Auto Insurance

Posts Tagged ‘Health Insurance’

 

1. Raise your deductible.

A higher deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage can lower your auto insurance rates. For example, increasing your deductible from $200 to $500 could cut your collision cost by as much as 30%. Since the average annual premium is $687, this can save you $206 per year.

2. Drop collision and/or comprehensive coverage on older cars.

If your car is declared a total loss, you will receive the cash value. If your car is 5 years old or older, it may make sense to cancel the collision and/or comprehensive portion of your policy and bank the savings.

3. Avoid duplicate medical coverage.

If you have adequate health insurance, you may be paying for duplicate medical coverage in your auto insurance rates. In some states, eliminating personal injury protection (PIP) can lower your premium by up to 40%.

4. Drive a “Low-Profile” car.

The auto insurance rates are much higher for cars that are expensive to repair, or are favorite targets for thieves.   Before buying a car, determine the auto insurance rates.

5. Drive less.  

Some auto insurance companies offer cheap auto insurance quotes to motorists who drive less than a predetermined number of miles a year. Consider using public transportation, a carpool or vanpool to commute to work.  

6. Ask for a multi-policy discount.

Some insurance companies give a discount if you have your homeowner policy with them also.

7. Ask for a discount based on your credit score.

Some auto insurance companies use the credit score to establish premiums. If you have a high credit score, ask for a discount.

8.  Compare auto insurance rates.

When shopping for the cheapest auto insurance, you will find that prices for the same coverage can vary by hundreds of dollars. So, it pays to compare auto insurance rates.

Get free auto insurance quotes at http://www.howtocutyourexpenses.com

 

With over 20 years of experience as a personal financial educator and counselor, Vernon Williams has developed in depth knowledge of what it takes to achieve financial success. Today, he is a sought after trainer and speaker by organizations from both the public and private sector. He is the author of 425 Ways to Stretch Your $$$$ and 3 Rules that Guarantee Financial Success. Go to http://www.howtocutyourexpenses.com for money-saying tips.

 

 

 

Vernon Williams
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/low-cost-auto-insurance-8-ways-to-cut-expenses-692601.html

With the recession causing even more unemployment, health insurance is becoming an increasing burden on family resources. Here are some resources and programs you should consider when trying to shave off some of the rising costs of health care:

1. Workers’ Compensation

Commonly known as Workers’ Comp, Workers’ Compensation is a program that helps pay for injuries that have been incurred on the job. So if you throw out your back lifting a bag at work, you may be entitled to free or reduced medical care with your state insurance health plan. Any permanent injury is often compensated with a small stipend until you reach retirement age. So if your treatment is the result of an on-the-job injury, your employer must offer to pay with your company’s Workers’ Compensation program.

2. Individual/Family Health Coverage

Most people assume that if their employer doesn’t supply insurance, it’s impossible to get insured. Individual/Family Health insurance plans, however, are another option. Just as you buy home or life or car insurance, you can go to a company and buy health insurance. While these are generally more expensive than group insurance plans, you can negotiate your deductible and pick and choose your policies to fit your budget. Choosing an emergency deductible policy is the best way to maintain a low cost health insurance plan. That way, you can keep a Health Savings Account for smaller health issues, and you ca keep down your long-term costs.

3. Short Term Health Insurance Coverage

If you are in between jobs, Short term health insurance coverage is a great way to maintain coverage while waiting for a new job to start. To do this, purchase insurance from a private company (similar to an individual health plan), but only stipulate a small amount of time. This will keep your premium low.

4. Group Insurance from Private Organizations

America isn’t really a country that revels in the culture of private clubs and organizations. It’s a shame, because a lot of groups offer discounted health care for their members. Just like with an employer membership, an organization uses its large numbers to negotiate better deals for its members. If you are a member of the Northwestern University Alumni Association, you can get a variety of cheap insurance choices. It’s also possible to research what organizations have the best insurance programs and then join.

No matter what you decide, make sure the plan has the level of coverage you want, and don’t skimp on programs you’ll need for prices you want.

Nicholas Wright
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/how-to-find-a-cheap-health-insurance-plan-675671.html

Some strategies on finding affordable health insurance.

I’ve been a health insurance agent since 1985. I help Connecticut residents find health insurance and have for the last several years have also managed a website that helps people in other states find medical and hospital policies online.

Over the years I have changed my mind about hospitalization only insurance. These health insurance policies have significant limitations that are not found in the typical health insurance plan. I tend now to help my clients who express an interest in hospital only policies find catastrophic health insurance providers. High deductible or catastrophic medical insurance policies are also low in cost, but have fewer drawbacks.

Why I don’t like hospitalization only insurance:

Hospital stays are getting shorter and shorter. However, people are not necessarily healing any more quickly. The medical care that years ago, you might have received in the hospital during the last day or two of your stay is today care that you are likely to receive outside of the hospital. This care is not likely to be covered. A hospitalization only health insurance plan may cover the hospital stay, usually not the medical care that takes place outside of the hospital.

X-rays, lab work, MRIs, etc. often take place outside of a hospital. These can be expensive and may not be covered by a hospitalization only insurance policy.

A long-term illness may require years of doctors visits, none of which are likely to be covered by a hospitalization only insurance policy.

People buy hospitalization only insurance policies to save money. Saving money is of course a good thing. However if it was the only thing we’d all buy the least expensive car and wear the least expensive clothes.

If you need to keep your costs for health insurance lower, I recommend searching for medical and hospital policies online or elsewhere and looking for a catastrophic or high deductible policy that covers you both in the doctor’s office and in the hospital. In my opinion, a catastrophic health insurance policy that has a $2,000 deductible, but covers you in the doctor’s office and the hospital is a better deal than a hospitalization only policy that has a $1,000 deductible even if they cost the same.

Hospitalization only insurance is like a bullet-proof vest that is only bullet-proof in the front. Catastrophic health insurance may be a better option. If you need to save money, go for a higher deductible medical insurance policy that is “bullet-proof” on both sides.

Good Luck,

Alston J. Balkcom

This article can be copied and reprinted but only in its entirety and with the links intact. The article was originally published on https://lovetherates.com/articles/hospitalization-only-insurance-article.htm. The article starts with the heading “Hospitalization Only Insurance” and ends with this sentence.

Alston Ballkcom
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/hospitalization-only-insurance-vs-catastrophic-insurance-130024.html

I’m not well versed in the world of politics, but I just read that there are 13 states that are going to sue because they claim it is unconstitutional for the government to mandate that we have health care. How can they require us to keep auto insurance then? Correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to not have auto insurance; I don’t see how that’s different than health insurance.
ah, good point, Chicagok – haha.

purely a political statement. Federal social law trumps states rights. Isn’t the right glad they didn’t push tort reform through so that they can clog up the court system with these frivolous lawsuits?

EDIT: To the person above: Problem with people like you who don’t want insurance is that when you do use the health system, people who have insurance, like me, end up paying for your services with higher premiums and fees. Why should I have to pay for your poor choices?

EDIT: To Ali. Your fearful speculation about premiums is unfounded as there is no indication in the legislation that says they will go up [although conservative talk radio has beaten that into you head pretty well]. But I know for a fact that a $500 a night stay in a semi-private room [the room only] is overinflated so that the uninsured are cared for.

Does anyone else smell a legal zoo bigger than the mythological Ark

Most health insurance companies do not pay medical bills if you are injured in an accident and there is applicable auto insurance that should cover the bills. Usually you see this with the ERISA plans (employer sponsor plans). Some private plans will step up and pay the bill….but ERISA plans usually don’t.

Even when the health insurance pays….they usually send a medical lien to the at fault drivers company. That means that the health insurance plan gets paid back for the money they paid out from the settlement proceeds.

For the at fault drivers who would not have coverage under their liability coverage…..they have to use their health insurance.

Auto insurance rates usually have to be approved by the insurance department of each state. These rates are pretty tightly regulated as it is.

I don’t see health care reform affecting auto insurance rates.

I am a safe driver. I’ve never had a car accident or ticket. As a consequence of my choices, I pay very low rates for car insurance. Other people I know have had accidents and many tickets, they pay a lot for car insurance. In this system, each person pays a different rate based on the consequences of their choices and actions. So what is wrong with this system? Why can’t we use the exact same system for health insurance? If I eat right, exercise, and wash my hands then I will rarely get ill and should pay very low insurance rates. My neighbor eats junk food, smokes, and never exercises, has lots of medical issues and will for as long as he lives, shouldn’t he pay a much higher rate for insurance? Why would anybody want a government system in which we will both pay the same rate? That is blatantly unfair to me since I make good choices and wont get sick as often. Furthermore, I have the choice of lots of different car insurance companies (Geico, Allstate, Nationwide, Progressive, etc.), this competition drives lower costs and better service. Why would I want to give up choice in favor of a monopoly? What is wrong with our car insurance system that somebody would not want the exact same system for our health care?

Health issues do not always arise based on the irresponsibility of the individual. A person could still get cancer from any number of factors, or suffer a life-threatening injury that requires immediate treatment, through no fault of their own.

There is one key difference between car insurance and health insurance: car insurance covers virtually everything, while health insurance is highly selective. If your car is significantly damaged in a wreck, one need not worry…even if the car is completely destroyed, you’re still covered. Your premium will rise a great deal, but you’re covered nonetheless. With private health insurance, companies that place financial interests over your health can severely limit your coverage options. They can deny you for treatments that they deem to expensive, unnecessary, or experimental.

The human body is a much more complex machine than any car…problems can occur at microscopic and undetectable levels, and unlike cars, some problems cannot be treated easily or even treated at all. All the diet and exercise in the world will not prevent, say, leukemia. And what about pre-existing conditions? If your car has something wrong with it before you buy it, you can simply return it for another one, free of charge. If there’s something wrong with you at birth, like sickle cell or diabetes, you can’t sue your mother, or your genes…and insurance companies can deny you on the basis of this condition.

But the bottom line is, people are not cars. Cars can be crafted to exact specifications, and their flaws are entirely the fault of the humans who build and operate them…which is not a real issue, as so many cars have such uniform parts that they can be replaced at any time…the entire vehicle can be replaced with an exact replica if necessary. But each of the hundreds of millions of humans in this country is distinct, fragile, and irreplaceable. We cannot simply replace a person’s DNA, or just remove cancer cells and put in healthy cells (yet…but of course those options fall under experimental treatments which insurance companies will not cover).

Car insurance theories cannot ethically be applied to human life. Keeping profits as a priority over vehicular health, another consumer product, is fine. But placing profit over human health is where society should draw the line.

Are you tired of auto insurance premiums that sting your pocket, and health or life  insurance quotes that stress you out even more when you view the price? www.rapidautoquotes.com can help with the launch of a new quote engine that offers a free car insurance quotes comparison.

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RAQ compares top name brand insurers such as Nationwide, Blue Cross, Liberty Mutual, Golden Rule, Allstate and American National plus many more of America’s top insurance providers. So whatever you drive, we can save you money on your free auto insurance quotes. Providing an instant car insurance quotes comparison service where you can view the cheapest five quotations and pick the one which best suits you!

We also offer a live support facility who can answer any of your questions via text chat or help you to amend your details to ensure they are correct and save you even more money. You can chat directly with an insurance underwriter who will assist you in any way they can, and best of all – it’s totally free!

With such a range of comparison websites out there, it is often difficult to choose an  auto quotes website, and especially one that will save you money, so this leads us to our next question, why choose the free Rapid Auto Quotes engine when you compare car insurance?

1. Cheaper quotes all round
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2. Fast, simple online quote form
Our quotation form takes just minutes to complete and compares the top insurance companies in the US, you can be sure you are getting the best rates on your policy.

3. Not just car insurance
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So with so many reasons to get cheap insurance quotes with us, you really don’t need to look elsewhere when renewing your insurance policy online.

To being the quotation process, simply click www.rapidautoquotes.com today and start saving money on your insurance.

search rankpros
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/cheap-auto-insurance-quotes-from-rapidautoquotescom-724458.html

Many Americans rely on their automobiles to get to work. No automobile means no job, no rent or mortgage money, no food. A single parent, struggling to make ends meet in the suburbs with 100,000 miles on the odometer, would presumably welcome the guaranteed opportunity for low-priced insurance that would take care of every possible repair on her auto until the day that it reaches 200,000 miles or falls apart, whichever comes first. Especially if the insurance is valid regardless of whether she even changes the oil in the interim.

So why aren’t the auto insurance companies writing such coverage, either directly or through used auto dealers? And given the importance of reliable transportation, why isn’t the public demanding such coverage? The answer is that both auto insurers and the public know that such insurance can’t be written for a premium the insured can afford, while still allowing the insurers to stay solvent and make a profit. As a society, we intuitively understand that the costs associated with taking care of every mechanical need of an old automobile, particularly in the absence of regular maintenance, aren’t insurable. Yet we don’t seem to have these same intuitions with respect to health insurance.

If we pull the emotions out of health insurance, which is admittedly hard to do even for this author, and look at health insurance from the economic perspective, there are several insights from auto insurance that can illuminate the design, risk selection, and rating of health insurance.

Auto insurance comes in two forms: the traditional insurance you buy from your agent or direct from an insurance company, and warranties that are purchased from auto manufacturers and dealers. Both are risk transfer and sharing devices and I’ll generically refer to both as insurance. Because auto third-party liability insurance has no equivalent in health insurance, for traditional auto insurance, I’ll examine only collision and comprehensive insurance – insurance covering the vehicle – and not third-party liability insurance.

Bumper to Bumper

The following are some commonly accepted principles from auto insurance:

* Bad maintenance voids certain insurance. If an automobile owner never changes the oil, the auto’s power train warranty is void. In fact, not only does the oil need to be changed, the change needs to be performed by a certified mechanic and documented. Collision insurance doesn’t cover cars purposefully driven over a cliff.

* The best insurance is offered for new models. Bumper-to-bumper warranties are offered only on new cars. As they roll off the assembly line, automobiles have a low and relatively consistent risk profile, satisfying the actuarial test for insurance pricing. Furthermore, auto manufacturers usually wrap at least some coverage into the price of the new auto in order to encourage an ongoing relationship with the owner.

* Limited insurance is offered for old model autos. Increasingly limited insurance is offered for old model autos. The bumper-to-bumper warranty expires, the power train warranty eventually expires, and the amount of collision and comprehensive insurance steadily decreases based on the market value of the auto.

* Certain older autos qualify for additional insurance. Certain older autos can qualify for additional coverage, either in terms of warranties for used autos or increased collision and comprehensive insurance for vintage autos. But such insurance is offered only after a careful inspection of the automobile itself.

* No insurance is offered for normal wear and tear. Wiper blades need replacement, brake pads wear out, and bumpers get dings. These aren’t insurable events. To the extent that a new car dealer will sometimes cover some of these costs, we intuitively understand that we’re ‘paying for it’ in the cost of the automobile and that it’s ‘not really’ insurance.

* Accidents are the only insurable event for the oldest automobiles. Accidents are generally insurable events even for the oldest autos; with few exceptions service work isn’t.

* Insurance doesn’t restore all vehicles to pre-accident condition. Auto insurance is limited. If the damage to the auto at any age exceeds the value of the auto, the insurer then pays only the value of the auto. With the exception of vintage autos, the value assigned to the auto goes down over time. So whereas accidents are insurable at any vehicle age, the amount of the accident insurance is increasingly limited.

* Insurance is priced to the risk. Insurance is priced based on the risk profile of both the automobile and the driver. The auto insurer carefully examines both when setting rates.

* We pay for our own insurance. And with few exceptions, automobile insurance isn’t tax deductible. As a result, the fear of increasing insurance rates due to traffic violations and/or accidents changes our driving behavior and we sometimes select our automobiles based on their insurability.

Each of the above principles is supported by solid actuarial theory. Although most Americans can’t describe the underlying actuarial theories, most everyone understands the above principles of auto insurance at the intuitive level. For sure, as indispensable automobiles are to our lifestyles, there is no loud national movement, accompanied by moral outrage, to change these principles.

Unsustainable Market

In contrast, similar principles are routinely violated in health insurance. To demonstrate this, let’s return to the same suburban mother from the opening paragraph. She’s busy working, driving to and from work, and driving her kids to school and activities. She ends each day exhausted, sitting on the couch with fast food. She’s obese, has a sedentary life, a bad diet, and hasn’t taken the time to go to the doctor in years. After a simple injury doesn’t heal for weeks, she turns up at the emergency room and learns she has type II diabetes. Although type II diabetes is controllable, changing diet and exercise habits and properly tracking her condition takes time and effort and she’s never quite successful in implementing the necessary lifestyle changes.

So the initial emergency room visit is only the first of a long list of health care related to non-controlled diabetes and other problems associated with obesity. Whether she has individual or group insurance, her insurance pays for each episode of care, without singling her out for a premium increase, and without charging her any more cost sharing than is charged to the healthiest and most medically diligent insureds. Her coverage continues until she voluntarily changes insurance companies and/or employers or becomes eligible for Medicare. If she’s covered under group insurance she may not even pay any premium. Her insurance continues unabated, even though the disease was caused by neglecting her body and she maintains her poor lifestyle even after the disease becomes known.

This just wouldn’t happen in auto insurance. This scenario is the auto insurance equivalent of guaranteed access to low-priced auto insurance that takes care of every possible repair, including damage already done, until the day the car falls apart so completely it’s unsalvageable (death) or reaches 200,000 miles (Medicare), regardless of whether she even changes the oil (takes care of herself) in the interim.

As a society, we don’t expect this in private-market auto insurance, but we expect it in private-market health insurance. Furthermore, there’s a chorus of national and state interests, which continuously pushes us further away from the auto insurance principles.

The current private health insurance market isn’t sustainable. Prices have been consistently increasing faster than inflation for decades. Each year, insureds use more health care than ever before and more people have no insurance at all. Most actuaries and other people in the private health insurance market don’t want national health insurance with its bureaucracy and one-size-fits-all benefits. Yet, we’re trying to sustain a private insurance system, which violates the very principles we know are necessary for private insurance markets.

Yes, health insurance involves the sacredness of human life and is therefore different from auto insurance. But if we’re to sustain a private-market solution to health insurance, actuaries need to explain to the larger society, in terms that society understands, the rationale for the following principles:

* As sacred as health care is, it’s still an economic transaction that has to be balanced by individuals and societies, against other economic choices. It can’t be unlimited. Sometimes it will be secondary to other choices. On a given day, for example, the mother in our scenario may value her car more than her health.

* Insurance premiums should be paid by the individual and tied to controllable risk factors. This will provide the best incentive for the control of risk factors.

* Although it’s hard to draw the line between abuse, neglect and ignorance, self-abuse shouldn’t be insured and we need to draw that line somewhere.

* The private market can’t provide unlimited, self-directed health insurance.

* Routine care and ongoing treatments of chronic conditions can be pre-funded, can even be subsidized, but they don’t constitute ‘insurable events.’

* Insurance can’t be expected to keep every human body in pristine condition. No amount of health care will prevent everyone’s ultimate death.

* Comprehensive, unlimited, non-subsidized private-market coverage isn’t possible for people with severely impaired health.

* The private health market can provide limited non-subsidized health insurance, such as protection from accidents, to even health-impaired individuals.

* Individuals who can afford to do so and who take good care of themselves should be able to ‘buy up’ to better coverage. People have the option of buying up for everything else in life.

Discussion of these principles is lacking from most of the current health insurance debate. If society can intuitively understand how similar principles apply to health insurance, then they should be able understand the principles in the health insurance context. We need to initiate the debate.

This commentary is solely the opinion of its author. It does not express the official policy of the American Academy of Actuaries; nor does it necessarily reflect the opinions of the Academy’s individual officers, members, or staff

Contingencies, Jan/Feb 2007

Melih Oztalay
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/auto-insurance-principles-should-apply-to-health-insurance-110015.html

will be returning to school, community college in wa. state. My children are 11 & 2. I don’t qualify for medicaid, however my income pays for rent, car payment etc. doesn’t leave me much. I need low cost health insurance..please help

healthquotes.awardspace.info – my family have this health insurance. It is affordable and has good coverage for dental issues.

Health insurance has been a topic of conversation on YA. Many support it, many are against it.

Currently the insurance industry is one of the most government regulated institutions in the USA. Their are federal and state laws that govern health insurance and make it a buracratic nightmare.

Our current auto insurance system allows for competition between companies on a national level. Keeping our insurance costs lows. If I leave my job, my car insurance stays with me.

Current regulations state that I must have a job to be offered health insurance. I leave this job, I lose my insurance and must use COBRA for up to 12 to 18 months to keep my coverage. Why can’t I buy my own health insurance and have it be portable across state lines like car insurance?

It seems to me that fixing these types of problems with healthcare is more affordable than implementing a national healthcare system. There is low cost car insurance, why not low cost health?
Civil – I read up on this web site that you mentioned. This is only for individuals who are self employed or own small businesses. First question they will ask is if you have a job that offers insurance. If the answer is yes, you have to go through them. So while this is a valid site, it doesn’t answer my question.

Bingo.

Combine the above mentioned portability and interstate insurance competition with tort reform, fair tax treatment for individuals purchasing insurance, and income tax deductions (or credits) for health expenses, and you will see the cost of health care dropping while the ranks of insured grow.

Market based solutions are the only option if this country wants to maintain (and improve) the quality of its health care while reducing costs.

Government based solutions may reduce costs, but it will do so by rationing and sacrificing quality.

Edit: The major reason that insurance is so opaque and expensive now is because of over-regulation. Companies are required to cover expensive procedures and treatments that do not benefit a vast majority of the policy holders (fertility treatment, drug and alcohol rehab, etc) It stands to reason then, that states requiring these treatments be covered are among the most expensive states to attain health insurance. Removing competition restrictions from insurance companies would do more to reduce costs and increase enrollment than any other solution available.

Auto insurance rates are high enough, there’s no sense in paying more for your premiums than you have to. Most of the nation’s top insurance companies offer a multitude of discounts for customers. The trick is letting your agent know when you qualify. Used in combination, many of these discount programs can be used to cut your annual premiums from one-third to as much as half the original cost.

Here are just a few of the most common discounts offered by more than 300 auto insurers today:

Multiple Vehicle Discount. This rate-cut is offered to consumers insuring more than one vehicle. This applies to cars, trucks, motorcycles, RV’s, trailers and some boats. See your agent for details.

Multiple Driver Discount. Insurers realize that two people can’t drive the same car at the same time, so they often offer multi-driver discounts to allow customers with more than one car per driver in the household to only pay for the cars being driven, and the drivers in them.

Multi-Policy Discount. This is a great way to save on all of your insurance needs. Choose a company that discounts more than one policy, then combine your homeowners’ auto, disability, life and even health insurance into one insurance portfolio. Some companies will also count financial savings plans such as 401K’s Roth IRA’s, money markets savings plans and college funds as additional policies to ensure the discount.

Low Mileage Discount. The less your car is on the road, the less chance it has of being involved in an accident. If you commute locally, or have a second car that is rarely used, let your insurance agent know. The lower the mileage, the lower the insurance premium.

New Vehicle Safety Discount. Offered to owners of new vehicles that contain certain types of safety features such as side passenger airbags, etc.

Anti-Theft Device Discount. Be sure to let the insurance agent know if you have any type of anti-theft device in your car. It too is eligible for a special discount.

Good Student Discount. Student rates can be quite high, especially for male drivers. But, some insurers are now recognizing that honor students may be more careful drivers, and are now rewarding good grades with cheaper premium rates. This may apply to both high school and college drivers.

Accident Free Discount. Almost every major insurer these days offer deep discounts, depending on how long a driver has gone without being involved in an accident.

Defensive Driving Discount. Some insurance companies now reward drivers who attend special defensive driving workshops and seminars with either a one time, or ongoing rate cut.

As you can see, there are many discount options for drivers who take the time to look into their company’s policies and apply for the discounts available. While individually, they may not save you much, but used in combination, they can add up to a hefty rate savings.

Matthew Hick
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/auto-insurance-discounts-common-reductions-177347.html

Austin auto insurance is an important part of your daily life. It may not seem like more than another monthly payment, but you are putting that policy to use every time you get behind the wheel. Not having car insurance in  can cost much more than a yearly premium if you have an accident or get caught driving without it.

A good policy doesn’t necessarily mean the cheapest policy, but you shouldn’t have to pay more than you can afford for auto insurance. When shopping for quotes through an Austin insurance company, there are some things you can do to get the lowest payments possible.

The first thing to look at when shopping for car insurance is what kind of vehicle you own. An new, expensive and/or sporty car will probably cost more to insure. If your vehicle is on the list of highly stolen cars, expect to pay a higher premium. Your Austin TX insurance agent will be able to tell you if your car is on that list. Also, an older vehicle that has a value of only a few thousand dollars can be inexpensive to insure because you can carry liability only, rather than paying for full coverage.

One thing you shouldn’t do when shopping for auto insurance is to get a policy that leaves you underinsured. Medical costs are getting higher each year, which means if you have an accident you may end up having to pay for what your cheap policy doesn’t cover. Find an Austin insurance company that will work with you to find the best coverage for your needs. If your premiums are still too high, consider driving a different vehicle that requires a lower priced policy.

Combine policies for a discount on your premiums if you have auto insurance coverage with the same company that carries your home and/or health insurance. Most Austin TX insurance companies offer discounts for multiple policies. Another way to get a discount on your Austin auto insurance policy is to have a clean driving record. Accidents and traffic violations can mean higher payments.

Buy from a reputable auto insurance company. Some insurance companies may offer lower monthly payments, but in the event of an accident you may find yourself with very little customer service and a much higher renewal premium.

Shop around for a combination of low rates, quality coverage and good customer service. Not every auto insurance company can offer all three of these important factors. When it comes to insurance in Austin, getting the best coverage comes down to contacting an insurance agent that is willing to work for you to get the coverage you need and a policy you can afford.

Visit the Austin State Farm Agent Bridgette Hearne website at http://www.bridgettehearne.com to get Austin auto insurance information or a rate quote.

Scott Hearne
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/austin-auto-insurance-how-to-get-the-best-deal-736079.html

The truth is; most Mexican auto insurance brokers will NOT tell you that auto insurance, when driving in Mexico is not enough.

The fact of the matter is that if you get into an accident, there is a VERY high likelihood that you will need emergency assistance… particularly in Mexico where the severity of accidents can be much worse than in the United States.

Additionally, most people consider health insurance a MUST … but your health insurance policy here in the United States usually does not cover an injury or medical evacuation in Mexico.

This means that if you get Mexican auto insurance for your trip, and you end up NEEDING it, your United States health insurance will not cover any injuries.

Of course while it is true that Mexico does have a health system that gives free medical coverage to its citizens, those facilities are not available to foreigners. If you’re from the U.S. you will need to use a more expensive private clinic.

Then, it’s no secret that legal officials in Mexico may attempt to take advantage of visitors from north of their border. If you’re in an accident, you may certainly need legal help, which means you’ll want your auto insurance to cover those matters as well.

The truth of the matter is that most Mexican auto insurance brokers do not sell auto insurance that adequately covers emergency medical assistance or legal assistance. Emergency medical assistance services are so restricted among most auto insurance carriers that the Red Cross and a whole host of other international relief agencies use ONLY ONE company for their travel to Mexico and throughout the entire world.

On top of that, most of these service contracts are written with such low limits and so many exclusions as to render them potentially worthless.

To make matters worse, many brokers sell “Emergency Medical Evacuation Services” that end up being subcontracted to a third party vendor in Mexico who often uses additional subcontractors. In other words, the services provided are not being performed by the company you’re giving the money to.

You can get an excellent comparison of these plans by going to Assist America Comparison Chart. Once there you will quickly see why the American Medical Association, The American Cancer Society, the Red Cross, and on and on all rely on this one company to ensure emergencies are properly and appropriately handled.

To learn more about Mexican auto insurance, how to get the coverage you want at a price you can afford (without getting ripped off by some fly-by-night scam artist), see “Is Your Mexican Vacation Covered” http://tinyurl.com/y5hz5q.

It was written by Linden Gray, an international insurance veteran with over 29 years of wholesale, retail, and direct insurance experience. He represents the only company deemed to adequately and inexpensively cover the various international relief agencies for their trips to Mexico (and as such, people that work for those agencies tend to use this company for their vacations to Mexico). Further, as the Director of MexicanInsuranceStore.com he runs the only “direct to consumer” insurance agency that I’m aware of that represents the company used by those agencies.

Arnold Ulloa
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/the-truth-about-mexican-auto-insurance-81368.html

ve a friend who is getting his licence back in April and he was told it may cost $7000.00 a year for auto insurance- could it be true?

Insurance is baed on the amount of RISK.
Someone with a conviction (and if license was taken away he was convicted) is more likely to have a accident and a serious one so the the risk is higher.

People who are higher risk pay more.
Poor credit rating = high risk = pay more intrest on cards and home loans — becuase thye are more likley to not pay the money back.

Previous accident or moving violation, or DUI then more likely to file claim for insurance.
Young and foolish – more likely to have accident so pay more.
High performance sports car ? – pay more.

Middle aged, professioanl, with minivan — pay less.

That’s why sex offenders cant be around kids, and thiefs cant work in banks, fire-bugs cant be firemen.

Obese,old, smokers pay more for health/life insurance– cause they use more. Sky diver — we dont cover that.