Insurance World

Whatever type of insurance you are taking out, there are some common mistakes that people make which cost them money and may leave them without cover when they most need it. If you are looking at insurance then you should avoid these common mistakes if you want to be fully covered and save yourself money.

Not updating policies.

It is important to keep all insurance policies up to date to make sure that you have adequate and accurate cover. If your policy doesn’t allow for inflation then you might need to increase its value every few years. Also, with life insurance remember to keep beneficiaries up to date when any new event such as marriage or birth or death occurs.

Letting insurance lapse.

If you have various bank accounts and insurance policies it can be easy to let an insurance policy lapse when changing accounts or closing an account. You need to make sure you keep track of all your policies, because any lapse could mean that you are not covered or that any continuous cover benefits you had are wiped out. For example, if you lapse on medical insurance you will be treated like a new customer and will not be covered for any previous illnesses you have had.

Not shopping around.

Too many people take the first insurance policy that they are offered, without looking to see if it is really competitive or what they want. Just because you can afford a policy doesn’t mean it is the best one for you. You should always take your time to look for insurance, and get quotes over the phone or online before arranging meetings and finalising a deal.

Getting inadequate coverage .

Another common mistake is not getting adequate cover, either for home or life insurance. Although $ 250,000 might seem a lot for cover, if you die then your family has to live off this amount for years and it won’ t be enough. Make sure that you are fully covered for the value of your home and its contents and that your life insurance policy is adequate so that your family can survive.

Lying on the application.

Although it might seem tempting to lie on your policy about something, the lender will usually find out and if they do you might be left with no cover. Although you might pay more for your policy by disclosing all medical problems, it is important to be honest on your application.

Using the wrong insurer.

Perhaps the biggest mistake you can make is picking the wrong insurer for your policy. Although many insurers are perfectly honest, there are some that will cost you more money and simply won’t pay out when you need them to. If you are unsure about anything in the insurance agreement, do not sign it. Make sure you check over anything you sign and consult a solicitor if necessary.

There are simple basic mistakes that many of us make in purchasing and using our insurances.
Know them in order that you can save yourself needless heartache

Health insurance is designed to protect against loss of income and expenses for medical care. There are two broad categories of health insurance policies: disability income policies and medical expense policies.

Disability income policies can also be referred to as loss of income, loss of time or replacement income. This type of policy will pay benefits to an insured who is disabled and can no longer work to earn a regular income. Payments can be weekly or monthly depending on the policy.

Medical expense policies are represented by a wide range of coverage from very minimal to comprehensive packages with multiple coverage. Some include both accidents and illnesses, various hospital expenses and other costs pertaining to medical care such as accident and sickness policies, hospital-stay policies, basic medical expense policies and major medical expense policies.

Any of these policies might cover various combinations of the above and may be paid in a lump sum.Some policies cover only accidents and not illness. As you might imagine, policies like this are very specific about what is considered an accident.

It is important to understand what is defined as an accident as it pertains to the health insurance industry: an accident is an event that is unforeseen and unintended.

Keep in mind that any discussion of this type of policy also applies to any type of policy that includes accidental coverage, not just accident specific policies.

Accident benefits are most commonly paid for accidental loss of life (also called accidental death), accidental loss of limb or sight (dismemberment), loss of time and/or income, hospital expenses, surgical expenses, and medical expenses like visits to the doctor.

Accidental death benefit can also be referred to as “principal sum.” This type of coverage should not be confused with life insurance. There is a world of difference between the two. Life insurance policies will generally be paid regardless of the cause of death. An accidental benefit is paid ONLY if the death is accidental as opposed to a death by natural causes or illness.

The person who receives the death benefit is called the beneficiary. The policy owner has the right and responsibility of naming beneficiaries. Usually there is a primary beneficiary however he/she can assign a second and even a third beneficiary.

The primary beneficiary is the first person in line to receive the benefit in the event of the death of the policy holder. The policy owner can also name a second beneficiary who would receive the benefit in the event the primary beneficiary dies before the insured. Some policies can include a third beneficiary who would be in line after the first two.

There is another important element in regard to accident policies: An accidental death may not be instant. A person can die as a result of an accidental injury months after the accident occurrence. Read your policy carefully because most stipulate that the accidental death benefit will only be paid if death occurs within three months of the accident.