Friday, April 24, 2009

Don't Drive without Auto Insurance in Virginia

The economy is dragging down many people all over the world, and this is definitely the case in the state of Virginia. With money becoming so tight, there are a lot of residents who are no longer paying for auto insurance. But guess what? They are still driving on a regular basis. This is a bad idea on a number of different levels. Not only is driving without auto insurance illegal in Virginia, as well as the other 49 states, but it can also put you in a bad financial situation should you be involved in an accident.

If you need Virginia auto insurance you should take the time to meet with a professional. There are many insurance agents all over the state who can help you get the right coverage for somebody in your shoes. And remember, just because you think that all auto insurance is expensive it does not mean that this is necessarily the truth. There are many types of Virginia car insurance policies that you can probably afford.

Upon meeting with a professional you can discuss what is available, and why it is important to have all the right types of coverage.

If you live in Virginia and are driving without car insurance you are asking to get in trouble with the law. Instead of living in fear and with a high level of stress, why not get in touch with an agent who sells auto insurance coverage? This is the easiest way to end up with a policy that protects you, your car, and your money.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/

Monday, March 9, 2009

Which Health Insurance Company in California is right for you?

Whether you already know it or not California has a lot of options for health insurance. There are companies that we all heard of and there are some companies that we never heard of. With all the Health Insurance Companies out there you might be wondering what the differences are and which one is right for you.

First in state of California the health insurance companies you should be looking at are; Aetna, Assurant, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, HealthNet, Kaiser, Nationwide, PacifiCare, Celtic and new company that is going to be available in state of California is Golden Rule. These are the largest carriers that are available in the State of California. If you are looking at any other company that was not mentioned previously, use caution. With all the health insurance premiums going up there are companies that prey on people with low premiums and coverage that does not cover anything. They are just out there to make a quick buck buy collection as much premiums as they can before you cancel your coverage. Stay away from companies that you never heard of, not matter what they tell you. If you hear something like, “affordable health insurance for self-employed", run.

Second what you have to understand that the actual cost of insurance no matter what company you go with is about the same. So how do insurance companies have so many different plans with different premiums? If it is a large insurance company and the company ran efficiently that is how you get great premium with great coverage. What creates variety of prices for coverage is the creative aspect of the insurance company designing their plans. The way they do it is by deductibles, co-pays, co-insurance, drug coverage deductibles, whether the plan covers brand name drugs or generic drugs only, maternity coverage, maximum out of pocket, deductible and co-pays for all kind of different services.

The name we all know is Blue Cross Blue Shield. Blue Cross has been around since the recession of 1929, and it used to cost only 1 cent a day. The times have changes since then, but the Blue Cross name is still around. Blue Cross has been over the years the most stable largest health insurance provider in the United States. Their strategy is to keep rates stable and have stable rate increases. While most other plans might lower their rates to get more people on their coverage and then keep increasing their rates. There fore as some plans might be more attractive in premiums at the moment over time eventually they have to catch up with the actual market health insurance rates. Sometime the company has to charge people more for health insurance in the future so they can give more affordable rates today. Blue Cross will give the one of the largest varieties of plans to choose from and you can always downgrade a plan without going through underwriting is the monthly premiums because to expensive.

The most competitive health insurance coverage you will be able to get in California today is through Aetna and once Golden Rule plans come out by United Health Care then Golden Rule plans are going to be the most completive plan. Every time most of the large insurance company enters a new state with a new plan they make that plan more combative just to capture the percentage of that market eventually the company will have to raise their rates to the market level. Aetna plans in California are the most competitive. This is where you can get the most coverage for your money. Keep in mind that the Aetna Individual plans in the state of California do not cover Maternity.

Assurant Health Plans is provided through Fortis Insurance Company which is the 26th largest company in the world and Fortis Insurance Company has been around since 1892. Assurant Health Plans are the most widely accepted and flexible plans that are available on the market today. Assurant Health Plans utilizes dozens of provider networks Nationwide to give you the worlds largest selections of doctors in United States and worldwide. Assurant Health Plans are the only plans that will cover you world wide as they will cover you in the United States. There is a big difference when insurance company says that you are covered for emergencies worldwide. Insurance company can make a final decision on whether that was true emergency or not. Assurant Health Plans have no such restrictions. Assurant is the only company that will allow you to move to different state without going through underwriting process all over again. That meant that with most companies even if it is a same company if you move from one state to another you have to cancel you policy in the current state and re-apply in the state that you are moving to. The down side with Assurant in some states is that they are not the most competitive and harder to get approved for. If you considering HSA plan Assurant is the best options available to individuals and families.

Blue Shield of California is great coverage especially if it is young family looking for a plan with maternity coverage and for a family where one of the adults on the plans is significantly younger than the other. Blue Shield bases their monthly premiums on the youngest primary policy holder. This can be any adult in the family. Blue Shield plans have low maximum out of pocket and wide acceptance with doctors. A lot of doctors in state of California prefer Blue Shield plans because Blue Shield reimburses them faster than most other insurance companies. Keep in mind that in some states Blue Cross and Blue Shield are the same company in state of California they are two different insurance companies competing for your business.

HealthNet of California is the insurance company available in western states. HealthNet family plans are affordable, have some of the lowest maximum out of pocket and designed for healthy individuals and families. The new line of plans form HealthNet are their popular no deductible PPO plans. Which are not the greatest plans for families. No deductible plans are not designed for families since they have extremely high maximum out of pocket witch might be a great fit for single healthy individuals. HealthNet of California also offers some of the best HMO plans available on the market.
HealthNet simple design and affordable plans are perfect match for healthy families. The way their family plans work is that once you meet your deductible HealthNet will pay 100% for all of your medical expenses after that. The down side is that their family plans do not cover regular sick doctor visits. The money that you are going to save monthly is going to be way worth no having doctor visits covered until the deductible is met. All you will get is negotiated rates that HealthNet has with doctors and hospitals. Your doctor office visits are going to cost you anywhere from $65 to $65 per visit.

Nationwide Health Plans have some of the great unique options that other plans just don't offer. The only way you can get Nationwide health plans is by being a member of California Farm Bureau. Anyone can become a member of California Farm Bureau also know as Farmers Association. Because it is a group plans it has some options available that most individual plans do not have. You still have to qualify medically to get health insurance through Nationwide. Nationwide offers some of the most comprehensive health plans available on the market today. Nationwide health plans offer low maximum out of pocket. Some plans that they offer work similar to the way HealthNet's plans work. Once you meet your deductible nationwide covers everything at 100% and Nationwide plans cover doctor visit before you meet your deductible and Nationwide is the only health insurance company that has no prescription drug deductible on most of their plans. If you are looking for the most competitive HSA plans, Nationwide will be your choice.

PacifiCare is company that has been available to Californians for a long time until recently they were bought by United Health Care. PacificaCare will be replaced by Golden Rule health plans. If you have PacifiCare you might want to find out if you will have to re-qualify medically for new health insurance once they take the company of the market. Golden Rule owned by United Health Care witch known as the quality company and recommended everywhere. If you are considering PacifiCare I would wait for Golden Rule or get something else.

Author : Dennis
http://www.articleclick.com/Article/Which-Health-Insurance-Company-in-California-is-right-for-you-/914712

Blue Cross Blue Shield Wins Award For World Class Customer Satisfaction

Blue Cross Blue Shield has earned high marks for customer satisfaction in the past five years and they are continuing to become better and better as the years progress in every aspect of their company. This year, for the second year in a row Blue Cross Blue Shield has been given an award called "World Class in Customer Satisfaction" in the category of health care industry. This award was given after clients from every health insurance company were surveyed and the highest ranked company was Blue Cross Blue Shield. Blue Cross Blue Shield has been helping residents of all 50 states save money on their health insurance as well as helping residents find the best plan for them at the best cost. During a time of economic insecurity such as now it is very important to most people to find a health insurance plan which is affordable, but also meets their needs. This is why Blue Cross Blue Shield is one of the most popular health insurance companies in the United States.

When people are looking to buy health insurance one of the first things that many people do is to see if their doctor or nurse is in the network of doctors or nurses in the network of the insurance company, one thing to keep in mind when doing this is not all hospitals are accepted by all insurance companies. This should be very important to anyone who makes frequent trips to the hospital or has young children who are likely to have to visit the hospital because of a broken bone. Also, ask yourself what is going to happen if something serious happens such as a car accident, or you get very sick and your doctors office isn't open and you have to go to a hospital? Or what if you are visiting friends and something happens when you are in another state? You should look into your insurance company and see how much it will cost you if you get stuck in one of these situations. Many people feel like they don't know who to ask about these types of questions, the answer is that they should call their insurance company and ask an agent for them. They are very knowledgeable in the area, and it is their job to give you information so that you can make the best decisions surrounding the situation.

Another thing to look at when you are going to purchase health insurance is just because two companies have the same amount for a deductible, doesn't mean that they are offering the same services. Both companies could have completely different types of coverage for the same price, which could be very misleading for people who don't ask for help from insurance agents. If you get in touch with an experience agent they can go through each plan and tell you where the differences are so that you can make the best choice for you and your family.

Author : Ronnie
http://www.articleclick.com/Article/Blue-Cross-Blue-Shield-Wins-Award-For-World-Class-Customer-Satisfaction/1180056

Does Where You Live Affect Your Auto Insurance Premium?

Your Zip Code and Your Car Insurance

What does your zip code have to do with your car insurance policy you ask? A lot! Where you live and what kind of neighborhood you have is also part of the criteria insurance companies use when determining your auto insurance premium. Knowing this fact will help you in shopping for insurance and can definitely get you better rate deals.

Your car insurance rates can skyrocket depending on where your house is located and how you use
your car. Consider this: If you live 20 miles away from your office and you drive to and from work every day, you would probably accumulate more mileage than say if you lived 10 miles away. The increased mileage would equal to a higher insurance premium. This is because more mileage means having a higher risk of getting into accidents.

Access to public transport can also work for you. If you do have access to trains and buses, this tells the insurance company that you can commute to work or any other place instead of using your vehicle. If you don't use your car regularly because you opt for the bus from time to time, your car insurance rate will decrease.

Your place of residence should also be in a safe neighborhood. If your area has a high crime rate, this would mean a higher car insurance premium since the risk of your car being stolen or vandalized is high. So if you are also shopping for a home, make sure to take this into consideration.

These tips can also help you if you are looking into moving to a different neighborhood. Not only will these factors affect your car insurance policy, they can also affect your shopping for house insurance. Make sure to calculate how much you will actually save on getting a cheap home as oppose to the amount of auto insurance you would have to pay annually.

Don't despair if you live in a zip code that is not favorable, however. Again, you can get a cheap car insurance rate if you use your vehicle wisely. By lessening the times that you use your car, you will lessen your auto insurance premium. Also, if you have a garage in your house, you can also use this as leverage with your insurer as this would lower the risk of auto theft .

If your house is located near a police station or government offices, that could be beneficial to you as well as this would show that there is a low risk of crime in the area. Schools, malls, or other establishments can also be mentioned to make your zip code favorable.

Make sure to also shop around the Internet for the best deal in car insurance rates. It does not mean that if one car insurance company quotes your zip as a high-risk area you should take their word for it. There are a lot of sources online that can help you get the cheapest car insurance rate available. You only need to be patient and look for the most favorable auto insurance rate out there.

Author : shay
http://www.articleclick.com/Article/Does-Where-You-Live-Affect-Your-Auto-Insurance-Premium-/1078737

Texas Health Insurance Plans Reach Out To Children Of The Lone Star State

Texas has been known to be hit with devastating storms coming up from the Gulf Coast. The most frequent types of storms to hit Texas are tropical cyclones as well as hurricanes, and a lot of the time if the actual storm does not reach Texas often the remains of the storms do. Along with bad weather these storms are normally associated with destruction and devastation, and most likely injury. Most people would assume that because the likelihood of these storms hitting Texas that made people would be prepared, and many are in every aspect except health insurance. Texas has the highest rate of uninsured Americans in the country mostly due to the high amount of poverty and the amount of immigrants living in Texas. For the thousands of people living in the Lone Star State who is insured under some type of Texas Health Insurance Plan should consider themselves lucky. Many of these people are barely getting by with the new monthly premiums that they have to pay. Recently, a mother of three young boys was interviewed about her new insurance policy, during the interview she told reporters that she often goes days without eating in order to give her children the healthcare that they need in order to be financially stable if someone in here family were to get injured or ill. She also said that she often has to go to yard sales and pawn shops in order to get what her family needs because of the cost of health care. This type of story is extremely sad but is becoming more common for residents living in the United States. What many Americans do not know is that for families who have a total income that is less than $40,000 a year, there is government assistance available for them to obtain health insurance.

Many people living in Texas would qualify for this type of Texas health insurance plan assistance, and the only reason why they have no applied for it yet is because they do not know about it. Texas Health Insurance Plans are normally available for low income individuals and families living in Texas. Also, if you have children and don't qualify for low income Texas health insurance plans there is a chance that your children may be eligible for free or very low cost health insurance. Children living in Texas, under the Insure Kids Now program many states have funding to get health insurance coverage for their kids. There is a toll free number in every state that can be used to contact each state's Insure Kids Now program, and after talking to them and finding out if your children are eligible you will be sent an application and a handbook about the program. This program has already done wonders for thousands of children living across the country, and has helped many parents who normally may not be able to purchase affordable health insurance for their children.

Author : Ronnie
http://www.articleclick.com/Article/Texas-Health-Insurance-Plans-Reach-Out-To-Children-Of-The-Lone-Star-State/1079228