Simply Junior

When you take the opportunity to insure your life you will have to go through a thorough medical examination. The main reason for insurance providers to require a thorough medical check from their customers is to determine how much to charge for their services. If you have a high risk of death at an earlier stage then the company will charge a higher premium in order to collect more money for the service while you are still around. If the risk is low they will put a lower premium because you will be considered a lower risk that isn’t likely to require death benefit payout anytime soon.

Insurance providers use two main factors for defining how it is likely that their client will cease to exist: longevity charts and medical examinations (including history as well).

Longevity charts represent a statistical interpretation of mortality rates across different demographical groups. In other words, by using these charts the insurance company is able to learn how it is likely that a person will die at a certain stage of life and in a certain region. This is crucial for determining how much of a risk a person is when they come to the insurance company’s office. For example, the longevity chart shows that a man of 50 years old is much likely to decease than a woman of the very same age and living in the same area. Taking this into account, the insurance company will charge a man with a higher rate than a woman because the higher is the risk, the higher is the premium paid. That’s why older people always have higher life insurance rates than children, because they represent a higher risk to the company.

Medical examination and medical history give a more personalized and in-depth understanding of the customer’s risk potential to the company. In most cases the examination is undertaken directly at the office or at your home, unless your life insurance provider requires a more thorough examination of any particular system or condition. The following are the most common things you will be asked about when getting your life insurance quotes:

1. Personal medical history
2. Family medical history
3. Your primary physician’s contact information
4. Lifestyle factors (drinking, smoking, substance abuse)
5. The amount of insurance coverage you want to get

The following procedures are very common for the medical exam held by your insurance provider:

1. Height and weight measurement
2. Blood pressure and pulse measurement
3. Blood and blood vessel condition (lipids, glucose, hormones, viruses)
4. Urinalysis

After you pass the medical exam the insurance provider will analyze the results and set a corresponding premium according to the state of your health. Sometimes it takes up to a couple of months to analyze this information. In case you feel that there was something wrong or the company refused you, it’s better to ask the insurance to send you a copy of their final conclusion to you and your doctor. This might be very important especially if you want to get cheap health insurance from another company.

A traffic accident is never a think to be happy about. Having even the smallest car accident will surely give you a lot of stress and headache. Not to say that things will be a lot worse if there’s someone injured or the damage to vehicles or property is serious. The best thing to do in such a case is to remain calm and not panic. You will need your cool head for evaluating the extent of damage and injuries before you even contact your insurance company to report the accident. And here are some things to keep in mind if you want to do that right.

Remain cool-headed

The first thing you should do is to calm down. It will certainly be hard especially if you never had accidents before. But this is very important for properly analyzing the situation and helping other people involved if they need help. You have to keep focus on all of the details so you can report them to your insurance agent or the police officer when you will be asked questions.

Call for help first

Prior to evaluating the damage and injuries there’s another thing you have to do. Call 911 and report if there’s anyone injured at the scene. If the accident took place in a location where it is dangerous to remain (heavy traffic, high risk of collision) it is better to move the vehicles to a safer place rather than waiting for the police officer to document the accident. This will save you from additional risk of damage or injury. When you have all of these things done you can take your camera and notepad for documenting the crash.

Gather evidence

Try to get as many pictures and notes from the scene while it is still as-is before the police start moving the vehicles. Then write down how the accident happened step by step as you remember it. If there’s someone who saw it happen around the scene, get their names and contacts, and ask for their version of the accident. It’s not wise to start arguing with them if you don’t agree with them. Just document as many evidences as you can to have plenty of information that can be presented to your auto insurance company or the police.

Help the authorities

When the police arrive to the scene you should cooperate and do everything they say. Report everything you are asked about and ask for an additional copy of the report when it’s compiled. It can be a bit stressful to deal with so much documents but it will make it easier for your auto insurance claim to be processed faster.

Here are some things you have to pay utmost attention when documenting the aftermath of the crash:

1. Compile a list of any personal items that are missing after the accident.

2. Document the physical condition of all the people involved in the crash, even if it’s a light headache. Sometimes a light pain in the arm can turn out to be a fracture a few days later.

3. Take pictures of all the damage resulted from the accident. Take close up pictures of the damaged car parts and any infrastructure that has been affected by the crash.

4. Don’t sign any documents or agreements if you aren’t aware of their content. Contact your lawyer or your cheap auto insurance company to learn what you should do in such a situation.

In case you are caught being drunk behind the wheel your insurance rates will increase and you will most probably learn about a thing known as SR-22 to many. And it doesn’t matter what it’s called in your state – driving while being under influence or intoxicated – the result is the same. Your insurance rates rise dramatically even before you can actually drive a vehicle again.

The laws are different

Different states have different penalties regarding drunk driving, but in all states you will be denied of the right to drive for a period of time (starting with 30 days to 12 months). And in order to get your license back and drive again most states require you to present SR-22 form proving availability of necessary auto coverage. Such form can be presented by the insurance company unless your policy is lapsed, canceled or terminated.

Premiums will rocket sky-high

When time comes for taking the SR-22 form from your insurance company, the company will automatically put you in the “high-risk driver” category, which eventually means that your rates will go up. And by “go up” we mean double or even triple according to state you’re registered in. Of course, you can shop around as there are insurance companies with “high-risk” specialty.

SR-22 policies are not that accessible

Certain companies do not provide SR-22 insurance coverage, and if you’ll require one from them after being convicted in drunk driving, they are likely to cancel your policy. It will require you to address a company that provides SR-22, however your premiums will still be higher because you will already have a history of policy cancellation. However in some states, insurance companies have no right to cancel your policy before its term expires. So check your local laws to know better.

How long will it last?

This also depends on the state you live in, but the usual picture is that you will have to pay higher premiums for at least three years after being convicted. And if you’re caught driving under the influence again there will be more serious penalties.

It also depends on the condition you’ve been in while driving. In most states there are stronger penalties for increased alcohol blood levels, passengers (especially kids) in the car, damage to property or injury to people done and other factors involved.

How to avoid increased rates?

The most drastic measure to keep your auto insurance rates low is not driving at all after being convicted in drunk driving. Even if you were driving a car you don’t own you will still have to present a SR-22 form in order to restore your driver’s license.

Of course, there’s still the most effective way of keeping your cheap auto insurance as it was. Simply don’t drive while being drunk, intoxicated, under the influence or any other altered state of mind. It will not only save you auto insurance but will save your and someone else’s life. If you’re messed up, call a taxi or ask your sober friend to drive. It’s not that hard, isn’t it?

Depending on the breed of your dog, you may either not qualify to receive insurance from certain companies or you may face a significantly higher home insurance premium. Many insurers believe certain types of dog to be dangerous and therefore high-risk. So although dog owners consider their pet to be as much as family-member as anybody else, they must also be considered expensive assets in terms of homeowner insurance.

There is a debate raging between dog owners, organizations and home insurance companies around the topic of breed discrimination. As the temperament of dogs can vary greatly even within a breed, it is controversial to consider any one breed more high-risk than another. Never-the-less, dog owners should be aware of whether their particular breed is deemed dangerous by their insurer so they can estimate their liability coverage and the price of their quotes.

The factors and criteria by which homeowner insurance companies determine how dangerous different canine breeds are can vary between companies. Dog owners should be well aware of how dangerous their pet is deemed to be before taking out or renewing their cover.

Because of the varying criteria used by different companies to determine the risk-level of each breed, dog owners should research and compare home insurance extensively before settling for a policy. They should also speak to an agent for guidance but shouldn’t be surprised if the agent refuses to offer any cover at all or if he/she does, it is at a high rate.

The size of the dog is a key factor in how dogs are evaluated for home insurance. Small dogs are less likely to be a problem as they might be less likely to bite. Larger dogs, however, will always be evaluated by how violent they are, could be or the harm they are capable of inflicting.

The bite is another key factor is determining the risk level. Breeds with a history of inflicting frequent bites to humans are inevitably going to cost more to insure than those without. Unfortunately, the dog owner has to pay the price, fairly or unfairly, for the history of the breed of his dog. However, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 4.5 million Americans suffer dog bites every year so it is an important factor that must be carefully considered.

Reputation of the breed is also a key factor. Insurance companies collect reports involving dogs made by authorities such as the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention and use them to judge the risk level of the breed and how dangerous it is to its owner.

Highest risk Canine Breeds according to Homeowner insurers

The following breeds are considered as the most high-risk and those homeowners should avoid:

• Akita
• Alaskan Malamute
• Chow Chow
• Doberman Pinscher
• German Shepherd
• Pit Bull
• Presa Canario
• Rottweiler
• Siberian Husky
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier
• Wolf hybrid

Dog owners with any of the above breeds can expect to pay a high homeowners insurance premium. In some cases, dog owners can consider themselves lucky even to find a homeowners insurance provider willing to insure them and their beloved pet.