Insurance Experts

Disability benefit is a handy economic aid and helps the disabled to a great degree. But it can, at times, be a little difficult to get hands over these aids. For, mere your thinking that you are disabled is not enough, the government should also share the same views with you. And until and unless it does, the exchequer will not release a penny.

The disability determination begins with the field offices of the Social Security Administration where one is supposed to file an application for disability benefit. One may approach the authorities on telephone, by mail or may simply fill and submit the form online.

The application form requires one to provide information about one’s disability, treatment and other associated information. The field office then finds out if one fulfills the non-medical requirements for the benefits. For instance, one may be barred from getting the benefit due to old age. After having gone through it the field office sends one’s case to any of the DDSs (Disability Determination Services) for an evaluation of the disability. These DDSs are funded and maintained by the government and are enjoined with the duty to find out if the claimant’s disability is of the kind that makes him eligible for the benefit under the law.

The DDS’s first source for such determination is the claimant’s own medical sources. If the medical evidence provided by the claimant is insufficient for the determination of his case, the DDS goes in for Consultative Examination (CE) so as to obtain the missing information. Even for the CE, the DDS prefers the claimant’s own sources but they may opt for the examination by an independent source instead. After the DDS is satisfied that the claimant’s disability is serious enough, it sends the case back to the field office, after which the SSA computes the amount to be paid, and starts paying the benefits.

In case the claimant’s case is not found fit for the disability benefit, the case is rejected, the file is closed and is kept in the field office for future reference if the need arises. A claimant may challenge the determination in appeal, in which he or she is given due hearing, and, if the need be, the case is reevaliated in order to ensure that no genuine claim is rejected.

We live in an age where knowledge is power. We are bombarded with information through various media. Although we are overloaded with information, it certainly has made our decision-making processes easier. The Internet is one such powerful medium that offers information and advice at a fraction of cost.

Whole life insurance is costlier than term insurance but provides more benefits. One might ask if there is a way to find whole life insurance policies that are inexpensive. There are Internet insurance services that offer inexpensive quotes. Even a close investigation among friends and relatives might reveal insurance products that are inexpensive. But as the saying goes, “there is no free lunch”.

When searching for inexpensive quotes, Internet services bring forward a template of questions to be answered such as age, history of diseases and smoking and drinking habits. In essence, the questions are designed to find out how healthy an individual is. Often, the younger the individual one, the better the chances of good health; additionally, the absence of smoking and drinking habits reveals that the chances of getting fatal diseases are less. The quote may be less expensive only if the answers indicate good health and chances of long living.

Insurance providers exist to make a profit. The way to increase their bottom-line profit is to increase the revenue from premiums and to decrease the chances of giving death benefits. This can be done by obtaining young and healthy policyholders. Hence, the clue to obtaining inexpensive insurance policies is to purchase a policy when one is young and to stop smoking. The policy for a non-smoker may be 10-20% less expensive than that for a smoker. It is difficult to get an inexpensive policy when one falls ill. So it is beneficial to get a policy when one is still healthy. It is advised to get quotes from different companies for the same policy and to ask free opinions from friends and relatives before buying a policy.

All of this information essentially means that there is no inexpensive insurance policy. It all depends on the individual and the needs.

Nearly every new health insurance policy written will have a “preexisting conditions” exclusion for any medical condition an individual currently has. Pregnancy would fall into this group. While it may be nearly impossible to find a standard insurance plan to cover the upcoming delivery, there are some options that are available.

Most states offer low-cost, affordable health insurance for individuals and/or their children (and this includes children within the womb in many cases!). In Indiana, we have a program called Hoosier Healthwise designed directly for low income families. Pregnant women can be eligible for full coverage or pregnancy coverage depending upon the family’s income and assets. If you live in any other state, check with your state’s government website.

Don’t forget to check with an employer. You may be able to land a job that will provide health benefits before your baby is due. Most will have some sort of probation period, principally 30-90 days before you become eligible for benefits. And, be sure to inquire about any pre-existing conditions clause if you haven’t had coverage in the past 12 months.

Do you belong to any trade associations or have any hobbies (cycling, homeschooling, small business, etc.)? Don’t overlook these as an option. By pooling resources, many associations have been able to successfully arrange benefits for their members. It may be worth a look.

As a last resort, you may think about some type of point of service health program. These programs do not provide insurance “protection” but reduce the cost of health care services if the individual chooses to utilize the services of a provider in their network. Since they are not insurance products, they may not include an exclusion for maternity. Discounts range from 20-60%. While this option will not pay entirely for the delivery, it may be a cost effective non-insurance solution.

Finding a way to pay for this life-changing event can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Thinking outside the box is an important first step.

Swinton Acquires Budget Retail Branch Network

Annual income now over £500m, with 442 branches and over 2m policies.

Swinton Group, the UK’s biggest High Street insurance chain, today purchased the high street insurance intermediary business Budget Retail from the Budget Group.

The deal continues the growth strategy of Swinton, giving the company an annual income of more than £500m and consolidating its position as a leading UK insurance intermediary.

Swinton’s existing 350 high street branches (including those of its brand Colonnade, acquired in 2002) are now joined by 92 Budget branches offering home insurance, car insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance and most other forms of personal and life cover.

The Budget Retail brand will be maintained for 12 months, after which the branches will trade under one of the Swinton brands.

Patrick Smith, Chief Executive of Swinton, says: “This deal means that we have over three times the national coverage of our nearest competitor. We are within easy reach of almost everyone in the UK. This gives us a huge advantage over our major competitors who only offer telephone or internet contact.”

“Research shows that when customers need assistance with their insurance impersonal interactive voice response is strongly disliked by most people. Our professional teams, working right across the UK, give us a great opportunity to capitalise on our personal service operated through local branches either face to face or on the telephone. Our successful growth has shown the clear benefits of providing this personal service.”

All Budget branch staff will remain employed by Swinton. The total number of Swinton employees is now 3,000, made up of staff working in the branches, call centres and head office functions.

As part of the deal Swinton will also take over Budget’s taxi and motor-home units based in Warrington and Coventry respectively.

Around 230,000 policies will be added to the Swinton database and the combined operation will hold more than 2m insurance policies.

Patrick Smith added: “We have strategic plans to continue this growth and enhance our current business capabilities by increasing our customer base through further improvements in direct marketing, increasing our diversification of product and enhancing the relationship between our branches and our online business.

“We intend to keep all the new branches open as we believe that Budget’s coverage is complementary to our existing network and the increased capacity will allow Swinton Group to handle our planned growth and further service our customers’ requirements.

“Our model has great capacity for expansion and we intend to take on the giants of our industry and show that, by caring more for our customers, we can become the leading provider in the personal insurance market.”

Last year Swinton had a gross premium income of £440m and expects premium income to grow to more than £600m next year following today’s purchase. The company has made over 250 broker acquisitions during the past five years.

Cobbetts LLP acted as legal advisors and Swinton received advice from Ernst & Young.

For more information and for interviews with Swinton Chief Executive Patrick Smith, contact Andrew Spinoza or Jaime Markey at SKV PR 0161 236 9909,

Dealing with small businesses

Small businesses that have difficulty finding good coverage directly from insurers, would like to contact their state department of health insurance to get knowledge about small business group health providers in their area. Another alternative for small businesses could be to join an effective association, which offers group benefits for their members. Companies need to be very careful to scrutinize the operations of such organizations to make sure that all funds are taken care appropriately.

Avoid certain policies

One needs to be careful for hospital indemnity policies and dread disease policies. Hospital indemnity pays you each day as long as you are in the hospital. Unfortunately, most do not provide sufficient policy coverage to even cover the typically daily cost of hospital stay. Dread diseases policies do cover specific illnesses but then tend to be more expensive than the likelihood of contracting one of these diseases will suggest.

Employee’s options

During 2004, according to a survey only 14% of companies with fewer than 200 employees offered more one health insurance care option. However 56% of companies with 200 to 1000 employees offered multiple options, and around 76% of companies with 1000 and above. Offering more than one plan gives your employees the freedom to choose their own plan, which is best suited. There may be little additional cost to you, so it could really improve employee satisfactions and you can make sure your small business look bigger.

Understand the law

If in case you decide to create your own health care plan, you need to make sure to do enough research to understand the need you have to meet. There are many laws and regulations attached when selecting health insurance that govern health care, and many state also have their own regulations, too.

First the good news, if you’ve recently landed a nice job full of many perks and benefits there is a good possibility that you’ve also inherited a health insurance policy or plan. Unfortunately, now the bad news, you have no idea or clue what any of the terminology scattered throughout your health insurance policy means. In fact, the more you read the cloudier it gets until you’re so baffled that you start to even wonder what exactly your health insurance is covering. Whatever you do, don’t be embarrassed or upset because this situation is actually quite common among many first time health insurance policy recipients or holders. Fortunately, once you know the meaning of the language used in your health insurance plan you will be able to decipher it quickly and easily. This article intends to help you with the tasks of health insurance interpretation.

Naturally, there are many different terms used throughout most all insurance policies and plans with health insurance being no different. Perhaps the most important one is what is known as a deductible. Basically a deductible is the amount that an insured individual must pay prior to any of the health insurance benefits kicking in. For instance, if your health insurance policy featured a deductible of $500 and you had a recent medical situation that resulted in a hospital bill of $1200 then you would need to pay $500 first before your health insurance provider would pay for the remaining $700. This example is very rudimentary and crude; nonetheless, it serves it purpose of illustrating the deductible at its most basic level. Typically, the deductible will vary among the many different health insurance underwriting companies so make sure to do some comparison shopping in order to obtain a health care plan that features a deductible you can reasonable afford.

Co-payments is another form of payment that is generally paid for by the consumer before the insurance company will process any claims benefits. This co-insurance (as it is sometimes referred to) can sometimes be paid for routine medical appointments and services without the requirement or restriction of meeting a deductible. This depends on the insurance provider that your health care plan resides with.

Out-of-Pocket is a term that many folks don’t usually like to hear because it means exactly what it implies and that is money paid out of the insured consumers own pocket. This would include your deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance. This category doesn’t include your premiums or health insurance rates because those are paid no matter what in order to make sure that you have current health insurance coverage. In order to help their insured clients out many companies impose a cap on the maximum out-of-pocket expenses that pay for medical services rendered. You will need to check through your own health insurance policy but this is usually referred to as the annual out of pocket expense.

For additional information on how to decipher your health insurance be on the lookout for part two of this article where we will cover exclusions, pre-existing conditions as well as the waiting and grace periods.

Regardless of how many rental units you own, you need to protect your investment with the right insurance coverage. That means covering the property in case of fire, vandalism, and other physical losses as well as protecting yourself in case of liability claims.

“You work hard to build a portfolio of income-producing property, so take the time to make sure it is adequately protected with insurance,” says real estate investment expert Russ Whitney. “At the same time, you don’t want to over-insure, so pay attention to the details of this process.”

Russ Whitney is the bestselling author of The Millionaire Real Estate Mindset (Doubleday). He says the first step in insuring your rental property is to find an independent insurance agent with experience in this type of coverage. You want an independent agent so you can shop various carriers for the best rate and coverage package. Don’t just assume that the agent who has been handling your personal insurance for years has the expertise you need; ask how much rental property experience the agent has, and if you’re not comfortable that he or she can evaluate your needs and make appropriate recommendations, find a new agent.

If you own just a few units, or occupy one unit of a multi-unit building, your homeowners insurance may provide sufficient coverage. This is done with an endorsement called “additional residence rented to others,” and it typically works for up to four separate residential properties.

Once you have built your rental portfolio beyond four units, you have two options for insuring the properties. You can either find an insurance company that will write separate policies for each property, or purchase a commercial policy that covers all your non-owner occupied properties.

What kind of coverage do you need?

Your insurance should pay for the cost of repairing or rebuilding the property after a covered loss, and should also allow for additional costs if local ordinances require upgraded materials. In addition, the policy should provide coverage for loss of rental income when the property cannot be occupied due to a covered loss. You should also have coverage for any furnishings and appliances you own which are located at the rental property.

Remember that your insurance will not cover contents belonging to your tenants; they need to obtain their own coverage in the form of a renter’s policy. Jeffrey Taylor, property management expert and author of The Landlord’s Kit recommends that you educate your tenants on this issue by including a form that explains “the tremendous risk they take by not obtaining a relatively low cost renter’s insurance policy.”

Earthquake and flood insurance are typically issued as separate policies; if you are in an area where these events may be a concern, discuss the appropriate coverage with your agent. Russ Whitney points out that as a real estate investor, you may be viewed as a “deep pocket” if someone is injured on your property. Be sure your policy covers physical injury and also mentions libel, slander, discrimination, unlawful and retaliatory eviction, and invasion of privacy suffered by tenants and their guests.

Managing your insurance

Many insurers offer discounts if the insured property meets certain requirements. You may be able to reduce your premium if your properties have a fire alarm system that alerts either a central reporting station or the fire department directly. Some insurers will discount the premium if the properties have smoke/fire alarms, fire extinguishers, and deadbolt locks. And if the dwelling was constructed recently (generally up to eight years), you may qualify for a new home discount.

An increasing number of insurance companies are conducting inspections on rental property before they will provide coverage. In some states, they also require a satisfactory credit rating on the insured. Much like you screen your tenants, insurance companies are screening and refusing to insure high-risk landlords. They are also routinely offering new types of coverage and targeting new and different markets.

Once you have appropriate coverage on your rental properties, don’t just automatically renew it when the policy expires. Review the coverage and be sure it is still what you need, and shop around to see if another company has a better rate.

Of course, cost is only one factor to consider when choosing an insurance company. Be sure the company is financially stable and has a solid track record for customer service and paying claims.

In the competitive world today people spend more than half of their lives working day and night for some or the other reason. Though it gives them good financial rewards and gratification of their desires yet what suffers a big setback is their health. This is because individuals fail to pay significant heed to health, the most crucial aspect of their lives. But being occupied is not the only factor in deteriorating health. Reasons like environment, epidemics, natural calamities etc. also contribute largely to fading human health.

Keeping in mind the precariousness of human fitness and the immensely expensive medical treatments available nowadays, health insurance has become the need of the hour. Health insurance is an ideal way to care for your health. A health insurance policy enables you to have the best medical therapy for your illness at any point of time.

The American health care system provides four basic health plans. These are HMOs, PPOs, POSs, and Free-for-Service (Indemnity) Plans.

1. HMOs Plans- these plans are least expensive of all and are offered by Health Maintenance Organizations. In case you avail this plan, you are required to pay for every health related service in advance in the form of monthly premiums. HMOs cover a spectrum of health problems such as dental, vision etc. HMOs provide a list of service providers to all its subscribers. The latter is required to choose from these a so called “primary care giver” who will be supervising or coordinating his health care.

2. POS plans- these are HMO plans that give you the freedom to have a health care of your own choice. These plans are a little pricier than the HMO ones. Here it is not mandatory to go with the referrals from your primary care physician. But if you desire to abide by the HMO plan system per se, you can even do that. In case you opt for services outside the HMO or PPO networks, you will be served accordingly.

3. PPO Plans- Preferred Provider Organizations provides health care at discount rates. The PPO plans cost more than the two aforementioned. The PPOs cover a range of hospitals, doctors, clinics etc. The cost-sharing rate will be less within the network and more outside it. However unlike the HMO plans, PPO plans allow you to avail services from outside the network.

4. Fee for service plans or Indemnity plans are simple an easiest plans that compensate for each service you avail on case by case basis. For instance in case an emergency situation arises and you go for an ultrasound, the hospital needs to submit a claim to your insurance agency and you will be facilitated with the hospital expenses. But with a myriad of options and convenience the Fee-for Service plans come out to be most high-priced of all.

For further details you can surf the net and even get health insurance quotes online. This will save your time money and energy you would spend in consulting an agent.

Migraine is a kind of ordinary and very painful headache that usually occurs on one side of the head. It often commences at teenage years or early childhood. It runs in families and has a tendency to recur.

More often than not, one side of the head experience miserable pain that last from four to 72 hours if not treated. An attack requires the sufferer to have a bed rest. The frequency of its occurrence varies; one can suffer from it once or several times in a month or in a year.

A migraine typically starts in a certain area on one side of the head, then extend and builds in severity over 1 to 2 hours and then the throbbing pain slowly diminish. Migraine headache go together with lightheadedness, sensitivity to brightness, and chills.

Migraines may occur between the ages of 10 to 40 years old. In a number of instances, the migraine attacks usually diminishes or ends in later adult life, or when one is over 50 years old.

Hereditary links is often associated with migraine. Occurrence of the illness may happen among members of the family. Probably generic factors can be involved why a person is prone to being afflicted with it. Sufferers may acquire the sensitivity to cause what brings about inflammation in the blood vessels and nerves near the brain, resulting to pain. Nonetheless, migraine is not considered as a hereditary condition.

Aretaeus of Cappodocia (2nd century AD) is known as the “discoverer” of migraine because of his definitive descriptions of the illness. It was during this era that a number of causes of migraine were noted. Celsus (215-300 AD) accurately picture what is now acknowledged as among the common migraine triggers: wine in take, acid indigestion, cold, or glaring brightness from fire or sun.

In the ancient times, most migraine sufferers are male as medical documentations disclosed. Only a few narratives of the disorder in women can be established. Findings of an accepted study done just throughout the last century illustrated the dominance of the disease in women.

More women suffer from migraine. They comprise 75% of the migraine cases. In every 4 women 1 is suffering from it, while 1 of 12 men can go through it at some times in their life.

There are two classifications of migraines as to the symptoms they produce these are:

Ø Migraine with aura/Classic Migraine (with warning signs), and

Ø Migraine without aura Common Migraine (no warning signs).

Migraine with aura is characterized by an unusual sensation (aura) that is in occurrence 10 to 30 minutes prior to the head pain. The warning sign may include: queasiness, nausea, enlarge blind spots, blinking or zigzagging light, strange sounds or smell and parasthesia (lack of sensation) in victim’s face, tongue and extremities, verbal communication defects. The symptoms are the same as that of the common migraine except that the onset of throbbing is more abrupt.

Migraine without aura is the most prevalent type and may take place only in one area of the head. It progressively builds up to full excruciating intensity and is aggravated by continuous motion, light or noise. Nausea and vomiting are among the indication of the attack.

Migraine attacks have two phases: Preheadache phase and Actual headache phase. During the preheadache stage, the limitation of the arteries to supply blood to the brain leads to neurological disorder, while the actual headache phase, the arteries that transport the blood to the scalp are widened and the swollen blood vessels inflamed excruciatingly by the released of a number of body chemicals.

The exact reason for having migraine is not clear and yet to be discovered. One presumption is that blood vessels in areas of the brain go into become narrower which may be the explanation for the aura. The blood vessels may then expand afterwards, which may account for the headache. The blood vessels then little by little become normal again. It is now considered that several chemicals in the brain increase its activity to add up to any blood vessel action. There are apparent reasons why those who are afflicted with migraine undergo such changes.

The headache is oftentimes so intense that it impedes with regular routinely daily activity and may keep the person awake. The attack is weakening and migraine sufferers are usually left feeling crippled and exhausted after the head pain has passed.

Factors that triggers the condition are as follows:

· Some type of beverages, foodstuff, and food additives (e.g., red wine, alcohol, citrus fruits, chicken liver, nitrates, monosodium glutamate)

· Environment (e.g., weather, altitude, time zone changes)

· Sensory stilulation (e.g., bright light, hearing sounds, fragrances)

· Female hormonal

· Hunger

· Not enough hours of sleep

· Medical prescriptions

· Stress (e.g., anger, distress, overexertion, shock)

According to a recent study by the U.S. Census Bureau, over 45 million Americans are living without health insurance. And, as the cost of health coverage continues to climb, many employers are cutting back on health benefits, leaving employees to shoulder the financial burden.

Fortunately, there are some tips to employ to hold down the cost of health insurance premiums while maximizing your coverage.

You can stretch your premium dollars by:

• Buying group insurance. If your employer doesn’t offer health benefits, look into other groups with which you are affiliated. Alumni associations, professional groups and other organizations are often eligible to purchase small group polices.
• Shopping around. Many insurers offer similar policies for very different premiums. Shop around to compare both price and benefits covered to find the right policy for you.
• Increase your deductible. Raising your deductible—the amount you pay out of pocket—is a great way to lower your premium amount. Just make sure to select a deductible that won’t break the bank if you need to use your coverage.
• Understanding your coverages. Some extras like vision and mental health coverage can be removed to lower your premium without much risk to you.
• Staying healthy. More and more insurers are increasing premiums for smokers and overweight individuals. You can maintain the lowest possible premium by exercising regularly and upholding a healthy lifestyle.

If you’ve shopped around for a health insurance policy using the above tips and are still financially unable to afford adequate health coverage, additional resources may be available to you.

If you meet the eligibility requirements in your state, you may qualify for health coverage through state-sponsored programs or to receive other financial assistance to help pay your premiums. For more information on state-assisted health plans, contact the division of insurance in your state.

Health insurance is a key factor to maintaining your access to the nation’s healthcare system and preserving your health and that of your family members. Use the tips above to optimize your health coverage—and your bottom dollar!