Insurance World

Car insurance is basically insurance that drivers can purchase for any kind of vehicle in order to protect against losses sustained in traffic accidents. Auto insurance policies are, in reality, a bundle of different coverages. This insurance will usually cover the insured party, the insured motor vehicle, and any third parties involved. Different policies will identify the situations in which each of these entities is covered.

Below are the specific coverages involved when you purchase car insurance.

- Liability Insurance: Liability coverage is the most basic and foundational coverage in car insurance policies and is required in most states. This coverage ensures that if you are the one at fault in an accident, your liability insurance will pay for the physical injury and property damage expenses of any third parties involved. This coverage includes legal bills. Remember that third parties can sue you for “pain and suffering” damages. Minimum insurance may not sufficiently cover you in more extreme cases, which is why many people recommend that drivers purchase more than the state minimum required. Liability coverage limits are usually conveyed with three numbers. For example, liability limits of 20/50/10 indicate that there is coverage of $20,000 in bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 in bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 in property damage coverage per accident.

- Collision Coverage: In the case that you are in an accident, collision insurance will pay for the repairs that your vehicle requires. Collision coverage is usually the most expensive coverage that you will have to pay for. Insurance companies will declare a vehicle “totaled” or a “write-off” if the replacement would be cheaper than the repairs needed.

- Comprehensive Coverage: This coverage will pay for any damages to an automobile that were not caused by an accident. Qualifying damages include damages arising from carjackings, vandalism, natural disasters, and hitting an animal.

- MedPay, PIP, and No-Fault Coverages: MedPay will pay for the medical expenses of you and anyone else in your car after an accident, regardless of whose fault the accident was. PIP (Personal Injury Protection) and “no-fault” coverages are other forms of medical payment protection. They are broader than MedPay and may be required in certain states. These expanded coverages cover child care and lost wages.

- Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists Coverages: UM (Uninsured Motorists) coverage will pay for injuries you have sustained if you are involved in a hit-and-run by a driver who does not have auto insurance, and is mandatory in many states. UIM (Underinsured Motorists) coverage will pay for you if the driver who hit you creates more damage than their liability insurance can cover.

- Supplemental Coverages: Rental reimbursement is an add-on that will cover rented vehicles in case of damage or theft. Auto replacement coverage ensures that your automobile will be fully repaired for replaced even if the costs are more than its depreciated value. Coverage for towing and labor covers you in case of an auto failure on the road where towing is necessary. These supplemental coverages are usually offered as separate items or included in larger policies.

Health Maintenance Organizations, also known as HMOs, and Preferred Provider Organizations, also known as PPOs, are just two types of health insurance plans that belong to a larger spectrum of health insurance plans called Managed Care Insurance.

The characteristic that all health insurance plans categorized as managed care insurance have in common is that they provide policy holders with a list of doctors and other health care providers that they would prefer the policy holders to visit when in need of medical attention. The doctors and other health care providers are contracted to work with the health care plan’s network, which means the policy holder will be able to pay less money to visit them that he or she would pay to visit a doctor not on the list, or “out-of-network.”

So, what’s the difference between HMOs and PPOs?

Health Maintenance Organizations, or HMOs, require their policy holders to pay a monthly insurance bill in order to see a doctor or health care provider, regardless of whether or not the policy holder actually seeks medical attention during that month. This may not sound like a very good deal, but HMOs do tend to provide a vast array of medical services for their policy holders under the HMO health insurance plan.

Preferred Provider Organizations, or PPOs, include a network of doctors and other health care providers that cover only a specific group of policy holders, such as the employees of a company. Policy holders pay a co-payment at the time of service, and the rest of the bill is either sent to the insurance company, or paid by the policy holder who is then reimbursed by the insurance company.

Being a policy holder of an HMO or PPO doesn’t always mean you have to see a doctor or other health care provider included in the network. Sometimes HMOs and PPOs allow you to seek out-of-network medical attention at an increased price.