Archive for the ‘Mississippi Health Insurance’ Category
Safe Auto Insurance Company
What is Safe Auto Insurance Company?
This auto insurance company is based in Ohio and was founded back in 1993. Like most big insurance companies, it started with a few people and has grown to a huge auto insurance company serving over 14 states, including: Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. They have a few satellite offices and employ around 1,000 people.
Safe Auto Insurance Company Features
They are well-known for supplying “state minimum” required liability insurance. This is and always has been their specialty. Many people prefer this coverage because they want to pay the minimum rate. Of course, Safe Auto also offers many other types of comprehensive and collision coverage. They cater to all auto insurance needs. Additionally, they have the following features:
They have a Phone Pay Program that allows customers to pay premiums over the phone and they also offer online payments. They offer 24/7 customer service, which is unique in the auto insurance industry. This service is provided 365 days a year as well. They offer three different payment plans.
Safe Auto Insurance Company Benefits
Safe Auto has a unique angle on the car insurance business. Rather than using numerous agencies to sell their insurance, they provide insurance using a “direct-to-consumer” method. Since they cut agents out of the loop, this keeps costs low. They focus most of their advertising on television, radio and print advertising. Chances are that you have seen at least one of their commercials before. Their most recent motto is “We keep you legal for less”.
Additional Considerations
Although Safe Auto is a good auto insurance company, it is important to understand that you should always get multiple quotes from different insurance companies. It is recommended to get at least three quotes and to compare the different policies. You cannot know if you are getting a good deal unless you take this approach. Also, it is a good idea to check the financial strength of your insurance company through the A M Best website.
Pet Insurance – Pre-Existing Conditions
Pre-existing conditions are not covered by pet insurance companies. Pre-existing conditions are problems or diseases that your pet may have shown symptoms of or been diagnosed with before the effective date of the policy. Most insurance companies will use the date you first noticed the problem, not necessarily the day it was diagnosed by a veterinarian. Some companies may cover a problem that occurred previously if it was “cured” and not considered a chronic condition (no symptoms or treatment within the last 6 months).
From reading reviews that policyholders write on the various companies, this is a reason that is frequently given when a claim is rejected. How can you avoid this? Buy a policy when you first acquire a puppy or kitten and/or before your pet manifests any signs of illness. There will be a waiting period for illnesses – usually 2 weeks or 1 month (varies depending on the company) and 24 to 72 hours for accidents. If your pet gets sick or injured before you purchase a policy or during this waiting period, it is unlikely the condition will be covered. Clients suddenly become interested in pet health insurance when they are in my office and their pet has a serious problem. Unfortunately, that’s not the best time to inquire about it.
During the application process, you will usually have to answer several questions about any previous problems your pet may have had. You should be completely honest when answering these questions. Knowingly misleading the insurance company about your pet’s previous problems is called fraud and is grounds for the policy to be cancelled. Depending on your answers to these questions, the insurance company may issue a policy on your pet with no exclusions or they may request further information from you and/or request your pet’s past 12 – 24 months medical records. Even if you aren’t required to send in medical records during the application process, you will likely be required to send in medical records when you file the first claim. If you have forgotten to mention something during the application process, it may become evident when the company reviews the medical record and a condition could be considered pre-existing and excluded from coverage.
Therefore, you should tell the insurance company during the application process that you want to know in writing if there are any conditions that will be excluded from coverage and for how long because they are considered pre-existing. Most of the insurance companies will do this if you make this request, and it is worth asking about so that there aren’t any surprises down the road. The last thing you want to do is pay several months/years of premiums only to find out that a claim is denied because the insurance company considers a condition pre-existing before you bought the policy. The goal is transparency on your part to reveal any known-about prior medical problems to the insurance company and transparency from the insurance company to reveal (when the policy is initially written) what, if any, pre-existing medical problems are excluded from coverage. If one or more conditions are excluded from coverage and you elect not to insure your pet, you can usually cancel the policy for a refund of premium as long as you haven’t filed a claim.
If your pet is older when you apply for a policy, the insurance company may request your pet’s medical records to review and/or require a physical exam and/or lab testing to make sure your pet doesn’t have a chronic condition that would preclude coverage for illnesses.
Risk Pools – Health Plans For The Risky Or Uninsurable
If you have a pre-existing condition that carries high risks for your insurance company, you may have trouble finding an affordable health plan. In fact, companies are not forced to insure you. If you are too risky, they can reject your application.
More than half of all insured people get their insurance from their companies. Group insurance plans reduce risk by sharing the cost equally. But, what if you can’t get into a group plan?
States offer a type of health plan called “risk pools.” Risk pools are intended to provide insurance to the uninsurable.
What Is A Risk Pool?
First, let’s look at how group insurance works. Even risky individuals can be covered under group health insurance at little cost to insurance companies because everyone shares expenses and risks. When the company has to shell out extra for claims made by a certain individual, the rate of the whole group goes up.
With individual health plans, there is no group. It’s just you. So, private insurance companies look at your medical history and risks. This is what determines your rate.
A risk pool is like a group of all the people within a certain state who can’t get private insurance because of pre-existing conditions and other health risks. It works in much the same way as group insurance does, except that the group in this case is not the company, but all the individuals in the state who can’t get insured.
Because they are obviously risky, risk pools cost more than regular insurance. This is not a government support program like Medicare or Medicaid aimed at low-income earners. Risk pools are usually quite expensive.
Does My State Have A Risk Pool?
Not every state offers risk pools, but most do. There are risk pools in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Each state’s risk pool varies. You definitely have to be a resident of the state in which you apply. Other than that, the requirements are different in each state. In order to qualify, they may require that you prove that you’ve been rejected by an insurance provider [http://www.medicalhealthinsuranceguide.org/Health_Insurance_Companies/] because of a high health risk.
In most states, you can’t get a risk pool health plan if you qualify for Medicare or Medicaid. Some states also have an enrollment cap, meaning that they will only accept a certain number of applicants to the program each year.
Risk pools are operated by non-profit healthcare organizations. Currently, almost 200,000 people are enrolled in risk pools, which is not a large number if you consider how many Americans are uninsured. Some states, like Tennessee, are starting to have special programs for kids and specific diseases like diabetes.
Risk pools are convenient for individuals who are having trouble getting insured. You can take out a short-term plan to cover a gap in your employment or insurance.
If you have a pre-existing condition that puts you at high risk, you may feel like you should stick with your group plan so that you can stay covered. This might mean staying at a lousy job that you would just as soon ditch otherwise. Risk pools offer you more choices for your health insurance coverage.