Tag Archives: Medical Expenses

Learning the Basics of Auto Insurance

  By John | April 1, 2010 - 7:11 pm | Low Cost Car Insurance
6 Comments

It can seem pretty overwhelming; there are a lot of things to think about when it comes to getting the right coverage for you and your automobile. Drivers are now required to have automobile insurance to be on the road, but knowing what kind of insurance to get, so that your car will be covered sufficiently, but that you can still afford to drive it can be a bit tricky if you aren’t at least a little bit educated on the topic.

Aside from our houses, our cars are often the most valuable and necessary material belongings in our possession, it’s important for all drivers to begin learning the basics of auto insurance if they don’t know them already, so they can hit the road with confidence and piece of mind.

Liability

Having at least some liability coverage is a requirement for driving in all states, the minimum amount necessary does vary a bit from state to state, but it’s good to have more than the minimum amount of coverage in the event that you are involved in a serious accident.

The two sections of liability coverage cover bodily injury and property damage.

Bodily injury liability will cover the medical expenses and potentially the lost wages of people injured during an automobile accident. If your liability coverage is too low to cover the medical expenses of a person you injure in an accident, you may be held responsible for the remainder of the money due – this is precisely the reason that higher liability coverage is better than lower liability coverage.

Property damage covers the cost of repair the damage you do to other peoples property in the event of an accident, this could include their automobile, their motorcycle, bicycle, house or whatever else happens to be on the receiving end of the accident.

Comprehensive and Collision

If you own your car outright, then neither comprehensive or collision coverage is a requirement to operate your vehicle, but depending on your driving record or the neighborhood you live or work in, it may be advisable to at least carry some comp and collision coverage.

Collision will cover the damage sustained to your car in the event of an accident that you are deemed the cause of. The amount of your chosen deductible and the level of your collision coverage could have a pretty large affect on your premium – the higher your deductible, the lower your premium and vice versa, so to keep your monthly payment down while still carrying a decent level of collision insurance you’ll opt for a higher deductible.

Comprehensive insurance will cover any damage sustained to your car that wasn’t directly the result of an accident. Acts of vandalism, attempted theft, damage from fire, acts of God and natural disasters are the types of things that comprehensive insurance will take care of for you.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Even though a minimum amount of automobile insurance is a requirement to have your vehicle on the road, that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone operating a vehicle will have it.

Uninsured motorist coverage is a requirement in most states and will cover the damages to your vehicle as well as bodily injury in the event that you are struck by a motorist driving without insurance.

Personal Injury Protection

Personal injury protection coverage covers the cost of treatments for injuries and funeral costs for you or other passengers in a car, or as pedestrians, involved in an accident. At this time personal injury protection coverage isn’t required in every state, so depending upon your residence it may not be something that you’ll have to worry about.

Those are the basic minimum requirements to drive your automobile legally in any state, and though it may seem like a lot to digest, taking a quick overview of your particular vehicle, the environment you operate it in, the amount of driving you do and your personal driving record should allow you to pick out the best possible plan of coverage for your automobile that will have you on the highway without putting too much of a dent in your wallet.

A. Nutt
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/learning-the-basics-of-auto-insurance-673625.html

Types of Auto Insurance Coverage

  By John | January 13, 2010 - 12:41 pm | Auto Insurance
2 Comments

Life is to short… yes it’s true. We don’t have any idea when will the Creator take the life He given us. We don’t know when the unfortunate events, such as accidents, would strike. Accidents, particularly road accidents, happen in different states almost everyday. Here are the different types of auto insurance coverage that is right for you and your family.

You must carry auto insurance to protect yourself and your car. For those same reasons, the government also requires you to have car insurance.

In the state of Florida, there are minimum requirements that they require you to carry – the property damage and personal injury protection. Property damage covers another person’s vehicle if you are at fault in an accident. Personal injury protection covers 80% of medical expenses and 60% of loss wages as well as up to a five thousand dollar death benefit for you and your relatives that reside with you, minus the deductible if it applies. This coverage would protect you in case there is any damage to other vehicles and gives you medical coverage for yourself.

You can select from the different type of auto insurance coverage. Well it depends on what you want to be covered and what you can afford. Besides the minimum requirement coverage previously mentioned, there is another type of coverage that is very important, bodily injury.

The state of Florida doesn’t require you to have bodily injury coverage until you get into an accident. This would cover you if you were at fault in an accident and the person in the other vehicle suffered injuries exceeding their personal injury coverage. The other party has the right to see and the state may place a financial responsibility on you motor vehicle report that would last for 3 years, if you did not have this coverage. That financial responsibility is called SR22.

Another coverage is the uninsured motorist. It covers you if the other party was at fault and you were injured exceeding personal injury coverage and they didn’t have bodily injury coverage. You may see this kind of coverage to cover the difference of your injuries.

The two more important types of coverage that you might want to consider are the comprehensive coverage and the collision coverage.

Comprehensive coverage would cover your vehicle in the event of fire, theft, vandalism, hail storm damage or any natural causes minus the deductible you agreed upon purchasing your insurance. On the other hand, the physical damage to your vehicle, if you were at fault in the accident, minus the deductible, would be covered by the collision coverage. The insurance company would pay the actual cash value of your vehicle. Comprehensive and collision coverage are possibly required by your lending institution if your vehicle is financed.

Extra medical payment coverage can also be provided if you are interested. There are many types of coverage to choose from. With the help of the web, you have a vast amount of knowledge at your fingertips to help you choose the best coverage for you and your lifestyle.

All types of coverage are important, but it still depends on what you can afford. But then, having an insurance must be one of your main priorities, knowing that your life and your family are much more important than anything else.

Roxel Pudol
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/types-of-auto-insurance-coverage-90148.html

Full Coverage Auto Insurance Quotes – Where to Get the Cheapest

  By John | December 9, 2009 - 10:24 pm | Auto Insurance
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Looking for full coverage auto insurance quotes? Want to get the most coverage for the least amount of money? Here’s how …

Full Coverage Auto Insurance

Full coverage auto insurance pays for medical expenses, repair costs, and liability law suit expenses when you’re involved in an automobile accident. It also pays for expenses if you’re hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver. Here are the various coverages you should have and how you can save money on them.

Liability Insurance

Liability insurance pays for claims made against you, plus your legal fees, if you injure or kill someone. It also pays for claims made against you when you damage someone else’s property.

Imagine what would happen if someone won, say, a $500,000 lawsuit against you? Would you be able to pay it? Probably not. That’s why liability insurance is so important.

If you don’t own a lot of personal property you may want to carry the minimum liability insurance your state requires. If you do own a lot, then you’ll want to increase it to cover your assets.

Personal Injury Protection Insurance

PIP pays medical expenses for you and your passengers when you have an accident. It also pays for you and your family’s medical expenses if you’re in another car.

If you have medical insurance you may want to skip this coverage. But if you don’t, or if you live in a high-accident area, then you should purchase it.

Collision and Comprehensive Insurance

Collision coverage pays for damage to your car from an accident no matter who was at fault. Comprehensive coverage pays for damage to you car from fire, theft, vandalism, storms, etc.

To save money on collision and comprehensive coverage you’ll want to get the highest deductible you can afford to pay. If you drive an older car that’s worth less than your annual premium plus your deductible, consider dropping these coverages.

Uninsured Motorist Insurance

Uninsured motorist insurance pays for medical expenses and property repairs caused by an uninsured, inderinsured, or hit-and-run driver. This is good coverage to carry, especially if you live in states that have a large number of uninsured drivers like Alabama, Arizona, California, Mississippi, and New Mexico.

How Get The Cheapest Full Coverage Auto Insurance

The best way to get the cheapest full coverage auto insurance is to get quotes from an auto insurance comparison site. Here you can compare quotes from different companies and choose the best policy with the lowest rate.

Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com or click on the following link to get full coverage auto insurance quotes from top-rated companies in your area and see how much you can save. You can get more car insurance tips by checking out their “Articles” section.

ryan@thesatellitetvguide.com
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/full-coverage-auto-insurance-quotes-where-to-get-the-cheapest-118546.html

Where to Get Cheap California Auto Insurance Quotes

  By John | November 23, 2009 - 2:36 pm | Auto Insurance
4 Comments

California has some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation. So where can you get cheap California auto insurance quotes? Read on …

Minimum California Auto Insurance

In order to license your car in the sate of California you’re only required to have liability insurance. This pays for damage to another person’s car or property when you’re at fault in an accident. It also pays for any medical expenses they or their passengers may incur, and compensates them for pain and suffering.

Liability Coverage

The minimum liability coverage in California is 15/30/5. That means you need to have $15,000 coverage for injuries to any one person in the other car, $30,000 coverage for injuries to all persons in the other car, and $5,000 coverage for damage to the other person’s car or property.

If you don’t have a lot of assets the minimum liability coverage may be enough, but if you have assets you want to protect from a lawsuit, you should increase your liability insurance to cover them.

Optional Coverages

Collision – This pays for repairs to your car no matter who was at fault. If you drive an older car that’s not worth much, consider eliminating this coverage. If you drive a late model car you can save money by increasing your deductible.

Comprehensive – This pays for damage done to your car by anything other than a collision – fire, vandalism, theft, hail, etc. If you have an older car you may want to skip this coverage. If you drive a newer car, increase your deductible to save on your premium.

Personal Injury Protection – This pays for you and your passenger’s medical bills when you’re involved in an accident. If you already have medical insurance you can consider doing without this coverage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist – This pays for you and your passenger’s medical expenses and damage to your car caused by an uninsured, underinsured, or hit-and-run driver. One-quarter of the drivers in California are driving without a license, so this is good insurance to have.

Cheap California Auto Insurance Online

Because rates can vary dramatically from one company to the next in California, the best way to get the cheapest rate is to compare quotes from different auto insurance companies.

Thanks to the Internet, you can go to an insurance comparison website that represents a number of companies and get multiple insurance quotes. Some of these sites have an “Articles” section where you can get money-saving tips, and a chat feature where you can talk online with a auto insurance expert and get answers to your questions. (See link below.)

Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com or click on the following link to get cheap California auto insurance quotes from top-rated companies in your area and see how much you can save.

ryan@thesatellitetvguide.com
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/where-to-get-cheap-california-auto-insurance-quotes-122117.html

Looking At Different Types Of Auto Insurance

  By John | November 12, 2009 - 8:01 pm | Auto Insurance
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Auto insurance is at its heart financial protection. You purchase insurance in order to prevent paying thousands of dollars in the event of a collision or other loss. Many different types of insurance are available, covering almost every conceivable means of loss or damage to your vehicle as well as others to which you may cause damage. Very few drivers need to purchase every single type of insurance, so it is helpful to understand each type in order to decide which ones you require.

Property damage insurance is sometimes known as liability insurance. This product is designed to cover damages that you may do to someone else’s vehicle. Your state sets a minimum amount of this insurance that you must carry but the state requirement is often quite low. If the damage you cause exceeds the limits of your insurance you could be sued for the difference. It is therefore wise to purchase as much property damage insurance as you can afford.

Personal injury insurance is usually required by law, though the required amount may vary by state. This insurance pays a portion of your medical bills (generally 80 percent) and a portion of your lost wages (usually 60 percent) if you are injured in an accident. Personal injury protection often includes a small death benefit as well. This insurance may cover your relatives or household members or even everyone in the car, depending on your insurance company’s policies and state mandates.

Bodily injury insurance is extremely important even though it is not required by many jurisdictions. If you are at fault for an accident that injures someone beyond the limits of his personal injury coverage, bodily injury insurance will cover the difference. Otherwise you could be sued for medical expenses.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage

If you are injured beyond the limits of your personal injury protection in an accident caused by someone who does not carry bodily injury insurance, what are your options? You could certainly sue him and likely win your case. However lawsuits are time consuming and expensive, and if he does not have the money to pay you might be stuck with an uncollectible judgment against him. Instead, your Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage could cover your injuries. This protection is reasonably priced and will ensure that you are paid in a timely manner. Purchase this coverage if you can.

Collision insurance will reimburse you for damages to your vehicle if you are at fault. Collision coverage will pay up to the actual cash value of the vehicle less your deductible. If your car is financed you may be required to carry collision insurance. However the premiums are high and this product is not recommended for older low value vehicles.

Comprehensive insurance will pay for damage or loss to your vehicle from both theft and acts of God. Comprehensive coverage will pay up to the actual cash value of the vehicle less your deductible. This insurance is usually required if your car is financed but not recommended for older cars with a low cash value.

Many other options are also available, covering everything from medical payments beyond your personal injury coverage to a rental car while yours is being repaired. Most of these options are good to have if you can afford them but not necessary if you can’t. Always speak with your insurance agent if you have any questions or concerns regarding your coverage options.

Levi Quinn
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/looking-at-different-types-of-auto-insurance-107988.html

Can the auto insurance company pay me directly for my medical expenses or do they have to pay the doctor?

  By John | October 14, 2009 - 10:41 pm | Auto Insurance
5 Comments

I was in an auto accident and I have medical insurance. My medical insurance covered my medical expenses; however, I wanted to know if the auto insurance is still liable for those expenses? It seems as if my having medical insurance should benefit me and not the liable party’s auto insurance company. If I did not have medical insurance the auto insurance company would still have to pay for those expenses. So shouldn’t they still have to pay for those expenses and I get what ever is left that my medical insurance company did not pay? Are there any laws statures that back this up in Georgia? I am trying to settle this claim without getting an attorney and I need all the help I can get. Any advice would be helpful. I am in the process of writing a demand letter. Thanks for all the help.

Your medical insurance provider will collect from the insurance company of the driver who caused your injuries. This process is called subrogation. It is standard practice throughout the US.

You are not entitled to dual benefit from your injuries. Go ahead and consult an attorney — he or she will almost certainly tell you the same thing.

If you have a pain and suffering claim, that would be paid by the insurance company of the at-fault driver, assuming that there is any room left on his liability coverage. If he had minimum liability that’s probably been exhausted already. An attorney can help with that part of your claim if need be.