TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2020 3 Areas of Car Insurance Coverage and What They Mean Car insurance policies can look different depending on premiums, deductibles and coverage limits, but all car insurance policies are designed to cover three certain areas. A full coverage car insurance policy covers: Liability Property Medical Liability Some policies strictly have liability coverage. This insurance is generally required by state law and limits can change depending on where you’re located. Liability insurance covers bodily injury and property damage a driver may cause while operating the insured vehicle. For example, if you run a red light and hit another car, you may need to file a claim on your liability insurance to pay for damages to the victim’s vehicle and any injuries you may have caused the driver and the passengers. This insurance can also help cover legal fees. If another driver sues for damages, liability insurance can help cover your legal expenses such as court fees, defense costs and settlement expenses. Property Property damage coverage for your vehicle usually isn’t required but is crucial if you want to receive compensation for damages to your vehicle. The two property coverages normally available under car insurance policies are: Comprehensive: Comprehensive coverage provides compensation for loss of or damage to the vehicle due to fire, wind, hail, lightning, smoke, theft, vandalism and other incidents not involving collision. Collision: Collision coverage provides compensation for loss of or damage to the vehicle due to collision with another vehicle or object. These coverages are generally included in full coverage car insurance policies. Full coverage policies are simply policies that provide the most coverage available for your vehicle. Medical Medical payments may or may not be required depending on where you live. There are also different types of medical coverage state to state. Medical payments coverage is the more basic coverage. This provides compensation for you and your passenger’s injuries after an accident, no matter who is at fault. Whether your state is a fault or no-fault state, this insurance will pay for the medical bills of those in your vehicle. Personal injury protection offers the same, along with some additional perks. This insurance is only available in a few states and required in even fewer. Along with covering medical bills directly related to the accident, it can also help cover expenses such as lost wages and other health costs that may be excluded from medical payments coverage.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 Estimating the Value of Electronics for Your Home Insurance When insuring possessions on homeowners insurance, you have a lot of leeway to choose the limits you want. Yet, the thing about possessions insurance is that your coverage might restrict how much it will pay for items of value, like your electronics. When thinking about the value of these items, take a few extra steps to choose the right policy limits. What Electronics Do You Own? Some electronics you want to make sure you insure. The best way to not forget an important item is to make a list. Go from room to room of your home and make note of: Computer equipment (including printers and scanners) Tablet computers Mobile phones Televisions & DVD players Stereo systems High-end security systems Cameras Smart-Home devices Once you know what you have, you can begin to gather information on the items’ values. You can also decide which items to insure and which to skip. Determining Value When determining an electronic item’s value, checking the receipt is a good place to start. If you don’t have the receipt, you might check the current market value of the item or have it appraised. Most electronics have two values. First, there is their sticker price, which is the cost of the item when you bought it. Second, there is the item’s cash value. As you use items, they age or newer models enter the market, the cash value will drop below the new-item value. Getting the Right Coverage There are some restrictions that your homeowners policy might apply to possessions coverage: The policy will only pay up to its limit for all possessions claims. So, if you have $100,000 in possessions coverage, then you will only recover a maximum of $100,000. That’s why it is important for you to accurately estimate the value of all belongings. Most policies will only pay you the cash value of a damaged item at the time of the loss. Therefore, you might not recover the full cost of a new item. When appraising electronics damage, this might make a big difference in settlement costs. Some policies place a sub-limit on items like electronics. Though you might have $100,000 in total coverage, you might only be able to recover $10,000 for electronics. Deductibles will also apply. Always check your policy to see if these limits exist. To get adequate coverage for important electronics, you might be able to request full replacement cost coverage instead of cash value coverage. Additionally, you might also be able to schedule a particular item on your home’s coverage. By scheduling an electronic, you can apply a direct limit specifically to that item. You’ll receive guaranteed compensation for the loss as long as the damage was not excluded by the policy.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020 Why Does Health Insurance Not Cover Dental? Most health insurance policies don’t cover dental procedures, despite the fact that teeth and gums can have a direct impact on a person’s health. A lot of dental procedures, such as teeth whitening and braces, are seen as not medically necessary. For the most part, preventive care, cosmetic procedures and oral hygiene is seen purely as cosmetic and is not covered under health insurance. If an insurance provider deems a procedure as not necessary for your overall health, it may not be covered. Instead, certain preventive services such as cleanings must be paid out of pocket or covered under a separate dental insurance policy. Are Any Dental Services Covered Under Health Insurance? Every health insurance policy is different. It’s critical to speak with your insurance agent to understand the full scope of your policy, including what is covered and what is not. That being said, there are some dental procedures that may be covered under a health insurance policy. These procedures or treatments are primarily seen as health related and include: Wisdom teeth or 3rd molar extraction Bone grafts Dental implants Biopsies Headache treatment caused by tooth pain/oral issues Oral infections, inflammation or cysts Certain exams directly related to health Panorex x-rays Tongue ties for infants and children Mucositis and stomatitis Chemotherapy or surgery clearance exams Accidents (such as if you crash your bike and end up chipping a tooth or jamming it into the gums) Sleep apnea appliances or dental sleep medicine Tomography and cone beam Even Botox injections may be covered so long as they are deemed medically necessary, like in circumstances where you have bruxism or jaw pain. Can You Buy Dental Coverage Outside of Your Work? More companies are adding dental insurance as part of their employee packages, but not all of them do. Even if you have health insurance through your employer, you may be able to purchase additional or supplemental coverage such as dental insurance. No one person may have the same exact health issues, and you should make sure to speak with your insurance agent about your policy. As a rule, the more your policy covers, the more you may pay in monthly premiums. The extra cost may be worth avoiding expensive dental and healthcare bills, however. Oral health and hygiene are a large part of your overall physical wellbeing. Find the policy you need at an affordable price so you and your family can remain healthy.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 3 Important Reasons to Always Have Car Insurance In today’s uncertain economic times, people are driving less. They also are trying to save as much as they can on expenses, including their auto insurance. You might feel tempted to let your coverage lapse if you no longer drive. However, that’s the wrong decision. You might face severe financial penalties if you ever let your vehicle go uninsured. Consider why it is so important to always keep your coverage active. Having an Uninsured Car is Illegal Most states require drivers to have certain types and amounts of car insurance. Drivers who fail to carry it will face penalties. If you get caught driving without coverage, then you might face vehicle impoundment, license suspension or revocation of your registration. It’s much easier to pay your premium than to face an unexpected reinstatement fee. You Leave Yourself Financially Exposed If you don’t have car insurance, you won’t have a source of financial help in case of a wreck or other vehicle hazard. You might think you can handle the repair costs on your own. However, there is a lot more to vehicle damage than often meets the eye. After a wreck, not only might you have to pay for your own damage, but you might also have to pay for your medical bills. If the wreck was your fault, then you might even have to pay for the damage you caused to others. You could even face a lawsuit. Active, appropriate car insurance can continue to assist you long after you leave the site of a wreck. Not having it will equal no protection at all. You Won’t Protect the Car’s Value If your car sustains damage, then that damage could harm its resale value. That’s why it is imperative to repair and restore the vehicle. Car insurance is a great asset to have because it will help you do so. Car insurance is so important to protect vehicle value that auto loan companies often require buyers to get covered. They usually mandate comprehensive and collision damage insurance. These specific types of coverage will help you repair your car and thus protect the bank’s investment in it. Damaging your car is an inconvenience. However, you don’t want to face an even bigger challenge because you have no car insurance. Your policy can help you avoid legal penalties and create an avenue to repair your vehicle. As long as you keep paying for your policy, you will have an outlet to cope with these accidents.