Insurance World

Recent world events have instilled a sense of fear in anyone who turns on the television or opens a newspaper. People are more aware of their vulnerabilities, and more interested in purchasing insurance. The irony is that the same disasters, disease and acts of war have created a negative trend in the property and casualty insurance industry, to the point where these types of insurance are more expensive and more difficult for consumers to obtain.

The property and casualty insurance industry posted a $7.9 billion net loss in 2001. According to the Insurance Services Office (ISO) and the National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII), this is first time that the industry has ever reported a net loss. Experts predicted a negative 2.7 percent return rate for property and casualty insurance, almost 6.5 percent lower than the return rate of the year 2000.

These losses have caused a number of property and casualty insurance companies to cut back in an effort to economize. One step taken to reduce losses was to avoid adding any new property and casualty insurance policies. The insurers have also purposefully stopped updating or renewing existing property and casualty insurance policies. As a result, the premium price of property and casualty insurance policies has increased.

A number of factors are said to have caused the property and casualty insurance problem, including acts of terrorism, natural disasters, economic turmoil, and even mold.

The headline of one trial lawyer publication, “Mold is Gold”, indicated that recent court decisions against insurers had jeopardized profitability of the property and casualty insurance industry. Invasive mold was recognized as the latest household hazard, and property and casualty insurance policyholders were cashing in with lucrative lawsuits. A well-publicized Texas lawsuit resulted in a staggering $32.1 million decision — extremely profitable for the owner, potentially devastating for the property and casualty insurance industry.

The terrorist attacks of September 11 greatly contributed to the negative impact on the property and casualty insurance industry. It has been reported that property and casualty insurance claims related to the events of September 11 totaled as much as $70 billion. The same event has also caused the decline of the stock market, adding to the insurance industry’s downward trend.

This negative impact has also had a detrimental effect on the real estate industry, where property and casualty insurance is essential. Property and casualty insurance coverage is essential when applying for a conventional, government-assisted and commercial mortgage; without it, lending companies will reject the mortgage application. Therefore, the real estate market cannot function properly if this type of insurance is more expensive or less accessible. In real estate, mortgages are paramount in closing the vast majority of sales. Without property and casualty insurance, there won’t be any mortgages, and sales in the real estate market will plummet. Moreover, without property and casualty insurance coverage, homeowners would find it difficult or impossible to maintain their mortgage obligations. Lenders would be forced to foreclose on the property, or subject the homeowners to expensive lender forced-place coverage.

No one can contest the devastating personal consequences of natural disasters, acts of terrorism and disease. The insurance and real estate industries are two examples of how these events have had a negative impact on our economy as well.

We all understand the importance of health insurance; however, as the types of health insurance continue to increase it is becoming more and more difficult to select the type of coverage that is best for you and your family. To help you find out which type of policy might benefit you the most, let’s take a look at the most common types of policies.

There is usually a lot of hype regarding HMOs so let’s look at that one first. A HMO is a health maintenance organization plan that works with a specified group of doctors and hospitals within the network. A primary healthcare physician is selected and you must obtain referrals for care that cannot be provided by that physician. The benefits of this type of plan are lower office visit costs and prescription drug co-pays. In addition, there will typically be either no or limited deductible costs for hospital stays. Depending on your coverage, there may also be no pre-existing condition cause limitations. It is also important to understand that your choice of doctors and hospitals will be limited with a HMO and you won’t be able to have out of network services covered.

A PPO or Preferred Provider Organization works similar to a HMO; however, the major difference is that you are not required to select a primary care physician. In addition to the benefit of being free to choose your own physician without worrying about a referral you also gain the benefit of limited or no deductible costs for hospital stays as well as a possible larger selection of physicians that might be available with a HMO. Out of network services may also be covered; however, for a higher charge than in network services.

A POS, or Point of Service, is also similar to a HMO in that you select a primary care physician. The difference is that you are free to choose out of network treatment if you’re willing to pay a higher out of pocket cost.  
Another option is what is known as a traditional coverage policy. This type of policy will have a higher monthly premium as well as deductibles. In addition, you will generally be required to pay for services out of your own pocket up front and then submit claim reimbursement forms.

You may also wish to consider various types of disability plans, which cover a percentage of your income in the event that you experience an illness or accident that prevents you from working for a period of time. A short term disability plan will provide benefits from the first day of an accident or the eighth day of an illness up to 26 weeks. Generally, this type of plan will cover 66% of your weekly income.

Long term disability will begin after short term coverage has expired and will provide coverage for a variable term, depending on the policy you select. Some policies are limited to providing coverage up to two years while others will cover you up to the age of 65.