Ever Wondered What an Auto Insurance Claim Adjuster Does?

An auto insurance claim adjuster works for the insurance company with whom you purchase a policy. Some insurance companies use independent adjusters so that they get an unbiased report. When you have an accident and make a claim on your insurance, the company will send out an adjuster to access the damages and come up with an amount of money that will be needed to complete the repairs. The auto insurance claim adjuster has to contact the garages to get an estimate of what the parts and labor will cost.

When you report a claim for an accident to your auto insurance, they will contact the appropriate adjuster. The auto insurance adjuster assigned to your case will contact you to get the details on where he/she can assess the vehicle. Then you will receive a report from the insurance company regarding the assessment the auto insurance claim adjuster submits. If the damages exceed the value of the vehicle, it will be “written off”.

The amount you get on your auto insurance policy depends on the policy itself. If the auto insurance claim adjuster determines that the vehicle is written off, the insurance will pay you the book value of the vehicle. This could be more or less than what the car is worth. With some auto insurance policies, you can pay extra to have a clause included stating that if the vehicle is written off within the first two years, you get the full amount that you paid for the automobile.

There is a certain process that an auto insurance claim adjuster has to use to come up with the amount the insurance company will pay. You will usually get two quotes – one that will see the car getting repaired at a top of the line garage and another if you take a cash settlement on the claim and get the work done yourself. The auto insurance adjuster knows that many people have friends who can do the work cheaper and often take the money.

Once you decide how you want to proceed, the insurance company will issue a check. If you are paying on the vehicle, the check will be made out jointly to you and the lender. Otherwise the check comes directly to you. The job of the auto insurance adjuster is only to access the damages, Any dispute you have regarding the report made by the auto insurance claim adjuster has to be done through the insurance company. Keep this in mind because the adjuster is only an ordinary person like yourself trying to make a living.

An auto insurance claim adjuster doesn’t have an easy job.

About the Author:
For a website about Car Insurance visit Peter's Website Car Insurance Answers and find out about Car Insurance as well as Cheapest Car Insurance and more, including Online Car Insurance Quotes, UK Car Insurance, Car Insurance Rates and Car Insurance Quotes.
Article Source: Articles Directory.net

Driver Education - Auto Insurance Tips

From the beginning, starting with your first contact with whatever is connected to driving and cars, you must have heard of the utmost important aspect:the car insurance. To a certain extent the driver education must deal with this aspect which is vital for the driver and the car in itself.

There are many companies specialized in this field but you should know that there are many of them which make certain advantageous offers such as discounts for the good grades As and Bs, yet, for that you need to qualify;you should get in touch with your insurance company for it.Some discounts are given also for the application for some driver programs, these being quite advantageous too.

In addition, if you can make a choice, replace the new teen driver or family driver on the oldest and least expensive automobile. This can and will save you the rates. Whenever thinking about buying a new or second-hand car, make sure you get in touch with your insurance company to see if the rate will suit you and your finances. It is likely for you, without checking with the insurance company, to think over a car which is too expensive for you or just not suitable. As general piece of information, you should know that sports cars or other high-cost cars are due to have higher rates, thus disabling you to pay in time. It is also important to know what you buy. If you want to buy a car, it is utmost necessary to know what that car can do. These technical aspects can be revealed to you by means of a driver education course or just specialized magazines, provided you already bear the basic information.

Another aspect is the one related to the crash safety rating, because a percentage is given to every car according to this issue. You should always know how safe is the car you are driving, how well it can protect you. As well as the other aspects, you can learn this from the driver education course. In the unfortunate case of an accident, you should be aware of the average cost to repair it, in the case of the one-side insurance. If you want to replace your insurance check the rates of a greater number of companies because they vary from one company to another.

Furthermore, every driver education course introduces the idea of the necessity to keep a camera with you in case an accident may occur;you could register the damage of all cars and the real placement. There are cases when the actual victim is found responsible for the simple fact that there are a lot of ideas and beliefs which alter the truth of an accident. A camera may come in hand if you get involved in a minor accident;you may want to get your car fixed without reporting it to the company. For a teenager, even a minor accident may lead to an increase in the rates, or maybe even more.

About the author:
Ispas Marin
California's Online Driver Education Class. Driver Education Course Accepted by the California DMV Driver Education
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Long Term Care Insurance: Five Simple Steps for Comparing and Choosing Policies

Every insurance policy is a legal contract. Once agreed upon by both parties, a long term care insurance company must uphold their contract to the letter, or risk lawsuits and regulatory prosecution. Each policy is crafted with utmost care using the probabilities of actuaries, as well as contract lawyers' keen legaleze, and here's how to navigate the decision process.

Understanding the wording of a policy and correctly comparing policies from various companies can be daunting for most folks and exhausting. You must develop a grasp of insurance lingo, and it wouldn't hurt to know how specific points in each contract have been interpreted by courts of law, either.

In case you weren't aware, the LTCi sales brochures are not contacts. Sales brochures are created to briefly explain a product and to entice you to buy it. What is printed in a brochure does not represent the intricacies of contract law, yet the brochure MUST, by law, be congruent with the related, legal contract.

Even worse, no insurance company's promotional literature can be trusted to thoroughly detail the terms of the target policy/contract. Sales is sales, and truth is truth. (Although, in most states, it is against the law to knowingly produce long term care insurance marketing materials that mislead the public.) I don't believe the Madison Avenue style brochures and commercials which I see created to push pharmaceutical drugs. Instead, I go online and research the contra-indications, side-effects, suitability of the drug for a particular aliment, as well as law-suits against the company manufacturing it. That's called "due diligence" and we owe it to ourselves to do our due diligence when it comes to matters that will affect our loved ones and ourselves.

Research pertaining to your decision about long term care insurance is no less important than what you put in your body. So, you must read your policy contract thoroughly. If you have any doubts about the meaning of the wording in an LTCi contract, or whether that contract will protect you when you are in need (as you think it will) you'd be wise to get expert help deciphering the policy.

That said, here is the order in which to do your research:

1) Talk with your family about your decision to buy long term care insurance. Also, any friends who have a family member who has purchased LTCi in the past, and has gone "on claim", can be great resources. They've "been there, done that" and have experience with the claims process.

However, I would NOT recommend taking family members' or friends advice about which policy to buy. They are not qualified to help you. Sure, they would be able to steer you away from a particular company or policy if they have had significant problems during claims time, but deciding which policy would be the best considering your financial and health situations should be between you and a trained (and legally licensed) LTC insurance broker.

2) I suggest that you use a trustworthy Long Term Care insurance BROKER, not a captive agent. A captive agent only represents one company. That may be good for the company, but it certainly may not good for you. Make sure that your broker represents SEVERAL long term care insurance companies with the highest ratings. Any company considered should have a B+ rating or better.

How do you find an LTCi broker with integrity? Well, you can, but you do not need to go through an "established" insurance firm or agency. Just because a firm or agency is established doesn't mean every agent within that agency will be someone with whom you'd feel comfortable entrusting your future. There are just as many "sharks" inside insurance firms as there are outside of them. Interview brokers until you find someone with whom you enjoy good rapport.

I recommend that you begin by connecting with the Buyer's Advocate for free, no-obligaion comparison quotes

You want someone with experience, a deep knowledge of all the companies' policies that he or she represents, and a compassionate heart. Knowledge of policies will be helpful in finding the policy you most desire. Experience comes in very handy if you have health issues. An experienced broker not only knows which policy might suit your long term care desires, but also which companies' underwriters are the most lenient for your particular health problem. Of course, a compassionate heart is the soul of your relationship and should be a sought after and respected part of the equation.

3) After you have found a broker with whom you feel comfortable, then have a conversation about your financial and health situation as well as your preferences for long term care (nursing facility only, assisted living, home care, day care, etc). Check out what each policy has to offer and it's restrictions concerning things like restoration of benefits, how many ADLs are required to trigger benefits and whether there is the need for medical supervision. Also consider the various optional benefits such as inflation protection, non-forfeiture, etc.

Look over the sales brochures that your broker provides for you. There may be several company and policy options. The sales brochures will help you narrow down your decision as well as bring any question you may have to the forefront.

4) Read your Outline of Coverage. In Arizona, the law states that an outline of coverage must be given to every applicant. The Outline of Coverage must truthfully state the basics of the policy. Written in lay terms, the Outline of Coverage more intricately describes what the policy will cover, bit it's not a comples as the actual contract. From this, you can pretty much make up your mind about which policy you want. HOWEVER, an Outline of Coverage is a binding contract. It does not cover every aspect of the policy. The only way to be absolutely sure about the exact wording of your LTCi policy is to decipher the contract itself. READ THE CONTRACT! Again, if you are not entirely sure about what the wording means, then get a legal professional to explain it to you.

5) Depending upon your purchase time line (Do you want LTCi protection right now or can it wait a few days, weeks, months) you can request a sample policy from your broker. If you want to buy sooner than later, you can fill out an application. If you are approved, you will get your actual policy to review for 30 days.

In Arizona, there are no worries if you buy an LTCi policy first and look afterwards. By law, you have a 30 day "free look" period that you can use to pick your policy apart with the help of a good insurance contract lawyer. And it's not a bad idea to do so, if you have the money.

Before you start your buying process, call your Department of Insurance to verify that there is a "free look" period in your state.

Keep the envelope in which the policy was mailed and/or insist that your agent give you a signed receipt or delivery when he or she hands you the policy.

If you decide to return the policy, you must send it to the insurance company along with a letter requesting that the policy be canceled and your premium refunded. To make sure that the long term care insurance company received your letter and policy, send them both by certified mail and keep your mail receipt.

Keep a copy of your correspondence with the insurance company until the refund process is totally competed. The refund process usually takes 4 to 6 weeks.

With these steps covered you'll be set.

About the Author:
Long term care insurance activist, Clay Cotton, writes for www.PrepSmart.com - The Online Baby Boomers Decision Assistance Center, where you get Free Long Term Care Insurance advice, comparative rate quotes and personal guidance, all while safely at home in your favorite pajamas and bunny slippers.
Article Source: http://www.articles411.com

Cheap Home Owner Insurance: Get The Ultimate Satisfaction

Your home not only comes with emotional attachments, it is also of a great financial investment of your lifetime. You will obviously take extra care of your home and safeguard it for any untoward incidents. But no one is the Almighty! You cannot predict when misfortune strikes you and your home and you are left with either with an empty or a damaged house. The repairing or replacement of these damages will cost you a fortune and you obviously cannot afford to pay for all these damages at an instant. But, with Cheap Home Owner Insurance, you can easily carry out these tasks without shelling out much from your pockets.

Many people have the misconception that home owner insurance comes at a very expensive price and therefore they do not purchase one for their homes. But when misfortune strikes, all they could do is to spend thousands and thousands of pounds for repairing or rebuilding. But, with the availability of many insurance companies that are offering excellent coverage at a cheap rate, cheap home owner insurance is no longer a distant dream.

There are three basic types of coverage in cheap home owner insurance. They are:

Building cover: With this cover in hand, you can easily repair or rebuild the building structure of your home. This cover of cheap home owner insurance also covers your sheds, garage, fences etc.

Contents: The contents of your home are obviously hard earned. But, they might at any point of time get damaged or destroyed because of fire, water etc. This cover will provide cover to repair the contents. The contents might also get stolen. And with this cover in hand, you can comfortably replace those stolen contents without any hassles.

Legal cover: Anyone can get injured at your home. What if you are dragged to the court because of this? Your legal cover of cheap home owner insurance policy will provide expense to deal with legal hassles.

Another method of obtaining cheap home owner insurance is to do an extensive research of the insurance market. Locate insurance providers that are providing home owner insurance at cheap and affordable price. Through online facilities, you ca easily locate and procure one for your home. Online method of obtaining cheap home owner insurance saves lot of your time and also money. So do you think you need to put your home at anymore risks? Apply for cheap home owner insurance now!


About the Author:
Henry Bell is an author who can certainly identify the kind of insurance that you will need. To find cheap home owner insurance, medical insurance, building insurance, business insurance, holiday insurance in the UK visit http://www.insuranceb.co.uk
Added: 24 Dec 2006
Article Source: http://articles.simplysearch4it.com/article/46259.html

Insurance and The Engineer

The world is no longer right when the two words, Engineer and Insurance are used together, side by side in a conversation. Individually they are words that justify their use, with their own explanations and own meanings as those that compile dictionaries see fit! They each serve their own purpose until such a time as when they are used in the same sentence or even on the same page. Engineer and Insurance cannot be used together anymore, yes there was a time when this topic had no base but here and today it can be seen that the words are not in any sense synonymous with each other.

The dictionary tells us that, insurance is “a thing providing protection against a possible event” or “money paid to insure against something or by an insurance company in the event of damage, injury, etc”. Well, that tells us something although it is a bit confusing.

The dictionary tells us that an Engineer is “a person qualified in Engineering” and also it says that an Engineer is “a person who controls an Engine or a Machine”. And there we have it. It is sad that one cannot now look up “Insurance Engineer” or Engineering Insurance” to gain some valuable insight into what is involved and to shed some light on this matter.

What sadly and inadvertently sparked this subject was by what an Engineering Superintendent once said to a Ships Engineer whilst they supped beer in a bar one night. The Engineer was naturally complaining about the lack of spares that are made available to the ships he was on. NB: This is a frequent grumble of Engineers and probably does have value and meaning the world over, no company liking to part with expensive spares if they can help it. Anyway, the Superintendent, true to form agreed with the ships Engineer and blamed everything on the paper pushing bosses upstairs, current ships budgets and the economy, thus he followed all the usual avenues that Superintendents typically use in this regard. The superintendent unfortunately took one too many sips of his beer and forgetting that he had long since crossed the fence from Ships’ staff to Office staff, let slip a snippet of conversation that he had either been party to or that his big ears had accidentally sounded out.

The statement was relayed like this: “It is not our policy to purchase spares for our vessels, we would rather wait until the equipment fails and then claim it back on Insurance”.

Stunned is the word that comes to mind. Shock, disbelief and outrage could follow close second. The Engineer and the Superintendent naturally turned to other topics like discussing fellow Engineers and their faults before finally retiring to their respective beds and forgetting all about what had been discussed. Except for the Engineer who for some reason or other could never quite rid the Superintendents “slip” from his mind. And can anyone blame him?

Engineers struggle to perform their duties within parameters given and in often harsh and unforgiving environments but given the essential shore back up they invariably perform their duties well and to a high degree of end performance and safety standards. The dictionary states quite clearly that Engineers are qualified persons looking after machinery. Machinery needs both adequate spares and Engineers to provide a safe working environment and to keep the machinery and equipment in satisfactory working order. A machine that is awaiting a future Insurance Claim is not a safe working machine and the Engineer has failed in his duty to keep the Machine or Engine functioning. From an Insurance point of view an Engineer and required spares are the “things” that provide protection against a possible event.

Due to modern systems of communication and the fact that spares are readily available in most ports of the world it is not common practice to build up large stocks of spares on vessels. It is largely entrusted and accepted by Engineers and Office staff alike that when the Engineer orders spares he does so because he needs them. He orders spares through the company whilst retaining the knowledge that they should arrive at the next port of call or at the latest within one month or so. The Engineer furthermore orders them because he predicts a use for them. By placing such an order he is, without his being fully aware of doing so, enacting Insurance on the Machinery that he has ordered spares for. He is providing protection against a probable event, which in this case is his Insurance to keep the machine or engine in a functional and safe working condition – as prescribed by the duties of an Engineer.

To recap in simplified form: The Engineer insures his machinery by replacing worn or used parts as he sees necessary to maintain a certain piece of equipment in a satisfactory working and safe condition.

The Company in this regard have failed in their duty to the Engineer, by not supplying the necessary spares as the Engineer deems necessary to fulfill his duties.

Insurance contributions or money paid to an Insurer is a costly business when considering the size and scale of what is involved. To wait for failure and thus save money on spares and to have the cost attributed to failure, with the subsequent repair of the equipment paid for by the Insurance Company, must seem “great” to the Ship Owner/Manager. There he is having his money returned to him by those who take most out of his budget and into the bargain the Insurance Company pay for all damages invoked by the failure, stoppage times and subsequent replacement of the failed equipment.

An Engineer who is working on a vessel where spares will not be sent out upon request becomes a useless Engineer. Now preferably called a Caretaker with no skills or interest in insuring his property simply due to a lack of usable items to effect such. An Engineer is (was) Insurance against equipment failure as long as he has at his disposal the spares necessary – without these he negates any Insurance that goes with the title of Engineer. He is qualified to maintain and look after engines and equipment, but he only becomes Insured (the ‘thing’) if he has the necessary backup from ashore. Take that back-up away and we are left with a qualified yet uninsured Engineer. He cannot perform his duties satisfactorily, he cannot give insurance that his machines will perform well and safely under his care, he cannot fulfill his duties in any shape or form whatsoever and thus is a liability to all concerned.

An Engineer has thus become through no fault of his own an Insurance liability to all concerned and that is why we cannot use Engineer and Insurance in the same sentence – it hurts and badly.

About the Author:
Ieuan Dolby, from Scotland is an Engineering Officer in the Merchant Navy. He has been travelling the world for 15yrs on an endless tour of cultural diversification. Currently based in Singapore he writes various articles for magazines and newspapers and is working on a marine glossary.
ieuandolby@lycos.com
Article Source: Articles Directory.net

How do I choose a good Insurance Company for my needs?

It’s easy to see which company is least expensive, but when you need them to cover a claim, what kind of job will they do? To put it another way, which is the most reliable insurance company?

Here’s some quick tips to help you choose the right insurance company for you.

1. Visit your state's department of insurance and check consumer complaint ratios and basic rate comparison surveys.

2. Get in touch with local body medical practitioners you trust and ask which insurance companies they recommend.

3. Consider contacting an insurance agent for additional information about a particular insurance company.

4. Check out the financial strength ratings for an insurance company by referring to the A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's ratings.

There’s so much to think about when looking for the right insurance company; we’ve already found the best links below to help you get the right information fast.

The right information can go a long way when you're shopping for car insurance. You can shop for car insurance either online or face to face with a car insurance agent.
Some companies that sell car insurance policies online, as well as the companies that sell car insurance policies traditionally, can make independent decisions about the expenses they incur and the prices of their products. So you might not necessarily get the same quote with the one company either.

When you complete a quote make sure the car insurance company only collects information necessary to provide accurate car insurance quotes. And ensure the information is limited to people involved in processing this information for sales, customer service or claims service.

Also for coverage purposes, sometimes all family members of driving age who are residents of your household might need to be listed on your car insurance policy to protect both you and the insurer. So don’t forget to ask and make sure everyone is either covered or excluded.

What is the car insurance definition of an accident?
Accidents include at-fault, not-at-fault, reported and unreported collisions that you, as the driver, were involved in. Not at fault occurrences in which your parked vehicle was damaged in a collision also are considered accidents.

About the author:
Matt Clarkson
The Free Information Online website is designed to help people find unbiased advice and tips with out the worry of any high pressure selling.
For more free and unbiased advice go to…
http://www.freeinformationonline.com
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Frequently Asked Questions About Health Insurance

There are many questions that people have regarding health insurance. This is because the insurance purchasing process involves many people, from the customer and the agent to the underwriter and insurance company. For the average consumer, it is easy to become baffled by the process; but, learning about the process, educating yourself, gives you much more purchasing power.

Below are some samples of questions, and answers, which are believed to be among the most common that individuals and self employed consumers of health insurance have. To learn about the health insurance process, simply scroll the list; or, to seek specific information, you can jump to that category.

Overview of insurance

There are a lot of questions normally require clarification before deciding any purchasing of insurance.

The first will be what is the major difference between group and individual insurance?

The major difference between group and individual insurance involves evidence of insurability. To purchase individual insurance, a person must generally answer a health questionnaire and undergo a medical examination to provide evidence of insurability to the insurance company. An insurer may decline coverage on the basis of the applicants personal habits, health, medical history, age, income or any other factors that bear on risk acceptance. Or the insurer may issue a policy with limitations on coverage.
Most group insurance, however, is issued without medical examination or other evidence of individual insurability because the insurer knows that it can cover enough individuals to balance those in poor health against those in good health. The risk of an insurer failing to achieve this balance is diminished as the size of the group increases, or as the insurer underwrites additional group policies and increases the total number of individuals covered. This is known as the law of large numbers.

2. What are the various ways that individuals receive health insurance protection?

Besides participating in group insurance plans, individuals may also be covered under federal and state government sponsored programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, service type plans such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield or so called alternative health care systems such as health maintenance organizations HMOs and preferred provider organizations PPO. Insurance may also be purchased privately on an individual basis, or through mass purchasing groups such as credit unions and professional or trade associations.

3. What are the advantages of group insurance over individual insurance?

For an employer that intends to provide insurance protection to its employees, the group approach ensures that all employees, regardless of health, can be covered. Those with known health problems, who might otherwise be unable to obtain individual insurance, can be covered automatically upon employment without evidence of insurability. Although some limits may be imposed on new hires for certain conditions that predate their enrollment in the plan, most employees can receive coverage as soon as they are eligible.

Group insurance offers a lower cost per unit of protection than individual insurance, because the economies of scale resulting from selling, installing and servicing one plan covering many individuals. In addition, group plans are typically more flexible and tend to provide more liberal benefits than individual coverage

4. What types of group protection do most employers provide?

Although there are many variations of each, the four major types of insurance coverage provided by employers to their employees are life, accidental death and dismemberment A D & D, disability and health or medical. Some employers also provide additional coverage, including group legal, travel accident and vision and dental care.

5. How can a labor union provide group insurance?

A labor union can provide group insurance for its members under a policy issued to the union. The union is the policyholder, just as the trust is the policyholder under a MET. A union may purchase a group policy for a large number of members who are employed by the same company, or for union members working for different companies. Group insurance purchased through a union is particularly advantageous in industries such as construction, where union members may work for many employers during a year.

Despite the opportunity for labor unions to purchase group insurance, few group contracts are issued to unions today. Organized labor more often obtains insurance benefits for its members through collective bargaining with employers. As a result, union members are usually covered under group insurance plans sponsored by one or more employers.

About the Author:
Francis Lua Find out more information at my website which is at www.healthinsurancesuper.com
Content Provider: http://www.my-articles.com

How to Get a Cheap Car Insurance – Your 7 Steps to a Good Deal

Are you wondering how you can purchase cheap car insurance? Worry no more! Here you'll get the seven easy steps to getting the cheapest quotes and the best deals available. Use one or use all, each of them is sure to lower your rates.

The cheapest car insurance is not necessarily the best auto insurance. But, as car insurance is mandatory for registering and driving your car, it is necessary to purchase insurance for your car. The next seven tips will help you choose, if not the cheapest, then the best deal:

Compare auto insurance quotes online – insurance companies save money on man power with online quotes and purchase, some of that money goes back to the client and makes your insurance cheaper. There are many companies providing instant quotes. Depending on your auto (and make sure you provide honest answers) or the number of cars you want to insure, you'll get a preliminary estimation. Don't take this sum as the final quote and don't choose the cheapest quote without analyzing the coverage offered in the insurance policy.

A clean credit history ensures significant discounts. To put it simple: car insurance gets cheaper if the owner (that's you) is a reliable payer. However, most insurance companies will have an option of "bad credit quotes". If you have a bad credit history, don't waste your time (your time is also valuable) on the companies that don't give you this option.

To get an advantageous insurance it is recommendable that you put al the cars you own under a single policy. Some insurance companies offer very good discounts for multiple cars insurance policy.

There are many underinsured or uninsured drivers. You'll need coverage in case of an accident caused by an uninsured driver. Make sure your insurance covers such mishaps.

Choose the insurance that fits your financial possibilities and the condition of the car. Once your financial status improves or the vehicle deteriorates, you should update the status of your policy.

If you plan on moving soon, choose a short-term car insurance plan – we recommend a one year car insurance. Insurance plans vary from country to country and even from state to state.

Make your vehicle as safe as possible both in terms of driver and passenger safety (seat belts, air cushions etc.) and is terms of theft (a car alarm an immobilizer etc.) – this will lower the premiums, thus providing for a cheap insurance plan.

About the Author:
Tommy manages sites on various subjects. Find out more about car insurance here and get free insurance quotes. Click the link to get more insurance tips.
Article Source: http://www.articles411.com