US Insurance Questions and Answers http://www.usinsurancenet.com/answers/ en-us US Insurance Net Questions and Answers RSS Generator I just purchased a home with my partner. How do we insure our new home? http://www.usinsurancenet.com/answers/article/AA-00852 The laws of the state where you and your partner live will be the first factor of determination in how home insurance should be approached. In states that have recognized domestic partnerships or same sex marriages, your insurance company will treat the two of you as a single entity, but it is also possible that they will recognize a domestic partner even if the law does not.

Check your policy or contact the customer service department of your insurance company and ask how the company deals with domestic partnerships. In general, if both names are on the mortgage, then the insurance policy will treat you both equally, if only one name is on the mortgage and your state does not recognize domestic partnerships, then another policy is needed to fully protect both parties.

Depending on how the relationship is set up to bypass domestic partnership restrictions, the person who is not included in the primary home policy has a choice of purchasing a renters insurance policy or a personal insurance policy. Keep in mind that personal property insurance does not include liability coverage, and unless the master home insurance covers liability for the person, such an omission could become important later. The function'>function of home insurance is to protect the home, other structures, personal property and liability obligations of the policy owners. A home insurance policy which requires you to purchase supplementary coverage for these functions is not delivering everything it should.

Another solution, rather than purchasing multiple insurance policies, is to simply shop around for a company that offers the coverage you need as a team. Shop online using free insurance quotes, but verify that the company is friendly towards domestic partnerships as one of the qualifications you need from your insurer, eliminating companies that are not offering policies you can get sufficient coverage from.

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My son is going to college soon. Are there any insurance issues I should be aware of? http://www.usinsurancenet.com/answers/article/AA-00845 Students and their parents have a lot of things to worry about when they first go off to college, and insurance is not at the top of any lists. The good news is that your son may be able to use the same coverage he always has for his liability, personal property, health, and auto coverage. There are some restrictions and limitations, but most forms of insurance have a limited amount of mobility to help families work them into their needs.

As long as his car is registered to one of the parents, car insurance will remain in effect while he is away at college. However, if your son has the car registered in his name, lives off campus, or is otherwise considered an emancipated citizen, he would be responsible for getting his own car insurance. You should also keep in mind that car insurance varies from one state to another, and make sure the policy conforms to the laws where your son resides.

As far as personal property is concerned, your homeowners, condo, or renters insurance will provide coverage for your son as long as the amount of his possessions does not exceed the limits of the policy and he is housed on campus property. If he will not be living on campus, then you can still pick up a rider for his personal property and if the personal property limits are too low they can be increased. Another option is getting renters insurance for your son.

Health insurance, like other types of policies, will still cover your son as long as he lives on campus or in a dwelling that is paid for by you. If your health insurance is not available to your son, he can also sign up for group insurance through most colleges, getting student discounts that make having the coverage more affordable. You can find out more information about health insurance for college students using our site.

My son is going to college soon. Are there any insurance issues I should be aware of? Find out on US Insurance Net

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Can I get affordable health insurance from AARP? http://www.usinsurancenet.com/answers/article/AA-00834 AARP does not sell health or other types of policies directly but they do partner with leading insurance providers to offer coverage to their members. In many ways, this could be to your advantage, because you can rely on AARP's standards to limit the choices of health insurance providers, and to fill in gaps that other coverages may leave. It is still a good idea to do your own research, but having an organization as reputable as the AARP on your side from the beginning will be a wonderful asset.

One of the factors that makes AARP insurance affordable is that health insurance is provided as group insurance, which means that members can qualify despite preexisting conditions, and being a group policy means lower rates for all AARP members. The idea is that having more people distributes the cost of coverage more evenly, and that translates into the discounted rates group insurance policies offer.

AARP health insurance includes major medical insurance, supplemental hospital care coverage, Medicare plans for supplemental coverage, the Medicare Advantage Plan, prescriptions, and even plans which include dental, vision, and hearing. And if your medical needs should go beyond standard health coverage, AARP members also have access to long term care insurance at group policy rates. For example, you could have your primary coverage through a spouse's policy, but use the prescription coverage through AARP to lower your out of pocket costs even more.

If you or your spouse is an AARP member, group insurance rates are closer than you think, even if you already have a preexisting problem that needs regular care. You can find out more about AARP insurance offerings and the companies they work with by reading an AARP insurance review.

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Should I buy a term life insurance or a cash value policy? http://www.usinsurancenet.com/answers/article/AA-00853 Whether to buy term life or cash value life insurance will depend on what you are trying to accomplish. Term life policies are less expensive, but cash value policies never expire and have the added benefit of providing you with a financial tool that can be used while the insured person still lives. The most accurate answer is that having a mixture of term and cash value life insurance will provide the most protection for your loved ones, as you will see.

If the cost of insurance is a primary concern, term life policies may be the solution. Term life is much more affordable than cash value policies such as whole or universal life insurance. The tradeoff is that term life policies have no face value if you outlive the term of the policy. You could still convert the policy to whole life, but not at the same premiums you were accustomed to paying. You have more to lose with a term policy, but it costs you less in premiums.

Cash value policies are only one type of permanent life insurance. Another type is final expense insurance, where there is no cash value of the policy but there is a guaranteed face value to be paid to the named beneficiary when the insured person dies. Similarly, whole and universal life insurance handle the cash value of the policy differently. Choosing whether to get term or cash value insurance is only the first step, because you will still need to understand how different policies are used to protect and plan for various life events.

Should I buy a term life insurance or a cash value policy? Find out on US Insurance Net

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What is full coverage auto insurance? http://www.usinsurancenet.com/answers/article/AA-00851 Even though you commonly hear people refer to "full coverage" auto insurance, the reality is that the term refers to a combination of policies, not to any single type of auto insurance. And what is included in full coverage also varies by the issuing company as well as the state you live in. Take a look at the basics of car insurance to get a better idea of the different types of car insurance available, any of which may be available as part of a full coverage package.

Most typically, full coverage will include state minimum coverages for liability, collision coverage, and the assortment of coverages available through comprehensive insurance. Liability means the people and property you are responsible for will be taken care of, collision pays for the damages to your own car, and comprehensive includes things such as theft, vandalism, broken glass, and burglary.

Even so, full coverage does not equate to complete coverage. You even have the option of adding riders to a full coverage policy, such as free towing, roadside assistance, or others. This is one reason why on line insurance quotes are so important, because they provide you with a broad range of options to include in your policy, effectively making "full coverage" different for each person.

Finally, the minimum liability requirements, even in full coverage, often fall short of your actual needs. Imagine how quickly $25,000 in coverage can be swallowed up by a single serious injury, and then consider what would happen if you were suddenly responsible for 5 such injuries, plus the property damage to go along with them. Make sure that the full coverage policy you purchase offers sufficient liability insurance to cover any foreseeable amount of damage or injury.

What is full coverage auto insurance? Find out on US Insurance Net

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Is it better to get life insurance on my own or simply use the coverage provided by my employer? http://www.usinsurancenet.com/answers/article/AA-00850 There are potential losses involved with an employer-sponsored life insurance policy that are not present when you own the policy yourself. For one thing, the policy could be jeopardized if you later change jobs, and for another the coverage is often limited to specific values. This does not mean that you should avoid getting insurance through the workplace, but it should provide examples of why you should own the policies for your most precious needs yourself.

It is not unusual for someone to own several life insurance policies, including a policy purchased through an employer, one or more permanent life policies that you own yourself, and term policies which are purchased as needed to handle specific life events. The reason for having multiple policies is straightforward, is as simple as recognizing that your life insurance needs change as your life changes and new policies are necessary to extend your protection newly formed obligations.

Life insurance purchased through the employer is not a bad idea, because it will reinforce your existing policies without costing you as much. In some cases, the employer may pay a percentage of the premiums or even the full amount, and having that extra coverage could make a great deal of difference if something should happen to you. Before you purchase, compare whole life insurance quotes and compare how the premiums would differ between the company coverage and what could simply buy yourself.

Is it better to get life insurance on my own or simply use the coverage provided by my employer? Find out on US Insurance Net

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Can you explain the difference between a copayment and coinsurance? http://www.usinsurancenet.com/answers/article/AA-00849 In order to manage the costs of health insurance, most health plans include one or more methods of placing some of the cost or medical care back on the insured. The two most common methods are through the use of copays and coinsurance. The company uses other methods of cutting costs as well, but these two are important because they have an effect on your actual cost of health care, in addition to the cost of the premiums themselves. After learning about copayments and coinsurance, you may be interested in other ways health insurance companies try to manage costs.

Copayments are the portion of each medical procedure or doctor visit you are required to pay out of pocket. Each procedure has a specific copay amount assigned to it, typically based on what the procedure costs, and the person receiving health care is going to be expected to pay that amount at the time of the visit. For example, if the visit has a copay of $20, you are expected to pay that much before leaving the care facility and the facility may not bill the insurance company until copays have been satisfied.

Coinsurance is the percentage of medical care you must pay yourself. If, for example, your doctor visit was to a physician who was not in your HMO network, the health plan may require you to pay a 25% coinsurance. This means that you must pay for 25% of the total procedure cost at the time the care is given, and then your insurance company will pay the remaining 75%. Coinsurance is generally used when going outside of the plan network, but it can also be applied to specialist procedures within the network. Being required to pay coinsurance and copays is unusual, but could happen under certain circumstances where the necessary care is outside of the scope of the plan.

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Does my homeowners insurance coverage cover my daughter while she's in college, renting her own apartment? http://www.usinsurancenet.com/answers/article/AA-00848 Your homeowners insurance covers several different aspects, but it is limited to coverage for people and property that is permanently in residence or kept at the insured home. When your daughter takes her belonging off to college, she is going to need to provide insurance for her own possessions. The things she left behind at home will still be covered under the personal property portion of your home insurance, but the things she keeps with her will become her own responsibility.

The best solution for your daughter might be to pick up a renters insurance policy. This type of policy provides liability and personal property insurance, but it does not cover the structure of the dwelling. The idea is that the owner of the building is responsible for keeping it in good repair, but individual residents or tenants must insure their own property. For this, you could pick up a rider on your home policy, but it will still be a separate policy, only the billing will be unified.

As long as the registration for her car is still in your name, she can continue to drive under your car insurance while she is at college. Car and health insurance coverage each allow your children to remain on the policy until they are 26 years old or become self-sufficient. If your daughter's car is registered in her name, she is considered to be financial liable for it and must provide her own coverage. Familiarize yourself with car insurance for students and take the steps necessary to keep your children well-protected. Leaving home means giving up many of the securities of childhood, including the loss of sufficient insurance coverage.

Does my homeowners insurance coverage cover my daughter while she's in college, renting her own apartment? Find out on US Insurance Net

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Can you confirm if California residents are required to have health insurance in order to get dental coverage? http://www.usinsurancenet.com/answers/article/AA-00847 While some health insurance policies may include dental coverage, health insurance itself is not a requirement for dental or any other type of insurance coverage. And because dental services are typically excluded from health insurance, it is not uncommon for someone to own separate policies to handle the medical and dental care independently. Either way, you can purchase dental insurance without being insured for health coverage in California or any other state in the country.

Dental insurance and prescriptions are two areas where health insurance often falls short. Because of this, it is common for someone with health insurance to also carry insurance for their prescriptions and dental needs. This type of dual coverage is not required by the health insurance plan or even influenced by it beyond filling in portions that the health insurance leaves out. Canceling the health policy would not affect the dental coverage, nor would canceling the dental have any impact on the health coverage.

On the other hand, if you are thinking about purchasing a health insurance plan, make sure to familiarize yourself with the types of health insurance available to you. Health insurance plans differ widely, so make sure that you are using free online quotes which compare similar policies. Similarly, consider the differences in types of health insurance carefully, and pick a plan that fits your individual needs. The primary consideration is that not having adequate health insurance can cost you a lot, and to make sure your financial stability will not be threatened by illness.

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My life insurance agent is recommending a cash value policy. What should I know about this type of policy? http://www.usinsurancenet.com/answers/article/AA-00846 Your specific insurance needs will be a determining factor in the type of policies you should have. Cash value insurance, typically called permanent life insurance, is capable of protecting your family for as long as you live, while term life policies have predefined expiration dates but will cost you less in premiums. The key is to know what you are insuring, and to secure policies, usually of mixed types, to protect the things which are important to you.

Cash value policies do not expire, so the same policy will stay with you throughout your life, as long as the premiums are kept up to date. Additionally, the cash value of the policy can accrue additional value as the interest on the policy grows. This allows the policy owner to borrow against the cash value of the policy without the need to qualify or put up collateral on the loan.

What you should consider is whether all of your needs require life-long coverage. For example, making sure that your kids can go to college even if you die is a good use for a life insurance policy, but you know from the outset that your children will be able to take advantage of that, or no longer require it, within 25 years of their birth. Because of that, a term life policy would have a lower cost, and stands apart from the permanent insurance used for other purposes.

To help you decide which types of policies would work best for you, you will have to determine how much life insurance you really need, and then choose the policy which works best for each requirement. It is much less expensive in the long run to have multiple policies and policy types, because this gives you the ability to update your coverage whenever new life events make it necessary.

My life insurance agent is recommending a cash value policy. What should I know about this type of policy? Find out on US Insurance Net

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