Sunday, December 30, 2007

5 Steps to Cheaper Home Owners Insurance

When you are looking to make any major purchase or take out any long term insurance the first thing you should do is arm yourself with all the facts you need and this is by no means any different with your home owners insurance. Work out the value of your home and write up a list of the personal items in your home. This list should include absolutely everything that you would need to replace in the event of it being damaged beyond repair, stolen or broken. This itinerary will not only prove useful for calculating the level of cover you require but also for making a claim should the need arise.

Calculating your cover.

Home owners insurance is a little different to other insurance. Car insurance uses book value of your car, the insurance company being safe in the knowledge that you will be able to replace your car should the unthinkable happen. Going out and buying a house is a little different to this. There isn't a set value on a house and you can't just buy the house itself. In order to come up with a value on your home you need to find out the market value for similar houses in a similar area. In order to reduce the cost of your monthly premium you should seriously consider excluding a small amount of the money because while you need to insure the building and outbuildings you don't to insure the surrounding or housing land.

Shopping around.

This is the key aspect to gaining cheaper home owners insurance and is a step that has been made much easier with the introduction of the Internet. Comparison sites are regularly available that will allow you to get quotes from a large number of home owners insurance companies. This will give you a much better picture of the type of price you should expect to be paying and will let you decide which policy has the best cover combined with the cheapest price.
Selecting your home owners insurance policy.

Once you've got your list of quotes in you should be able to tell pretty quickly which of the offers appears the best. Check it over to make sure it offers exactly what you are looking for and if it does you are onto a winner. If there are a couple of quotes around the same price look them all over to see if any have outstanding extra services that may make you give them slight preference over the others.

Renewal time.

You will need to renew your policy or change insurance provider on an annual basis and when this time comes you should check that the policy you are applying for still has everything you need. By doing this you will be able to stay on top of the prices you are paying and the coverage you are receiving.


To read more about free online insurance quotes for homeowners, auto, life, health, car and long term care insurance, visit http://www.freeinsurancequotes.us for the latest articles, news and tips on all types of insurance.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

A Buyer's Guide to Medical Insurance

Buying travel health insurance can be a complex task. There are so many different plans - each with different benefits and restrictions.

It is important to shop wisely for trip insurance. Many people buy coverage that seems inexpensive only to find out that they are not adequately covered when a medical emergency occurs. Below are a few key questions you should ask your insurance provider before purchasing trip insurance:

- What is not covered by the policy? Insurance companies call these "exclusions," and every policy has them.

- Are there specific exclusions relating to sports or other activities?

- Does the plan have a deductible that you must pay each time you file a claim?

- Does the plan deny benefits if your medical emergency arises because of a "pre-existing condition or health problem”?

Knowing the answers to these questions can help you avoid unpleasant surprises when you make a claim. Make sure you understand exactly what your trip insurance plan covers. When in doubt, call your insurer. A reputable insurance company can give you straight answers to your questions. Most offer toll free numbers so you can call them directly from wherever you are.

If you find that a plan has too many restrictions and complications, or that your questions are not being answered satisfactorily, do not hesitate to look somewhere else.

A comprehensive travel health insurance plan usually covers the following emergency medical expenses:

1. Hospital accommodations
2. Medical bills such as those for a physician, surgeon, and anesthetist
3. Ambulances
4. Diagnostic services such as laboratory tests and x-rays
5. Private registered nurses
6. Medical aids such as slings or splints, and the temporary rental of wheelchairs or walkers
7.Prescription drugs
8. Cost of returning a deceased back home

Remember that when it comes to insurance, you get what you pay for. When shopping around for trip insurance, it is important to keep in mind that not all insurance policies are alike. Be aware of minor price variations between insurance companies (the cheapest may not be the best company to deal with when you have a claim.)


For more information, visit http://www.visitorstocanada.com/buyersguide.html.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Types of Long Term Care Insurance

Regardless of what some people might think, medical insurance will not cover the expenses and services that long term care insurance covers.


There are three types of long term care insurance. The first plan is the skilled nursing care. It has to be ordered by a physician and the patient must be able to fully recover form his or her illness or injuries. It involves a treatment plan, skilled therapy with a licensed therapist and nursing care.


Intermediate nursing care is another type of long term care insurance. Likes skilled nursing care it must be ordered by a physician and the patient must be able to recover from their illness or injury. Unlike skilled nursing care, Intermediate nursing care is not provided on a daily basis. It depends on what treatment and therapy plan tht the doctor has ordered. It is basically a prescribed as needed to get well plan.


The custodial nursing care plan is the full coverage plan of long term care insurance. Custodial care includes daily nursing care and nursing assistance walking, eating, bathing and other hygiene matters, and also includes colostomy and catheter use, as well. Custodial care can be an in home care plan, an assisted living care plan or a nursing home plan. It can range from a few hours per week to 24 hours per day. The intention is that the patient will not be able to recover from their injuries or illnesses.


Studies how that 40% of the people who receive any type of long term care services are under the age of 65. Studies also show that there is a 50% chance that a person will need some type of long term care service after the age 65.


Long term care insurance is right for many people, but if you are in the position that you can pay for your care with assets then long term care insurance might not be the best idea.