Homeowners insurance policies have their limits.
Sometimes life just is not fair. You think you have done everything absolutely right and then circumstances show you everything is turning out wrong. So it is that you get to see the end of hope played out in court cases. You know it should never come to this but, when it comes to people’s lives, there are few real choices if you feel you want justice. You do your best to be reasonable. You offer to settle. But the other side just fights on. It all comes down to willpower. Whoever is strongest will be left standing.
We need to go back to a time before the recession. This was a time of great optimism. People were getting married and planning their families around the idea of buying a new home. The first home would be the perfect nest for their first child. Property values would continue to rise and, as the family grew, they would keep trading up and cashing in their positive housing equities. This one family found a new estate just starting to build. They signed a contract in which the builder said it would deliver a residence in “a perfect condition”. There was also a set of minimum warranties imposed through the New Home Warranty Act of 1986 in Louisiana. As a third string to their bow, there was a cheap home insurance policy. During a tropical storm, the roof leaked and the carpets were soaked. What the couple did not realize is that the water triggered the growth of a toxic mold behind the leaking walls. Their newborn baby’s health was permanently damaged by this mold and, during the resulting stresses and strains of medical treatment and disputes with the builders and the insurance company, their marriage collapsed.
In court, the three members of the family now claim for their losses. The parents claim for the loss of value in the property and the failed marriage. Their daughter claims for personal injuries. Midway through, the builder’s insurance company agrees to pay out on the loss in value of the house caused by the defective workmanship. In the end, the parent’s claim for failed marriage is dismissed because it was caused by the poor construction of their home and that claim was settled. The first moral to this story is that you can only make two claims when they are independent of each other. If one claims flows naturally from another, settling one means losing the other. But the daughter can claim because she was not a party to any of the contracts. Her remedy is in negligence for personal injuries. The builder and insurers are therefore looking at third party liability and that falls within the scope of the home insurance policy.
Unintentionally, the court has done the right thing. It has protected the interests of a baby whose life was wrecked by defective workmanship. It has approved the payment to the parents for the loss in value when the property became uninhabitable. But dismissed their claim because the marriage collapsed. These things happen and, unless in exceptional circumstances, they are not covered by homeowners insurance policies. The only problem is that, in arriving at this result, the parents are liable to pay the builder’s and the insurers’ costs. In effect, therefore, they get nothing out of all the stress of events and their legal consequences. Supposedly, they will be wiser for this experience.
Homeowners insurance does not cover damage to land.
What happens when the gulf oil comes ashore?
There is a sad fact of life when it comes to dealing with insurance companies. You should read all the small print before you buy a policy and, if you are surprised at how the insurer decides to interpret the policy when you make a claim, you must be ready with an attorney. Telling it as it is: insurance companies like to make a profit. If they have to pay out too many big claims, their profit starts getting small. That gives them an incentive to keep finding new ways to avoid paying out. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast, home owners discovered their policies covered storm damage, but limited or excluded claims arising from flooding. The cause of much of the damage was a storm surge where the wind drove the water to higher than usual levels. The issue for the courts was whether the resulting damage was covered as storm damage or excluded as flood damage. The practical reality was that, for the people whose homes were damaged, the precise cause and effect mattered little. They had lost their homes. For the insurance companies, the courts were deciding claims worth billions of dollars. Needless to say, the courts at state and federal levels gave often wildly different interpretations and produced very different results. That is what happens when vast numbers of people line up to sue multiple defendants. Some win. Some lose.
One of the more interesting outcomes of the litigation was the decision of some insurance companies to stop selling policies in the Gulf states. They gave as their reason the increasingly uncertain legal environment. The companies that still write home insurance coverage now have different language. Policyholders hope the law will be on their side. The attorneys acting the the insurance industry remain confident they now have their clients protected.
Over the last few weeks, we have been watching a new slow-motion threat emerge in the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon rig operated by BP exploded and, with the pipe broken on the sea bed, crude oil is now pumping out into the water. Oil has already started to come ashore in Louisiana. Residents in the other states are taking out their policies to see what the small print says. So let’s say the average home owner with a property on the coast has a standard home insurance policy, federal flood insurance, hurricane and windstorm coverage, sinkhole coverage, and so on. What will happen when the oil comes? Well, there will be terms allowing claims in the event of an explosion. Unfortunately, the destruction of the rig happened too far away for it to count directly. A court would have to find the explosion was the main cause of the oil coming onshore. Winds and tides play their part in this process. So then we come to the terms allowing claims if the property is damaged by “pollutants”. Crude oil is a natural substance and not a pollutant as defined by insurers. But it is possible that, if it did damage the structure of your property, you would have a claim. Except, most properties are built on the land, not on stilts over the sea. Very few homeowners insurance policies cover damage to the land on which the house stands. The result? Win or lose, a lot of attorneys are going to get rich suing BP.
Auto insurance and your age
There are many people out there who still don’t know how insurance providers calculate their rates for insuring their autos. It comes to the point when people ask their insurance agents why their neighbors have lower rates while driving the same car and getting insurance form the same provider? Unfortunately, it’s quite common for insurance industry workers to deal with cases like this, because lack of necessary knowledge makes the customers very suspicious and unfriendly.
To go straight with the question, there are different factors that will impact the rates you will be charged for insuring your auto. One of the most important factors is the age of the policyholder. They say that age doesn’t matter. Well, probably for many other things it really doesn’t matter, however when it comes to insuring your vehicle, age plays a very important role in the overall equation. Below you will find some explanations on why the policyholder’s age plays such an important role and in what way does it influence the final rates.
Fresh drivers behind the wheel
Insurance company statistics tell that younger drivers tend to take risk far more often when behind the wheel than those who have are older and have more experience in driving. The direct consequence of such tendencies is that teen drivers tend to get involved in serious accidents far more often than drivers from other age groups. That is why insurance companies charge young inexperienced drivers with higher rates. However, if the young driver maintains a good record and doesn’t file any claims for a specific period of time, the rates can be reduced significantly.
Gender
This may sound la bit sexist, however there’s pure statistical fact that women tend to be more attentive and careful while being behind the wheel than men. Women file far less claims when having auto insurance, that’s why they usually have cheap auto insurance as compared to their male peers. However, male drivers still have the possibility to prove that they are better drivers by maintaining a good clean driver’s record and not getting involved in any traffic accidents. This way you can opt for premium discounts that will diminish the difference in rates according to gender.
Safety measures
Auto insurance is closely related to safety and security of the vehicle. The safer is the car, the less likely its owner to file an insurance claim, which eventually leads to lower premiums as compared to riskier vehicles. Things like anti-theft devices, alarms, airbags, additional seat belts, anti-lock brakes and other features that are used for increasing the safety and security of your vehicle will substantially reduce your rates regardless of your age. However, before installing such gadgets into your vehicle, make sure that your insurance company will provide you with such a discount and make sure that the devices you are trying to install comply with the company’s requirements. Still, having a secure and safe vehicle matters a lot, even if you don’t get a special discount for that.
Homeowners insurance is getting more expensive in Texas.
Tough times for the Commissioner
One of the most important lessons of the last two years is that having regulators in place does not mean having consumer safety. Wherever you look from the failure of the SEC to police the banking industry, to the failure of the FDA to keep food and drugs safe, to the failure of the Minerals Management Service to prevent the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, it’s clear the regulators have been asleep at the wheel of a Toyota car speeding out of control thanks to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It does not matter who you want to blame: the politicians who take the money of business and industry to pay for their expensive election campaigns, the leaders of business and industry who want the maximum profit with no accountability, or the regulators who sit in the middle and hope no one will notice they do nothing. The result has been a catastrophic series of failures. And who gets to pick up the bill? Why taxpayers and consumers, of course. Tax revenues are used to bail out the companies too big to be allowed to fail, and everyone who buys goods and services gets to pay a little more every year in prices to keep the wheels well greased.
Why are we thinking about this right now? Well, every US state has a department or office of insurance run by a Commissioner who is supposed to protect our interests. In some states where the political wind blows more to the left, the Commissioners can be crusaders who protect our interests. But in states where the political wind blows to the right, the lawmakers pass weak regulations and fail to back-up the regulators who might want to “do something”. A classic example of the problem can be seen in Texas where the Commissioner has been fighting a losing battle with the insurance industry in general and State Farm in particular.
State Farm submitted rate plans announcing its intention to raise premium rates by 13%. The reality has proved rather different with some ZIP codes seeing hikes of up to 39%. Not surprisingly, the Commissioner is angry and has posted a lot of the correspondence on the state website. It seems State Farm thought the 13% increase was justified because of rising costs in the building industry for both materials and labor. It was also concerned this year might see more hurricanes, tornadoes and hailstorms. The Commissioner is also telling State Farm policy holders where to find cheaper coverage. He is fighting what he terms the insurer’s deceptions and misstatements. Even the lawmakers have become concerned as Texas now has the second highest average rates in the US for homeowners insurance cover. They are actually talking about giving the Commissioner the power to refuse premium increases!
Let’s be clear. There is nothing wrong with an insurance company increasing its rates to cover rising costs. If it believes there will be more losses in the next year, it can raise rates. But State Farm has crossed a line in Texas and even a GOP state can fight back when the electorate starts to complain. As it stands, if you live in Texas, you should check out the Commissioner’s website at Texas Department of Insurance for the latest information on the State Farm situation. You should also get the maximum possible number of homeowners insurance quotes to find cheaper alternatives to the State Farm policies.
Health insurance through Health Savings Accounts
Health Savings Accounts (or HSAs) have become a very popular form of health coverage these days because of their tax deduction policy and the ability to accumulate additional funds as a retirement plan. However, despite the numerous benefits customers get with HSAs, the main reason for thousands of Americans to choose this form of insurance over other option are of course the lower premiums. And to make the most out of your HSA here are some tips on how to get those premiums even lower.
1. Select an HSA-qualified plan to have lower increase rates.
In general the costs of insuring your health are constantly rising, despite the economical situation in the country. For group plans the average increase was about 10% during the last seven years, while individual plans had even more dramatic tendencies towards increase. On the other hand, HSAs had only 3.4% increase rate over the past year and many insurance companies report that claim costs with such accounts are much lower than with traditional insurance plans. Moreover, the premiums has clients pay out have dropped by almost 20% over the last two years, which of course is a very pleasant trade for those who have to pay out of their pockets.
The reason behind such trends is quite simple. People who use HSA plans tend to be more cautious and accurate when it comes to using the coverage. They are better informed and tend to make optimal decisions when dealing with own health. A simple choice of generic drugs over branded variations, which is quite common in HSA users, contributes to the lowering of rates and premiums.
2. Increase the amount of deductible with the increase of your HSA account.
Taking the accumulative nature of HSAs into account, the constant growth of the emergency funds allows increasing the deductible from time to time, as you don’t risk paying it out of pocket. And by increasing the deductible you lower your rates, which are initially less than those you have with typical individual and group health insurance plans. Moreover, the tax-deduction nature of such accounts offer great options for depositing more and more money with each year passing, that in turn makes the overall cost of an HSA even lower.
3. Keep up the good shape.
All group and individual health insurance plans are subject to rate increase from time to time. And unfortunately HSAs aren’t an exception. When your rates go up to the point you feel you’re overpaying, you can always switch companies for better rates. However, of your health condition isn’t quite good you may get even higher rates after going through the medical checkup for another plan. That is why it always pays to keep up the good shape and prevent any conditions from occurring.
Fact is that the vast majority of health conditions are caused by unhealthy lifestyle. Being physically active, having a balanced diet and avoiding numerous medications can prevent a lot of diseases and keep you healthy for a lot longer.
4. Compare health insurance quotes on a regular basis.
When renewal time comes, always make sure to compare the offers from other companies as well. It may turn out that switching to another company may give you far greater benefits and lower rates than staying with your current one. So it always pays to be up to date with the current situation on the local HSA market.
Auto insurance purchasing FAQ
Q: Should I carry insurance with my car?
A: Almost all states make it mandatory for the car owner to carry insurance with his vehicle as a proof of financial liability in case there’s damage or injury delivered to third parties while being on the road. Not having sufficient insurance coverage (lower than the state minimum) is illegal and may result in a substantial fine, license suspension and even time in custody. This only applies to the liability portion of your insurance policy, as other types of coverage are strictly optional.
Q: Should I purchase insurance prior buying a new car?
A: In case you’re purchasing your first car, you should definitely buy insurance first, otherwise you won’t be able to drive it from the dealer’s shop. Moreover, if you’re using a car loan to finance the purchase, your loan provider will make it a strict condition to purchase specific insurance in order to get the money you need.
In case you already have a car and want to replace it with a new one, you should inform your insurance provider about that and get new rates for the car make and model you want to purchase. You usually have between 2 to 4 weeks to contact your provider regarding the purchase, depending on the company.
In case you’re purchasing an additional vehicle and want to include it in your current policy, the regulations vary from company to company. Usually, companies require notification within a period of 30 days, after which they will inform you about approval (or non approval).
Q: How to get cheap auto insurance rates?
A: First of all, shop around to see what different providers on the market have to offer. You will notice that different companies set different rates for the same car and amount of insurance. This is because of competition, different claims history, and classification of vehicles and drivers. So make sure to get as much quotes as you can in the first place and choose the most competitive policy from what you are offered with.
You can also buy an insurance-friendly car, if you’re looking for a new vehicle at the moment. Ask the dealer or the insurance agent, which cars tend to get lower rates. Sports cars, performance vehicles, SUVs, convertibles and luxury cars are usually more expensive to insure. Stay with the middle class cars that have high safety and security rating.
You can also increase your deductible, however it’s a risky technique. By increasing your deductible you increase the amount of money you’ll have to pay before the policy coverage kicks in. For example, if you have a deductible of $1,000 then you’ll have to pay for any damage below this amount out of own pocket. So make sure to choose a deductible you can afford.
Q: How can I get cheap auto insurance for my teen?
A: First of all, don’t haste to get insurance for your teen while he or she is still going through the learning process of driving a car. Wait until your teen driver gets a permanent license and then you can look for auto insurance coverage.
Second, see if your teen qualifies for the good grades discount, which applies to students with an average of B and higher. Most insurance providers offer such a discount.
Third, think of purchasing a less costly, old car for your teen that will assure lower insurance rates at the initial stage.
And don’t forget that your teen has to maintain a clean driver’s record in order to keep those rates low.
Car insurance – health costs force rise in premiums
Even though the warring parties cannot agree on any policies to reform the healthcare industry, there is some agreement that what we have now is broken. Looking around the world makes for depressing comparisons. As a nation, we pay a higher percentage of our wealth on healthcare, but receive a significantly inferior product. More people die through lack of adequate care in our country. This year, as if to add insult to injury, the insurers have been pushing through major increases in premium rates. Ironically, it was these increases, in part, that allowed President Obama to push the reluctant Democrats into passing the reform bill. Sadly, the signing of the bill into law has not stopped the premium increases. We are all paying more. As a less publicized side effect, these rises in health costs have also been passed on to drivers. The coverage on liability and other policies includes payment for the treatment of anyone injured in a traffic accident. Insurance companies are for-profit. If their costs go up, those costs get passed on to the policyholders.
Within the US, there are two different systems for insuring drivers. In some states, we have the no-fault system that pays out to those injured no matter who caused the injury. In theory, this is a more cost-effective system because it removes the need for expensive litigation to work out who to blame. Focussing only on how much is needed to repair all the damage saves time and money. In Michigan, this is a two-tier process. The for-profit insurers sell the policies but, if any given claim exceeds a specific amount, the additional compensation is paid by a non-profit reinsurer called the MCCA (Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association). The MCCA recently raised its levy to the insurers by $18 per vehicle per year. Inevitably, the for-profit insurers immediately passed this amount on to the policyholders.
The other system is a traditional for-profit model. In America, insurers are allowed to add their profit margin on to every amount they have to pay. In Europe, insurers are allowed to make a profit on the basic car insurance element in an auto policy, but cannot make a profit on paying medical costs. European health insurance companies make a profit when they sell health plans. The insurer’s right to add a margin is strictly controlled.
All this should tell you the American insurance model is pro business and against the consumers’ interests. You are entitled to see only good. This is how capitalism is supposed to work. We should all pity the poor Europeans who live under these socialist governments. They only pay profits to the insurance industry on the core elements of each policy. We should be thankful our premium rates increase to add a new profit margin every time repair shops, tow companies, car rental firms, hospitals and drug companies increase their prices. For those of you in search of cheap car insurance, get multiple quotes through this site and look through them all carefully to identify where additional discounts and savings may be found. It is up to you to protect your own interests. If this means buying insurance through an internet-only company rather than supporting companies with the maximum number of employees, this is your right. You do not care whether you are supporting the employment of your fellow Americans. All you want is cheap car insurance.
Auto insurance tips on drunk driving
It’s really hard to avoid family meetings and friend parties during the festive seasons or on special occasions. When holidays come, it’s a real chance to meet all the family members and friends that you haven’t seen for a long time. And we all know, that there’s no way you can avoid drinking alcohol during such meetings. The festive spirit is indivisible with some drinking and it’s really hard to find a person that refuses this long-time tradition.
However, you should bear in mind that drunk driving is not acceptable even during the holiday season. No matter if it’s Christmas Eve or Thanksgiving Day, you will be punished severely if you get caught while driving drunk. Your license will be suspended and you are likely to spend some time in custody. There’s an old tip for situations like this, however many people seem to forget about it. If you’re going to a family or friend meeting that will definitely involve wine, brandy, beer or any other alcoholic beverage, make sure you have a person who will drive you back and will be sober during the meeting. You can call a taxi if no one is willing to stay dry. Yes, even if you have car insurance coverage this doesn’t mean that you have the right to get drunk and drive.
Insurance coverage is there to pay for the damage or injuries caused by accidents. It involves a monthly premium in return to the necessary financial support in case of an accident, but it doesn’t mean that it will cover the situations when you make traffic mistakes on purpose or due to intoxication. And that’s exactly the case of drunk driving.
Insurance companies are well-aware of the risks involved in drunk driving and know that the holiday season is statistically the most intense period of time in terms of insurance claims. Drivers who end up in accidents while driving intoxicated risk having their policies voided or their premiums raised substantially. If you do not want to risk your insurance coverage, especially if you have cheap auto insurance here are some tips from the insurance companies to follow:
- Avoid drinking too much. Stay within your limits to be able to control yourself when the meeting is over.
- Real friends do not let their drunken friends take the wheel. If you see that your friend had more than enough, call a taxi or make sure someone sober drives him or her home.
- If your meeting or party is far away from your home and you will need to drive a lot to get there, it’s better to rent a room in a hotel or motel nearby and stay there for the night instead of getting behind the wheel intoxicated.
- Auto insurance providers take the holiday season statistics in regard and usually raise the premiums to be paid if someone wants to take advantage of additional coverage namely during this period of time. It’s definitely no the season to be looking for cheap auto insurance policies.
Car insurance buying FAQ
Q: Am I obliged to carry insurance coverage with my auto?
A: Nearly all states in the US legally require all drivers to have minimum amounts of liability coverage with their vehicles. In each state the minimum amounts of liability coverage are different, and not meeting these requirements usually leads to fines, suspension of license and even prison time. Even in states where insurance coverage is not a legal requirement, you should carry financial proof of your ability to pay for the damage caused in case of an accident. When it comes to other types of insurance coverage, outside liability protection, these are purely optional in all states and don’t have any legal limits or requirements.
Q: Do I need an insurance policy before buying a car?
A: In case you’re buying your first auto and never had any insurance before, you will need to buy a policy first in order to be able to take the car from the dealer. Moreover, if you’re financing the purchase using an auto loan, your lending company is likely to impose you with specific insurance requirements in order to perform the purchase.
If you already have an insurance policy and changing cars you have 2-4 weeks to inform your insurance company about the change, and the provider will adjust your insurance rates to the respective car make and model. Remember to inform your provider on time, otherwise you risk having no coverage with your new vehicle for a certain period of time.
If you’re simply adding a new car to an existing policy without getting rid of the old one, the rules vary from company to company. Some providers automatically provide coverage for the newly-added vehicle, while others require you to notify them about the addition in a specified period of time. It’s better to ask your agent about that first.
Q: How to get cheap auto insurance?
A: First of all, get as many auto insurance quotes from different providers as possible. This will allow you to comparison shop for the best policy, and most of you know how comparison shopping helps getting the lowest price for the best product or service. The rule applies here, too.
If you’re looking into purchasing a new car you should consider its insurance costs too. Ask the insurance agent about the most insurance-friendly vehicles if the rates really matter for you. Usually, the cars with the lowest theft rates, low repair costs, and good safety scores are the cheapest to insure. And this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to buy a cheap car in order to get cheap car insurance.
Other ways of lowering your rates include certain financial risks, however they are perfectly legal. First of all you can increase your deductibles and your rates will automatically go down, however you will be required to pay more out of own pocket before the coverage actually kicks in. You can also revise your coverage amounts, and set them lower than initially. However, it is highly recommended that you carry more liability coverage than the state minimum requirements in order to assure you have the necessary funds for paying out a serious accident.
Auto insurance for teen drivers
Teenagers can’t hide their excitement when the time comes and they are old enough to drive their own cars and have their own driver’s license. What should a parent expect when the time comes and the teen gets behind the wheel? This is the question that bothers most parents. There’s no secret that teen drivers are the hardest to control and they tend to take a lot of risk due to their overconfidence and the desire to show off in front of their colleagues or friends. And there are a lot of accidents with young drivers being involved. With all that in mind a typical parent becomes very agitated and tries to find the best insurance solution for their young car owner. However, due to the trends linked to young drivers, teenager auto coverage is rarely a cheap service as compared to standard insurance policies. Most insurance companies charge higher rates for teen drivers, and if your young car owner chose a sports vehicle as his or her first car, expect to pay a lot for the insurance.
Teen drivers sure get quite unhappy because of such situation, however there are certain reasons for this that just can’t be overlooked by insurance companies. The statistics are objective, showing that the number of teen drivers getting involved in accidents each year is greater than with older drivers. That it often caused by the lack of practical driving experience and the general risk-taking attitude most teen drivers share. No surprise that insurance companies are setting higher rates for young drivers, as they need to assess their risks correspondingly. It may seem that there’s no way to get cheap auto insurance for a young driver but it is not so. There are simple tips on how to minimize teen insurance rates and here are some of them.
First of all, make the teen forget about a stylish sports car that roars with speed and power with the slightest push over the gas pedal. Don’t buy a small car too. The best choice for young inexperienced driver will be a larger car, preferably a sedan that will be both big enough to survive a serious crash and safe enough to keep your teen protected. Whether used or new, the car should carry all the necessary safety feature and be just as fast as needed, not over the top or too slow.
A used car is better for a young driver, first of all because it will be cheaper to insure and because sooner or later your teen will have an accident. And it’s cheaper repairing an old car than wasting your nerves and money on trying to fix an expensive new ride. This may be not the cheapest car insurance option, but it sure will save you a lot of cash before your teen gets older.
And don’t forget about discounts. First of all, you should teach your young driver how to maintain a good driving record. The cleaner it is, the lower will be his or her premiums, so you should convince your teen to drive safely. Good students can opt for discounts too. Most insurance companies offer discounts to students with an average of B and above, so that should be a good kick for better marks too.
