Insurance Claim

There's three sides to your maximum health and fitness. Diet, and Exercise. But that's only two ! Let me split Exercise into Aerobic exercise and Aneorobic exercise.Get all three right. Get the right balance. And you'll get as fit and healthy as your body and genetics will allow.

Whole forests of paper have been filled with advice on each of these fitness factors. Just go into your local bookstore, and see shelves of diet advice. Shelves of exercise advice. Funny how so much contradicts itself, especially for diet e.g right next to each other on the shelf, you'll find a book advocating low carbs & low fat; another saying high fat is okay if you keep the carbs low. Yet another focuses on high protein, and says carbs don't matter...

* Diet

Let me give you this simple diet advice. Stick to low fat, low carbs and high protein. Many medical and weight loss
studies over the last 10-20 years prove this approach. Many other diet myths come from way back in time, and look
just plain wrong when analyzed with modern methods.

* Aerobic Exercise

Couch potatoes don't realize how easily they can start feeling fit and healthy. Just walk somewhere 3-4 times per week, for around 20 minutes each time. Ideally, do some more demanding aerobic exercise. I do a lot of cycling, because it's great low-impact exercise. And I get to see beautiful scenery while I ride.

Running provides even more intensive aerobic exercise, but careful of your joints. Maybe you prefer hiking, to see the local countryside ? Or take up a sport like rowing or tennis. You also get to meet new friends by taking up exercise as a sport.

* Anaerobic Exercise

Many people work on their diet. Many people take aerobic exercise. But many people ignore anaerobic exercise, or weight training.

What makes weight training so important ?

As you get older, muscle mass decreases. Muscle burns fat.  So as you lose muscle, it gets harder to keep the fat off. Equally important, weight training can reshape your body.

No matter how much aerobic exercise you do, you'll still be a pear shape (a smaller pear shape) if you started out a pear shape.

Using weights you can flatten your stomach, tone your thighs, bulk up your chest and shoulders, and reshape your body any way you want. Weight training is incredibly beneficial to your general skeleton strength and conditioning. Older women can reduce the effects of osteoporosis, and older men can maintain their strength and agility.

This short article can do nothing more than provide an introduction to the three keys to your health. Follow these and you shouldn't need to make a health insurance claim. Slash your health insurance costs with a long no-claims bonus. Slash your health insurance costs with any insurer who rates your fitness.

The basic thing to know is that if you have a shot a group health insurance, whether through a job or an association you're a member of, that is usually much more affordable than buying individual health insurance on your own. First you need to figure out your health insurance goals; in other words, what are you after? If you're young, healthy as a horse, no dependents and not attempting Mt. Everest next week, you may want to opt for a policy that covers only the catastrophes, and cover the rest out-of-pocket. On the flip side of that, if you're the sole bread winner with a family to support, the scenario is different.

The basic choices you'll have are Fee-for-Service, Managed Care Plans, and Association-based health insurance. Fee-for-service is the traditional indemnity plan, harder to acquire, more expensive, but usually great coverage. Managed care plans include most HMO's and PPO's. These offer lower costs but your choices are somewhat limited. Another way to get insured is through a group or association you may already be a member of, such as professional, religious or trade organizations. Often they may offer health insurance. It's worth checking out, as sometimes you can strike gold in this vein.

Things to consider when you're looking for any policy are what's covered on this plan, how much are the monthly premiums, what is the yearly out-of-pocket, what is the deductible, how much are office visits, does it cover preventative medicine, vision, dental? And I'm sure you can come up with many of your own. Sit down before you go shopping and make a list of your needs and wants, and decide in advance what you're willing to give to get. Be aware that once you start getting quotes they can vary as much as 50% for the same person! Remember, you're shopping, and nobody's making you do anything. If one insurer isn't cutting it, move on to another. If you're coming at this cold and have no good recommendations it may be wise to use a broker who represents several companies, as he or she wil be more likely to find the best policy for you, as opposed to selling the company they work for.

Shopping for individual health insurance can be frustrating and time-consuming, but if you come armed with facts you'll be able to navigate this highly competitive and ever-changing field.

Group Insurance: Another type of insurance is the group arrangement. Through this type of insurance, one is compelled to abide by what others are going for, and this is dependent on the insurance providers. They are the ones that decide what is feasible to include in a plan, and on that basis, a group insurance can take place.

Indemnity Plan: This plan allows one to go to any doctor when one needs to; there are no restrictions on this, and it is believed to be more of a traditional plan. One does not need permission to go to a particular health care provider. However, usually what happens is that the member pays 20% of the total fee for treatment while the insurance provider pays 80%. In addition to this, there is a period through which one pays up in this manner, and then the company takes over paying the whole 100%.

HMO: The Health Maintenance Organization is one that allows a member to select a particular doctor off the panel. It is these selected doctors that will deal will with members' problems. The selected doctor is the one that will be approached for checkups of any kind, and if there are problems with a member that cannot be handled by him or her, the member is referred to specialists.

Know Your Health Care Needs

These days, we seem to own plenty of home appliances that are supposed to reduce our workloads and make life easier and simpler. But with those work-saving appliances come some hidden risks that could cause losses that cost us our homes, our contents, and our peace of mind.

Here is a list of home appliances and hazards that you can easily prevent:

1. Dishwasher: Has an average life expectancy of 9 years. Make sure the door seals work properly to prevent water leaks. If it won’t drain properly, check the garbage disposal to see if it’s clear. Water leaks from dishwashers regularly cause water damage in kitchens. If the leak is sudden, you’re probably covered. If the leak keeps happening over time, you probably won’t be covered for loss.

2. Clothes washer: Has an average life expectancy of 10 years. Replace the rubber hoses with flexible stainless steel braided hoses to prevent hose bursts and big water claims. If a hose bursts, the water could spray the laundry room until someone finds it, causing a big water loss.

3. Clothes dryer (gas or electric): Has an average life expectancy of 10 years. Lint build-up inside dryers causes nearly 4,000 fires each year. Make sure your dryer hose vents correctly. Replace plastic vent hoses with metal. Clean the lint filter after every dryer load. Disconnect the dryer and hose twice a year and sweep out the lint under and inside the dryer cabinet. You’ll be shocked at how much lint you’ll find.

4. Toaster/toaster oven: Has an average life expectancy of 5 years. All of these little toasters have a trap door so you can clean them out. Crumbs dry out and become very flammable. Clean out the crumbs to prevent a fire.

5. Microwave: Has an average life expectancy of 8 years. Never use metal inside a microwave. It will start a fire. It will also damage or destroy the magnetron that generates the waves.

6. Gas Stove/Oven: Has an average life expectancy of 15 years. Got electronic burner lighters? If you turn on the burner, and it doesn’t light immediately, turn off the burner. Even three seconds of gas...unlit...can explode when lit. Let the gas dissipate for about 30 seconds before trying again. If you have to, dismantle the burner eye and clean it out. Also, make sure you clean up spills inside the oven which can generate smoke and start a fire. You’ve got a lot of open flame with a gas stove. Watch out for sleeves, dish towels and pot holders.

7. Electric stove: Has an average life expectancy of 13 years. Have a burner or oven element that malfunctions or burns out? Replace it right away. Also, make sure you clean up spills inside the oven which can generate smoke and start a fire.

8. Refrigerator/freezer: Has an average life expectancy of 15 years. This appliance regularly has an icemaker, which has a plastic water line that feeds it. These water lines burst frequently, and they will pump water out onto the floor until someone discovers it. Replace the plastic icemaker line with a copper line.

9. Garbage disposal: Has an average life expectancy of 15 years. If it gets blocked, go to the fusebox and turn off the breaker or fuse before trying to clear it. Don’t ever stick your hand down inside a garbage disposal. Replace the rubber drain line with a braided line.

10. Electrical extension cords: Not an appliance, but cause thousands of fires each year. Don’t use a frayed cord. Look at the amperage rating on the cord, and don’t plug in stuff that exceeds the rating. If you have a cord that you can’t find a rating on, throw it away. Don’t place a cord under a rug, carpet or under a piece of furniture. Check ALL of the cords in your home to make sure that there is no furniture leg resting on a cord. Feel cords in use to see if they are warm or hot. If they are, throw them away and get a heavier cord. Using power strips is safer than cords.

I recommend that if any appliance repairs will cost more than half of the price of a new appliance, replace it.

If you will take care to do these simple tips, you will drastically lessen the chances of having a disastrous home fire. But if you do have a home fire, you will need an expert to help you submit your claim. Never allow the insurance adjuster to handle your claim on your behalf. Their job is to minimize your claim. Your job is to collect every penny you are entitled to collect. See the conflict?

Go to www.ClaimSecrets.com for valuable claim strategies that will put thousands in your pockets.

The Office of Insurance Regulation of the State of Florida released a statement about State Farm Insurance Company’s intent to leave the State of Florida. Commissioner Kevin McCarthy issued a consent order that ends the pending litigation between State Farm and the Insurance Commissioner’s office concerning State Farm’s plan to leave Florida’ property insurance market. State Farm will now continue writing business in Florida’s residential insurance market, and Citizens Property Insurance dodges a bullet that could have been fatal.

The Florida legislature established Citizens Property Insurance, the high risk pool, in 2002, in response to insurance companies that either went bankrupt, cancelled or pulled out of Florida because of repeated hurricanes. So, Citizens Property Insurance places the Florida taxpayers at risk for residential losses. Since 2002, storm after storm have struck Florida, nearly bankrupting Citizens. And Citizens is only one big storm away from ruin. So, when State Farm, the largest residential property insurer in Florida announced that they were leaving the state, the Insurance Commissioner’s office panicked.

This allowed State Farm to figuratively bend the Commissioner over the couch and have its way with him. Prior to State Farm’s announcement that they were leaving Florida, the company requested a rate increase of over 65% which was denied by the Commissioner. But rather than wave goodbye to Florida’s largest insurer, the Commissioner has granted the smaller...yet generous...rate increase of 14.8%. And, it is allowing State Farm to get rid of 125,000 policies that are arguably the highest risk policies they have on the books.

So, not only does State Farm get a rate increase on all policies, but it gets to keep its most profitable business and shove the riskier business off onto the taxpayers of the State of Florida. And for Citizens, 125,000 risky policies is better than 860,000.

You’ve got to admire that kind of moxy. State Farm, being the largest insurer in Florida, took full advantage of their market position and finally showed the State of Florida who is the boss. The regulators and the Florida legislature had little choice and no options but to give in to State Farm’s demands. The press release issued by the Commissioner’s office was a pitiful attempt to save face and spin the story to look like the Commish’s office was protecting Florida’s property owners.

Don’t you wonder if the terms of the consent order was what State Farm wanted all along?

One of the greatest challenges insurance companies face is the ferreting out of insurance fraud. Wherever there is a chance that someone can get paid for submitting a fraudulent claim, there are also stupid people who are willing to give it a try.

Here are some recent examples:

1. The Charging Bull

NEW HAVEN, CT: Connecticut state investigators say have charged Garrett Dalton with felony fraud after he was spotted running a 40-yard dash in a race sponsored by a local radio station. Dalton was collecting worker’s compensation from alleged injuries sustained as a prison guard...otherwise known as a “bull.” Dalton entered a not-guilty plea.

2. Mr. Motion pleads guilty to faking injury

PENNSYLVANIA: The state Attorney General said that Michael Taris tried to make a claim for injuries from a slip and fall in a Seven Eleven store. But then investigators found out that Taris is a professional wrestler with the name “Mr. Motion,” and is trained to fake falls and injuries. Taris pleaded guilty and got three years probation.

3. Didn’t you think someone would notice her missing?

CHICAGO, IL: Donald Brewer was charged with first degree murder in the death of Kenyatae Brewer, 22, his wife and the mother of three kids to collect on her life insurance policy. Mrs. Brewer was found slain in the trunk of her Chevy Monte Carlo, shot multiple times.

She was not available for comment. Mr. Brewer may be unavailable for comment for 40-60 years.

Insurance fraud is serious business, since claims paid on fraudulent claims cost ALL of us higher premiums. It’s no different than shoplifting at a retailer. Stores simply add the cost of their “shrinkage” to the cost of the goods you and I pay for.

Report any suspected insurance fraud to the police. And know that most of the time, criminals get caught.

One of the greatest challenges insurance companies face is the ferreting out of insurance fraud. Wherever there is a chance that someone can get paid for submitting a fraudulent claim, there are also stupid people who are willing to give it a try.

Here are some recent examples:

1. Cops should know better.

COLUMBIA, KY: Donnie and Tina Richmond have been arrested and charged with arson and perjury in the case of insurance fraud on a house they owned. Donnie is a Kentucky State Trooper...or should I say...was a Trooper. They have been indicted and will be tried for the fire that occurred in October 2009.

2. Sharing the wealth doesn’t pay.

Investigators at the Georgia Department of Insurance have arrested the man they allege was the “ringleader” in a fraudulent auto accident scheme that collected over $95,000 from various insurers.

Joseph Morris of Savannah was charged with three counts of insurance fraud. Each count could get Morris ten years in prison.

Morris filed 16 claims involving vehicles he either owned or previously owned, or claims involving people who were associates.

3. If you can skydive, maybe you’re OK.

HUDSON FALLS, NY: Jacob Bancroft, a press operator, claimed a back injury which allowed him to collect insurance benefits for about 18 months until he was discovered skydiving. He also did hot air ballooning, hiking, firefighting and heavy construction. His downfall was when he posted his activities on Facebook.

The video is at: ABC Insurance Fraud Video Clip

Insurance fraud is serious business, since claims paid on fraudulent claims cost ALL of us higher premiums. It’s no different than shoplifting at a retailer. Stores simply add the cost of their “shrinkage” to the cost of the goods you and I pay for.

Report any suspected insurance fraud to the police. And know that most of the time, criminals get caught.

One of the greatest challenges insurance companies face is the ferreting out of insurance fraud. Wherever there is a chance that someone can get paid for submitting a fraudulent claim, there are also stupid people who are willing to give it a try.

Here are some recent examples:

1. Fire, Brimstone and the evil Church Music Director

KANSAS CITY,KANSAS: A church music director hatched an elaborate plan to torch the church where he worked.

Carva Lee White of Kansas City, Missouri, planned to convince the pastor to make an insurance claim, collect the money and then help White inflate repair bills and embezzle money from Church Mutual Insurance Company.

White actually set the fires inside the church on Halloween, 2008. The church, Missionary Baptist Church, received over $110,000 for the fire repairs. White is serving a 20-40 year sentence.

2. Conniving Contractor Bribes an Adjuster

SEATTLE,WA: Federal prosecutors filed fraud charges against Donald Chill, a disaster contractor, alleging insurance fraud of over $3.2 million.

Seems Chill bribed an adjuster to submit wildly inflated estimates for damages that Chill collected from Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance.

When challenged on prices, Chill created second estimates from nonexistent contractors and submitted them as “proof.”

The trail has not yet been completed.

3. With friends like this....

GARNER, NC: Kimberly J. Smithson was charged with larceny, breaking and entering, filing a false report and insurance fraud. Smithson stole jewelry worth over $14,000 from the home of a friend whose house she was watching. She also submitted a false claim to Assurant Insurance for electronics that she was paid for. Finally, she was found to have collected on a fire set at her home, which paid her over $9,000 for damages.

She awaits trial.

Insurance fraud is serious business, since claims paid on fraudulent claims cost ALL of us higher premiums. It’s no different than shoplifting at a retailer. Stores simply add the cost of their “shrinkage” to the cost of the goods you and I pay for.

Report any suspected insurance fraud to the police. And know that most of the time, criminals get caught.

One of the greatest challenges insurance companies face is the ferreting out of insurance fraud. Wherever there is a chance that someone can get paid for submitting a fraudulent claim, there are also stupid people who are willing to give it a try.

Here are some recent examples:

1. Arson (I like this story because of the restaurant’s name.)

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FL: Two men were arrested and charged with insurance fraud after a 2008 fire at Wakey, Wakey Eggs & Bakey.

The fire was set in the kitchen after the restaurant closed on May 5, 2008, and caused over $200,000 in damages.

One of the owners, Victor H. Jara, was arrested and charged with arson and filing false insurance claims. Matthew Thayer, a contractor, was also arrested on the same charge.

The building’s owners had just evicted the restaurant owners for defaulting on the rent.

2. Dumb Insurance Adjusters...there are a bunch of them.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: A Maryland woman pleaded guilty to writing company checks to herself and depositing the money into her own checking accounts while she was an insurance claims adjuster.

Shironda Jones pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft over $500. She was sentenced and ordered to pay back over $16,000 she had stolen from Nationwide Insurance Company between September 2006 and September 2007.

3. Hometown Insurance Fraud...I missed out on all the fun.

KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN: Grand Rapids, Michigan is known as the Furniture City, and is getting a reputation as a hub for medical research. But now it’s become the Michigan Mecca for insurance fraud.

Three of the top Five insurance fraud cases in Michigan in 2009 were committed in Kent County.

The top case was Dr. Robert Stokes, a dermatologist who bilked Medicare and other health insurers for over $2 million. He is in prison serving a 10-year sentence for double billing and charge for work he did not perform.

Stokes’ Tudor mansion on Reeds Lake, which he tried to sell for $7.7 million, was recently auctioned off by the bank for $1.75 million.

Next case involved James Westra, age 80, who paid a former employee to torch his business so he could collect over $300,000.

Third is Isaac Chandler, of Alpine Township, who was sentenced in Augustto at least six years in prison for selling $40 counterfeit insurance policies to almost 500 people.

Insurance fraud is serious business, since claims paid on fraudulent claims cost ALL of us higher premiums. It’s no different than shoplifting at a retailer. Stores simply add the cost of their “shrinkage” to the cost of the goods you and I pay for.

Report any suspected insurance fraud to the police. And know that most of the time, criminals get caught.

The health insurance companies of America are lining up at the doors of Congress to commit legalized bribery like never before. In this time in which Congress and the President are trying to craft some type of health care legislation, insurers want to make certain that their feet are firmly under the table.

America’s Health Insurance Plans, the national association representing nearly 1,300 member companies providing health insurance coverage, reports that it spent $2.4 million just from July through September.

The non-partisan group Center for Responsive Politics reports that some drug companies are also outdoing previous efforts at buying influence. Pfizer has spent $16.3 million lobbying so far in 2009, and Amgen spent $9.2 million so far this year. Those amounts far outpace their 2008 bribes.

So, let’s run a total:

$ 2,400,000
$16,300,000
$ 9,200,000
$27,900,000

That doesn’t count individual companies like US Healthcare, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, Humana, United Healthcare or any others. That also doesn’t count October and November.

But remember...there are 435 members of Congress and 100 Senators, one president and one vice president who is also president of the Senate. That totals 537 people. Divide the bribery total above by 537 and you see that each elected official could potentially have received $51,955.00 in contributions just from these lobbyists.

Remember also that the bribery is not done. Remember also that the opponents to this health care bill are also lobbying and bribing.

Even the AARP has spent a mind-boggling $15.1 million in lobbying bribes this year, which is less than they spent in the first three quarters of 2008.

Don’t worry about the insurance companies, though. Their profits are secure, and Congress will NEVER leave them out.

Why?

The insurance companies have vast investment portfolios. A big part of their portfolios are government bonds and other government securities. If the insurance companies sold off even 1 or 2 % of their holdings at once, they could cause the bond markets to collapse overnight. Washington knows this and won’t allow it to happen. So, insurers will get pretty much anything they desire.

As the old saying goes...“when money talks, all the bullshi* walks.” Don’t believe ANY headlines that tell you the insurance companies are dithering and worried. They have NO WORRIES.

In 2008, The Department of Insurance of the State of New York released a report showing the 40 P&C insurance companies that had the most complaints. We did an article about this previously. We showed the ten worst companies, the ones that got the most complaints. But we did not feature the ones that got the least number of complaints in New York, a tough insurance market.

Here is the list of New York’s best P&C insurance companies as determined by the least number of complaints, higher number of complaints as you go down the list:

1. Long Island Insurance
2. Infinity Property & Casualty
3. Interboro Mutual
4. Tri-State Consumer Ins. Group
5. American International Group (AIG)
6. Safeco Insurance Group
7. Countrywide Insurance
8. White Mountains Group, OneBeacon, Esurance, Auto One Ins.
9. State Wide Insurance
10. Hannover RE Group, Clarendon National (no longer writing business)

You may find that some of these companies are only local or regional and that you cannot do business with them where you live. But notice that AIG, Safeco, OneBeacon and Esurance are national companies that got fewer complaints.

It’s not as easy to list a Top Ten Best P&C Insurance companies for America. We would have to contact all 50 state Departments of Insurance and find out which insurers had the least complaints. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners presently does not have any such report. In addition, complaints are not the only criteria that should be used to evaluate an insurance company.

Think about this statement, my friends.

The only thing that truly matters about your insurance is what happens when you submit a claim. It doesn’t matter how good your agent is...or if the company sends you a calendar every year...or buys you dinner. It really doesn’t matter if you pay a low premium or a higher premium. Claims handling is EVERYTHING!! Claims are about KEEPING PROMISES. When the insurance companies don’t keep their promises, the complaints pile up!

Lowest premiums are not the only criterion you should use, either. Shopping for insurance is confusing and complicated. Determining if your quotes are “apples and apples” comparisons takes strict attention to detail.

You may need the help of a dedicated, experienced agent to determine your insurance needs and buy the right policy. Still, my recommendation is to shop widely for your insurance needs. Get quotes from captive agents (who only write for one company) and independent agents (who write for multiple companies).

Getting quotes on the internet makes shopping for insurance very easy these days. But look for an insurance quote service that can give you competitive quotes PLUS strategies on submitting insurance claims that will help you collect thousands of dollars more in your claim settlements.

So, which insurance company should you do business with?

1. Choose a company that has an A+ or A rating from the insurance rating services like A.M. Best.
2. Get multiple insurance quotes at least every two years, then choose the company whose policies give you the most coverage for the least money. Don’t worry about company loyalty. The companies don’t care and neither should you.

If you are one of the unfortunate people who experience a loss of any kind, you'll need to know how to handle your insurance claim so that you maximize your recovery. You will need to know how to take control of your insurance claim, and add hundreds or even thousands more dollars to your claim settlement.

Go To: www.InsuranceQuoteHQ.com

You can win the insurance game if you have the right information. So go and win!

By Russell D. Longcore

Northern Georgia has been inundated with heavy rains over the last week. This has caused localized flooding, toppling trees and flooded roadways.

What do you do if your automobile or vehicle has been damaged by flood waters? What do you do if your home has sustained flood damage? Now, you’ll begin the cleanup, recovery and repair process. Many of you will be submitting insurance claims for damage to your home, business or vehicle. Let me share a few strategies to help you add hundreds or even thousands more dollars to your claim settlement.

Vehicle Damage Claims

1. Remember that when flood waters damage your vehicle, it will be covered by the “Other Than Collision” or “Comprehensive” coverage, not your Collision coverage. Make sure you know what your OTC deductible is.
2. Take your damaged vehicle to the body shop of YOUR CHOICE, not the choice of the insurance company. It’s YOUR vehicle, not theirs.
3. Insist on Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts, not cheap aftermarket parts. The insurance company has a legal duty to return you car to its pre-loss condition. Cheap aftermarket parts are not as safe as OEM parts.
4. Perform a very careful inspection and test drive of your vehicle after repairs are completed. If you need to, have a qualified mechanic do the inspection for you. Document any uncompleted repairs, and make sure they get done right then.
5. If your vehicle is a total loss, get written appraisals from dealers of your choice to be sure that the insurance company pays you all that you are entitled to collect. Don’t just accept the first total loss offer from the insurance company...they ALWAYS try to “lowball” you.

Building Damage Claims

1. Mitigate your damages...board up and tarp the home or business if necessary. The costs are covered.
2. Call a restoration contractor, not just a remodeling contractor.
3. Get your chosen contractor to meet with the insurance adjuster and agree on the scope of damages. Don’t just accept an estimate written by the adjuster.
4. If your home is too damaged to live in, your policy may have Additional Living Expense coverage. Carefully document all your expenses over and above your normal expenses while you’re living in a hotel or apartment.
5. If you have heavy damage to your home or business, consider consulting with a Public Adjuster to help you with your claim. They are claims professionals, and can customarily help you maximize your settlement amount.
If you have experienced a property loss, you need to know winning insurance claim strategies. The insurance company will not tell you the claims process, but I will. I will show you how to take control of your insurance claim, and add hundreds or even thousands more dollars to your claim settlement.

For more information, go to: www.insurance-claim-secrets.com
© Copyright 2009 Russell D. Longcore. All rights reserved.
Russell Longcore is available for interviews about insurance claim strategies. These strategies will show your audience how to add hundreds or even thousands more dollars to their claim settlements.
Russ is available for interview on short notice by phone at 678-234-2923.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper recently did a two-part series on the business practices of State Farm Mutual Insurance and Allstate Insurance. It was the culmination of an 18-month CNN investigation of low-impact, soft-tissue injury accidents around the country. The series was then broadcast on CNN. The links to the two segments are listed below.

Three major insurance companies joined together and hired the legendary business consulting firm McKinsey and Company. McKinsey, in their customary fashion, looked at the insurance companies’ business practices and made recommendations on how to increase profits in a report entitled “The Three Ds: Delay, Deny and Defend.”

In delaying a claim, insurance companies place significant financial pressure on a policyholder or claimant. That pressure can force a policyholder or claimant to accept a much smaller claim settlement amount.

By denying a claim, insurance companies force policyholders and claimants to seek legal representation. Many personal injury attorneys are reluctant to take on a client for a small loss, since attorneys often work on contingency fee schedules. So, in the absence of good legal representation, policyholders and claimants are once again forced to accept “lowball” settlement amounts from insurers.

In defending a claim, the insurance companies take the position of forcing the policyholder first into the Appraisal process found in most policies. This requires that each party choose a representative, and then the representatives choose and umpire. The agreement of any two of the three chosen constitutes the claim amount. But this will add months to any claim process. The next step for the policyholder or claimant is to file a lawsuit. This will add years to the eventual settlement...if they can find legal representation and pay for it.

Insurance companies have taken this position with the intent of making the legal process so costly for personal injury attorneys that they become even more reluctant to accept new clients for small cases.

So far, the “Delay, Deny and Defend” tactics have been wildly successful for any insurance company that has adopted the tactics. Industry profits have risen considerably over the past few years, despite significant catastrophic events such as Hurricane Katrina.

Here are the links to the CNN reports.

Part One

Part Two

There is also a tremendous book available about this topic, entitled “From Good Hands To Boxing Gloves: The Dark Side of Insurance,” by David Bernardinelli. Here is a link:

From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves: The Dark Side of Insurance

There are some things you can do as a policyholder or claimant to prove your claims. Visit the website at: ClaimSecrets.com for more information.

American Family Mutual Insurance Company was ordered to pay $17 million to settle part of a class action lawsuit over aftermarket parts in Missouri.

A jury in Jackson County, Missouri returned a decision that American Family had wrongly paid automobile damage claims based upon the use of aftermarket replacement parts.

Aftermarket auto parts are not held to the same testing and safety requirements as Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts. Consequently, they may fit on a car as a replacement part, but the use of an aftermarket part does not constitute repairing the car to the pre-loss condition. Insurers love aftermarket parts because they are considerably cheaper than OEM parts.

The jury verdict affects 315,000 Missouri policyholders who filed claims between May 1990 and December 2004.

Ted Pintar is one of the Plaintiff attorneys. “It (the verdict) sends a clear statement to insurance companies who continue to force inferior aftermarket parts on insureds as part of their claims practices.”

A spokesman for American Family Mutual Insurance Company said that the company would appeal the verdict.

Friends, don’t think for a minute that the insurance companies will just roll over and accept this verdict as a standard for the nation. Every state has its own Department of Insurance, and they will continue to conduct business as usual on a daily basis. So, if you have a car wreck, you must still insist IN WRITING that your vehicle be repaired with OEM parts.

First and foremost, your car will not be as safe as it was before the accident if aftermarket parts are used.

Second, there is the matter of Diminished Value. Every car loses value once it has been in a collision and has to be repaired. A vehicle repaired with OEM parts will lose less value than one repaired with aftermarket parts.

You must fight for your own safety and the value of your car. The insurance company does not care about either.

Fight and WIN!

The event was the COMDEX convention held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. COMDEX was the annual global IT convention, featuring the newest computers, electronics and gadgets. This was the biggest convention held in Atlanta each year. 200,000 people would attend the convention over four days.

Two days before the convention opened, a category 3 tornado struck downtown Atlanta. The twister tore off 100,000 square feet of roof from the Convention Center and dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of rainwater inside. Local news footage showed water cascading down a big stairway like a waterfall.

COMDEX was cancelled. The financial losses for the event planners fairly boggle the mind.*

What if the show can't go on? The consequences — particularly for a corporation staking big bucks on a marketing event or for an association that gains most of its revenue from an annual conference — can be dire. One safety net is event cancellation insurance, which can protect your event investment against catastrophes, strikes, earthquakes and snowstorms.

Event Cancellation Insurance has been around for decades, and has a long history of protecting special events from conventions, to trade shows, to exhibitions, entertainment or sporting events.

An insured may have incurred expenses all year long preparing for an event but can't afford for an unpredictable event to cause its cancellation. Think of the costs for travel, venue deposits, rescheduling costs, as well as other costs including planning.

Often the kinds of problems that can lead to postponement, cancellation or relocation of an event are out of the planner's control. Look to Event Cancellation Insurance for the kind of coverage needed to protect that financial exposure.

Whether planners should invest in cancellation insurance depends upon how important an event is to an association or corporation financially and what kind of risk it is assuming. If your group event is planned for 50 people, you’d probably not buy this policy. But if 500 or 5,000 people were expected to attend, event cancellation insurance could be crucial to your bottom line.

Sometimes, event planners don’t think about event cancellation insurance. They either are unaware that such coverage exists, or mistakenly rely on the insurance of the event venue...like a convention hall. The venue’s insurance will help them rebuild or repair. But it won’t help the event planners find another venue, or compensate them for the costs they incur or income they lose from cancellation.

Coverage and Cost

The rule of thumb is that cancellation insurance covers perils that are beyond the control of a planner, such as inclement weather, strikes, outbreaks of disease and so on. You can also purchase coverage for “Non-Appearance,” in case your event relies on the appearance of a person or group (speaker, performers, player, invited guest). The policy also covers things such as extra expenses for trucks and workers in case an exhibitor doesn’t break down his exhibits. What is not covered are lack of planning, low attendance from a lack of interest or poor marketing, or bankruptcy of the planner.

Coverage begins as soon as the premium is paid and usually extends for five days after the event. Coverage purchased well before an event can be a godsend if something happens to the facility where you’re booked, as the coverage would cover costs of relocation and notifying attendees.

The cost of this coverage is calculated on a policy-by-policy basis. Every event is different and each has unique risk exposures. The standard costs of this coverage run about fifty cents per $100 of coverage. However, variables like location (areas susceptible to hurricane or earthquake) or season (winter is higher than spring, summer or fall) can push the price up towards $1 per $100 of coverage. So, a $1 million policy might cost up to $10,000 or more.

When To Buy

Event cancellation insurance is usually less expensive if purchased far in advance. Insurers increase the premium rate, theorizing that the closer the event is, the more desperate the planner must be for coverage.

We recommend that you get at least two price quotes before making a buying decision. We also recommend that you review a sample copy of any policy before purchase to determine what is covered and what is excluded.

Then, have a super successful event!


*This catastrophe was entirely fictitious.

If you are a General Contractor (GC), you most assuredly carry Comprehensive General Liability insurance for your business. If you’ve spent any time reading your policy (fat chance), you may remember that the terms and conditions of the policy require you to protect yourself and your insurer.

Specifically, when you hire sub-contractors, you are supposed to require that the “sub” execute a Hold Harmless agreement as part of the contract, in which the sub agrees to protect the general contractor from liability for acts of which the sub is found legally liable. Further, the sub is supposed to name the general contactor as an Additional Named Insured, which provides a legal defense to the GC. At that point, the GC’s policy becomes excess over the sub’s coverage.

I used to be a General Contractor, and I know GCs pretty well. They, being a somewhat independent bunch, frequently do business with subs on little more than a handshake or a phone call. These subs are people they’ve used repeatedly, and a high level of trust is in place. The idea of getting all that contract paperwork executed before the first hammer is lifted or spade turned is just a pain in the backside. So, it regularly gets ignored.

Unfortunately for GCs, the insurance companies have been taking it in the wallet as they have absorbed liability for the GCs when they fail to get that Hold Harmless in place. So, the risk management efforts that the GCs are supposed to do aren’t getting done. And that has the affect of transferring the risk to the insurance companies.

They get to pay when the GC’s contract fails to contain a Hold Harmless Clause.

They get to pay when the GC doesn’t require his subs to maintain their own insurance.

They get to pay when the GC doesn’t get himself listed as an Additional Named Insured on the sub’s policy.

So, the insurance companies have begun to issue policy endorsements that deny coverage when there is a loss due to the sub’s operations and the GC did not get the Hold Harmless Clause into his contract and proof that the sub named the GC as an Additional Insured. The insurers are figuring that the only way to get the attention of the General Contractors is to put some of the GCs’ assets on the table.

On August 4, 2009, the California Court of Appeals issued the ruling in North American Capacity Ins. Co. v. Claremont Liability Insurance Company. The ruling upheld this Contractors Warranty Endorsement, and stated that the insurance company could take an excess position even if the subcontractor had no insurance, simply because it was their duty to have insurance. Therefore, the endorsement and coverage could proceed AS THOUGH the subcontractor had the coverage in place.

To quote the ruling:

“We find the “clear and explicit” meaning of the contractors warranty endorsements, as used in their “ordinary and popular sense” by a layperson establishes a precondition of coverage as to work done by subcontractors for whom (the GC) failed to secure both a written hold harmless agreement and a certificate of insurance. The trial court therefore did not err in finding the contractors warranty endorsement enforceable under the facts of this case.”

Now that the insurance companies have a favorable court decision in their back pockets, you should expect your insurance carrier to play for keeps. A potential liability claim denial will bring a new discipline to the business life of the General Contractor.

“Big Rig” insurance is essential for the independent owner/operator. In today’s highly competitive commercial trucking industry, an owner/operator has to be a shrewd businessman, and get the best insurance for the lowest premium.

Are you a person that loves sun-drenched afternoons cruising on mountain roads or along the coastline? Can you close your eyes and see the highway stretch out before you all the way to the horizon?

Your big rig may be your family business. Do you hit the road with your wife as a driving team?

Are you a person who enjoys the freedom of being your own boss as an independent owner/operator? Or are you a leased operator?

Do you own more than just one truck?

No matter what your motivation is for owning and operating a commercial semi truck, you will need commercial truck insurance. But all commercial truck insurance policies are not the same.

Here are some features and coverages you should look for when shopping for commercial truck insurance:

• Only accept an A-rated insurance company so you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your insurance company has the financial strength to take care of you when covered losses occur.
• Comprehensive Coverage - protection for non-collision losses, such as fire, smoke, windstorm, theft, lightning, hail, animals, vandalism, even low branches and overhangs.
• Replacement Cost coverage - on your personal property that is stolen, damaged or destroyed.
• Physical Damage/Collision coverage - when your vehicle runs into something.
• Replacement Cost Coverage on the vehicle, which pays to replace your vehicle with a brand new one of like kind and quality. Most policies only pay the Actual Cash Value for a total loss.
• Liability limits - buy high liability limits, it’s inexpensive coverage. Skimp on other coverages but don’t skimp here. Personal injury attorneys love truck accidents and get big jury awards.
• Attached Accessories Coverage - includes running lights, antennas, chrome, custom wheels, custom paint, satellite dishes, and such. Many insurance policies don’t cover customizing equipment. Make sure yours does.
• Non-Trucking Liability, or“Bob-Tail” coverage - takes care of you when you’re using your rig at times you’re not under dispatch.
• Motor Truck Cargo Legal Liability - covers your load against damage from certain causes.
• Trailer Interchange coverage - if you have a trailer interchange agreement, you need this coverage to protect you while you're in possession of a container or trailer that you don't own.
• A trailer interchange agreement is a contract that arranges to transfer a trailer from one trucker to another in order to complete a shipment.
• Refrigeration Breakdown Endorsement - provides coverage up to a separate limit shown on the schedule for spoilage of perishable stock while the stock is in transit on a vehicle.
• Non-owned trailer - this is third party coverage for a trailer that you are hauling owned by another entity.
• Emergency Expenses Coverage - pays for lodging or travel back home if your unit is damaged or destroyed by a covered loss more than 50 miles from home.
• Towing and Roadside Assistance - first dollar coverage, no out-of-pocket costs for towing, flat tire changes, fuel delivery and locksmith services.
• Occupational Accident Coverage - pays your medical bills for certain covered accidents while you’re working. Crucial coverage if you do not carry health insurance for yourself.

We may need more information from you such as driver and equipment lists, MVR's and loss runs.

Commercial trucking insurers also offer a variety of discounts, such as:

• Multi-Unit
• Multi-Policy
• Safety Course
• Prior Insurance
• Renewal discount for maintaining continuous coverage

You will also find a wide choice of deductibles and payment plans available. Choosing higher deductibles will lower your premiums. Flexible payment plans will help you manage your budget.

By using these strategies, you’ll have the best chance at having fun cruising the roads in your “Big Rig!”

Get your best Big Rig commercial truck insurance quotes at: www.InsuranceQuoteHQ.com

Quotes are always free...you NEVER spend a penny for a quote. And, there is NEVER any obligation to buy.

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The United States is the only nation in the industrialized world without a universal health care system. The oldest universal health care system is in Germany, which had its inception in 1883 under Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.

Let’s lay an important ground rule before we begin. Traditional insurance policies cover unexpected but predictable occurrences. For example, an auto policy covers an unexpected collision. But that policy does not cover maintenance costs which are a normal part of owning a vehicle. Health insurance has become maintenance insurance over the years, paying for everything from regular checkups and tooth cleaning to heart transplants. And, with some group insurance copays at $5 to $20, the concept of deductibles is becoming archaic.

So, in considering a single-payer cradle-to-grave government healthcare system, the old concepts of insurance and risk must be put aside. Single-payer healthcare is NOT INSURANCE in the strictest sense. It is a massive Social Security-type program, into which tax revenues flow and from which health care payments flow out to health care providers.

This article does not advocate a single-payer government-run healthcare system. But it does look at what a single-payer system might look like, and reasons why it will not work.

In December 2008 The McKinsey Global Institute issued an exhaustive 122-page report on health care costs in America, entitled “Accounting for the costs of US healthcare: A new look at why Americans spend more.” The best estimate of American healthcare costs is about $2.1 trillion annually.

Here is a summary list of its findings:

1. Administration costs in the US are much higher than in most countries around the world. This partly due to the privatization of some health care, resulting in profits for shareholders.
2. Pharmaceutical costs: Direct-To-Consumer Advertising encourages use of newer, more expensive drugs, a practice only allowed in the USA. Also, pharmaceutical lobbyists were successful in getting Congress to ban collective bargaining for Medicare Part D, resulting in the highest drug prices in the world. Also, the patent system for new drugs allows drug manufacturers to patent and charge more for non-novel medications.
3. The absence of a universal system that prevents risk-pooling, and the selective underwriting done by insurers. This leaves millions uninsured, and the uninsured avoid treatment until problems are more critical and more expensive.
4. Huge fees of specialist physicians for their procedural skills, rather than primary care that emphasizes preventive health care, early diagnosis and disease management.
5. Defensive medicine: Excess costs and duplication of health procedures in order to protect medical providers from malpractice lawsuits. Lawsuits and jury awards themselves don't cause a large amount of monetary damage, but the tort system creates a culture in which physicians are paranoid and make health care decisions with lawsuits in mind, rather than patient interests first.
6. ICU Care: The costs of care at the end of life are wildly inflated, many times eclipsing the health care costs incurred in an entire lifetime. This is partly due to heroic efforts of lifesaving, pain management, and poor records.
7. Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems would be of great benefit in managing living wills, advanced care directives and previous treatment records. Without EMRs, doctors regularly order redundant tests and procedures because medical information management is so inefficient.

The McKinsey report doesn’t recommend a universal healthcare single-payer system. It simply tries to provide accurate information to those who will be making policy regarding healthcare in the USA.

Here is what a universal healthcare system might look like. This takes the best characteristics from healthcare systems around the world.

1. Funding through individual taxation for wage earners and self employed persons. Low income persons subsidized. Should tax be based upon age? Should the tax be calculated as a percentage of income, like in the IRS Tax Tables and FICA payments?

2. Medicare, Medicaid, the VA healthcare system and all other Federal healthcare systems would be rolled into the universal system. That would include the healthcare benefits for Federal workers and members of Congress.

3. No individual underwriting. All living persons of US citizenship are covered. Non-citizens with taxable earnings could be taxed and covered.

4. No deductibles. Copay for any doctor visit of $5-$20.

5. Prevention-based health care at the General Practitioner level. Compensation based upon health of the patients. Healthier patients, doctor makes more money.

6. Medical school 100% paid by government in exchange for 10 years service as a Federal employee. This would include additional training in medical specialties. Compensation levels could be set lower since there would be no school debt.

7. FedGov sets minimum standards for care. Insured persons are free to choose their own doctors. Patients can choose specialists without first seeing Primary Care Physician.

8. No insurance company precertifications necessary.

9. System includes mental health, nursing home and hospice care.

10. FedGov sets prices for pharmaceuticals, medical procedures and medical supplies. FedGov sets wages for all medical employees, including administrators, nurses, med techs and doctors.

11. Tort reform. If health care was universal from cradle to grave, torts would be limited since the patient would automatically be eligible for additional medical care required by malpractice, an unintended consequence of treatment or a medical complication. Doctors would still be liable for negligence, but awards would not need to compensate the individual plaintiff/patient for anticipated medical care into the future.

12. Electronic Medical Records, a database of all medical records for each patient, accessible by all medical providers. Would eliminate all duplication. Living wills and advance care directives would be part of every patient file. This has the potential to drastically reduce end-of life invasive care and duplication of procedures.

13. Individual health insurance policies would still be available for those that wanted a higher level of care, and would be excess insurance, like a Personal Umbrella policy.

14. Private medical providers, including doctors and hospitals, would still exist, offering custom care for those willing to pay extra for it.

I know this is a cursory look at universal healthcare. I know I’ve left out important features and benefits. But I’m trying to wrap my mind...and yours...around a concept that I fear is in our immediate future.

The big insurance companies have completely screwed up the health insurance marketplace in the United States. So, if they get left at the dock when this new ship sails, I won’t shed any tears. They get what they deserve.

Now, here is why I don’t think that the system outlined above will work.

1. The Federal Government is broke. They are already running trillion dollar annual deficits. In order to stave off governmental collapse, the Federal Reserve is printing paper money as fast as it can. Eventually, inflation will sink the ship of state. To absorb the healthcare system into the Federal Government which represents about one-seventh of the economy, is a bridge too far.

2. Funding this new healthcare system would require increasing taxes significantly. Insurance premiums would be turned into tax payments. There is presently an IRS business deduction for insurance premiums for corporations. The business lobbyists won’t want to give up this deduction and will fight it.

3. Pharmaceutical companies lobby Congress. They will fight any system that controls drug prices and threatens their profits.

4. Trial Lawyers have a powerful lobby in Congress. They will fight medical malpractice tort reform.

5. Medical providers, the American Medical Association and other medicine-related groups have powerful Congressional lobbyists. They will fight reforms, just like they do now.

6. Insurance companies will be forced out of business if the Federal Government takes over the healthcare system. Insurance companies hold trillions of dollars in US bonds and other municipal securities. They will threaten Congress with the collapse of the bond market if Congress passed a new system that leaves them out. All the insurance companies would have to do to crash the bond market and cause the collapse of the Federal Government is to sell off a small percentage of their bond holdings all at once.

In conclusion, I recommend looking at any Obama Administration proposal for universal healthcare in light of the competing groups in the medical field. Each group must be bought off for their cooperation, and in turn each one will buy off Congress to get what they want. Some things never change.

The single payer healthcare system that emerges from Capitol Hill, the system that will affect the healthcare of each American, should adopt as its logo the duckbilled platypus.

That’s the animal that looks like it was designed by a committee.