comprehensive range of services from preventive primary care to long-term care. And that's not all. Healthcare is getting more professional and commercial too. Perhaps its the rising consumerism, growing need for better healthcare facilities or the discerning middle class getting more demanding, it's the dawn of a new era for the healthcare industry.

For economically weaker sections:

With the recent spate of insurers coming in, healthcare seems to have come of age. While hospitals such as Apollo did dole out healthcare packages, these were by and large limited to the higher echelons of society, the privileged few. Today times have changed and quality healthcare will soon be made accessible to the economically weaker sections too at an affordable price.

Healthcare companies:

Considering the potential the healthcare industry holds, a number of companies are busy working out strategies. Also a new breed of third party administrators (TPAs), will play their role and help administer these strategies to reach out to the consumer. Max India, Fortis Healthcare, Paramount Healthcare, BUPA Piramal, a joint venture between the Piramal group and the UK-based healthcare major BUPA are few which have ventured into this arena.

Speciality hospitals:

Max India is setting up a network of about 35 to 40 primary care clinics, four diagnostic centres (with ambulatory surgery facilities), two medium-sized hospitals, and a large state-of-the-art tertiary care hospital by 2005.

While, Apollo plans to set up speciality hospitals here as also abroad and Apollo Lifestyle Clinics too, of which 200 will begin their operations by end of 2002 some companies believe in going via the primary route as they feel this could help them tap the market better since patients approach the nearby primary clinic first.

Third party administrators:

The Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (IRDA) is yet to come out with the final guidelines on third party administrators. While the draft regulations are already out a number of changes are required in the norms set, in order to encourage the newcomers set up shop here. Also the sale of healthcare products has not been permitted by the regulator which has proved to be a major setback to them considering the large amount of investment that has already been made.

But things are expected to change for the better bringing in better services, products and facilities for one and all that will change the face of the healthcare industry that it was.

New age healthcare gets going

2008-02-16T07:25:00.001-08:00

The Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (IRDA) has now changed the draft regulations for third party administrators to permit sale of healthcare products. This has come as a welcome relief for the local as also overseas managed healthcare companies to go ahead with their almost -worked- out strategies and investment decisions.

Overseas companies:

Also considering the fact that the healthcare industry is only beginning to exploit the vast potential and also since there exists no cap on foreign direct investments, a number of companies for instance Aetna, Blue Shield, Cigna, Sloan Lake, Care Inc, Blue Cross etc are planning joint ventures with Indian outfits to set up shop.

Economical covers:

The 7000 crore healthcare industry has only begun to see activity. So far thanks to the lackadaisical attitude of the government run hospitals, the unorganised system of administering medicare quality of service left much to be desired. Henceforth policyholders will be provided with better service and economical covers that will take care of the whole aspect of healthcare inclusive of primary, secondary and tertiary care, to be hopefully provided under one roof saving the policyholder the trouble of running from pillar to post for treatments.

Several services:

Policyholders can in the near future, look forward to a cashless hospitalisation system; a 24-hours hotline service in case of an emergency, claims, critical care services including admission in ICU; doctor on call for visiting corporates and institutions to provide consultancy; managed care programmes in preventive care, child care and old-age etc among others.

Expanding existing network:

Another advantage of such a changed scenario will be the low cost, coupled with quality covers that will encompass even the lower sections of society. Ican Medicare, Paramount Healthcare, Sedgwick Parekh etc among others will now work on expanding their network. Already Ican has drawn up plans to set up six more offices and a few others will soon join the fray to ensure a better treat for the policyholder.

A Step-by-Step Guide in Auto Insurance

2008-02-15T06:37:00.003-08:00

It's very important that you're able to acquire an auto insurance. You need it since it's not all the time you're going to have funds for your car, especially when it gets damaged due to collision. But do you know what to look for and how to get one?

1. Set your budget. Before you start choosing your car insurance, know first how much you're willing to spend for the premium. It will never be the right amount, as there are still a lot of things that you have to consider, but at least you will have an idea how much money you're going to set aside for it. It's also ideal if you do have a budget so the insurance company will be able to suggest you a package that you can afford. Just so you can easily make your estimate, you can try doing some research on the current average premiums for car insurance.

2. Know what type of coverage you need. Your premium will basically depend on your coverage. Hence, even before you talk to any insurance agent, know first what you truly want. Keep in mind that some brokers will eventually entice you to buy an insurance coverage that you actually don't need. It only means that you're simply wasting your money. If you aren't sure what type of coverage to select, you can refer to your state. There are some places that mandate the insurance coverage every driver should get. You can also add liability coverage in your list. You need this just in case you have accidentally bumped into someone else's car or caused damage because of your own doing. If you like to lower down your expenses, you can also shop for an auto insurance coverage that includes other kinds of insurance, such as life or accidental.

3. Start looking for an insurance company. When you already have an insurance coverage in mind, you need to obtain a quote. But before you can get one, you have to look for an insurance company first. It's definitely a great idea if you rely on the recommendations of your friends and family members. Surely, they wouldn't suggest anyone that won't be able to provide excellent service to you. You can also look for one over the Internet, but it's better if it has an office somewhere near your area. There's one thing you need to remember: don't just simply go for one that has very low premium or an excellent package. More than anything else, make sure that it has superb customer service support, one that you can call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You simply just don't know when you will need to use your car insurance.

4. Always start the hunting with a call. There are some people who would directly meet their agent face to face. Though this could be good as you can directly obtain information about your desired car insurance policy, this isn't advisable - at least when you're still trying to shop for a company. Just making a call and inquiring about their products will not make you feel awkward if you decide not to deal with them.

5. Know the policies of the company. There are numerous car owners who make the mistake of only understanding what they would get and forgetting about their obligations to the company. If you don't like to be surprised with charges you don't know about or why you can't avail your insurance in certain situations, know their policies first. This should also be accomplished even before you purchase a policy.

The Right Way to File a Claim in Your Auto Insurance

2008-02-15T06:37:00.001-08:00

If you have got yourself an auto insurance, then you're entitled to get a claim. The problem is there are numerous car owners who are able to do so simply because they don't know how to file one. In the end, they're not able to enjoy the premiums they constantly pay to their insurance company. A claim is something you need to obtain when your vehicle meets an accident or when you're injured because of a collision. It will basically cover the cost, partial or full, for the repair or your hospitalization.

To ensure that you can fully maximize your premium and obtain your claim the soonest time possible, here are some techniques:

1. Make a report of the incident right away. Don't wait until the next day to file your incident report or at least list down what happened. The later you will make one the higher the chances that you're going to forget it are. You need all these information once you're going to file your claim. If you cannot create your own report for one reason or the other, at least have someone to do it for you, with your assistance. Besides, a more detailed report will make it very easier for the insurance company to decide how much claim you will be entitled with.

2. Notify the police. Notifying the police will further strengthen your case and will improve your chances of being granted with your claim. There are many instances that you should seek professional help immediately or inform the police. First, you must notify them if your vehicle got stolen or someone has vandalized something. You must also provide them a report if your car gets damaged because of collision or a person has purposely did it. It's also advisable to make a report if you have been injured because of a vehicular accident. All these can be filed together with your own incident report. It will establish the credibility of your story.

3. Call your insurance company immediately. This is the part when you will be grateful of your insurance company's 24-hour hotline. If you get yourself in any form of trouble, with undue damage on your vehicle, you have to file a report right away so the insurance company will be able to act upon it the soonest time possible. It will also remove any doubt that could play up in their minds. Remember, not all policy holders are as honest as you. Some of them will simply create stories so they'll be able to make a claim. Nevertheless, don't end the notification with a call. The next day, submit an intent-to-claim letter. If it's possible, state that you have already placed a call and the name of the customer service representative that you have talked to.

4. Know what to do next. Companies have their own way of processing claims, so it's recommended that you obtain first-hand information on the right steps to do it. First, know if there are still some requirements you need to accomplish, your rights and obligations to your claim, and how soon before you will be able to get your claim.

The Trouble With Vehicle Insurance Policies

2008-02-15T06:36:00.001-08:00

Cars, Bike, trucks, lorries, vans and motorcycles - all of which require insurance to safeguard you from any unpredictable events and covering expenses. Without them, you may have to pay up a hefty fine. Fortunately, vehicle insurance is improving and cheaper insurance are always readily available offering more services.

Even young people can be offered cheap scooter insurance, as more young people are opting towards riding a moped/scooter for travelling, before learning to drive a car. The downside of it all is finding the right one for you. Insurance adverts have become very clever, more gimmicky and they all appear to sound the same offering the same things. Very different from the original purposes of insurance, when insurance meant protecting and preventing from crises.

Brief History of Insurance

Even looking for simple cheap scooter insurance requires in depth research and understanding of the users requirements before they apply for the insurance policy. Insurance is something that has been in progress for many years. Human society function on two types of economies, the first being financial (market, money and financial instrument) and the second being non-financial or non-money economy (without money, market etc).

The second economical principle is an ancient practise, whereby people help each other in times of crisis and are guaranteed help if they need it should a crisis occur for them. Money economy is the more common modern principle that we live by. Financial insurance became more of a common practise during the - mid 17th and 18th century, particularly focussing on building insurance against fire hazards.

The insurance policies were sparked after the devastations left by the Great Fire of London in 1666. Nicholas Barbon established the first Fire Insurance Company in England, for the sole purpose of insuring buildings from fire. In 1680 his office formed the first London fire Brigade. Benjamin Franklin later founded the first fire insurance company that contributed towards fire prevention with the exception of contributing towards buildings that had a higher risk of fire e.g. wooden houses.

Modern Insurance Practises

Today vehicle insurances are the most commonly used form of insurance. For young people, the most common type of transport they begin with for travelling independence are scooters. This is a great way for young people to introduce themselves to vehicle insurance and gain responsibility in maintaining their vehicle. Though when looking for cheap scooter insurance, one should know that the policies are almost the same as a normal motorcycle insurance policy, excluding insurance on added/customized parts to the scooter/moped and vary in prices.

Car insurance are widely advertised in the UK alone. Big branded insurance companies offer courtesy cars, whilst the previous car is in repair. Other insurance policies offer coverage for medical expenses, third party cover, legal liabilities, and damage to the vehicle, breakdown coverage and even car towing cover. Certain parts of America will not permit cars on the roads unless the drivers have applied for insurance. The best way to find the right insurance policy is to compare prices, terms and conditions, gain advice from experienced drivers or for first time drivers to join onto a third party insurance to reduce costs.

Insurance policies are far more complicated than what they were when they were first introduced. Many vehicle insurance companies require details of the make of your vehicle, your age, past driving records, age of your vehicle etc. Not to mention premium charges, excess payments, legal costs etc. No matter how different insurance appears to be now, it still maintains the policy to cover costs, whilst staying strong in the mainframe of the financial economic sphere.

Buyers Guide For Personal Health Insurance

2008-02-15T06:35:00.001-08:00

If you have ever been sick or injured, you know how important it is to have health coverage. But if you're confused about what kind is best for you, you're not alone.

If your employer offers you a choice of health plans, what should you know before making a decision? What types of health coverage are available? In addition to coverage for medical expenses, do you need some other kind of insurance? What if you are too ill to work? Or, if you are over 65,will Medicare pay for all your medical expenses?

These questions aren't necessarily easy to answer.

This booklet should help. It discusses the basic forms of health coverage and includes a checklist to help you compare plans. It answers some commonly asked questions and also includes thumbnail descriptions of other forms of health insurance, including hospital-surgical policies, specified disease policies, catastrophic coverage, hospital indemnity insurance, and disability, long-term care, and Medicare supplement insurance.

While we know that our guide can't answer all your questions, we think it will help you make the right decisions for yourself, your family, and even your business.

Making Sense of Health Insurance

The term health insurance refers to a wide variety of insurance policies. These range from policies that cover the costs of doctors and hospitals to those that meet a specific need, such as paying for long-term care. Even disability insurance - which replaces lost income if you can't work because of illness or accident - is considered health insurance, even though it's not specifically for medical expenses

But when people talk about health insurance, they usually mean the kind of insurance offered by employers to employees, the kind that covers medical bills, surgery, and hospital expenses. You may have heard this kind of health insurance referred to as comprehensive or major medical policies, alluding to the broad protection they offer. But the fact is, neither of these terms is particularly helpful to the consumer.

Today, when people talk about broad health care coverage, instead of using the term "major medical," they are more likely to refer to fee-for-service or managed care. These terms apply to different kinds of coverage or health plans. Moreover, you'll also hear about specific kinds of managed care plans: health maintenance organizations or HMOs, preferred provider organizations or PPOs, and point-of-service or POS plans.

While fee-for-service and managed care plans differ in important ways, in some ways they are similar. Both cover an array of medical, surgical, and hospital expenses. Most offer some coverage for prescription drugs, and some include coverage for dentists and other providers. But there are many important differences that will make one or the other form of coverage the right one for you.

The section below is designed to acquaint you with the basics of fee-for-service and managed care plans. But remember: The detailed differences between one plan and another can only be understood by careful reading of the materials provided by insurers, your employee benefits specialist, or your agent or broker.

Fee-for-Service

This type of coverage generally assumes that the medical provider (usually a doctor or hospital) will be paid a fee for each service rendered to the patient - you or a family member covered under your policy. With fee-for-service insurance, you go to the doctor of your choice and you or your doctor or hospital submits a claim to your insurance company for reimbursement. You will only receive reimbursement for "covered" medical expenses, the ones listed in your benefits summary.

When a service is covered under your policy, you can expect to be reimbursed for some, but generally not all, of the cost. How much you will receive depends on the provisions of the policy on coinsurance and deductibles. Here's how it works:

The portion of the covered medical expenses you pay is called "coinsurance." Although there are variations, fee-for-service policies often reimburse doctor bills at 80 percent of the "reasonable and customary charge." (This is the prevailing cost of a medical service in a given geographic area.) You pay the other 20 percent - your coinsurance. However, if a medical provider charges more than the reasonable and customary fee, you will have to pay the difference. For example, if the reasonable and customary fee for a medical service is $100, the insurer will pay $80. If your doctor charged $100, you will pay $20. But if the doctor charged $105, you will pay $25. Note that many fee-for-service plans pay hospital expenses in full; some reimburse at the 80/20 level as described above.

Deductibles are the amount of the covered expenses you must pay each year before the insurer starts to reimburse you. These might range from$100 to $300 per year per individual, or $500 or more per family. Generally, the higher the deductible, the lower the premiums, which are the monthly, quarterly, or annual payments for the insurance. Policies typically have an out-of-pocket maximum. This means that once your expenses reach a certain amount in a given calendar year, the reasonable and customary fee for covered benefits will be paid in full by the insurer. (If your doctor bills you more than the reasonable and customary charge, you may still have to pay a portion of the bill.) Note that Medicare limits how much a physician may charge you above the usual amount. There also may be lifetime limits on benefits paid under the policy. Most experts recommend that you look for a policy whose lifetime limit is at least $1 million. Anything less may prove to be inadequate.

Managed-Care

The three major types of managed care plans are health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and point-of-service (POS) plans.

Managedcare plans generally provide comprehensive health services to their members, and offer financial incentives for patients to use the providers who belong to the plan. In managed care plans, instead of paying separately for each service that you receive, your coverage is paid in advance. This is called prepaid care.

An example, you may decide to join a local HMO where you pay a monthly or quarterly premium. That premium is the same whether you use the plan's services or not. The plan may charge a copayment for certain services - for example, $10 for an office visit, or $5 for every prescription. So, if you join this HMO, you may find that you have few out-of-pocket expenses for medical care - as long as you use doctors or hospitals that participate in or are part of the HMO. Your share may be only the small copayments; generally, you will not have deductibles or coinsurance.

The most interesting things about HMOs is that they deliver care directly to patients. Patients sometimes go to a medical facility to see the nurses and doctors or to a specific doctor's office. Another common model is a network of individual practitioners. In these individual practice associations (IPAs), you will get your care in a physician's office.

If you belong to an HMO, typically you must receive your medical care through the plan. Generally, you will select a primary care physician who coordinates your care. Primary care physicians may be family practice doctors, internists, pediatricians, or other types of doctors. The primary care physician is responsible for referring you to specialists when needed. While most of these specialists will be "participating providers" in the HMO, there are circumstances in which patients enrolled in an HMO may be referred to providers outside the HMO network and still receive coverage.

PPOs and POS plans are categorized as managed care plans. (Indeed, many people call POS plans "an HMO with a point-of-service option.") From the consumer's point of view, these plans combine features of fee-for-service and HMOs. They offer more flexibility than HMOs, but premiums are likely to be somewhat higher.

With a PPO or a POS plan, unlike most HMOs, you will get some reimbursement if you receive a covered service from a provider who is not in the plan. Of course, choosing a provider outside the plan's network will cost you more than choosing a provider in the network. These plans will act like fee-for-service plans and charge you coinsurance when you go outside the network.

What is the difference between a PPO and a POS plan? A POS plan has primary care physicians who coordinate patient care; and in most cases, PPO plans do not. But there are exceptions!

HMOs and PPOs have contracts with doctors, hospitals, and other providers. They have negotiated certain fees with these providers - and, as long as you get your care from these providers, they should not ask you for additional payment. (Of course, if your plan requires a copayment at the time you receive care, you will have to pay that.)

Always look carefully at the description of the plans you are considering for the conditions of payment. Check with your employer, your benefits manager, or your state department of insurance to find out about laws that may regulate who is responsible for payment.

Self-insured Plans

Your employer may have set up a financial arrangement that helps cover employees' health care expenses. Sometimes employers do this and have the "health plan" administered by an insurance company; but sometimes there is no outside administrator. With self-insured health plans, certain federal laws may apply. Thus, if you have problems with a plan that isn't state regulated, it's probably a good idea to talk to an attorney who specializes in health law.

Appropriate Care

HMOs, PPOs, and fee-for-service plans often share certain features, including pre authorization, utilization review, and discharge planning.

For example, you may be asked to get authorization from your plan or insurer before admission to a hospital for certain types of surgery. Utilization review is the process by which a plan determines whether a specific medical or surgical service is appropriate and/or medically necessary. Discharge planning is an approach that facilitates the transfer of a patient to amore cost-effective facility if the patient no longer needs to stay in the hospital. For example, if, following surgery, you no longer need hospitalization but cannot be cared for at home, you may be transferred to a skilled nursing facility.

Almost all fee-for-service plans apply managed care techniques to contain costs and guarantee appropriate care; and an increasing number of managed care plans contain fee-for-service elements. While the distinctions among plans are growing increasingly blurred, the number of options available to consumers increases every day.

How Do I Get Health Coverage?

Health insurance is generally available through groups and to individuals. Premiums - the regular fees that you pay for health insurance coverage - are generally lower for group coverage. When you receive group insurance at work, the premium usually is paid through your employer.

Group insurance is typically offered through employers, although unions, professional associations, and other organizations also offer it. As an employee benefit, group health insurance has many advantages. Much - although not all - of the cost may be borne by the employer. Premium costs are frequently lower because economies of scale in large groups make administration less expensive. With group insurance, if you enroll when you first become eligible for coverage, you generally will not be asked for evidence that you are insurable. (Enrollment usually occurs when you first take a job, and/or during a specified period each year, which is called open enrollment.) Some employers offer employees a choice of fee-for-service and managed care plans. In addition, some group plans offer dental insurance as well as medical.

Individual insurance is a good option if you work for a small company that does not offer health insurance or if you are self-employed. Buying individual insurance allows you to tailor a plan to fit your needs from the insurance company of your choice. It requires careful shopping, because coverage and costs vary from company to company. In evaluating policies, consider what medical services are covered, what benefits are paid, and how much you must pay in deductibles and coinsurance. You may keep premiums down by accepting a higher deductible.

Pre-existing Conditions

Many people worry about coverage for preexisting conditions, especially when they change jobs. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) helps assure continued health insurance coverage for employees and their dependents. Starting July 1, 1997, insurers could impose only one 12-month waiting period for any preexisting condition treated or diagnosed in the previous six months. Your prior health insurance coverage will be credited toward the preexisting condition exclusion period as long as you have maintained continuous coverage without a break of more than 62 days. Pregnancy is not considered a preexisting condition, and newborns and adopted children who are covered within 30 days are not subject to the 12-monthwaiting period.

If you have had group health coverage for two years, and you switch jobs and go to another plan, that new health plan cannot impose another preexisting condition exclusion period. If, for example, you have had prior coverage of only eight months, you may be subject to a four-month, preexisting condition exclusion period when you switch jobs. If you've never been covered by an employer's group plan, and you get a job that offers such coverage, you may be subject to a 12-month, preexisting condition waiting period.

Federal law also makes it easier for you to get individual insurance under certain situations, including if you have left a job where you had group health insurance, or had another plan for more than 18 months without a break of more than 62 days.

If you have not been covered under a group plan and have found it difficult to get insurance on your own, check with your state insurance department to see if your state has a risk pool. Similar to risk pools for automobile insurance, these can provide health insurance for people who cannot get it elsewhere.

What Is Not Covered?

While HMO benefits are generally more comprehensive than those of traditional fee-for-service plans, no health plan will cover every medical expense.

Very few plans cover eyeglasses and hearing aids because these are considered budgetable expenses. Very few cover elective cosmetic surgery, except to correct damage caused by a covered accidental injury. Some fee-for-service plans do not cover checkups. Procedures that are considered experimental may not be covered either. And some plans cover complications arising from pregnancy, but do not cover normal pregnancy or childbirth.

Health insurance policies frequently exclude coverage for preexisting conditions, but, as explained, federal law now limits exclusions based on such conditions.

You should also remember that insurers will not pay duplicate benefits. You and your spouse may each be covered under a health insurance plan at work but, under what is called a "coordination of benefits" provision, the total you can receive under both plans for a covered medical expense cannot exceed 100 percent of the allowable cost. Also note that if neither of your plans covers 100 percent of your expenses, you will only be covered for the percentage of coverage (for example, 80 percent) that your primary plan covers. This provision benefits everyone in the long run because it helps to keep costs down.

A Final Word

If you get health care coverage at work, or through a trade or professional association or a union, you are almost certainly enrolled under a group contract. Generally, the contract is between the group and the insurer, and your employer has done comparison shopping before offering the plan to the employees. Nevertheless, while some employers only offer one plan, some offer more than one. Compare plans carefully!

If you are buying individual insurance, or any form of insurance that you purchase directly, read and compare the policies you are considering before you buy one, and make sure you understand all of the provisions. Marketing or sales literature is no substitute for the actual policy. Read the policy itself before you buy.

Ask for a summary of each policy's benefits or an outline of coverage. Good agents and good insurance companies want you to know what you are buying. Don't be afraid to ask your benefits manager or insurance agent to explain anything that is unclear.

It is also a good idea to ask for the insurance company's rating. The A.M. Best Company, Standard & Poor's Corporation, and Moody's all rate insurance companies after analyzing their financial records. These publications that list ratings usually can be found in the business section of libraries.

And bear in mind: In some cases, even after you buy a policy, if you find that it doesn't meet your needs, you may have 30 days to return the policy and get your money back. This is called the "free look."

Insurance Deductibles Vs. Non-deductibles

2008-02-15T06:33:00.003-08:00

Insurance that has no deductible sounds absolutely wonderful since we are sometimes stuck in the "you must meet the deductible before" trap. This is true for health insurance, property insurance, and car insurance. Luckily life insurance doesn't have a deductible to meet or beneficiaries would be in trouble.

First of all, one must understand what the deductible means for the most common forms of insurance:

Health Insurance: Usually you are required to choose a deductible when signing up for health insurance. The higher the deductible, the lower your premiums. However, you must meet that deductible in the form of how much healthcare you have to pay for before your health insurance provider will give you the full coverage of the policy. This can exist on an individual and/or a family level. An example is an individual who has a $500 deductible and must pay $500 toward their healthcare bills before the full benefits of their policy kicks in. These deductibles can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars, depending on what the policy holder chooses.

Property Insurance: This comes in the form of homeowners insurance and insurance on various other pieces of property. If the property is damaged in some way, there are stipulations within the insurance policy that says a certain amount of money must be paid by the policy holder before the insurance will do anything toward repairing or replacing the damaged property. Sometimes this doesn't work if the property damaged is not worth the amount of the deductible.

Car Insurance: Car insurance has deductibles depending on the kind of damage that has occurred to the car. If there has been a collision, then chances are there will be a deductible that must be met before any repairs are paid for by the insurance company. Since collisions result in thousands of dollars in damage to a vehicle, something such as a $250 or $500 deductible will save money instead of having to pay for 100% of the repairs. Occurrences such as vandalism and theft do not have a deductible.

There are other types of insurance such as travel insurance, renter's insurance, and business insurance that may require deductibles, so apparently there's a reason for having a deductible other than it being the amount of a claim that is not covered by the insurance company. It does give the insurance a bit of a financial edge so that they can continue to produce low premiums with reasonable deductibles. What about the insurance policies that don't have deductibles?

No matter the kind of insurance you have, there are some available that do not require deductibles. This can be beneficial in that coverage is provided without having to meet that annoying deductible, but what about the quality of the coverage? Sometimes with non-deductible insurance, the insured may have to eventually pay a deductible amount if there are too many claims on the policy. The quality of the coverage may not be as good as a policy with a deductible as far as the items in small print go. There may be more restrictions in coverage and stricter limitations as far as what is covered goes.

What it comes down to is that insurance with a deductible may provide you with better coverage, lower premiums, and have less underlying clauses. Non-deductible insurance, on the other hand, is cheaper in that you have no deductible and the premiums may be comparable to deductible insurance, but you may run into situations where you are limited on what you can claim and you may find that you will eventually have to pay a deductable anyway, otherwise the insurance company is only receiving money made from premium payments to provide their clients coverage.

Is There Any Travel Insurance For A Wedding Dress?

2008-02-15T06:33:00.001-08:00

It's a no-brainer to say that a wedding is a major investment. In the United States, the average cost of a wedding is in the tens of thousands. Weddings are the culmination of years of love, trust and lots of savings, with families laying their hearts and bank accounts on the line. Given the expense and extravagance of many weddings and the dozens of factors that put a wedding at risk -- tropical storms, illnesses, deaths, caterers and dress shops that go bankrupt and cold feet (to name a few), it should come as no surprise that more and more families are purchasing wedding insurance.

Wedding insurance is a type of insurance that covers the numerous potential disasters surrounding a wedding (depending on which plan you buy), and puts those who lay out massive sums of money for the celebration at a reduced financial risk.

It might surprise you that the number one most common wedding insurance claim occurs when a bridal shop suddenly goes bankrupt and the bride is out a wedding dress. Since the wedding dress is such an integral and fragile part of a wedding, it is often a key point of concern for those who buy wedding insurance.

People who travel for their weddings might be considering travel insurance and wondering if a wedding dress is covered. The answer to that question depends on the parameters of a traveler's insurance policy. Traveler's insurance is different from wedding insurance, and a traveler's insurance policy will likely cover your possessions as you travel i.e., the dress. However, that is not guaranteed. If you choose to purchase traveler's insurance for your wedding, go over the policy with the salesperson and be sure the dress is covered.

Many wedding insurance plans extend their coverage throughout the United States and offer additional travel insurance. If you are planning a destination wedding, then I recommend purchasing a wedding insurance policy that contains provisions for travel.

These kinds of insurance policies typically cost no more that 1,000 dollars. For a wedding that's around or above the average cost of 27,000 dollars, that's a huge bargain. In addition to covering a damaged or misplaced dress, most wedding insurance policies will cover broken or lost wedding gifts, damaged wedding photographs or videos, deadbeat caterers, or in some instances a change of heart in the bride or groom.

All in all, I would say travel and/or wedding insurance is a fairly good investment. I'd hate to see someone I love have their wedding marred or ruined by unfortunate circumstances. And I'd hate it even more if I was footing the bill for a wedding that went awry and had to be re-scheduled. In recent times we've seen incredible disasters like the 9/11 terrorist attacks, hurricane Katrina and the massive tsunami. All of these horrific events took place in locations where one might want to hold a destination wedding, which should be a stark reminder of why it is so critical to cover your bases and get traveler's and wedding insurance.

A few companies that offer wedding insurance are Fireman's Fund, WedSafe Wedding Insurance Program offered through Affinity Insurance Services Inc., and Traveler's Insurance.

Tips for Softening the Blow of Sports Car Insurance

2008-02-15T06:32:00.001-08:00

Owning a sports car would be the stuff dreams are made of for most people. The feel of a throbbing engine beneath them and their hair being blown back by the wind as their convertible races down the highway, almost makes them feel like the cost of purchasing such a car would be a small price to pay in comparison to the prize of owning such a beast.

Very often though, once the 'prize' has been 'won' the thrill of victory doesn't seem as sweet when the realization sinks in that they have blown most of their hard earned cash on the purchase of their new vehicle but have not taken into consideration the costs of overheads like car insurance, for example. At this point the hunt for cheap sports car insurance begins in earnest!

The main thing to remember when looking for cheap sports car insurance is to shop around. Don't just go with the first quote you receive. Some of the cheapest sports car insurance rates can be found on the internet. Several insurance companies offer deals and discounts and there are also car insurance companies that offer free insurance quotes online. At least if you are armed with a few quotes from different car insurance companies, you'll be in a much better position to perform a proper comparison. You will also be able to gauge whether an insurance quote is fair, as you will be equipped with the other quotes to compare with.

The number of individuals you wish to be covered on the insurance will also make a huge difference to the premiums you pay. If at all possible, keep this number really low, but in an ideal world it would be best just to insure yourself. Just make sure no unauthorised persons drive the car.

Another factor to consider when determining the cost of sports car insurances is which locality the car will be kept in or basically, where you live. Sports cars that are normally driven or based in areas that are considered to have high crime rates cost considerably more to insure. It is a well known fact, for example, that sports cars are stolen in 'preference' to normal cars- that's the reason a policy for someone living in a 'rough' neighborhood would be much higher. If certain safety features are incorporated into the car, such as a car alarm, an immobilizer or a steering wheel lock, these could contribute to a reduction in the cost of the policy.

The bottom line is that there are numerous insurance companies out there each offering different terms and premiums, so the key is to shop around. Be sure to check out those companies that are offering discounts or specials and remember- the power of the internet nowadays is awesome, so use it!

Brooke Insurance: Thinking about Buying Jewelry this Valentine's Day?

2008-02-13T17:53:00.001-08:00

The Valentine's Day holiday is quickly approaching and many people will be choosing jewelry for loved ones – perhaps a ring for a marriage proposal or an elegant necklace or bracelet for a spouse. Either way, jewelry is traditionally the ultimate gift to symbolize admiration and love. That is why Brooke Insurance, a franchise of Brooke Capital Corporation, is encouraging people to get the proper insurance coverage on personal items such as jewelry as the holiday comes knocking on our doors.

"It is vital that insurance is considered as people begin to purchase expensive jewelry items or gifts for their spouses or other loved ones this Valentine's Day," said Kyle Garst, chief executive officer of Brooke Capital Corporation. "It is very common for homeowner policies to have certain coverage limits. In fact, most policies require that additional coverage be purchased to protect valuable items, like jewelry, that are often kept at home."

Garst offers the following tips on how to take proper safety measures.

Be sure to keep a list of the pieces of jewelry you keep in your home, as well as the appraisal amount for each item, if available.
Do not keep jewelry out in the open – it may lead to loss or theft.
When you leave your home, make sure all windows and doors are locked.
If you own jewelry that you do not wear frequently, a safe deposit box might be good to keep in the home. Note: bedrooms are usually the first places to be burglarized.
Keep valuable items in a safe, enclosed place when you have guests. Storage places for your jewelry should not be common knowledge to anyone.
Jewelry should be inspected regularly, especially rings. Rings should also be inspected for damage and fixed as soon as possible.

According to a recent article written by the Oklahoma insurance commissioner, a typical limit for jewelry on a homeowner's policy is estimated at $1,000. Garst said that people should also keep in mind that estimates vary, depending on the type of loss for the jewelry, such as fire, theft, storm damage, etc.

Hold Down the Cost of Auto Insurance

2008-02-13T17:52:00.001-08:00

The cost of insuring a car rose by 44% between 1987 and 1994. Premiums in some states have soared by more than 75%. Rates for insuring those big, bold sport utility vehicles - that are dangerous to others and themselves - are expected to rise even higher.

Here are my strategies to hold down the cost of premiums...

*Get price quotes every few years. One third of all drivers report that it has been at least six years since they shopped for a new policy. Another 20% said they never shopped at all.

Yet you could save hundreds of dollars a year by smart comparison shopping. There can be more than a twofold difference in prices for identical coverage from different insurers.

What you pay depends on where you live and the ages and driving profiles of you and your family.

Important, too - whether a particular insurer is interested in insuring people like you and your family. Even if one company quotes you an astronomical rate for the coverage you request, another may want your business and offer you a very good deal.

Your state insurance department has brochures that list low-cost insurers.

* Get quotes from several insurance companies. Don't assume that the biggest or bestknown company offers the best deal. Some of the lowest rates are offered by lesser-known local and regional insurers.

Example: One company may charge 25% to 30% less than some of the bigger brand-name companies that operate in its area.

Some insurers are cheaper because they are more efficient and have lower overhead than their giant counterparts. For example, get quotes from some no-load (no-commission) companies such as AMICA Mutual Insurance Company and GEICO. The largest company, State Farm, is another good company to contact.

* If you live in a big city, try to keep your car in a suburb. Insurance premiums in cities can be sky-high. But you can slash them by as much as 50% if you keep your car outside city limits.

This strategy works only if you use the car occasionally for pleasure - say on weekends and if you know someone who lives outside the city who is willing to let you leave your car there.

Warning: This arrangement must be legitimate. If you use the car to commute to work during the week, or if you use it to drive door-to-door from your city apartment to your ski resort condo every weekend, you would have problems if you were in an accident and the insurance company discovered the out-of-town garage arrangement was not bona fide.

* Designate who in your family will drive which cars. Doing so is especially important if you have a teenage driver or someone else in the family who is expensive to insure - perhaps because of a few accidents.

Some, but not all, insurance companies will permit you to say that a particular driver will not be allowed to drive the most expensive car you own.

Example: By specifying that your 16-year-old will not be allowed to drive the family Mercedes, you could save thousands of dollars a year in premiums. But you have to mean what you say to the insurance company. if your teenager drives the Mercedes and is involved in an accident, you would not be covered.

*Get rid of unnecessary coverage, but don't skimp on the essentials. Towing and labor coverage is usually not worth it. Nor is medical payments coverage if you have good medical coverage at work.

Your health insurance from work should cover you and your family.

The liability portion of your policy should take care of claims that passengers in your car may lodge against you. So, be sure you have plenty of liability coverage. A $1 million umbrella policy is adequate.

Important: It protects you against medical and property claims by others in accidents where you or a member of your family were found to be at fault.

Don't neglect uninsured-motorist coverage, which pays for damage to your property by someone without insurance, or without enough insurance to reimburse your costs.

This coverage is a real necessity now, with 20% of drivers on the road without insurance these days. The ratio rises to a breathtaking 50% or more in New York, Miami and Los Angeles.

Easy Ways To Cut Car Insurance Costs

2008-02-13T17:51:00.003-08:00

In most states, the law requires you to have auto insurance. Here are a few tips you can use to reduce the cost of the necessary insurance -

* Be sure to compare prices

Get multiple quotes from different insurance companies. You can easily find differences of 15 to 20% for the same coverage, so it pays to shop around. But be aware, the lowest price doesn't always mean the best deal, so check into the companies reputation for paying claims before you purchase a policy.

* Rates vary depending upon the type of car

Insurance costs vary depending on car type. For example, an $80,000 high performance sports car will cost more to insure than an economy sedan.

* Age and current value of car

Obviously, if you just purchased a new car, you'll probably want to have full insurance coverage to protect your investment. However, if your car is many years old and doesn't have much of a cash value, you may be better off by dropping any extra coverage, while retaining only the required liability insurance. In most cases, you can trim hundreds of dollars off your annual insurance premiums.

* Accept a higher deductible

Most car insurance companies use deductibles to keep policy costs down. The deductible is the amount you pay towards any damage before your car insurance policy pays. In other words, if your policy has a $200 deductible and you suffer damages in the amount of $500, you would pay the first $200, while the insurance company would pay the remaining $300.

When shopping for car insurance, be sure to look at the premium prices for coverage with various deductible amounts. You may find that changing your deductible from $200 to $500 may trim your premiums by 20% or more.

* Multiple policy discount

Many insurance companies offer a discount if you purchase more than one policy. For example, if you have a policy on your car as well as a policy on your spouse's car, you may qualify for a discount. Be sure to check with your insurance agent - it could save you money!

* Low usage/mileage discounts

As fuel costs increase, more and more people are either working closer to home or maybe even working from home. Increased costs also tend to reduce unnecessary trips and encourage car-pooling. This can mean that you'll be driving substantially fewer miles every year, so you'll probably qualify for a low usage/mileage discount

* Good driving record

A good driving record can reduces your car insurance costs. By driving carefully, avoiding accidents and traffic tickets, your insurance company may offer you a 'safe driver' discount rate.

* Ride on your parent's policy

If you live at home with your parents, or your a qualifying student, it may be possible that you can purchase car insurance by being added on to your parents policy. They'll likely then qualify for the multiple policy discount and you'll get a lower premium than if you purchased a separate policy on your own.

Life Insurance to Meet Your Very Specific Needs

2008-02-13T17:51:00.001-08:00

When most people set out to buy life insurance, they choose either a term or cash-value policy. But policy choices and strategies are much, much more diverse today. Here are some strategies to consider..

L0WERING THE COST OF INSURANCE

*Combination of term and cash-value policies. Buying both types of policies is ideal when an individual or family wants a large amount of coverage and the savings benefit of a cash-value policy, but can't afford the high premiums.

Owning two types of insurance can work for first-time insurance buyers - or when owners of an existing cash-value policy want more coverage, but at an affordable price.

*First-to-die policy. Dual-career couples save 20% in premiums by buying one first-to-die policy, rather than two separate policies.

How it works: Death benefits are paid upon the death of the first spouse.

First-to-die policies can be cash-value or blended policies. Be sure the savings feature is worthwhile for your needs and that the policy's interest rate is favorable.

ESTATE PIANNING

Life insurance can protect heirs in the event of death of the breadwinner and can help them pay estate taxes.

*Second-to-die policy. When one spouse dies, federal estate taxes are avoided because of the unlimited marital deduction. The death of the second spouse is another matter, and estate taxes can run as high as 55%. A second-to-die policy is indirectly used to pay the estate taxes due when the second spouse dies.

Important: Neither spouse can own this policy, or enjoy any of the powers of ownership, such as the right to change beneficiaries, The policy must be in the name of an heir or trust, which must also pay the policy's premiums.

*Credit shelter trust. This is to protect the lifetime exclusion of the first spouse to die, which is $1,000,000. A credit shelter trust is often used when an estate exceeds the exclusion.

Strategy: Name the credit shelter trust under your will as the beneficiary of your life insurance, or the surviving spouse may be able to disclaim proceeds into the credit shelter trust. Assets avoid taxes in both spouses' estates and are still available to survivors.

What To Do If You Lose Your Health Insurance

2008-02-13T17:50:00.001-08:00

An average day in a hospital costs about $2,000. The typical cholesterol-lowering drug can cost about $100 a month. It's no wonder that we value our health insurance so highly.

However, losing your health insurance is a real possibility. Many people lose insurance because of a job layoff, their employer drops health benefits completely or they retire early. Others become uninsured when they cannot afford the insurance premiums that their employer requires them to pay, or because of a divorce or the death of a spouse. If you lose your health insurance and you do not qualify for Medicaid or are not yet 65 and eligible for Medicare, there are ways to get temporary insurance or needed medical services and prescriptions.

*COBRA. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) allows workers covered by an employer's group health insurance plan to continue to purchase that coverage for up to 18 months, at their own expense, if they have been laid off, taken voluntary leave or had their hours reduced to the point where they are no longer eligible for benefits. You may purchase that insurance for anyone in your family who was covered before you lost the insurance. Family members of an insured employee who dies also can purchase coverage under COBRA.

Important: COBRA only applies to companies with 20 or more employees. It does not apply if your former employer goes completely out of business. And it can be expensive. A typical employer-sponsored family health insurance plan, which includes hospital, physician, dental and prescription drug coverage, can easily cost up to $12,000 annually.

*Hospital coverage for the uninsured. Under both state and federal laws, you cannot be turned away from a hospital emergency room if you are uninsured. And if you require more than just emergency room care, you cannot be denied admission to the hospital. Last year, hospitals provided more than $25 billion in care to people who were unable to pay their bills, whether they were insured or not. In addition, many hospitals run free or low-cost clinics that can be used to help monitor chronic conditions, such as diabetes, asthma or heart disease.

*Free or low-cost prescription medications. More than 475 public and private assistance programs, including those offered by more than 150 drug companies, provide free or low cost prescription drugs to qualified patients who lack prescription medication coverage. To find out about these programs - and which you qualify for - consult the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (888-477-2669 ).

*Negotiate with your doctor. Losing your health insurance does not necessarily mean you cannot see the doctors you have always used. Most will work out reduced fees or extended payment arrangements for you and your family. But it's up to you to ask.

Term vs. Whole Life Insurance

2008-02-13T17:49:00.003-08:00

Many people are confused about the differences between these types of life insurance policies.

Term Life Insurance -

The simple explanation is that term life insurance is just raw, basic insurance. It pays cash to the beneficiaries upon the death of the insured person. Until that death occurs, the policy has no actual cash value. You can't borrow against a term life policy and if you stop paying the premiums, you'll have nothing to show for the premiums you've already paid.

The big advantage of term life insurance is that it's the lowest cost way to get a large amount of coverage. For a few dollars, you can get many thousands of dollars worth of insurance.

If you need a lot of life insurance coverage, but you don't want to invest a lot of money for a policy, term life insurance may be your best choice.

Whole Life Insurance -

Whole life insurance does build an ongoing cash value. The longer you keep the policy, the more value it has. And this is real, cash value that you can borrow against if you get in a bind for cash. Although whole life insurance is more expensive than term life insurance, the returns you can get, in the form of increased cash value over the years, can be substantial.

In many cases, the cash value of a whole life policy can actually exceed the total of all the premiums you have paid for the coverage. This is because the insurance company invests the money they collect as premiums and, after deducting their cut for operating expenses and profit, the rest is applied to the cash value of your policy.

Depending upon the details of your particular policy, there may come a time when you'll no longer need to continue paying premiums, but you'll still retain the coverage of the whole life policy. This is referred to as 'paid up whole life'.

Which is best for you?

It all depends upon your particular circumstances. If you're just starting out in life with a new family and you don't have much money, term life insurance might be your best choice. You'll get the most amount of protection for your family at the lowest cost.

On the other hand, if you can afford the higher premiums of a whole life policy, you'll be money ahead in the long run, due to the increasing cash value that builds up over time.

Shrewd Strategies For Savmg Big on Long-Term-Care Insurance

2008-02-13T17:49:00.001-08:00

The average annual cost of nursing home care is about $74,000 - yet only 10% of Americans age 65 and above have long-term-care (LTC) insurance to cover this big expense. How to find an affordable Policy...

THREE WAYS TO SAVE

*Choose a firm that has staying power. More than 100 companies sell LTC insurance, but only a few have done so for at least 15 years without increasing the premiums. Though premiums can increase with state regulatory approval, many firms have a history of stable pricing.

*Consider a policy that offers cash benefits. Traditional LTC policies specify exactly what types of care are covered and pay only for those services. "Disability model" policies pay cash and let policyholders who are eligible for benefits, use the money as they choose - say, to finance a nursing home stay or for in-home care. You even can keep the money and let a family member look after you.

Important: Benefits in excess of a specific amount ($250 per day for 2006) may be taxed as income. This tax threshold should increase in future years.

*Buy a policy when you are young. The sooner you buy, the better the rates are for the life of the policy. If you do wait until your health begins to deteriorate, the expense will be higher still - if you are healthy enough to qualify at all. Although buying LTC insurance is worthwhile even for older people, attractive LTC rates are available to those in their 30s and 40s.

Example: A 40-year-old could buy a policy from one of the top companies that pays $6,000* per month in benefits for a total benefit amount of $360,000 (with a 90-day elimination period before benefits kick in). The annual premium would be about $300. The annual premiums for the same type of policy could be $1,500 at age 60 and $3,000 at age 70.

Helpful: Most carriers allow a 30-day grace period after a birthday to get coverage based on your previous age.

SPECIAL OPTIONS FOR COUPLES AND FAMILIES

Get a couple's discount whether or not you and your partner are married. Insurers are offering discounts to unmarrieds - including same sex couples.

Examples: Genworth provides a 40% discount for couples who live together ... Prudential offers a 30% discount to couples if both partners purchase policies.

Prudential and MetLife even extend their couples' rates to multigenerational cohabitators, such as a mother and adult child who live together. Smaller discounts typically are available when only one partner applies or qualifies for coverage.

*Share the care with your spouse. Married and unmarried couples can save money with a "shared-care" plan.

Example: You buy a shared-care plan with eight years of coverage. If you need only five years of long-term care, your spouse will have three years of coverage available. This should lower your cost, since one eight-year shared-care plan is cheaper than two separate policies.