Choosing An Insurance Agent Or Broker

Before choosing an insurance agent or broker, you may want to ask your friends and family if they can recommend someone they have dealt with.

Ask the agent or broker:

• to provide references from other clients
• about their training and qualifications
• if they have passed the Life License Qualification Program if you’re buying life insurance
• if they belong to a professional association, such as Advocis, the Financial Advisors Association of Canada, or the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada
• how long they have been in business
• what services they will provide after selling you the policy

Topics Covered And Questions Answered:

• How Do I Receive and Pay for Medical Care After a Car Accident?
• Should I Provide My Insurance Information at the Hospital?
• Where Will the Hospital Send the Medical Bills?
• What if the Hospital Refuses to Bill My Insurance Company?
• Will My Insurance Company Pay for My Medical Expenses Due to a Car Accident?
• When Will Georgia Medical Payments Coverage Under A Car Insurance Policy Cover My Medical Bills?
• If I Win a Settlement or Judgment That Includes Medical Expenses, Do I Get to Keep the Money?
• Does The State of Georgia have PIP?
• What If I Have No Medical Insurance?
• What Happens If I Receive More Medical Bills After I Accept a Settlement?

In the State of Georgia all drivers are required to carry automobile insurance that covers property damage and car repairs or medical care if he or she causes an accident.

But who pays for your medical bills after a Georgia car accident until your injury case settles? How and when does medical insurance cover injuries caused by a car or truck crash?

Should You Provide A Recorded Statement To The Insurance Company Or Not

For the most part, recorded statements can be helpful to an adjuster as they move your claim further along through the claims process. That being said, recorded statements are also commonly used to trap unsuspecting claimants in their own words. As a result, we advise our clients to be reluctant to give a recorded statement when much of the same information can be provided without one.

Nearly every insurance carrier is going to ask for a recorded statement after an accident. The questions are going to be very detailed and often difficult to answer.

You should also know that the adjuster is also going to ask you if you were injured. Obvious injuries always get a resounding yes. However, its not uncommon for folks who are sore from an accident to say they were not hurt. Maybe you werent hospitalized, so you answer no. So the adjuster documents that you admit to having no injuries or pain from this accident, and moves toward closing their file on the bodily injury side.

The truth is, even though you were not hospitalized, you may have been experiencing pain ever since the day of the accident. On top of that, you now have medical bills and you arent sure who is going to pay them. Moreover, what if you have an injury that isnt immediately known?

As harmless as the question were you injured sounds, you now have a problem. You were recorded saying you werent hurt, and insurance companies will try to minimize pay-out wherever possible.

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Using An Insurance Agent Or Broker

An insurance agent is someone who represents an insurance company and sells its insurance products.

An insurance broker is a person or company who sells the products of several different insurance companies. However, in some cases, a life insurance agent may also represent several different insurance companies.

Dealing with a licensed agent or registered broker will help to ensure that they:

• are properly trained
• have the resources to provide you with the insurance services you may need

Agents and brokers must usually be licensed in the province or territory in which they do business. Confirm that your insurance company is licensed or registered to do business in your province or territory.

The Victim Has Medical Payment Car Insurance

Some drivers choose to add medical payment insurance, or med pay, to their car insurance policies. This insurance coverage will pay for medical bills from injuries sustained in car accidents up to the policy limits. It generally does not have a deductible. Once the policy limit has been reached, the responsibility for the medical bills shifts back to the victim or his or her health insurance company.

Many drivers use med pay coverage to make up for a high deductible health insurance plan, or to cover health insurance co-payments.

For example: Tracy is in a car accident. She accrues $100,000 in bills from medical providers and emergency room care. She has health insurance, but the deductible is $6,000. If Tracy has med pay coverage, then her car insurance company will pay for the first $6,000. If she does not have med pay coverage, Tracy will have to pay $6,000 out-of-pocket.

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Paying Medical Bills After An Accident On Someone Else’s Property

In a premises liability or slip and fall case, the injured person will generally be responsible for ensuring payment of their medical bills as they come in, unless the property owner’s liability insurance policy includes “medical payments” coverage.

A commercial liability insurance policy will usually include some version of “medical payments” coverage. So if you slip and fall in a store and fault is pretty clear, you can probably get your medical bills paid fairly promptly through the store’s insurer before the larger case is resolved.

Most homeowners insurance policies also contain a “medical payments” provision, which will provide fairly immediate payment of reasonable medical treatment for anyone injured in an accident on the homeowner’s property . Note that this usually applies to visitors and guests only any “medpay” provision typically excludes the property owner and family members.

What Will My Health Insurance Cover After An Auto Accident

Once all other forms of payment are exhausted your personal health insurance will generally begin to cover the medical costs associated with your injuries. Just like with your auto insurance policy, you are required to meet deductible amounts before the insurance company starts to cover treatment. You may also be required to cover co-pays and any other obligations required by the insurer.

What your health insurance will cover depends on what type of coverage you have, whether you went to an in-network provider, what restrictions are included in your policy, and what kind of care you seek. Remember, many health insurance plans do not cover alternative medicines or treatments.

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How Does Accident Insurance Work

Accident insurance provides specific cash benefits for injuries caused by a covered accident. These cash benefits may be used for expenses like copays and deductibles. Like disability insurance, your accident insurance policy should pay you or your beneficiaries a cash benefit whether the injury occurred on or off the job. And you can use the money however you want pay off bills or take a vacation.

So how does it work?

Lets say your child, who is already covered on your accident insurance policy, fractures his ankle during a football game and is taken by ambulance to the ER. X-rays determine he has a severe fracture, requiring a hospital stay. Your son is released the next day with a nifty little cast. Because you havent met your deductible for the year, you find your health insurance doesnt cover the entire medical bill. So, youre left paying hundreds or thousands of dollars out-of-pocket. However, since you have accident insurance, you can simply submit this claim to the insurance company you bought it from. After the claim has been approved, you receive the cash .

Here are some of the advantages to having an accident insurance policy:

• Immediate protection within days of receiving your application
• Helps cover out-of-pocket expenses
• Benefits are paid directly to you
• Guaranteed issue or guaranteed renewable
• No deductibles, copays or coinsurance
• Health Savings Account friendly

Filing An Insurance Claim After An Accident Get Professional Legal Help

If you’re wondering why your insurance claim was denied or you believe the amount of your settlement is inadequate, you may want to reach out to a legal professional. An experienced injury attorney will be able to answer any questions you may have about your claim and advise you about your options moving forward.

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How Much Do Insurance Rates Go Up After An Accident

Depending on your driver profile and what you pay now, your rates could increase by 50 percent or more after an accident. Different companies raise rates in different amounts, but you should expect your bill to increase.

How do you get insurance after an accident? In most situations, you can shop normally from standard providers. Some providers may decline to renew your coverage because youve filed too many claims. Just because your car insurance got canceled does not mean you cant purchase insurance somewhere else.

Auto insurance providers will increase rates for drivers they deem to be high-risk. An accident, or multiple accidents on your driving record, will make insurers think you are more likely to file a claim.

Below is a comparison chart of major insurance companies’ average price estimates, good drivers, and drivers after one accident.

These averages account for the number of states represented under each provider in our data for drivers 35 years old, good credit, married, and good driving history.

Calculating The Value Of Insurance Claims

While calculating medical expenses and lost wages is usually fairly straightforward, it’s difficult to place a dollar amount on the pain and suffering a person experiences as a result of their injury. Insurance companies have developed damages formulas to calculate how much to pay the injured for these types of non-monetary losses.

The insurance claims analyst first adds up all of your medical expenses. If the injuries aren’t too serious, this total is typically multiplied by 1.5 or 2. This calculation is used to determine the amount of your special damagesâdamages with finite, measurable costs .â

However, if the injuries are severe, the total may be multiplied by 5, or even 10 if the injuries are extremely debilitating. Once the special damages amount is determined, the analyst adds the value of your lost wages to determine the amount of your settlement. You can then often negotiate with the insurance company to obtain a higher settlement.

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First Party Claims Vs Third Party Claims

There are two types of insurance claims: first party claims and third party claims. While a first party claim is one you file with your own insurance company, a third party claim is one you file with the insurance provider of another person or business. Most insurance holders have coverage for third parties who are injured as a result of the holder’s actions.

The type of claim you file will depend on who was at fault in the accident, the type of accident that occurred, and the extent of available insurance coverage. For example, if you caused an auto accident while driving in your car, you should probably file a first party claim with your auto insurance provider.

On the other hand, if you were hit by a car while crossing the street or were involved in an accident while a passenger in someone else’s car, you should file a third party claim with the driver’s auto insurance provider. If you were injured while shopping in a store or eating at a restaurant, you can file a third party personal injury claim with the business’ or land/property owner’s insurance company. These claims apply to bodily damage as well as property damage.

Who Your Health Insurance Policy Covers

Your health insurance policy covers you if the policy is in your name.

Your spouse or partner and children under 19 years old may also be eligible for coverage under your insurance policy. Children over 19 may be eligible for coverage under your policy if they are still in school or if they are disabled.

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Contributory Negligence Laws Could Prevent You From Receiving Compensation For Your Medical Bills

Virginia is one of several states that enforces contributory negligence laws in car accidents. That means, if you are found to be even 1% responsible for the accident you were injured in, you wont be able to receive compensation from the other drivers insurance plan.

As you might guess, this law leads insurers to comb through all the evidence from the crash to try and find a way to blame the victim. Theyll do anything they can to reduce their clients liability and avoid paying your car accident medical bills.

If you want to get the payment youre entitled to receive, we highly recommend working with an experienced attorney. Theyll be able to investigate your accident, and find irrefutable evidence that shows the other driver was 100% responsible for the crash.

Help Offset Your Medical Bills If You’re Injured In An Accident

Big or small, accidents happen. And the costs related to recovery can add up. With more and more workplaces switching to high-deductible health plans , its become even more difficult for people to rely solely on their core medical insurance to cover all of their healthcare needs. According to Kaiser Family Foundation’s 2019 Employer Health Benefits Survey, the average premium for family coverage has increased 22% over the last five years and 54% over the last ten years.This is where supplementing your insurance with additional coverage can be valuable and essential. Accident insurance can help. Accident insurance can help you keep up with some of the most important things in life should the unexpected happen.

Watch this video to learn about how accident insurance generally works.

Read on to learn about accident insurance:

• What is accident insurance?
• How does accident insurance work?
• What does accident insurance cover?
• Is accident insurance worth it?
• How much does accident insurance cost?
• How to get the best accident insurance policy.

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Life Insurance Policy For Stroke Patients

If you were wondering if life insurance payout for stroke victims really happens then you came to the right place. Overall, a life insurance company must honor the death benefit if death occurs after a stroke. We will go into this topic more in detail in this article.

Above all, the best policy to have when you have a high-risk medical condition like stroke is a life insurance policy with living benefits. In fact, if you have any sought of family history then your life insurance agent should have mentioned it to you.

For instance, if you were to have a cerebrovascular accident or any other type of stroke and have any kind of residuals, you may very well be able to tap into that policy. YES, without dying.

Furthermore, this is the best policy to get for life insurance for stroke survivors. In addition, you can still get affordable life insurance rates for life insurance for stroke victims.

Read on and you will get some valuable information to assist you in getting the right coverage.

Suffered Injuries In Car Accident Contact Our Virginia Accident Attorneys

If youve been injured in a car crash or other accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and your pain, suffering, and inconvenience. At Huffman & Huffman Brothers-in-Law, our qualified attorneys are here to help. We have over 150 years of combined experience fighting for the rights of injury victims, and once you retain our firm, we can:

• Offer you sound legal counsel.
• Help ensure you understand your legal rights and options.
• Guide you through the entire legal process .
• Calculate the damages you are owed.
• Fight for your right to full and fair compensation.

Oftentimes, insurance companies may try to offer people lowball settlement offers or may make it difficult for people to receive the compensation they are owed. Our team can help ensure that you are not taken advantage of and stuck paying for long-lasting medical issues.

You dont have to handle the aftermath of an accident caused by another persons carelessness alone. Schedule a free case consultation with our team today by calling 757-525-9820 or reaching out online.

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Coverage Benefits Of Personal Accident Insurance Policy

Under the personal accident policy, you can avail of the following benefits.

• Accidental Death cover

A death due to an accident can cause severe emotional and financial stress to a family. In such a case the entire assured sum is paid to the nominee mentioned in the policy document. The cover offered for death is usually applicable only within a specific time frame. Unusually, a death that occurs up to approximately 180 days after the accident is covered.

• Total Permanent Disability Cover

Injuries caused by an accident can be of varying magnitudes. Total permanent disability refers to accidental injuries resulting in permanent or lifelong impairment. For instance, loss of limbs, loss of eyesight, etc. In such cases, a specified insured amount is paid to the insured.

• Permanent Partial Disability Cover

Permanent partial disabilities refer to accidental injuries resulting in permanent partial impairment. For instance, hearing loss, loss of an eye, loss of a limb, back injuries, etc. In such cases, a certain percentage of the sum insured is paid to the insured.

• Temporary Total Disability

Temporary total disabilities refer to accidental injuries resulting in temporary total impairment. This could prevent the insured from working and earning a living. In such cases, the insurer will compensate for the loss of income by providing a weekly allowance.