USEFUL INSURANCE TO HAVE « needabandaid.com

February 19

ACCESS AMERICA TRAVEL INSURANCE

Filed under: USEFUL INSURANCE TO HAVE — Meghan @ 10:46 am

I have excellent news!!! Remember I told you that I had purchased Travel Insurance from ACCESS AMERICA?? Before I broke my foot, I had plans to go to College Station, TX. I wisely bought the “Travel Insurance” when I purchased my airline tickets. My boyfriend wouldn’t spring for the insurance when he bought our tickets for Vegas. And, because I wasn’t able to go — he was just out the cost of the airline tickets for me. He also had to endure Vegas without me being there – but, such is his rotten luck.

Maybe I had a premonition, I don’t know. But, cheapie me bought the travel insurance. I had had a very bad case of the flu a couple of weeks before I bought the tickets. I really just thought that maybe I might just come down with something serious like the Bubonic Plague or something else that would render me unable to get out of bed. I NEVER thought I would break anything!! I had never broken a bone in my life before and no one else in my family of seven children has ever broken anything either. (None of the nieces or nephews, either.) Somehow I thought I was invincible.

After I broke my foot and was in such horrible pain, I filled out the forms and got the doctor to sign the forms, giving his permission for me not to travel. Well, the other day I received a check from them for $313.33!!!! (Enclosed please find check in the amount of $313.33 as payment for “Trip Cancellation” due to “Injury of insured”.) I didn’t have to bug them or call them twenty-two times — they just paid the claim. GO ACCESS AMERICA!!!

You never know when you’re going to step in a hole and break something. I am planning to buy the travel insurance from now on. It cost me less than twenty bucks.

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January 23

WHAT WOULD I DO WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE??

Filed under: USEFUL INSURANCE TO HAVE — Meghan @ 8:58 am

I like my medical insurance. I really do. I have Blue Cross and Blue Shield. I work for an employer and have “employer-sponsored” health insurance. What that means is that my employer pays around 50% (in my case) of the cost for me to be covered (called the premium). Now some employers pay 75% of the cost and a lot of people that work for the government (like state or federal employees), have 90% to 100% of the cost paid (or the premium). My medical insurance costs me around $200 a month. That means my employer is kicking in the other $200. This saves me a lot of money because not only would I have to work an extra 20 hours or so (roughly) a month – but, I would also have to pay taxes on said $200. Since I am a single woman and the government really likes to soak the “singles”, it would cost a great deal more for me to not be ‘subsidized’ by my employer.

The other problem with not having insurance from my employer is that I couldn’t get very good coverage. The benefits are severely limited for someone that purchases an Individual policy. That’s what the whole uproar in the government is currently about. Group insurance is soo much better than individual insurance. For instance, when I go to the specialist, it only costs me a $40 C0-Pay. In this situation, my deductible is $0 to see the doctor. Typically, if I had individual insurance, that insurance probably wouldn’t start paying anything until I had paid a deductible of $5,000 (it could be more or less - usually more). The reason for this is that (with Group Insurance), the cost of medical care is spread across a wider variety of need for said medical care. Usually younger people t hat pay premiums for health care would subsidize older workers because younger people don’t need to see a doctor as often and don’t take as many prescriptions as older people. Insurance is all about spreading the risk among different groups of people. If insurance companies had to pay out on everyone – they would soon go out of business.

If someone loses their job, how would they pay for the cost of medical care? That’s why so many people want Obama Care. Lots of people are losing their jobs right now. I read that the economy is not going to improve much for the next year. Many companies are not doing well. How is my company holding up? I wish I knew. They seem to be firing people right and left. The news is not good. What would I do without medical insurance?

Do any of you readers have any thoughts about health insurance? Do you have health insurance? Do you think the insurance that the Obama administration is a good idea? Any questions? I am an insurance agent – so I can answer any general questions you’d have.

The “hooker story” isn’t as exciting as you would imagine. My boyfriend, Harris, had been winning heavily at the craps tables at Ceasar’s Palace. Now Harris is a total nerd. He looks like a nerd, acts like a nerd (and sometimes a jerk!) and would def be someone a hooker would hit on. He was sitting out a few and was checking his e-mail on his nerdy I-phone. He was wearing a Ceasar’s palace shirt & cap (pu-leeze). The hooker came up to him (she was a black woman) and asked if he wanted them to “go up to his room”. He said he didn’t know WHAT to say and was afraid of hurting her feelings. He stammered out something that sounded like a “No”. And, she walked off, talking to her pimp on her cell phone.

I was annoyed with him for not just saying “No” right away. And, then annoyed that he felt badly when he said, “No” (or whatever he really said). And then, REALLY annoyed because he had to re-hash this story at least five or six times with me. Each time, sort of explaining (to me or to himself) why he had to say “No”.

Now, the thing is that I usually have to beg him myself to have sex (yeah, not kidding — that’s what happens when you get old)! I’m the partner with the high libido — lucky me. He doesn’t mind not giving me sex — so, he certainly shouldn’t have to justify his actions to the hooker. And, it’s not like I would appreciate him having sex with a hooker (or anyone else)!!

The other thing is that people always say that I look really good for my age (whatever that means). And, I constantly have guys hitting on me. The super in my building thinks both me and MY daughter are super hot and flirts with me all the time. Some kind of male fantasy thing, I’ve heard.

But, you don’t see me having to explain to people why I don’t have sex with other men. I don’t even mention this to him. MEN!!! Can’t live with them — can’t live without ‘em.

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January 16

I BOUGHT THE TRAVEL INSURANCE

Filed under: USEFUL INSURANCE TO HAVE — Meghan @ 9:53 am

I had planned a trip out to College Station, TX, to visit my son and his family around the first of the year. I bought the airline tickets before I broke my foot. (One saves money if one purchases the tickets a month or more in advance.) I’m all about saving the money!! I also bought the tickets online — saving even more money. I did have the presence of mind to buy the “Travel Insurance”. The carrier that was offered to me was through “Access America”. I think it cost about $35 for the travel insurance. The airfare was around $300. Not too bad.

I called them to file a claim a couple of weeks before my trip was to begin. They answered the phone promptly and then e-mailed me the claim forms. I had to fill out three pages and the doctor had to fill out two pages. My doctor charges fifteen bucks to fill out any paperwork. I don’t blame him, insurance companies are not reimbursing like they used to. I faxed the paperwork to Access America (including a copy of my “Travel Documents”). I haven’t heard back from them yet. Hopefully, I will get reimbursed for the cost of my airfare because I broke my foot and was unable to travel. So, we’ll see.

An amusing anecdote here is that (before I broke my foot), my boyfriend had also purchased airline tickets for us to go to Vegas. He was so excited for us to go!!! I genuinely felt badly when I made him go there without me. (A hooker accosted him when he was out there -- but, that’s another post.) I did not feel guilty that he didn’t get reimbursed for my non-used airline tickets. Because when he purchased the tickets I had suggested to him that it might be a good idea for him to spring for the insurance. He decided not to buy the “Travel Insurance”, and I just shook my head in wonder. I didn’t really care because I wasn’t paying for the tickets. (That’s the kind of bitchy girlfriend I am!!)

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December 25

I WISH I HAD GOTTEN THE SHORT-TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE

Filed under: USEFUL INSURANCE TO HAVE — Meghan @ 5:44 am

This is a classic story of being “penny-wise” and “pound foolish”. A true story. My name is Meghan and I am recently divorced. They say that single women live longer than married women — but, married men live longer than un-married men. Don’t say that I understand that at all!! It doesn’t make much sense to me. It seems as if being single for women would give us more to worry about. I STIIL worry about my ex-husband and is he eating right and how could he possibly take proper care of himself without me around?? And, now I have a boyfriend and HIS family, and HIS mother and siblings to worry about. In addition to my own kids and grand-kids. I tell you – the Worry never stops around here. My boyfriend teases me that I must be Jewish because I worry so much.

This blog REALLY is about insurance. I promise. About four weeks ago, I pranced into my work-out center to go work-out. Well, I forgot my tennis shoes and ran back out to the car to get them. There was a ladder pressed up against the building and I made sure that I DID NOT walk under the ladder. Everyone knows that’s bad luck. As I carefully avoided walking under the ladder, I tripped over a large hole in the parking lot and in doing so, I also fell atop a large pointed rock and broke my foot just about in half. It was the fifth metatarsal, to be exact.

Now, I didn’t know that I actually broke my foot. I knew it hurt a lot and I wanted to cry. I didn’t cry. I went back inside to work-out with my trainer. (Don’t worry. He didn’t let me work out on the lower half of my body because I couldn’t walk ‘n all.) After my work-out, I kind of rested for a few minutes because my foot hurt so damn much. Then, I went out to the car and went to work. I called my supervisor from my car and asked him to park my vehicle because I could barely walk. He cheerfully parked it for me. Everyone at work said that it couldn’t possibly be broken because I’d be “sick to my stomach”. I wasn’t. I finished my shift at work and then went to Walmart to buy some ice packs and some Epsom Salts.

By the time I woke up the next morning I was in such pain that even I felt compelled to go to the doctor. I did. He x-rayed it and it definitely WAS broken. That’s when I did get a little “sick to my stomach”. I went home and, on my doctor’s orders, put my foot up. It looked horrible and was really swollen. He made an appointment with a specialist for me for a week later. I went to the specialist a week later and he put a “boot” on it. And, he told me to stay off of it and not go to work. For at least three weeks.

I had not purchased the ” SHORT-TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE” from my employer because: 1. I am stupid. 2. Foolhardy. 3. Stupid. 4. Was trying to save money. 5. And, just generally short-sighted. The insurance itself costs less than five bucks a month. I didn’t think I’d ever use it because one has to be sick for more than two weeks before it “kicks in’. I thought, “Well, if I’m ever that sick than I will so screwed that I won’t care about my pay.” NOT true. First of all, in the event of an accident, it starts paying on the very first day you’re out of work from the accident. And, I certainly do care that I’m not making any money right now. The rent still has to be paid, I still have to eat, etc. and etc. I wish I had purchase the insurance. Please learn from my mistake.

Here is some info about short-term disability insurance:

If you were to become disabled tomorrow and couldn’t work for two or three months, would you have enough savings to cover your living expenses during that time? If not, you may want to consider short-term disability insurance.

According to the Council for Disability Awareness, three in 10 people entering the work force today will become disabled before retiring. Also, one in seven people can expect to be disabled for five years or more before retirement. Statistics like that make should make short-term disability insurance a vital piece of your overall financial plan.

What is STD?

Short term disability (STD) pays a percentage of your salary if you become temporarily disabled, meaning that you are not able to work for a short period of time due to sickness or injury (excluding on-the-job injuries, which are covered by workers compensation insurance). A typical STD policy provides you with a weekly portion of your salary — usually 50, 60, or 66 2/3 percent for 13 to 52 weeks, according to the “Short Term Disability Guide” issued by the Epic Life Insurance Co. Most STD policies have a “cap,” meaning you receive a maximum benefit amount per month.

STD policies have a cap on the amount of time you can receive benefits — up to two years, according to the Insurance Information Institute (III).

Causes of STD claims

Pregnancy (normal): 21 percent
Injuries (excluding back): 10 percent
Digestive/intestinal diseases: 7 percent
Back injuries: 6 percent

Source: Unum Group

The average premium in 2007 for a group STD policy was $197 per year, according to Drew King, president of JHA, a subsidiary of General Re Life Corp. STD insurance, which is most often purchased as part of a group at work, can be paid by either the employer or the employee. Group STD policies are “guaranteed issue,” meaning you do not have to take a medical exam to buy coverage.

On the average, you can start receiving money from your STD policy within one to 14 days after becoming sick or disabled, according to JHA. The actual time for coverage to kick in depends on whether you suffer an illness or injury. If you suffer an injury, your benefits will be paid immediately. If you suffer an illness, it may take longer because there needs to be enough time to show that the illness is grave enough to be disabling.

For example, if you severely injure yourself by falling off a ladder at your house, your benefits would kick in immediately. However, if you suffer from a serious illness and can’t go to work, your insurance may not kick in until eight days after you became ill. Also, your employer may have additional restrictions as to when your STD policy kicks in. For example, your employer may require you to use all of your sick days before you begin receiving payments from your STD policy.

You also may receive retroactive benefits if you have a condition that worsens over time. For example, let’s say you have a cold and you took three sick days at work. If your cold evolves into pneumonia and you need to be hospitalized for three weeks, you would receive disability pay retroactive to your first sick day.

Who should buy short-term disability?

Individual STD policies are available only on a limited basis. Your best bet is to buy STD coverage through your workpace. Some insurers sell “accident policies” that will pay you money each month for a year if you are injured in an accident.

If you have enough in savings to last until you go to work again, you probably don’t need to buy STD or an individual accident policy. However, if you do not have much in savings or any other income to fall back on if you were to become disabled, an individual STD policy is a wise option.

Top 10 short-term disability insurance companies, ranked by earned premium
Insurance company	2007 sales (in millions)
1. Hartford Life	$102.6
2. Lincoln Financial Group	$61.4
3. Unum	$60.7
4. Aetna	$42.6
5. Sun Life Financial	$41.7
6. MetLife	$40.9
7. CIGNA	$37.6
8. Reliance Standard	$36.8
9. Standard	$34.3
10. Prudential	$30.1
Source: JHA

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