Archive for March, 2009

Credit history and car insurance rates

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

You are definitely aware of the fact that banks examine your credit rating when deciding on whether to extend your current credit or not. But the banks are not the only institutions that use your credit record. In most states auto insurance companies are examining the records of applicants and determine the price for the person according to the rating. Your homeowners and medical insurance rates are also likely to be determined by how good or bad your credit score is. And the truth here is that your credit rating strongly affects the final rates charged by the insurance company.

Those credits you were late with or not having a credit record at all will significantly affect the price you’ll be paying for insurance services. Here are two situations to make it clear to you:

* You were unemployed for a couple of months and got behind your credit repayment schedule, but have recently found a job and got back on track with settling the credit. Your car insurance rates have increased although you weren’t involved in any insurance situations and haven’t filed for any claims.

* You’re paying off your credit right on time but are paying with cash or check instead of credit transfers.

What’s that all about?

Companies offering insurance services have always used a set of criteria to determine whether the possible customer is a risky individual or not and respectively set the right price. Things like age, driving record, car make and model strongly influence car insurance rates. But in states where the laws allow it, car insurance companies are also using credit records when setting a price for their services. From the insurer’s point of view, the better is your credit record the less risk you pose and more likely to pay the premiums on time. And if your credit score is not that good, you are considered as a less responsible and more risky person that is more likely to get involved in an accident. And respectively the rates you’ll pay will be adjusted according to that risk factor. Sometimes a bad credit history will in general get you refusals from car insurance companies.

Improving your credit rating.

If you are looking forward to get cheap auto insurance then improving your credit rating is a must. You can get a free copy of your record at the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, which is also used by the auto insurance companies. By analyzing your credit record you will be able to determine what measures should be taken in order to improve the rating. Here are some things you should consider if you want to take that road and get proper cheap auto insurance:

* Clear off your credits as soon as possible. Pay at least the minimum required amounts each month, consider consolidating your high interest debts and keep your expenses low.

* In case you haven’t got any credit at all you should get one. Having an empty credit record looks very suspicious to auto insurance companies and they will treat you respectively. Consider getting a store credit card or a fitness membership it won’t cost you much but will at least make your record active.

* Check your credit report on a regular basis each year to see if the information included is correct. Sometimes your past credits that have already been settled could be still present in the report, so you should ask the authorities to adjust the information. A small mistake can lead to the impossibility of getting cheap auto insurance for a long time, so you should check the record thoroughly in order to eliminate any issues there may be.

If you are interested in the point of view expressed by David Mayer, visit http://www.findyourautoinsurance.com/credit-history.html for more of his professional writing on a whole array of topics that relate people all around the world.

Getting Cheap Car Insurance Online What You Need To Know?

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

In this modern era, automotive is gaining popularity as one of the primary type of transportation. But how are we going to protect our car from any sorts of damages? Most of us would choose to buy auto insurance to insure our car. If you would like to have car insurance policy which provides you with the maximum amount of coverage at the least cost, you can get this done by getting cheap car insurance online.

Internet is the best place to obtain auto insurance quotes. The amount that you will be quoted depends on various factors such as location where you park and drive the car, your driving record, age, what is the type of car that you drive, the purpose of driving the car and many other factors.

There are various factors which can allow you to get cheap car insurance, these are mentioned below:

Car insurance companies have to bare a lot of acquisition costs when they decide to carry out business with a client, doing this business online can reduces their cost and allows to charge them a much smaller price from their consumers. Similarly these costs will only be covered by the customers. If a company however manages to reduce its costs, it can pass it on to their consumers and allow them to enjoy a bill which is a lot less in size.

This is the reason why you are given huge discounts on car insurance because you decide to get your car insured online. You are likely to get much cheaper auto insurance quotes online than if you decide to get yourself insured directly from the company’s office, but even though these might seem bliss to you, even lower rates might not be as good as you might think.

In order to get the best out of your auto insurance policy, what you need to do is get insurance brokers. As they are not part of any insurance company they are less likely to be biased, if you ask them for a quote they are likely to give it to you from various companies for you to compare and not just one.

Look at car insurance comparison websites and you’ll be able to look at different quotes, this will allow you to compare and pick the best quote. Alternatively, some companies offer cheaper auto insurance rates if we sign up other insurances such as health insurance with the same company.

However always remember to include what you want and then pick a quote, coverage is more important than the right price, if your car isn’t covered properly then you might not be able to claim all the damages! Getting cheap auto insurance is not that difficult; all you need to do is keep certain things in mind!

Get to know more about car insurance information and get free auto owner insurance quotes from Insurance Center Online! Save time and money on your car insurance now!

Insurance Company Rocks Kravitzs World due to Water Damage Manhattan

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Rock stars are known for defacing and bashing hotel rooms. Well, some of them anyway. This kind of behavior makes them targets for lawsuits from left and right, even if the property involved is their own. Most New Yorkers would probably remember the three lawsuits filed against rock star and Grammy award winner Lenny Kravitz, all involving water damage Manhattan issues.

The first case involved a lawsuit filed by an insurance company who had to pay for water damage Manhattan repairs incurred by their client when one of Kravitzs toilets overflowed into their clients apartment. It was bad luck for Kravitz as the client was a former New York Life Benefit Services chairman and chief executive. The apartment incurred $333,849.77 worth of damages due to water damage Manhattan. The insurance company sued Kravitz for these repairs plus additional incurred costs. There were no explanations as to why the toilets overflowed, but the insurance company filed the lawsuit on grounds that Kravitz allowed the toilets to be blocked and clogged with a variety of materials. The unit was an $8 million, six thousand square foot duplex with five bedrooms and eight bathrooms. The duplex also had a billiards room, a game room and a 3,000 square foot terrace.

The second water damage Manhattan case against Kravitz involved another blocked toilet and he was sued for $9,387.87 worth of damages. The lawsuit insisted on the singers negligence and carelessness in allowing his toilets to overflow from the various unidentified materials flushed down the bowl, causing it to clog.

To make matters worst, Kravitz is once again sued for causing water damage Manhattan problems to another neighbors apartment due to you guessed it right: blocked, clogged and congested toilet resulting to overflows. This is the third lawsuit in three years over the same old thing. This time, the bill would be $457,339.11 worth of repairs.

Toilet overflows are one of the most common domestic reasons for water damage Manhattan style, aside from natural causes like torrential rains or floods. Toilets can be clogged for a variety of reasons, like excessive toilet paper or bars of soap. Small solid objects can also be flushed through the bowl but would only get clogged in the drainpipes and would cause wastewater to backup through the bowl. A clogged bowl coupled with a broken flush mechanism would result to continuously flowing water, which can overflow from the bowl and spill to other rooms, and in this case, other floors. A responsible homeowner should have immediate remediation work performed in the toilet at the first sign of flush mechanism failures, or clogged bowls. Water that has been continuously flowing and is visible through the bowl, even if the flush cycle has completed, signifies that the toilet has a broken flush mechanism. On the other hand, water that goes down the bowl very slowly during the flush cycle is a strong indication that the toilet is clogged and should be checked immediately. Clogged items can sometimes be removed by using a plumbers snake or an auger that is inserted into the bowl to dislodge the clogged object. This might work for hair, soap or tissue debris trapped in the drainpipes. However, if the object clogged is solid and difficult to remove, it may require dismantling of the bowl.

Facing a losing legal battle, Kravitz has put the sprawling SoHo condominium unit out in the market with a $13 million price tag. That was higher than the $8 million price that Kravitz paid when he has bought the condominium units.

Leo Nov is an editorial staff member of RestorationSOS.com, a leading service provider for water damage cleanups. To learn more about Water Damage Cleanup Manhattan, NY and Water Damage Restoration Manhattan, NY, visit RestorationSOScom.

How To Reduce Your Car Insurance Premium?

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Can extra car safety features reduce your insurance premium and help prevent whiplash?

Every driver wants to reduce their car insurance premiums and build up a no claims bonus. Insurance companies often offer insurance discounts to those who have completed recognised advanced driver training, but if your car is fitted with additional safety features, can this reduce your car insurance premium further?

The simple answer is not necessarily. Most manufacturers consider car safety equipment such as anti-lock brakes, traction control, automatic seatbelt warnings and airbags to be additional extras. As a result, many insurance companies will only consider safety technology when a car is launched and then only those systems which come as standard and cannot be switched off. Some systems, particularly traction control, can be turned on and off by the driver depending on their driving style and the road conditions at the time. Therefore these do not technically count as ’safety features’ but as ‘optional extras’.

The insurers also look at the safety performance of models, taking into account their ENCAP rating and their charted performance over an extended period of production and use. If a particular model is shown to be less likely to be involved in an accident over a period of time, the insurance premium is then adjusted regardless of any additional safety features the car may have as standard.

However, some manufacturers are producing standard safety features that are having an impact on their insurance rating. One major manufacturer has developed a ‘City Safety’ system, which can detect possible collisions at low speed and prepare the brakes. If the driver doesn’t take action to avoid a collision, the system takes over and brakes the car automatically. It is hoped that ‘intelligent’ systems such as this will reduce the number of rear end collisions, which are often the cause of whiplash injuries.

Whiplash claims account for nearly 2billion of payouts by insurance companies in the UK annually, and 75% of motor personal injury claims are made as a result of whiplash injuries, usually at very low impact speeds. The Association of British Insurers estimate that there are 1,200 claims a day for whiplash injuries, six times the number of workplace related injury claims.

Further research into the causes and definitions of whiplash injuries are also being carried out by Thatcham, who have developed the WITkit. The WITkit is a computerised program that gives insurers detailed information of the likelihood of whiplash injuries by analysing the results of impact tests of different cars and car seats at low speeds. By analysing this data, manufacturers will be able to incorporate new safety features as standard into their latest models, including redesigning seats and head restraints. As these alterations will come as ’standard’ and are not something that can be controlled by the driver, this may help to reduce car insurance premiums in the long run.

The onus still remains on the driver. No matter how many safety features a car may have, the driver is ultimately responsible for the car and its use on the road. Better driving skills result in a reduced likelihood of becoming involved in an accident and this is why insurers have traditionally focused on this aspect to determine insurance premiums. Consequently, more experienced drivers have lower insurance premiums than younger, inexperienced drivers do and this doesn’t look like changing any time soon. But as technology advances drivers may see their premiums reduce in the future as manufacturers incorporate more safety features as standard on their cars.

For further information, please visit http://www.1stclaims.co.uk

http://www.1stclaims.co.uk is run by a non-practising Personal Injury Solicitor with over 14 years personal injury claims experience.We deal in a range of claims, including personal injury claims and compensation. Please visit http://www.1stclaims.co.uk for further information.

Insurance Premium Forgiveness for Cancer Patients.

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Health Insurance exists to help people when they become ill. Unfortunately, many people are finding that their policies are being cancelled when they are diagnosed with a serious illness, such as cancer.

In many cases, people with cancer may find themselves unable to work. As a result, insurance companies are canceling their policies. Without insurance coverage, there is little hope that cancer patients will be able to afford the treatment needed to defeat their disease.

If Your Insurance is Cancelled
If you are facing cancer treatment without medical insurance, discuss any cost-related worries with your doctor, the hospital social worker, and the hospitals business office before you begin treatment. They doctor may be able to recommend alternative treatments, the social worker can lead you to outside resources to help with payment, and the business office can set up a plan to work with you.

Maintaining Health Insurance During Cancer Treatments
The following tips can help you to maintain health insurance while undergoing treatment for cancer:

Consider health insurance alternatives before you begin treatment (e.g., switching to your spouses policy).
Do NOT quit your job until you have located an affordable insurance company that covers people with pre-existing conditions.
Some plans only cover pre-existing conditions after 12 months of coverage. Read the fine print, and make sure your old coverage doesnt lapse before the new coverage goes into effect.

Getting Your Insurance Company to Pay for Your Cancer Treatments
The following tips will help you get the most from your insurance coverage:

Obtain a copy of your insurance policy prior to treatment and find out exactly what your coverage includes.
Keep careful records of all your covered expenses and claims.
File claims for all covered costs.
Get help in filing a claim if you need it. If friends or family cant help, ask a social worker.
If your claim is denied, find out why and file your claim again. Ask your doctor to explain to the company why the services meet the requirements for coverage under your policy. If you are turned down again, find out if the company has an appeals process.
If you believe your claim has been unjustly denied, file an appeal.

Lobbying for Change

Health Insurances companies should be more sensitive to the delicate, and sometimes dire situations of cancer patients. If you feel that your insurance company has treated you unfairly, call your state insurance commissioner. If your policy was cancelled, write a letter to your Congressman asking for help with enacting legislation that would force insurance companies to offer insurance premium forgiveness to cancer patients. Help put an end to unacceptable insurance practices.

References
Henry J: Getting Cancer: Understanding the Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment. San Clemente, CA: Shining Lion Publications, 2008.

Michele Moore is an internet entrepreneur and is an expert SEO. He frequently writes about SEO articles including article submission , blog submission, directory submission etc. You can read his other articles only here on ext.com.

Smart Moves for Cheaper Home Insurance

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Home is the best place on this earth to live and Home insurance is the best approach for saving your home from the uncertain catastrophes. Generally with home insurance policies, we get three kinds of homeowner’s protection. Homeowners insurance provides protection against property damage, loss of personal property, and liability claims by others. But before making any investment in home insurance policies you can consider some important points to save your hard earned money. By applying these smart techniques you can save money.

When shopping for your home insurance policy, deal with a home insurance company which understands your requirements and protects you from catastrophic losses. You can utilize smart techniques to make huge differences in the same home insurance policy. By utilizing what is popularly known as “Multi-Policy Credit” you can save money on home insurance. Perhaps you have other insurance policies to shop for. You can ask the home insurance company if they can provide insurance for two things at once. For instance, there are some home insurance companies which also provide car insurance at the same time and by doing this you can save yourself a huge amount as well as unnecessary hassles and additional money. By dealing with the same company you can take advantage of getting a better deal on both types of insurance.

According to industry experts “Deductible” is the amount on the homeowner’s policy, which is likely to be paid by homeowner in the event of claim, the higher deductible amount leads to lower premiums. Applying some “safety improvement techniques” can drastically reduce the amount of home insurance premiums. Before purchasing home insurance policies, try to install the latest approved alarms, which can help you to get cheaper home insurance. Safety measures like fire alarms & sprinkler systems can help in reducing your home insurance premiums.

Many factors should be taken into consideration when buying a home insurance policy, like support after you buy your policy, the level of servicing along with comparison with other home insurances companies, online and offline services, and support which keeps you in touch with advisors. You should thoroughly research your home insurance quotes before buying any homeowners insurance policy.

Finally, paying attention and doing your homework before buying a home insurance policy can make huge difference. After all, your home is one of your most important assets, and buying the right home insurance policy will help protect it.

The Best Site To Get FREE Multiple Competing Insurance Quotes For Auto, Home, Life, Health, And Renters Insurance. Provides Insurance Quotes Comparison Facilities Like Auto Insurance Comparison, Home Insurance Comparison, Life Insurance Comparison, Health Insurance Comparison, Renters Insurance Comparison - www.wecompareinsurance.com

Make Your Life Insurance Sales Career Recession Proof Part II

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

As I stated in my first article, the first step to making your life insurance sales career Recession Proof in a struggling economy is to become adept at, and be focused on, helping people to solve their immediate financial problems. You must help people to Find the Money! You must become the financial advisor people want to see.

The Second Step to making your life insurance sales career Recession Proof is setting up a marketing program to deliver your unique Special Message, so you are constantly attracting the right people to you! Lets face it, you can be the best, most skilled and trustworthy financial advisor in the world, but if no one knows it, you are dead in the water. If you want to survive and prosper in a struggling economy, then obviously you must be consistently in front of the Right High Quality Prospects. We are talking about being in front of the people you have the best chance of selling!

Many good insurance agents are not really good at selling. They are great at marketing. The opposite is also true. Many good salespeople are terrible marketers.

If youre a good marketer, then selling is much easier. If you cannot or will not market your products and services, then you will have a tough time selling, especially in a struggling economy!

However, if you are a good marketer, and a good salesperson, you can take your insurance sales career to the very top of the industry!

Once you have determined your specialty and decided how you can truly help people, then you must decide who the best prospects are for your specialty and find the most effective ways to constantly deliver your unique special message to those prospects!

Who Are Your Best Prospects!
Most agents want to believe that everybody is a good prospect for what they offer. So, they waste their time and money sending letters to, talking to, meeting with and trying to sell the wrong people.

Are there some people that are better prospects than others for your products or services? Example: If you are selling life insurance, is it going to be easier to sell it to single people, or to people with families to protect?
Are there some areas, companies, occupations, associations, etc. that have groups of your ideal prospects? If you sell one person in that group, is it going to be easier to set appointments with and sell the other people in the same group?
Are there some prospects that you relate to better than others? Are there prospects who you have more things in common with than others? When you relate better with a prospect isnt it going to be easier to set an appointment and close a sale?
Are you better off working with Middle Income Families, and avoiding all of the competition in the affluent markets?

Attracting Your Best Prospects.
Most agents spend all their time trying to meet with and sell strangers, which is the hardest, most frustrating and most expensive way to build their business. And, yet isnt that what most lead systems focus on!

How hard is to set an appointment with someone who has never heard of you, or the work you do? How much credibility do you have with these strangers? How much trust do these strangers have in you? Dont most people prefer to meet with and do business with people they already know?
How much easier would it be to set an appointment with someone, if his or her trusted advisor, or friend recommended you and endorsed your services?
How much easier is it to make an appointment with people who have already heard of you and the work you do?

In order for you to build your reputation and attract a steady stream of the RIGHT qualified prospects, you need to consistently use several (three or more) of the effective lead generation systems listed below. However, you have to do it in such a way, that you are constantly delivering your special marketing message to the right people!

Here is a list lead generation systems to choose from:

Telemarketing System, Direct Mail System, Advertising System, Press Release System,

E-mail Marketing System, Purchased Leads System, Referral System,

Association Marketing System, Post Card System, Monthly Newsletter System,

Joint Venture System, Dinner Seminar System, Educational Workshop System,

Center Of Influence Marketing System, Direct Response Ad & Booklet System

Believe it or not, consistent effective use of just a few of these marketing systems will get you more prospects than you can handle even in a struggling economy! However, you must take the time to learn the insider secrets to making them work!

Imagine having an avalanche of highly qualified prospects phoning, mailing, or e-mailing you each week, practically begging to meet with you.

Wouldnt this be a great problem for you to have?

If you want to consistently attract the right Life Insurance Prospects, you can take the Trial and Error approach to try to develop your own marketing tools and programs, or… You can have more prospects than you can handle in just a few days from now by finding one of the very few people in our industry that really understands and is an expert in insurance marketing someone like Michael Beck, Bill Bachrach, Michael Jans, Ken Varga, Pamela Yellen, Randy Murray (Mr. Life Insurance) and myself.

Each of us can provide you with a very detailed explanation of ALL the effective lead generation systems mentioned above. Along with the insider secrets and marketing philosophies behind those systems, and well help you to find all of the proven marketing tools to make those systems work Sales letters, invitations, ads, telemarketing scripts, PowerPoint presentations and more!

No more Cold Calling, Buying Expensive Leads or Taking A Commission Cut To Get Leads! Youll learn how to be in front of more of the right prospects in one month, than most agents will see in a year. And, youll learn how you can do it for under $100 per month.

By Lew Nason
The Nine Out Of Ten Guy

Claim your free Report “How to Attract & Sell Your Perfect Prospects” at
http://www.FastInsuranceSales.com
Where you’ll learn how to make 6-figures a year in insurance.

What to Look for in a Health Insurance Quote

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

In today’s struggling economy it is important to try and cut costs for your and your family in any way possible. In terms of protecting yourself and your loved ones you need to ensure that you have the best health insurance to meet your needs. With that being said, there is a very large chance that you are being overcharged and under-protected when it comes to your health insurance plan. Finding and securing a beneficial plan should be one of your priorities these days and can be a great way to save a bit of money, but you need to be informed so that you are still protected in any times of need.

There are a few crucial aspects you should take into consideration when searching for, comparing and finally choosing an appropriate health insurance plan. In order to ensure that you have all the tools you need before making a decision, here are some helpful hints and suggestions when it comes to knowing what to look for in a health insurance quote.

The first thing that many people neglect is the affordability of their health insurance quote. Yes it is important to make sure that you and your family is covered in all situations, but you need to find ways to make the plan affordable enough that you can comfortably pay for it. It is best to not just jump on the first quote that you get. Compare and analyze AT LEAST three different quotes so that you have a better idea of what protection is offered for certain prices. You also need to realistic when looking at your quote. Of course you want the best protection you can get, but is it really worth it if you end up paying more than an actual visit to the doctor would cost?

It is also very important to consider some variables when getting health insurance quotes. A lot of consumers get caught up on the basic coverage involved and the price and forget to analyze the side benefits. It is of the utmost important that you research and discover whether your prescriptions will be covered by any plan you are considering. It really will not provide much help if your trip to the doctor is covered, but you still have to pay full price for the medicine that they provide. If you cannot afford the treatment, then your entire visit to the doctor becomes somewhat obsolete. Another variable that is important is what conditions are covered. A certain quote you are looking into may have great coverage for conditions that are simply not a threat to you. While on the other hand if you have a history of heart conditions, then you need to ensure you invest in a plan that has great coverage for heart related diseases.

Although these are just a few helpful suggestions when it comes to learning what to look for in a health insurance quote, these simple tips will give you a great head start in the right direction. Do your best to get a few differing quotes and analyze all the options available to you and the details of each quote before making a final decision. Your family’s health and bank book depend on it.

Visit our site for more info on Health Insurance Quote and Cheap Health Insurance Quotes.

Why Do We Need So Many Different Types Of Insurance?

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

For a lot of us, it is exceedingly difficult to justify spending money on something that we will probably never use. But we all do it and we do it more often than we would like. Yes, we all spend large amounts of money on insurance even though we all know that we will probably never use it for anything. While it is true that health insurance and dental insurance do indeed come in handy, it is much more difficult to see the reasoning behind dropping thousands of dollars each year on home and auto insurance.

So why do we spend so much money each year on home and auto insurance when we will probably never end up using it? The answer lies in a seemingly simple series of questions.

Some make the decision to have an insurance based on the family, that is they want to protect their family against death, illness, disability and any cost affected by the accidents. For example, if we die, insurance will provide a surviving spouse and our children. It can help our family to cover the living cost.

Why do I need car insurance? The obvious answer to that question in Canada or the United States is very simple. It is the law! If you own a vehicle that is being driven by someone, even if it is not you, the vehicle must be insured. The main reason for the law is to guard against drivers causing injury to others and having no reasonable means to compensate the injured party financially.

Further, most, if not all, Canadian and American insurance companies have a minimum liability. In todays standards, a million dollar liability does not go very far if someone is injured or there is major public damage. To prevent buyers from choosing cheap, mediocre insurance, a minimum is usually required by the insurer and possibly the province or state.

We have come to an age where insurance policies have become an integrated part of our lives. Insurance acts as a shield that protects us from the contingent financial losses from the unfortunate events of the future.

The life insurance policy covers the risks associated with the life of the policy holder. The insurer promises to cover the financial losses attached with the untimely death of the insured. The benefits of the policy are then paid to the family of the decedent insured in lump sum or in the form of annuity.

I understand why we need to have proof of ownership of our cars so if we are pulled over we can prove its our car. But why do I get a ticket for not having proof of insurance? The only reason we have insurance is so we dont have to pay when we get in an accident that isnt our fault, as long as the contract covers it. But if I have the money to pay for any accident Im in, both my expenses and the other parties involved, then why do I have to have insurance?

We are living in a world with skyrocketing growth in population especially in the developing nations like India and China (top 2 population countries). We have also been on our way towards global development. Automobile has been one of the industries continuously on the track of consistent growth. Number of cars on road is always increasing which makes crashes a very realistic possibility. Even if you are a very safe driver its not possible to avoid accidents completely. Accidents result into emotional and financial trauma. Although we can not compensate the emotional set back, still we can compensate our financial losses with Auto Insurance.

As the economy has evolved, insurance markets have become more diversified, more efficient, and more accurate in assessing risk Today, consumers have a wide variety of options when shopping for insurance, which has become a major industry in the United States, with revenues of roughly $800 billion and net income of around $40 billion annually. Numerous brokers and agents supply a wide variety of products to meet the needs of consumers. At the same time, insurance instruments are available from a greater number of sources, including self-insurance and financial services providers. Where allowed, competition has generated the results that would be expected in any competitive market - lower prices, a wider variety of goods and services, and more fully informed producers and consumers who can make more knowledgeable decisions about the insurance products they need. Nonetheless, insurance markets in most states remain heavily regulated, which raises costs for consumers.

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EXT wants to know ress to regulate Publicly Traded Health Insurance Companies.

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

Publicly traded health insurance companies present a highly uneasy balance between various constituents. Policyholders rely on their insurer to provide timely, relevant, and cost-efficient care when needed. Healthcare is a very unique product and service offering you could say an anomaly in the marketplace, in that it is an extremely high leverage offering. When customers need the product or service, they are at the mercy of the provider. If you were stranded in a desert and you came across a lemonade stand, how would you feel if the vendor charged you $10,000 for a glass of lemonade? Or if he chose not to sell you lemonade at all?

Secondly, the insurance is also a very distinct product in the marketplace. Individual, organizational, and systemic risk can often be difficult, if not impossible, to quantify. Policyholders are constantly paying premiums to their insurer, but the insurer must be adept and ethical enough to ensure that they have the capacity to honor their pledged policies. When customers need treatment, they absolutely need to get their care at that very time. Being a publicly-traded company, however, forces the management team to cater to Wall Streets quarterly and yearly earnings expectations. The source of these periodic performance measures are analysts from investment banks and research firms that are often wrong in the measuring stick that they hold company executives to. What happens when earnings expectations for the third quarter are unreasonably high? Does management play games with policyholders? Perhaps the insurer will no longer honor certain terms, or cut costs that prevent care with effectiveness and efficacy. Thats just a few examples of a dangerous balancing game.

On an additional note, since the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (after the Enron and WorldCom scandals), companies have been averse to going public due to the very significant bureaucratic and financial burdens of complying with SOX. Might this additional cost and burden cause publicly traded healthcare companies to pursue an extreme version of cost cutting in order to protect the bottom-line? Other sectors, such as retail, telecom, and financial services, go through the occasional cost trimming as part of managements mandates. The nature of healthcares offerings, and its critical importance to the lives of its customers, materially elevate the sensitivity of cost-cutting measures when lives and limbs may be at stake.

Michele Moore is an internet entrepreneur and is an expert SEO. He frequently writes about SEO articles including article submission, blog submission, directory submission etc. You can read his other articles only here on ext.com.