Insurance World

The insurance market is very competitive. Insurance companies are trading policyholders every year. A lot of people are upset with their rates and so they begin to shop in the insurance company jungle. There are the familiar names and the not so familiar names. Insurance companies have a tremendous responsibility and their margin for profit is always under siege because of the cost of doing business. How does the average consumer evaluate a homeowner insurance company? The answer is that you can’t. That is somebody else’s job. Insurance for us is very personal. Insurance companies try to make it personal but sometimes that is impractical and impossible. The best way to choose an insurance company is to first determine how you want to do business. Do you like personal service and consultation? If you do then you need to purchase your insurance from an insurance agent. If you like the speed of online and telephone purchases then by all means use the cyber world and the 800 number insurance companies.

The insurance company to most people is the agent. The agent is their connection and representative. Most people will either love or hate their insurance company based on their experience with their agent. Companies still love to do business with agents. It’s hard to do business without an agent sometimes. They usually have a staff that assists them in servicing their policyholders. They are involved in the same community with their customers and so there is a bond between them. If you want to do business with an agent then compare home insurance companies that use agents. Ask around. Get a recommendation.

There are more and more folks that want to bypass the agent and do their business on line or with customer service representatives at call centers. If this is your preferable method then you need to compare insurance companies that operate strictly online or by telephone. There are rating guides available that will help you determine the financial strength of each company. The AM Best insurance resource guide is probably the best.

Are you shopping for health insurance? Are you looking for the best rates? Are you totally confused? There are so many people scrambling for health insurance and are trying their best to compare the rates. This is not easy at first because the health insurance companies have had to come up with creative alternatives in their insurance portfolios. Those creative alternatives can give the average person an insurance headache.

The rising costs of hospital and physician services are always passed on to the consumer. The consumer depends on their insurance company to pay for their medical expenses in exchange for a premium. The medical rates are based on several criteria.

Here are a few:

1. Gender – Male/Female rates differ.

2. Tobacco - Non-Tobacco – Tobacco users are higher

3. Household Status - Single, Parent-child, Parent-children, Husband-Wife, Husband-wife-child, Husband-wife-children

4. Deductible – $500 to $5000 (with some companies)

There are some things that you can do to affect the rate. The most cost savings method is to choose a high deductible plan. The higher the deductible calculates into a lower the rate. Low deductibles no longer justify the premiums paid. This trend toward high deductibles is called self-insuring. You are taking on the financial responsibility for the deductible amount.

The best way to offset and prepare for the out of pocket deductible is to start a health savings account. This is a tax deductible savings plan for medical expenses. It’s the equivalent of a medical IRA. The tax deduction offsets some of the out of pocket expense you incur with the higher deductible. Contact your tax advisor or accountant about starting a health savings account.