How auto insurance works

 

This article may help you if you're planning to purchase a car or already a car owner but with little knowledge on how auto insurance works.  You have may have heard key words in the auto insurance world such as deductible, premium and so on.  But not many know how to differentiate the different aspects of an auto insurance policy and which one is most suited for you.

Almost all countries require that you have at least a car insurance policy, thus making it a good idea to know what the kind of policy you should have according to the law and what other aspects does the policy cover in case of an accident or an even of theft.

Prior to purchasing an auto insurance, you should consider the factors such as which car do you own, your driving record and how much you’re willing to invest for an auto insurance policy. The basic of auto insurance will make you more aware of the type of policy you need in case of an accident.

We will be covering the basics and discuss about the auto insurance coverage for possible insurance needs.  We will be also analyzing the different prices of auto insurance, and what you need to know the bring the costs down and understand your policy accordingly.

Basically every driver who owns a card needs car insurance, which is a must in most countries according to the law.  When you pay for auto insurance, what you really are paying for is called a policy.  Now your policy will be based on different factors such as which vehicle do you drive, and what type of auto insurance do you want.  Most  of the auto insurance these days comes in packages.

The main factors to consider would be liability, collision, comprehensive, medical coverage, uninsured motorist, underinsured motorist and rental reimbursement.  We will now breakdown these main factors and explain each one of them accordingly.

Liability – This insurance policy pays for the accidental bodily injury and property damages to others.  Injury damages include medical bills, pain and covering your wages if lost.  Property damages covers damaged property and automobiles.  This coverage pays for your law fees and court expenses.  Laws depending on the country determines how much liability coverage you must own, but you can always get more than what is necessary.

Collision -  This insurance policy pays for the damages to your vehicle caused by collision with another vehicle or object.

Comprehensive – This insurance policy pays for the damage or loss to the insured vehicle that doesn’t happen in an auto accident.  The types of damages this insurance policy pays for includes natural causes such as fire, wind, hail, flood, vandalism or theft.

Medical – This insurance policy pays for your medical bills regardless of who’s fault when the expenses are caused by an auto accident.

PIP – Personal injury protection is compulsory in some countries.  This insurance policy pays for the insured driver, regardless of fault, for treatment due to an auto accident.

Uninsured Motorist – This insurance policy pays for car’s damages when an accident is caused by a driver who doesn’t have liability insurance.

Underinsured Motorist – Pays your car’s damages when an auto accident is caused by someone who has insufficient liability insurance.

Rental Reimbursement -  This insurance policy will for a rental car if your car is damaged and is covered by your policy.  Often the insurance company provides a motor vehicle but in case one isn’t available, an allowance is provided for the rental car.

Most insurance policies combine a number of these types of policies.  Before choosing the right one for you it would be best to check the laws in your country first.  You will then be able to determine which type of auto insurance to start with or would need for your vehicle.  It’s always good to check because most coverage isn’t required by your country and extra coverage would mean higher costs.

Mesothelioma Insurance

 

Mesothelioma or, the full name, malignant mesothelioma is a cancer which is very scarce and that develops cells of the mesothelium the protection that covers many of the internal organs of your body.  People who usually get this rare case of cancer have either worked in places where they must have inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers or were exposed to those dust and fibers.  Even holding or washing the clothes of someone who worked with asbesto also creates a risk for developing mesothelioma.

Some signs of mesothelioma include shortness of breath because of the fluid between the lungs and the chest walls being affected, chest wall pain and unexplained weight loss.  To be able to diagnose the malignant mesothelioma it would be based on a chest x-ray and CT scan, but the results must be confirmed by examining serous effusion cytology or with biopsy. 

MESOTHELIOMA INSURANCE OPTIONS

The kind of insurance a patient has often determines the type of treatment available to them. For patients without insurance, health insurance premiums and acceptance are based on a number of factors.

• Current Employment
• Age
• Location
• Gender
• General Health (obesity, smoking, etc)
• Family Health Risks

Health insurance is first categorized as public or private. Public insurance includes any insurance received from the government, such as Medicare or Medicaid. Public insurance is meant to offset hardships that make paying for private insurance impossible. There are public insurance benefits available to many patients with mesothelioma.

 

Types of Insurance

Health insurance is subsequently categorized as group or individual. Group plans are mostly applicable to insurance gained through employment. These are called group plans because an employer negotiates a single premium with the insurance company that becomes available to all employees on the plan. Individual plans, by comparison, only cover one person.

Employer Healthcare

Employer healthcare plans are typically the most desirable because the insurance company does not usually consider an employee’s health status. This is because an employer negotiates a premium with the insurance company on the behalf of all employees under the plan.

Medicare or Medicaid

These two programs are specifically designed to help senior citizens and those who cannot afford healthcare. Since mesothelioma primarily affects older individuals, it is likely that many patients qualify for Medicare benefits. For those who have limited income, Medicaid is available. Visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for more information.

State Health Insurance Pools

These insurance pools are another option available to those who cannot get healthcare coverage. These plans help those whose seek coverage after diagnosis, labeling their diagnosis a preexisting condition. The American Cancer Society lists which states these insurance pools are available in, along with contact information.

Private Individual Insurance

These can provide help paying bills. Unfortunately, most private individual health coverage does not cover treatments or prescriptions associated with cancer. Plans like HMO and PPO plans can limit a patient’s freedom when choosing a specialist or accepting special treatment like clinical trials.

Employment and Treatment

Being unable to work or losing a job as a result of being diagnosed with mesothelioma is a major concern for many patients. Fortunately, there are several legal protections for those diagnosed with cancer.

The Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act (COBRA) is one of the primary legal protections for those who can no longer work due to a serious illness. Patients with serious medical conditions normally lose their employer healthcare when they are unable to keep their job or are forced to work fewer hours because they are sick. COBRA allows these patients to keep their insurance.

Other legal protections for those with serious illnesses include the Americans with Disabilities Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Affordable Care Act. These laws provide patients and family members with protection from unfair treatment in the workplace and make better treatment more accessible. Because the Affordable Care Act is a recent development, more benefits are still scheduled to take effect in the future. Being aware of newly available legal benefits is important to maximizing the financial and insurance assistance patients can claim.

Understanding Coverage After Diagnosis

Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma have some form of coverage, but most healthcare plans do not provide full coverage for certain treatments and screenings. Understanding available options for the patient is important to ensure the best possible treatment is received.

Private individual healthcare plans can place limits on access to specialists, so it is important to understand your plan. Traditional private healthcare and point of service (POS) plans usually let patients choose their physician. Health maintenance organization (HMO) and preferred provider organization (PPO) plans either choose a physician or limit patients to a network of doctors.

Employer healthcare plans offer the most benefits because they do not discriminate based on the status of your health. These plans are popular because the financial risk is divided among fellow employees, keeping costs lower than private plans. While these plans are more secure, patients may still be limited in the choice of a specialist depending on the type of group plan they are on.

 

New Coverage for Mesothelioma Patients (Obamacare)

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) provides insurance coverage options to millions of Americans who are uninsured or unable to be insured currently. The bill is beneficial to mesothelioma patients who are currently uninsured because their illness is considered a pre-existing condition. The law makes it illegal for health insurance companies to turn customers away with pre-existing conditions like mesothelioma.

The introduction of this new policy means people are required to be covered under a private health insurance, employer-based insurance, or a public plan like Medicare or Medicaid. Under the act, insurers are no longer allowed to discontinue coverage for patients that receive dire diagnoses, there are no more annual and lifetime insurance caps, and insurers must provide easy-to-understand information to their consumers.

It was estimated that 20% of mesothelioma patients are uninsured. Medical bills for mesothelioma patients have ranged, on average, from $150,000 to $1 million. Uninsured patients pay their medical bills out of pocket or are forced to negotiate with the hospital on their own.

Over 30% of all mesothelioma patients are U.S. Military veterans. The Veterans Administration Hospital provides healthcare to the veterans. Until the Affordable Healthcare act takes effect in 2014, there are different ways that those who are uninsured can receive compensated treatment.

Clinical trials are an option for most mesothelioma patients. Even though they may have to qualify for the study, the treatment is sometimes free and many research groups pay for travel and accommodations. There are some complications that may arise from clinical trials, but many patients have been successfully treated because of clinical trials.

Another option that mesothelioma patients have is to take advantage of legal options and available compensation. There are trust funds set up to help compensate mesothelioma patients who were exposed to asbestos. These trusts have been set up by companies who have knowingly exposed individuals to asbestos products. There is over $30 billion in these funds, all set aside to mesothelioma patients.

Education and Insurance is it important to you?

This is going to be my first blog post on the website, hopefully there will be more to where that came from.

First thing is first why Education and Insurance?  You might think that it's not important nor essential to get the education and insurance that suits you but one day or the other you will be realising how important education and insurance is to you.

I have dedicated this blog into writing about both education and insurance and share the knowledge I possess about the two and pass it on to others.

Well all know about the different level of education i.e Primary, Secondary and Tertiary.  The one we will be focusing on this blog is Tertiary because most countries these days already provide proper primary and secondary education to children around the world.  We will find out which University you should be attending and why you should be attending it.  It all depends on the field of work you want to enhance your knowledge.

The next factor we will be focusing on is Insurance, you must be thinking why Insurance.  I will be telling you why because I was just like everyone else thinking that Insurance is something I don't need have or wouldn't want to know about and then later on I realised how it really helps you and I will be guiding you to choosing the insurance plans that suits you.

I certainly hope that this brief introduction has given you a proper overview about what the blog would be about and I definitely would like to hear from you guys about your feedback and what you think about the information for your benefits on the website.