Travel Insurance 24

A common question when comparing travel insurance is what to do if the coverage is needed during the trip.  First, it is important to remember that every policy has a toll free, 24 hour emergency assistance number, which is a collect call from out of the country.   These services help arrange medical transportation and treatment during an emergency.  Many policies also offer travel related assistance and even concierge services.  Whether the need is medical or travel related, communicate with the insurance company as soon as possible.

Insurance provider MH Ross addressed this topic in their agent newsletter:

• Whether it is a missing camera or someone falls, make sure to have it documented in writing or at the very least get the contact information of the person the incident is reported to.
• Make sure to keep all receipts for any money spent such as food being purchased or a change of clothing purchased depending on the type of claim.

As MH Ross highlights, this information is needed to successfully file a claim.  It can be frustrating to follow these steps during an incident, but trying to document it and gather invoices afterward can be difficult.

The article How To Make A Successful Travel Insurance Claim, Advises Squaremouth explains this process in more detail and provides another tip; don’t wait to file the claim.  Many policies don’t allow a claim to be filed after several months past the return date.  Again, as more time passes, less detailed information is available, making it more difficult to file a claim.

A new report from the National Academy of Social Insurance found that the number of workers covered by workers’ compensation dropped by 4.4 percent in 2009. That’s the biggest decline in two decades. Employer costs for benefits fell by 7.6 percent to $73.9 billion, which is due to the overall decline in jobs.

The main reason for this drop is the decline in employment, according to officials. “As one might expect, when the Great Recession hit, employers paid less in workers’ compensation costs because there were fewer workers to cover,” said John F. Burton, Jr., chair of the panel that oversees the report. “Although

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While hurricanes are widely perceived as primarily a threat to warmer locales, New York is no stranger to storm damage.

In 2004, Hurricanes Ivan, Frances and Jeanne all caused damage to coastal areas of the state as did Hurricane Gloria in 1985, Hurricane Donna in1960 and the Great New England Hurricane of 1938.

Thus, with the latest projections indicating that Hurricane Irene will come within close proximity of the New York City, insurers have ample cause for concern. According analysis by data provider CoreLogic, Long Island faces the highest risk with an estimated 387,813 properties located in the projected path of Irene.

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New question in Life Insurance FAQ:

Ten Years ago I donated one of my kidneys to my wife. Policies we had at that time stayed, but when recently I tried to increase my policy (with Manulife – group plan with engineers) they turned me down and basically stated that they would not even consider my wife. We are both healthy otherwise and live normal lives, yes we do se specialists to make sure all is well. Any suggestions, other than policies with no med q’ns?

Thanks for the note. You or your wife may qualify for a Simiplified Issue plan. There are no medical tests and depending on the plan there are 3 to 12 health questions. Y

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