Getting Cheap Insurance

Report: More people seek health insurance help

Linda Bayers — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:28:27 +0000

Maryalene LaPonsie has been writing professionally for more than a decade on topics including education, insurance and personal finance. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Western Michigan University.

Patients increasingly are looking for help to navigate health insurance needs and concerns, according to a report from the Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF).

PAF reports the number of individuals served by its case management program jumped 24.3 percent in 2011. Last year, PAF assisted 103,112 people, an 86.2 percent increase from 2009.

People seek the help of PAF regarding issues related to health insurance access, medical debt and job retention.

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Declined or Rated for Life Insurance: What are Your Options?

Oliver Twist — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:59:45 +0000

If you ask Paula Cook, Certified Health Insurance Specialist and account manager for Bingham Group Services Corp. in Vancouver, B.C., she’ll tell you that the industry statistics lie, as far as how many Canadians are actually declined for life insurance.

“The ‘standard answer’ that you will hear from the market players is 10-15%, but the ‘real answer’ is closer to 40%,” she says.

So, what happens if you are one of those unlucky 40% that finds themselves declined for life insurance or rated (required to pay a higher than normal premium) on a life insurance policy? What are your options?

In Cook’s opinion, the prognosis doesn’t look good.

Full Article…

What We Are Really Like

Tomas Craft — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:25:27 +0000

In pop culture, life insurance agents often get cast in a less than flattering light, but Im going to tell you one of my favorite stories that may change your view.

My sister-in-law Annes mother died several years ago. She was 75 and had lived a long, full life, which included raising five children on her own. Her husband had died when the children were young—Anne was small at the time.

Fortunately her father had had the foresight to buy life insurance. He realized, even as a young man, that it was important to put protection in place for his wife and five children, in case something were to happen to him. His wife, however, was not pleased about that money going toward premium payments. S

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New-car transaction prices peak according to study

Oliver Twist — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:42:25 +0000

A recent study suggests that the prices of new cars are at some of their highest levels in recent memory.

According to car pricing website TrueCar.com*, the average transaction price for light vehicles in the United States in March was nearly $30,750. Thats 7 percent ahead of the average in March 2011, or what translates to roughly $1,944. On a monthly basis, transaction prices rose 0.5 percent or $143.

Jesse Toprak, industry and insights vice president at TrueCar.com, said this bodes well for automakers, suggesting that theyve hit the right balance between supply and demand.

“The auto manufacturers have finally found their sweet spot, with the production of vehicles meeting the demand of consumers, keeping incentives to a minimum,” said Toprak.

Full Article…

Medical Bills: Sticker Shock And Confused Consumers

Linda Bayers — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:39:28 +0000

You’re enjoying a quiet weekend at home when suddenly you double over in pain. You need emergency appendectomy surgery. How much should it cost? And how much price shopping are you able to do?

According to a provocative new UCSF analysis, patients are all too often left in the dark about how and what hospitals charge for their medical care – even in the face of a mounting push nationally for consumers to have a voice in how their health care dollars are spent.

The study looked at nearly 20,000 cases of routine appendicitis at 289 hospitals and medical centers throughout California. The patients – all adults – were admitted for three or fewer days. Full Article…

Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance for Seniors

Oliver Twist — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:10:08 +0000

Guaranteed issue life insurance provides life insurance without a medical and with no health questions.

This is different than simplified issue life insurance, which is also available without a medical, but has anywhere from three to 12 health questions. Guaranteed issue policies have higher premiums and lower face amounts than simplified issue plans and most have a waiting period on the death benefit of two years or longer.

BMO Insurance is one of the leading providers of guaranteed issue life insurance for seniors.

Full Article…

Court Wonders Which Parts Of Law — If Any — Can Stand Without The Mandate

Tomas Craft — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:37:32 +0000

In exploring the severability question, the justices will ponder whether other parts of the health law can go forward if they void the individual mandate, considered the measure’s central element. News outlets examine the “contingency plans” being explored by the law’s supporters in case the mandate falls.

NPR: Court Looks At Whether Mandate Can Separate From Rest Of Health Law In its second-to-last argument over the Affordable Care Act Wednesday, the Supreme Court Wednesday ponders a what-if. Specifically, if it decides that Congress exceeded its Constitutional authority in enacting the part of the law that requires most Americans to either have health insurance starting in 2014 or pay a penalty, does that invalidate the rest of the law?

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Dragging Your Feet Is No Way To Take Care Of Your Family!

Linda Bayers — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:13:59 +0000

Being primarily an impaired risk life insurance agent I get to talk to a lot of people about diseases and problems they didnt have even just a few years prior. Especially guys have this bombproof thing going on where they truly believe as long as they work hard and have regular bowel movements theres no reason to rush into buying life insurance.

I am guessing the majority of guys would never buy life insurance without sufficient prodding by their bride. Even then, if there isnt good follow through by the wife, guys are famous for starting a process and then dropping it because something important came up. Golf season starts. Hunting season is coming. Afraid they wont get the best rate.

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Seattle lawmakers target unlicensed chauffeurs

Oliver Twist — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 05:42:14 +0000

Lawmakers in Washington State are putting unlicensed town-car drivers on notice: Get licensed, or face the consequences.

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, there are a number of town cars in the city posing as taxi cabs, stealing business away from legitimate taxi and chauffeur operations. In order to legally serve as a state-recognized ferrying service, town cars and limousines must be registered and licensed with the Department of Licensing.

The paper reports that if the bill passes, it would give the city’s Consumer Affairs Unit the same kind of authority that they have over the taxi industry.

Full Article…

Study Suggests Consolidation Of Health Plans May Help Lower Hospital Costs

Linda Bayers — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:04:43 +0000

Increased consolidation among health plans nationally may benefit consumers by lowering hospital prices, at least in those regions where health plans are the most consolidated, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Researchers found that hospital prices were about 12 percent lower in the metropolitan areas with the fewest health plans, lending support to the view that when health plans become bigger they can negotiation lower prices from health providers. The study, published in the September edition of the journal Health Affairs, also found that regions where hospital ownership is more consolidated generally have higher hospital prices. But those prices can be driven lower when health plans also are consolidated. Full Article…

The Best Times to Buy a Life Insurance Policy

admin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:02:32 +0000

Even though buying a life insurance policy may seem like a tricky process to complete, it is actually a lot easier than you imagine. Before we go over the details on how to choose the right life insurance policy to purchase, we are going to take a look at the best times to buy life coverage. Let’s get started, shall we?

It is always best to plan ahead and start early when it comes to buying a life insurance policy. Even as a college student, you can benefit from having proper life insurance coverage; the cash value of your life insurance grows perpetually as the insurance policy matures, so starting early means earning more returns in the long run.

You may also want to consider buying a life insurance policy as you start your career. A Full Article…

Celebrate Organize Your Home Office Day by Reviewing Your Business Insurance

Tomas Craft — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 02:19:32 +0000

Tell the truth—does your home office look a little untidy, cluttered, disorganized? Do you plan to get it under control as soon as you can find the time, but worry that the “time” will never come? If so, you’re not alone.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 64 percent of self-employed people do at least some work at home. For these entrepreneurs and small-business owners, it can be challenging to keep paperwork under control when there are so many other priorities on their to-do list. And it’s not just a matter of knowing where to put what. Being org

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Fidelity National Financial Q4 net income rises

Tomas Craft — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:01:29 +0000

US-based property insurer Fidelity National Financial has reported a net income of $172.7m, or $0.78 diluted earnings per share, for the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to $130.8m, or $0.58 diluted earnings per share, for the same period in 2010.

The total revenues for the fourth quarter of 2011 decreased to $1.27bn, compared to $1.53bn for the same period in the prior year.

Commercial revenue increased 2% to $103.8m, compared to $102.1m for the same period in the previous year.

Total title premiums declined 19% to $873m, compared to $1.07bn for the same period in the last year.

Fidelity National CEO George Scanlon said that despite a 14% decline in total title operating revenue associated with a decline in closed orders and an 8% reduction in our agent count, they strengthened the pre-tax title margin, excluding realized gains and losses, to 11.7% versus 11.2% in the fourth quarter of 2010.

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Joint First-to-Die Life Insurance

Oliver Twist — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:06:12 +0000

Joint first-to-die life insurance policies cover both individuals (almost exclusively spouses) under one policy, while individual life insurance policies create two individual plans for each insured.

Some companies offer multi-life policies, which are essentially individual policies, but under one plan. Unlike joint first-to-die policies, multi-life policies stipulate that if one spouse dies, the other spouse can continue the coverage at the initial policy premiums.

Joint first-to-die policies also offer cost savings to the insured, but they do come with limitations.

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Case Study: Getting a Second Opinion on Professional Liability Insurance

Linda Bayers — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:20:05 +0000

Getting comparative quotes is a simple matter of being diligent as a consumer.
Before you decide that you don’t have the time to consider a second opinion, take a moment to review the following quotes we developed for an 8 person architecture firm.