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Today’s News: U.S. Health Care Underperforms, Credit Scores Approved to Determine Insurance Rates and Wisconsin Mandatory Insurance Grace Period Near End

Posted in Auto Insurance , Auto Insurance Quotes , Health Care , Health Insurance

August 4th, 2010
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A report released in June revealed that the United States health care system underperforms compared to many industrialized nations, a court has ruled that credit scores are allowed when insurance companies determine rates and Wisconsin is nearing the end of a grace period allowing vehicle owners to drive without mandatory auto insurance.

U.S. Health Care Underperforms

A report released by the Commonwealth Fund, which is a private foundation focused on health, found that while the U.S. offers the costliest health care in the world, it underperforms many other industrialized nations. According to the report, the medical care systems of Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Britain and Australia are all superior to the United States’ system. Currently, the system ranks “last or next-to-last on five dimensions of a high performance health system” including quality, access, efficiency, equity and health lives. However, the study noted that health care reform and new guidelines for health insurance should help to address the problems (AFP).

Credit Scores Approved to Determine Insurance Rates

The Michigan Supreme Court determined that insurance companies can use a person’s credit report to determine rates after deciding that state regulators had exceeded their authority by banning the practice. The battle to ban credit scoring use when determining insurance rates has been ongoing since 2005 and reached the Supreme Court last October. Many have said that the use of credit reports when determining auto insurance rates, unfairly targeted specific demographics for higher premiums. But in a 4-3 ruling, the Michigan law will now allow for those with better credit scores to receive lower insurance rates (Associated Press).

Wisconsin Mandatory Insurance Grace Period Near End

On June 1, 2010, Wisconsin became the 49th state to require mandatory liability auto insurance coverage for all drivers. And now, law enforcement is announcing that the grace period to acquire this mandatory coverage is coming to an end. While the specific deadline has not yet been set, police in the state are expected to begin penalizing drivers who do not yet carry coverage. Currently, drivers are required to carry $50,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $100,000 for two or more people and $15,000 for injury or destruction of property. The penalty for not having at least liability insurance could cost up to $500 (WBAY).

Today’s News: Two-thirds of Arkansas Kids Uninsured, Age Influences Auto Policy Purchases and Achy Joints May Require Disability Insurance

Posted in Auto Insurance , Auto Insurance Quotes , Health Insurance , Low Income Health Insurance

July 23rd, 2010
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Health care reform may need to kick in soon to help the two-thirds of Arkansas kids who are currently living without health insurance. In other news, it seems that decisions made with auto insurance policy purchases are determined by age and those who have the normal achy joints may need disability life insurance.

Two-thirds of Arkansas Kids Go without Health Insurance

As lawmakers try to work out the kinks of health care reform to try to offer health insurance to millions of Americans, nearly 70 percent of children in Arkansas suffer without coverage. A children’s advocacy group says the state needs to do a better job of making sure they’re insured. A report released this week said nearly 40,000 of the 65,000 uninsured kids in the state could qualify for ARKids First but just aren’t enrolled. The state-sponsored health care program could offer basic health insurance coverage to stop the children from falling through the cracks. (KSPR News)

Age Influences Auto Insurance Policy Purchases

A new study from J.D. Power and Associates revealed that generational gaps have an influence in the decisions made when purchasing an auto insurance policy. For instance, the study found that only 68 percent of Generation Y consider price when purchasing coverage while 83 percent of the Baby Boomer Generation considers this factor. Also, while Generation Y consumers were less likely to shop because they saw an advertisement, they were almost twice as likely as Baby Boomers to switch auto insurance companies because they saw an advertisement. (Property-Casualty.com)

Have Achy Joints? You Might Need Disability Insurance

A study recently released by The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. revealed that American workers who have achy backs, muscles and joints may need disability life insurance more than they think. According to the study, Americans rely on their bones and muscles for strength, energy and mobility to help them get their jobs done. As a result, nearly one in four employees find themselves on short-term disability because of a disabling illness that has impacted their skeleton or muscles. (Market Watch)

Congress Considers Taking Action on Insurers Using Credit to Decline Coverage

Posted in Auto Insurance , Auto Insurance Companies , Auto Insurance Quotes

May 26th, 2010
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In a statement released by U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), he noted that Congress is currently examining the use of consumer credit history by insurers to set premiums. Since companies often use credit scores and reports to exclude those who are likely to file a claim, Congress is trying to determine whether this is a fair practice.

Insurance Companies Use Credit Scores for Pricing and More

It is well known that life and auto insurance companies – and possibly health and home insurers – use credit scoring when considering new policyholders. In fact, according to the American Insurance Association, about 90 percent of individual insurers use credit information in their risk assessment and pricing as it helps to predict the likelihood of a claim being filed.

However, David Snyder, vice president and associate general counsel of the association, says that the use of credit information in this way is “heavily regulated,” and “has proven to be very important for the market.” Congressional officials are not so sure though, prompting them to take a closer look at the issue.

Hearing Held on the Issue

Gutierrez explained that the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit held a hearing on Wednesday to take a closer look at the issue. He said that as of the meeting, “We are watching very closely and will take action if and when we find their practices out of line.”

Currently, 48 states currently regulate the use of credit scores for insurance and most do not allow for credit-based insurance scores to be the sole basis for increasing rates or denying/canceling/not renewing coverage. However, those who have better scores typically receive preferred treatment when applying for coverage.

Some states like Maryland and Wisconsin have tried to veer from the credit scoring standard but haven’t had a great amount of success. Until Congress sees a problem with what insurance companies are doing, it may be difficult for individual states to stop the practice.

Online Auto Insurance Purchases Up 22 Percent Last Year

Posted in Auto Insurance , Auto Insurance Quotes , Compare Auto Insurance

April 29th, 2010
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A new report from comScore, Inc., a company that measures digital data, revealed that auto insurance purchases made by customers who shopped online increased 22 percent in 2009. The report, title 2010 U.S. Online Auto Insurance, found that the total number of online auto insurance purchases made was 2.8 million and the number of requests submitted was 38.8 million.

Consumers Sought to Save on Auto Insurance

According to the report, consumers spent more time online because they saw the Internet as a way to fulfill their need for cheaper auto insurance. The report noted that times have been especially tough since the recession, which has led many consumers to seek the web for ways to save. Undoubtedly, shopping around is a great way to lower coverage and the Internet offers great opportunities to comparison shop quickly and efficiently.

Ways You Can Save Too

It seems that the people in the report were able to have a good amount of success saving on auto insurance by shopping online. The good news is that you can too. Here are just a few ways to save:

• Look for discounts: Finding discounts is a great way to lower your rates or finding cheaper auto insurance quotes.
• Raise your deductible: By increasing your deductible amount, you can lower your initial quote and monthly premium.
• Consider paying as you go: Programs like Progressive’s MyRate allow you to pay for the number of miles you drive instead of being charged for your credit score, past driving record, location, education, etc.

There are other ways to lower your auto insurance rates, especially when purchasing online. So consider taking the route so many others have tried and shop for auto insurance the new and improved way.

AAA Says Average Cost of Auto Insurance Grew 5.7% Over Past Year

Posted in Auto Insurance , Auto Insurance Quotes

April 14th, 2010
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A new report from the American Automobile Association (AAA) spells out the many ways that the cost of owning a car has increased and at the top of the list was auto insurance. According to the association, not only did auto insurance rates increase, but they played a major role in why owning a car is much more expensive than it used to be.

Auto Insurance Rates Increasing

According to AAA, the average cost of auto insurance increased by 5.7 percent over the past year, making it much more difficult for drivers to maintain the costs associated with car ownership. But this was not the only increase drivers saw.

AAA noted that tire prices increased 9 percent over the last year as well as the average cost of small cars like Chevy Cobalts (2.9 percent), medium-sized cars like Honda Accords (4.8 percent) and SUVs (10.7 percent).

How to Keep Auto Insurance Prices Low

If you’ve seen proof that your auto insurance rates have increased over the past year, there are steps that you can take to lower your coverage or obtain lower quotes:

• Shop around with various insurers to find the lowest quote
• Repair your credit to increase your insurance bureau score
• Add homeowners insurance to bundle your policies
• Check for online, student, safe driver or other discounts
• Find cars that will lower your rates

With auto insurance making subtle increases, it’s up to you to find ways to lower your premiums. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to lower your rates, so why not take time to do just that?

The Draw of Shopping Online for Auto Insurance Quotes

Posted in Auto Insurance , Auto Insurance Quotes , Online Car Insurance

February 18th, 2010
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Five years ago, Internet sales only accounted for 4 percent of all auto insurance purchasing transactions.

Now, shopping for auto insurance online accounts for30 percent of all the policies sold.According to ComScore, a digital research company, a 2009 surveyindicated that of those shopping for auto insurance, 63 percent of them went online to secure quotes.Although you may be wondering about this industry growth spurt, it just shows that more people are relying on the web for finding affordable auto insurance .

Shopping Smart

Shopping fantasies for nearly any item can beintoxicating andthere are certain attributes of doing the deed online that are perfectly suited to the auto insurance industry. Since phone calls are so 1999, the Internet is the best tool for buying auto insurance because of:

• Comparison Shopping: Consumers need to make thousands of decisions and the web is a great educational device for the process. Comparison shopping is the act of weighing options so you can make the best purchasing decision, and if done correctly you cansave money. When it comes to auto insurance, the Internet is the best resource for gathering and presenting online car insurance options quickly and easily.
• Saving Time: Americans are noted multi-taskers who constantly try to fit 26 hours of tasks into a 24-hour day. No one can argue that researching auto insurance online is a huge time saver. There are portals dedicated specifically to the task of online car insurance and nearly every insurance provider has their own site. Online searches take seconds compared to the time suck of making individual phone calls, so why waste another moment.
• Saving Money: Every insurance provider is vying for your policy dollar. Utilizing the web to shop for auto insurance can provide price quotes with a click. If you don’t like the price of the first option, you can immediately find another choice that fits into your budget.
• Nearly Unlimited Options: Since some people like chocolate ice cream while others prefer vanilla, ice cream parlors have flavor for nearly every palate. The web does the same thing for car insurance shoppers by providing you with an endless array of providers and insurance coverage levels.
• Flexibility: Not everyone works 9-5 and they need to make their decisions at off hours. By shopping for auto insurance online, you can get the answers you seek based on your schedule as most online quote software works 24/7.
• Second Opinion: For some, buyer’s remorse is an affliction that accompanies every purchase they make. If you feel like you need an outside opinion to back up your choice, links sent through IM and email to your lifeline of choice, can provide you with instant feedback regarding competitive auto insurance policies.

By following some rules to ensure both safety and accuracy of your quote, using the web to purchase auto insurance online will certainly work in your favor. Online consumers can find plenty of tools for making educated decisions regarding the auto insurance. By embracing the technology for your auto insurance needs, you too can experience why shopping for auto insurance online is the best way to find your policy.

Auto Insurance Quotes for Elderly

Posted in Auto Insurance , Auto Insurance Quotes

September 25th, 2009
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Finding affordable auto insurance quotes is important for everyone, but can be more important for the elderly driver who is depending on a fixed income. In a tough economy every penny counts, but when you are an elderly driver who can’t afford to spend much to continue driving, you want to make sure to find the best coverage for your wallet.

Luckily, there are some ways to get this done. It just requires a little research and a lot of determination.

Make Comparison-Shopping a Priority

Whether the driver is 16 or 66, it is important that searching for auto insurance quotes should be coupled with savvy comparison-shopping. One of the fastest and easiest ways to comparison-shop is by searching for car insurance rates online. Whether you visit multiple company sites for individual quotes, or visit sites that allow you to simply plug in your information to supply you with quotes from a variety of companies side-by-side, it’s a good idea to handle this part of the process online. This way, you can determine in minutes which coverage is most affordable for elderly drivers.

Check for Senior Discounts

Another way to find affordable auto insurance quotes for elderly drivers is to check for senior discounts. Some insurance companies offer discounts based on age, which might work well for an elderly driver. Also, by having driven for many years, if the elderly driver hasn’t had many accidents over an extended period of time, some companies may reward the good driving record.

Make Sure the Elderly Driver Should be On the Road

Aside from finding lower rates and discounts, it’s a good idea to ensure that the elderly driver is still capable of driving safely. This could be determined by checking physical and mental capabilities. Are reflexes still good? Is reaction time what it was? You want to know that your loved one will be safe on the road, so before applying for new coverage, this is a step you may consider taking.

If you spend a few days searching for coverage, you may run into some very affordable auto insurance quotes for elderly drivers. So take time to comparison-shop before committing to a premium. You won’t regret it.

Steps to Finding the Best Auto Insurance Quotes

Posted in Auto Insurance , Auto Insurance Quotes

September 24th, 2009
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Have you been searching for auto insurance quotes without the success of affordability and reliability that you’ve been hoping for? This can happen if you’ve held a policy with one company for a long time and now are looking for new coverage – or have never shopped for coverage before.

However, you’ll be happy to know that shopping for auto insurance quotesis easier than you think. In fact, if you handle your search correctly, you could get your hands on some of the best rates out there. It’s just a matter of following a few simple steps.

1. Decide What Type of Coverage You’re Looking For
   The first step to consider when searching for the best auto insurance quotes is determining the type of coverage you need. Do you need comprehensive or simple collision? Will you need extras like towing or rental features? Knowing what you need will help you to narrow down the criteria as you search so you can quickly see if one coverage costs more than you’re willing to pay.
2. Be Ready to Comparison Shop After you’ve decided what type of coverage you want, it’s time to comparison-shop. Whether you handle your comparison-shopping online, over the phone, or in person, you want to make sure you visit more than one company so that you can see who’s offering better deals for their coverage.
3. Look for DiscountsFinally, before you sign on the dotted line and agree to a company’s coverage, you want to inquire about discounts that may be available. For instance, if you’re insuring your teen, you may be able to take advantage of a good student discount. And if you already have homeowners insurance with a company, you may be able to receive a discount for bundling coverage types (purchasing multiple insurance types with one provider).

By following these simple steps, you can get your hands on the best auto insurance quotes for you. So decide what you want, shop around, and look for discounts. You’ll find what you need in no time.

Importance of Comparison Shopping for Auto Insurance Quotes

Posted in Auto Insurance , Auto Insurance Quotes , Low Cost Car Insurance , Save on Auto Insurance

September 23rd, 2009
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We all know that finding auto insurance quotes can be a major chore, but it’s an important one that you should not skate past because you’re tired of searching. Why, you ask? Mainly because if you don’t shop around for quotes from various companies, you may be missing out on big savings!

Of course, you aren’t going to have time to shop with every insurance company in existence, but it’s a good idea to visit as many as you have time for. After all, the more you shop, the more you save – doesn’t that sound like a familiar catch phrase?

Increase Your Chances of Finding the Best Deal

As mentioned previously, when you’re looking for the right coverage, it’s hard to know if you’ve found it if you only go with the first company you inquire with. You may be bummed out at the idea of shopping around for auto insurance quotes because it can be a bit time-consuming. But the good news is that with the convenience of the Internet, you can obtain a myriad of accurate quotes in no time. Go Insurance Rates offers free auto insurance rates online.

Comparison Shop Even if You Already Have Coverage

Consumer advocates are said to recommend that even if you have coverage you feel is both reliable and affordable, it’s a good idea to shop again for auto insurance quotes twice a year. While you may have grown accustomed to the company you’re with, you may be missing out on even better rates from a company that is just as – if not even more – reliable. Looking doesn’t mean you’re committing to anything. It just means you’re taking care of your own best interest when it comes to your car.

When you’re comparison shopping, it’s a good idea to remember one tip: the greater the details, the more accurate the quote. In other words, when you’re entering your personal information to obtain a quote, the more detailed it is, the better. This means entering the car’s VIN, your social security number and/or driver’s license number. By entering these details, you should receive a more precise quote.

Where to Find Best Auto Insurance Quotes

Posted in Auto Insurance , Auto Insurance Quotes

September 22nd, 2009
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Have you recently bought a new car, or are thinking about buying one? If that’s the case, you’re probably wondering where to find the best auto insurance quotes. It’s a confusing and intimidating quest seeing as there are so many offers out there, and all of them seem to have fine print that could be full of unpleasant surprises. The good news for people who are wondering about where to find the best auto insurance quotes, however, is that they are out there. Of course, everyone wants to find the best rates, not just people who’ve bought brand-new cars. All drivers can benefit from some simple common sense guidelines to keep in mind before they begin their search.

Using the Internet

When it comes to finding the best quotes, it’s safe to say that an exhaustive search is going to be far more revealing than one you finish in just a half hour. The key to finding the best auto insurance rates is to compare, and in order to make a thorough comparison, you need to have as many options as possible to examine. As part of that in-depth search, probably the quickest and easiest way to find the best auto insurance quotes is to scour the Internet. There are many auto insurance quote sites like Go Insurance Rates that can return multiple quotes to you at the same time quickly and for free. After doing many of these aggregate searches, you’ll start to get a fairly decent sense of what kind of rates you can expect, and which auto insurance providers seem the most fair and reputable.

Another place to find the best auto insurance quotes is more traditional: the phone book. The Internet will bring you quotes from national insurance providers, and could possibly leave out local outfits that you’re only going to find by reaching out the old-fashioned way.