Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Questionable Medicare Policies Under Fire

Due to highly questionable sales tactics and reports of outright fraud, seven major health insurers have agreed to suspend marketing for a certain form of Medicare policy.

Well known companies including Humana, the WellCare Group, and UnitedHealth Group have agreed that to discontinue marketing for the plan known as the private-fee-for-service plan until they can prove to officials that sales materials are accurate.

The actions taken against these plans that are sold by private insurers as an alternative to traditional Medicare are a result of an overwhelming number of complaints by consumers as well as a Senate committee hearing last month that looked into abuses.

According to the SF Gate, "Some agents violated Medicare rules by showing up uninvited at senior citizens centers, misleading beneficiaries about the products and, in a few cases, forging signatures to increase sales, according to government officials and consumers. In some cases, the agents erroneously assured new enrollees that their doctors would accept the policies."

Abby Block, director of beneficiary choices for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said, "This voluntary agreement demonstrates the plans are stepping up to assure deceptive marketing practices end and beneficiaries fully understand what they are purchasing,"

Currently around 1.3 million seniors and disabled are subscribed to the Medicare fee-for-service policy. Medicare fee-for-service is the fasted growing form of Medicare managed plans. The new policy implemented by the seven well known Healthcare groups, which comprises more than 90% of all managed healthcare groups, has agreed to test employees on their product knowledge and register them with the government. Although during this time they have agreed to suspend their marketing, they are still allowed to sell the fee-for-service policies.

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Monday, June 11, 2007

High Time to Sell Your With-Profit Endowment Policies

New analysis from independent financial magazine "Money Management" shows that payouts to with-profit endowment policyholders are continuing to fall. The list includes some of the biggest insurance companies in UK.

This is not a sudden fall. It began back in the 1980s and today, most of the companies that earlier offered those endowment policies are simply closed to new business.

The situation had been comparatively better until a few years ago but at present, these developments have the financial advisors around the UK worried about the future of with-profit endowment policies in coming years. Some of them are going to the extent of declaring it a high time to sell your endowment policies or switch to another method of investment.

However, the overall performance of equities in recent years in the UK is yet to hit a state of alert. They are performing pretty well but the equity holders must keep their eyes wide open to keep abreast of the latest changes in the market and should be more flexible in their investment portfolio.

A few months back, earlier this year, the with-profit endowment market was showing some good signs as some of the big insurers were offering higher bonuses. Plans that are maturing this year were supposed to yield bigger payouts than what had been initially expected. However, the predicted good signs for plans maturing in this financial year were only for 20% policyholders.

Market analysts think that this depression is due to lower than expected returns on investments and unconditioned market inflations in recent years.

When this is the general market trend for last couple of years, individual investors should become more careful in their investment moves and should consult some good investment advisors beforehand.
However, it has been commonplace among policyholders to sell their policies long before the maturity date and in recent years the inclination for this has only grown. Advisors say that this is a proven and profitable investment plan if you can predict the right time to sell those policies.

Newer arrivals to this business often ask a simple question "Why should someone buy my policies when I am selling them fearing a market slash"! To add to this, they are often amazed to find out how much more they get than the surrender value. The answer is very simple, bigger investors buy these as a part of their investment portfolio.

Think twice if you want to run the risk of holding your with-profit endowment policies in coming years!

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Thursday, June 07, 2007

How to Save Money and Get Discount Life Insurance in Virginia

Almost everyone gives some thought to what would happen to their family should they die unexpectedly. It's a difficult thing to consider for many people but it is very important. When you live in Virginia and you want to save money and get discount life insurance there are a few things you should consider before you sign with one company.

Life insurance really can be bought in several different ways. If you are the proud new owner of a home and a hefty mortgage but you don't have any children, a term life insurance policy may be what you need. The appealing thing about it is that you will likely find the rates to be low so this is a good way to get discount life insurance for a specified period of time.

In terms of what you can do to lower your rates there are a few things:

• Stop smoking. Smokers pay less for life insurance so now is a good time to stop the habit to save money.

• Lose weight. Overweight individuals generally pay more for life insurance because they pose more of a health risk than someone at their ideal weight.

• Purchase your life insurance while you are still relatively young. You have a better chance of saving money and getting discount life insurance if you are young. You will also enjoy a better rate as you age if you already have the insurance in place.

Once you do make a decision on a life insurance policy read it over carefully once it arrives. In the state of Virginia you have a full ten days to review and cancel the policy. Check every small detail including your age and any pre-existing health conditions. If the policy looks good, you can continue to pay the premiums and rest assured you are protected. If, however, it's not quite what you wanted, cancel and begin your search again.

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Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Changes That Mother Nature Brings Means You Should Have Home Insurance

We have all heard about the impact that we are having on the world and the changes that are set to happen and indeed are happening, including changes to the weather. With more claims on home insurance policies being related to weather, it is now more than ever imperative to have home insurance in order to protect yourself from whatever Mother Nature throws our way.

While there is nothing we can do to prevent Mother Nature from doing her worse there are many things which homeowners can do to prepare for what she offers and the damage it can do to the home. Making sure that your roof tiles are in good order, the chimney and roofing is in good order and cutting back any large and overhanging trees can all go towards getting cheaper home insurance cover and reducing the risk if making a claim.

Even if you have adequate insurance to cover damage done to your home, in the majority of cases claims take time to pay out. Therefore it is essential that you have savings in order to pay for any major repairs that cannot wait until the insurance pays out. Of course you will eventually be able to reclaim any money you pay out for repairs providing the insurance company agrees to the work and damage and that it is covered under the policy. It is also essential that you keep any receipts for any work done.

Another factor to take into account is if you have had major home improvements made to your home, this can add value to your property so should be included in your policy when you renew it.

By shopping online or using a specialist independent broker to find your home insurance are the easiest and cheapest ways to protect yourself against what Mother Nature has to bring your way.
When getting home insurance quotes, always compare policy terms and conditions and not just the premiums. And when comparing policies make sure that you check out at least four or five different companies and compare not only the cost of the premium but also what the policy entails.

Some will ask that you pay up front for repairs and then reclaim, while others will provide you with a 24 hour emergency number and certain companies to complete the work needed in the quickest time possible.

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Friday, June 01, 2007

How to Get the Best Rates on Homeowner's Insurance in Missouri

For the vast majority of Missouri homeowners, their house is their largest investment and their biggest asset, so it only makes good economic sense that they would want to protect their home in the best way they can – and for most people that means through homeowner's insurance.

But that still leaves the question of how to get the best rate on homeowner's insurance in Missouri.

Keeping homeowner's insurance costs under control – at least to an extent – is well within the reach of each individual homeowner.

Start with the basics. Make sure you have a smoke and fire alarm in each room of your house as recommended – and make sure that they are all working. Batteries need to be changed twice yearly – most people change the batteries each time we change from daylight savings time to standard and again when we change back.

Buy a fire extinguisher for the kitchen and another extinguisher for each floor of the house.

Check all windows and make sure each has a working lock. Every door to the outside needs a working deadbolt lock as well.

Keep brush, weeds and trash cleared at least 30 feet from all structures to reduce the danger of fire.

Keep bushes around doors and windows trimmed so they do not provide an easy hiding place for burglars.

If you can afford to install an electronic fire and intruder system, doing so will save you a considerable amount of money every year on your homeowner's policy.

Next determine what the replacement cost for your home would be – in other words, how much would it cost today to rebuild your home from the ground up if it were destroyed. You should insure your home for its full replacement cost, plus the cost of your home's contents – but do not make the mistake of insuring the value of the land on which your home sits. In case of a catastrophe your home could be destroyed, but the land will remain intact.

Now go online and start the process of comparing homeowner policies and prices with as wide a range of insurance companies as possible. Keep in mind that since no one website compares all insurance companies in Missouri you will need to take the extra time and effort to run full comparisons on at least 3 different websites.

The end result should be that you will now know how to get the best rates on homeowner's insurance in Missouri and you will be able to save a considerable amount of money year after year on your homeowner's insurance rates.

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