The Obama health care plan signed this year has caused some confusion among seniors and others about how the Medicare Open Enrollment period in 2011 will be affected by the new health insurance law.  Whether you’re looking for Medigap quotes or Medicare Supplemental Insurance quotes, anyone going through the Medicare Open Enrollment period in 2011 will be affected by the bill that was signed in March.

From the idea that the government will implement death panels, to the untruths that the government will actually take away Medicare benefits, there are many misconceptions about the new rules associated with Medicare Open Enrollment in 2011.  To help clarify confusion, here are a few basic facts.

The health reform bill proposed by President Obama and passed by the Congress in March is called the Affordable Care Act. You will often hear bureaucrats referring to ACA. They mean the new health care law.Among the most immediate changes:

The best way to get cheap auto insurance in California is to look it up online. There are a number of websites which offer free auto insurance quotes to the discerning customer. You will just need to fill in your personal details in the check list. And after this you will get an instant estimate of the premium costs.

The information you enter will include obviously your name, contact number and address. Apart from this you will need to fill in your vehicle identification number (VIN), driving license number and also your registration number. You need to be careful while giving out your driving license number on a public site since if it is not a trusted site, you can be cheated with your information.

When you look at the quote page, you need to continue your search by looking for the cheapest offers. You will also need to study other factors like the financial stability of the insurance company, its reputation, its customer service and also all the services that it offers to its clients.

The services that they offer could be something as simple as a good well designed website. A good layout will help you better navigate and find what you want without wasting too much time. There are a few websites that will allow you to file a claim, collect your bills, or lodge a complaint without even talking to a representative. This is very helpful if you are someone who does not have the time to hold on the line waiting for the next customer service representative to come along and help you out.

But at the same time you will need to find out what sort of representatives the company has. A good representative will be a person who will be able to help you out with any problem that you pose. He or she should know pretty much everything about the company and the insurance business. This is the difference between having a regular call center and a dedicated insurance agent on the line.

The financial stability of an insurer will reflect to you whether or not the insurance company will be able to reimburse your claim. A good solid balance sheet will only show that the said company has the means to make good its claims. This is the advantage of going with big names. But if you do end up with a smaller company, there is a very good chance that your premium will be a lot lesser than that of a big name player.

However, it is not always that simple to find a health insurance plan for college students.  Some plans may put limits on coverage of students 18-22, possibly because of their financial dependencies and whether they still live with their parents or on campus.  Plus, the new Obama-led health care legislation has made finding a health insurance plan for college students that much more difficult.

The new regulations force companies to offer coverage of an employee’s children until they are 26 year olds, with no regard to whether they are a student or have a job that allows them to be financially dependent.  This new law will kick in on September 23, 2010, or when their plan is up for renewal.

In most cases, the really means that the law begins in January 2011, but may be as late as July 2011.  In those cases, students may find that they have no health insurance coverage for a few weeks or even months.

Given how difficult it is to find insurance for college-age students, Insuriffic offers a few ideas on how to find the best health policy for college students:

Look to Your Employer
Although insurance plans offered by large companies generally offer the most well-rounded coverage, it may not be the best course of option when looking for health insurance for your dependents.  Call your benefits department to make sure that your college-age student will still be covered.  Ask if any of the choices will ensure that your child does not lose coverage, and when the open enrollment period begins.  If you are stuck with a plan that does not renew until 2011, COBRA will allow you to maintain coverage for your child until the new plan kicks in.  Unfortunately, you will have to pay for that coverage.

On a positive note, when the new law is implemented, companies are not allowed to charge more for adult children who are suddenly eligible to be on an employee’s plan.

Policies Specifically for Students
Most universities offer health insurance for students, and some of it can be very good.  But in general, these plans offer little protection and cost more than comparable plans offered by companies.  The new regulations will likely not affect these plans.  When looking for a plan at your child’s university, make sure that there are no exclusions for pre-existing conditions, that mental health needs are covered, and that it offers significant payout for castrophies.

Health Plans for Individuals
For students who just need basic catastrophic coverage, at least until the new law comes into effect, they may find that it is worth getting a health insurance quote for student insurance from a reputable company.  Since many students are looking for the bare minimum coverage, they may find that they can get all they really need at a reasonable cost, often as low as about $100/month.  While this is not an ideal long-term solution, it may keep students covered until the new law begins in 2011.

For example, if you had coverage for only 3 months prior to purchasing a Medigap plan, the company must subtract 3 months from any waiting period that applies.  A waiting period is limited to 6 months. Thus, if you had health coverage for 6 or more months before purchasing a Medigap plan, the company cannot impose any waiting period for pre-existing conditions.

Other Open Enrollment rights

In California, in addition to the Open Enrollment period following the effective date of your Medicare Part B, you also have the right to purchase a Medigap policy for 6 months following the events described below.

Event 1.
When you have employer-sponsored group health coverage through your own, your spouse’s, or a family member’s current employment or retirement plan, and the plan terminates, OR you lose your eligibility to continue benefits due to divorce or the death of a spouse or other family member.  The 6- month period to apply for a Medigap policy starts on the date that you receive the notice that your health benefits will end.  If you do not receive a notice in advance, then the 6-month period starts the date the benefits actually end, or the date of your first denied claim. This protection of California law applies regardless of whether your group health benefits were primary or secondary to Medicare.

You are also entitled to this protection when you have used up all the COBRA benefits for which you are eligible.  For more information on COBRA, see our fact sheet “Medicare and Other Health Insurance Coverage” at cahealthadvocates.org.

Event 2.
When you move out of the geographic area served by your Medigap plan.  For instance, if you have a Medigap you bought while living in another state that will not cover you in this state, you have 6 months to replace that policy without health screening.

Event 3.
When your health care coverage ends because of a military base closure, or because a military base no longer offers health care services, you move away from the base, or you are no longer eligible to receive health care services at that base.

Event 4.
When you lose your eligibility for Medi-Cal benefits because of an increase in your income or assets, or you are required to pay a Share of Cost before Medi-Cal will pay for your care.

Note: For the 4 events mentioned above, your choice of Medigap plans depends on your age.  If you are 65 years old or older, you can choose from all of the Medigap plans that are available for sale from any company in your geographical area.  If you are younger than 65 years old (and you do not have ESRD), you can choose A, B, C, or F. You can also choose H, I or J, or K or L, if the company sells any of those plans, but the company has the right to decide which of these plans it will sell you.

Before purchasing a Medicare supplement, visit Insuriffic.com to compare Medicare quotes.

• You must be a resident of the state of California
• You must have the ability to own and operate a vehicle.
• You do not require a state driving license from California; all you need is a driving license in general.
• The vehicle does not need to be in the policy holder’s name; however you need to have access to a vehicle.

In recent times, there has been a relaxation of the laws in California which allows for people to own auto insurance even if they do not have a drivers license or even if they do not own a car in their name.

There are other requirements about the minimum coverage that you have to own. According to the department of motor vehicles in California, you need a minimum personal bodily injury liability of $15,000 per person per accident.  In addition, you require a minimum of $30,000 coverage per accident for all the injuries sustained by everyone involved in the accident.  Moreover, you will require a coverage of $5,000 per accident for all the property damage incurred in an accident. Now these limits are not exactly enough for a real case scenario, but they just help you get something out of your insurance policy.

For example, if you run a traffic signal you might end up ramming into a vehicle and the damages could easily run up to $12,000  even if you were just doing 30. And  keep in mind that a simple paint job will cost you upwards of $5,000.

A simple shoulder dislocation injury could set you back upwards of $15,000. This is inclusive of the emergency ambulance service and the emergency care that is needed for the person. And this is not even calculating the post trauma care that is needed and all the prescription medicines that the person will need.

And in such cases when your insurance cannot cover all the expenses, you will be required to pay the entire excess amount from out of your pocket. And such bills can run up to thousands of dollars. And if you do not pay, the court will attach your assets and other property in order to pay for the costs if the other party decides to litigate. And such a huge expenditure all of a sudden is not something that the average person will be able to afford. You will just end up being in debt trying to pay for all the bills. And we haven’t even mentioned the bills that you would run up due to the damages and injuries that you have personally sustained.

Assuming you meet all of the requirements, you can then find low cost auto insurance at Insuriffic.com.

SHIP is not affiliated with any insurance company or agency and does not sell insurance.They are staffed by a crew of volunteer counselors who have completed intensive training to offer  free and objective assistance in complete confidence.

To contact a counselor at SHIP located in Indianapolis, Indiana, call 1-800-452-4800.

The Indiana Department of Insurance has regulated the Medicare supplement industry, allowing 12 different policies to be sold in the state. Companies must be approved by the Indiana Department of Insurance to be allowed to sell Medicare Supplement policies.  To make it easier for citizens of Indiana to compare one Medicare Supplement policy to another, the state allows twelve standard plans to be sold. The plans are labeled with a letter, A through J. Not all companies sell all ten plans. It can be extremely confusing for those in the market for a Medicare Supplement quote in Indiana, as there are large variations in coverage between the twelve policies.  The Indiana Department of Insurance offers lots of detail on their website about the twelve types of policies, but those with questions can call them directly at 317-232-2385.

Here’s a quick overview of the plans sold in Indiana:

Medicare Supplement insurance is sold in 12 standard plans. As of January 1, 2006, Plans H, I, J are no longer sold with drug coverage.

Every company must sell Plan A, which is the basic plan, or the “core benefit” plan. The standard plans are labeled A through L.

Remember, the plans are standardized. So, Plan F from one company will be the same as Plan F from another company.  Then, select the supplement policy which fits your needs, and  purchase that plan from the company which offers the lowest premiums and best customer service. Core Benefit included in all plans:

• Pays Part A Hospital copayment ($275 per day for 61-90 days and $550 per day for 91-150 days in 2010)
• Pays for an additional 365 days of hospitalization after Medicare benefits end.
• Pays Part B copayment (usually 20% of the Medicare approved amount)
• Pays for the first three pints of blood per year.

You will have to pay part of the cost-sharing of some covered services until you meet the annual out-of-pocket limit. Plan K has a $4,000 out-of-pocket limit. Plan L has a $2,000 out-of-pocket limit. Once you meet the annual limit, the plan pays 100% of the Medicare copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles for the rest of the calendar year. These amounts can change each year.

For more information or to get a Medicare supplement quote in Indiana, visit Insuriffic.com.

How the color of your car matters

Individuals incorrectly assume that red or yellow colored cards will cause the premiums of their insurance to shoot through the roof.  This myth may have come about because sports cars tend to usually be in either of these colors, and most of the people that own these cars tend to pay more on their coverage. The reality is that it is the present condition and the model of the car that matters and not the color, for your insurance providers.

Government’s role in standardizing insurance rates

The government has practically nothing to do with the present car insurance rates as they are least concerned with the actual insurance. A number of other aspects like your driving history, the kind of car you drive, the condition of your vehicle as well the driver’s age are the things that matter for the insurance companies every single year.

Costs increasing with age of driver

A very common myth is that people tend to pay more with age. The reality is that drivers that are between the ages of 21 to 55 pay the least in terms of actual rates and the ones that are below 21 and over 55 pay more in terms of premiums. As long as you are under the age of 55, you won’t be made to pay higher premiums but once you cross this age, your vision normally tends to deteriorate and this might result in you having to pay more for your insurance.  

Car modifications push insurance premiums northwards

Many car owners are scared to modify their cars because of this myth. The reality is that you are required to pay a higher premium only if you indulge in modifications that enhance the visual appeal of your vehicle or boost the performance of your vehicle. Simply changing the seat covers or even investing in additional safety devices does not cause the rate to increase. In fact, a number of insurance companies actually provide discounts to those that want to invest in safety features like seatbelts, safety airbags as well anti burglary devices.

Credit score is the only factor affecting auto insurance premiums

The truth is that your credit score is just one of the many factors that affect your car insurance premiums. A number of other things also go into deciding how much insurance premium is going to cost you each year. Certain common factors like gender, age, vision, physical location, vehicle state and manufacturer of your vehicle as well as the number of miles you use it on a daily basis are also considered.

Comprehensive Coverage is not required

This is another untrue assumption, as comprehensive coverage is one of the most useful things to have. Despite not being mandatory in a number of states, it is something that can be extremely useful in the case of a natural calamity or acts of vandalism. The coverage is also applicable in case of acts of nature, often paying for the damage incurred by the car. In many ways, this can be beneficial in the long run.

A number of people out there today aren’t aware of gap insurance and assume it to be something expensive and complex to understand. Just putting in a little time and effort should be sufficient to help you understand how this works.

Before delving right into the crux of the matter, you need to be familiar with the definition of gap insurance. Neglecting property, a number of other assets are prone to losing value over a period of time. Once a vehicle is being used, it starts falling in value. In fact, it loses 25% of its value the moment it leaves the showroom. Insurance firms compute the disbursement in case of collisions based on the value of the car prior to the collision. The vehicles are consequently either termed as slightly used, or heavily used. The sad aspect of this is that cars which have been driven even for 10 miles are categorized as slightly used, and the value considered is usually the depreciated value of the vehicle.

Consider the scenario when you recently purchased a new vehicle that could be a sedan or a station wagon, moved it out of the showroom and are driving towards home. Despite being overly cautious with your vehicle, stopping at all red lights in advance and looking around while driving, it is possible that a truck simply rams into your car from the side or from the rear, causing a lot of damage to your vehicle. This is a horrible scenario to be in, but is unfortunately not the absolute worst that could happen.

Your vehicle lost at least 25% of its original value from the very second that you left the showroom. Hence, the insurance firm is going to inform you that the car at the time of the collision was not really what you paid for it, and that the amount that will be considered is considering that the car was slightly used. Therefore, the insurance company is going to compute the disbursements based on the lowered value. The other aspect that can be traumatizing is that you might still owe the manufacturer the cost of a brand new car, despite getting lesser from the insurance firms.

In addition to getting a blow to your finances, you now have a new car that is damaged. You are going to be spending a lot to get it fixed and in most cases, the standard collision cover that might be provided to you would be quite useless. While this is not something that is commonplace, it is still something noteworthy for people to keep in mind. The fix to such a problem would probably be to go in for Gap Insurance. With this, you will be covered for the depreciated value as well, and not have to suffer a huge financial setback. If, for example, your car lost a value of around $10,000 when you drove it out of the showroom, then the gap insurance will cover that and you will be paid depending on the value of the vehicle without the depreciation factor being considered.

When gap insurance is taken into account, the value that is considered is going to be the money that you still need to pay to the car company or the leasing agency. Hence, it is clear that gap insurance is applicable to the vehicle that is purchased on an installment basis. When you look back, this might have seemed like a beneficial thing, but as time moves on, the money that you owe the financial institution reduces and at this point, gap insurance becomes unnecessary.

Many car owners are unaware as to how depreciation actually works and this is something that causes a direct impact. Consequently, they don’t go in for gap insurance and this is what might cause them a huge financial problem down the line, if they are ever involved in an accident.

Going back to the conundrum, is gap car insurance something that suits you? Well, the answer is actually dependent on you, as it is definitely recommended for slightly used cars. Cars that are very old will not benefit much from this.

California state law requires a minimum bodily injury liability limit of $15000 per person per accident and $30000 for all the members involved in the accident. The property damage liability coverage per accident is 5000$ for each accident. This means that the damage to all property in the accident will be covered by the insurance policy. But the ceiling limit will be only 5000$. Now this is not going to be enough for even a minor accident, considering that a good paint job and a bumper would cost upwards of $5000 for a premium car. It is just a state law which has set these limits for the benefit of the general population.

The average auto insurance rates in California was $1650 per person back in 2009. The main issue is that most people think that the state fixes the rates of auto insurance policies, but this is not true. Auto insurance is like any other commodity or service; you can negotiate or shop around to get better rates.

Within the state of California itself the rates have changed by 6% over the previous year. Hence, if you already own an auto insurance policy, it is worth the effort to contact your insurance company and ask them for a reduction. The best way to do this is to tell them that you are not satisfied with the rates since the national average rates have gone down. They are sure to give you a discount as soon as you tell them that you will be looking around for better rates.

For this with a good driving record, it will not take too much trouble to get the right policy. But if you do not have that good a driving record, you must make an extra effort to get the right policy. There are a lot of high risk driver policies available in the state of California. You need to shop around and try to get the right deal.

You can also find both big names and smaller insurance companies in the state of California. You can go with the big names if you have a good track record. They will be a little more expensive, but at the same time they are extremely reliable. Whereas if you go with a smaller company, you will be assured of a good rate but you cannot be sure about whether you will get your money’s worth when you do have the misfortune of meeting with an accident.

Compared to car insurance, RV insurance is a little intricate and costlier. This is largely due to the reason that RVs are usually bigger and can be assumed to be more risky and inclined to accidents in contrast to cars. In many instances, trailers are known to separate from the body and cause injury not only to themselves, but also to other entities on the road. Despite the fact that RVs are mainly used for camping trips, these are also viable as a means of transport suitable for big numbers of individuals, mostly travelling large distances. As stated previously, dangers are constantly associated with RVs and owners are required to be very cautious and watch out for dangers due to the vehicle’s unstable nature and a bulky structure.

Talking about the RV auto insurance, one should look out for complications that could arise from its seasonal usage. More common than not, RVs tend to be used very scarcely and for reasons like holiday, camping outings, moving and the like. To keep such usage in mind, the coverage needs to factor the duration and occurrence of such usage.

The coverage must provide the holder the ability to opt when and amount of coverage he will require for the vehicle. This is a challenge for insurance firms as they now have the problem of giving two kinds of insurance coverage. The first thing that they have to cover is to protect the vehicle from robbery, natural disasters and other types of mishaps which the vehicle might have to face. This is because the vehicle is largely stationary for most of the year. Next, the firms have to provide coverage on the vehicle for disasters that might arise from accidents that might be caused on the vehicle by others.

But, the aspect of RV auto insurance does not simply end there. The thing that makes it murky is the license for operation of the RV and how that counts in when going in for insurance. The ownership of a trailer involves special license for the trailer in addition to the existing one for the car that it might be fixed to. The point of consensus is not simply the acquiring of the license, but also on the renewal, which is necessary. In the absence of a valid trailer license, the insurance doesn’t hold good and this need to be looked after while purchasing and maintaining a RV.

To add to the list of factors mentioned above, long distance, cross country travelling as well as size of the trailers all account for shaping the right kind of recreational vehicle insurance.  When considering very large trailers, a truck license is required, which is all the more expensive. The cause an increase in the cost of insurance, as the risks increases too.

If you are travelling internationally, RV owners require special travel insurance and not all firms can provide this coverage.

This is probably why RV rental is such a big business today. Many rental companies encourage the consumers to buy insurance on the RV that they rent out, although you are not required to go in for this option. You can still use the car insurance for the rental too. This is of course dependent on the fact that your insurance can actually cover trailers as well. Many car insurances do provide this as an extra feature, which will add to the cost of the insurance. If you do find yourself renting trailers on a regular basis, this is quite a sensible option for you to go in for.