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Magic Underwear
May 14, 2003


Young Orc

Gold and a Pager posted:

What's the consensus on car insurance for a rental car? I'm flying into LA for six days to visit a friend, but I don't own a car (and thus don't already have car insurance). He's going to have to work some of the days I'm there so I figured I'd rent a car to get around. I was looking and it looks like in California, a "Collision Damage Waiver" is pretty standard so if I end up doing minor damage to the car, that's covered. Am I right in thinking that if I get into a wreck, I'd be hosed unless I bought the extra $9-14 a day extended protection?

Would it be grossly irresponsible of me to not get insurance or is that something I would be OK without since I probably won't get into a wreck with 6 days of city driving?

LA traffic is crazy, especially if you've never been there before. It is very tempting to skip the CDW since it adds so much per day, but for six days in LA you should really consider getting it.

You should be aware of two other good options though:

1. Pay with an American Express card, and you get some amount of free SECONDARY coverage. This means any damage/theft claim goes through your primary car insurance first (thus raising rates), and then Amex will cover the rest, up to some limit which I don't know. Details here: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/content/card-benefits/car-rental-insurance.html

2. Pay with an American Express card, but first enroll in their premium car rental insurance service. This is a one time $25 fee each time you rent a car but it works for the whole rental period and offers PRIMARY insurance, meaning that for theft and damage, Amex will pay first, and you don't even have to inform your regular insurance company. Details here: https://www295.americanexpress.com/...ental-LearnMore

I think Visa has a very similar program now, too.

On the other hand, the CDW from the rental company is exceptionally easy to deal with compared to getting a third party involved. If you get the CDW, you can pretty much drive through a shopping mall, off a bridge and/or into the ocean and you won't pay a dime, nor will you have a drawn out claims process like you might with Amex. You pretty much just call them up and tell them the car is hosed up, please bring another one. And then you drive away.


edit: Actually, somebody has already done all this research: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damage_waiver#Credit_card_coverage_of_damage_waiver. No guarantees of accuracy though.

Magic Underwear fucked around with this message at 02:36 on Apr 26, 2013

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Sperg Victorious
Mar 25, 2011
I use the Amex Premium insurance. Only had to file 1 claim, but the rental agency didn't do anything with it. Only a scuffed bumper.

A lot of visa cards have similar programs, but there is usually a deductible and they're not always primary coverage.

But Gold and a Pager might have problems if he doesn't even have liability coverage, which the car rental agency will gladly provide. CDW and the credit card coverages will only cover damage done to the rental car, not to damage you do to other cars/property.

Total Confusion
Oct 9, 2004

Sperg Victorious posted:

I use the Amex Premium insurance. Only had to file 1 claim, but the rental agency didn't do anything with it. Only a scuffed bumper.

A lot of visa cards have similar programs, but there is usually a deductible and they're not always primary coverage.

But Gold and a Pager might have problems if he doesn't even have liability coverage, which the car rental agency will gladly provide. CDW and the credit card coverages will only cover damage done to the rental car, not to damage you do to other cars/property.

Yeah, I think I'm going to have to shell out the extra cash for the liability coverage. Nothing ruins a good time like having a fender bender (or worse) and then having to pay thousands to replace someone's bumper (or worse).

Jastiger
Oct 11, 2008

by FactsAreUseless
Sorry I have been scarce in the thread!

As far as the rental car insurance, I always recommend getting it. Of course check with your existing policy to see what they cover. They will often cover you for liability and may even have a reduced property damage amount specifically for damage to vehicles. However, I will say that if you can swing it, it's much easier to just get the $10 a day or whatever insurance through the rental car company. Why? Because you can ding the car up, turn it in and say "aha! I have the insurance, you guys deal with it" and they will. It's what you bought it for. If you don't, but you have your own insurance to cover rental driving it becomes a claim. First they will want you to pay for the damages. You then say "talk to my insurance company". Now they gotta investigate and then potentially pay. Or not if you were found negligent for whatever reason. All of the onus is on you, the renter of the vehicle, to make sure its right. For me, it's worth the $40 or whatever to just have it dealt with by the rental car company AND for there not to be claim on my insurance.


Weinertron posted:

I'm having a really bizarre experience shopping for home insurance. I've run online quotes through multiple insurers hoping that a multi-line discount would get me some savings. The pattern I'm finding from online quotes at least is that the people who have good auto rates are way out of line on home, and vice-versa. There must be something about my profile where some groups think I'm a responsible driver but a home in Houston that's not in a flood plain is a huge risk, and other groups think the home is OK but I'm a maniac of a driver. The variance is 300% between quotes, its crazy. How weird that my cheapest solution is 2 different insurers.

Find an independent agent. Make sure they carry multiple companies of varying size. I had companies here that were SUPER TOUGH on literally everyone but married middle aged people. You could be 28, perfect record, nice safe house. Didn't matter, they'd charge you up for it. But once you became married and maybe had a kid....you couldn't beat their rates. There are all sorts of niche companies like that, and an independent agent can help you sort those nuances.

Also, online quotes are rarely 100% accurate. They don't run a full credit check, driver history report, insurance claim report, and they haven't seen pictures yet. It's always better to compare with an agent who does all this than rely on artificially lowered rates online.

Alterian
Jan 28, 2003

I live in NC and I'm having an issue with our home owners insurance.

We've had them for 5 years now and we've never been late and never had to use them. We actually just got an email the other week saying our rate was going to go down. They're now telling us if we don't also get their auto policy they're going to raise our rates and change our deducible from $1000 to $2500. I'm not sure how much its going to increase but we're only paying $600 a year now. This seems very extortiony to me. Is this legal? We're happy with our $85 a month geico car insurance for 2 cars (one of them new) and I doubt they could beat that.

Jastiger
Oct 11, 2008

by FactsAreUseless

Alterian posted:

I live in NC and I'm having an issue with our home owners insurance.

We've had them for 5 years now and we've never been late and never had to use them. We actually just got an email the other week saying our rate was going to go down. They're now telling us if we don't also get their auto policy they're going to raise our rates and change our deducible from $1000 to $2500. I'm not sure how much its going to increase but we're only paying $600 a year now. This seems very extortiony to me. Is this legal? We're happy with our $85 a month geico car insurance for 2 cars (one of them new) and I doubt they could beat that.

They can do it for sure, it's not illegal. They can bundle the policies no problem. However, it sounds like they want you to shop for another insurance company if you ask me:) They may have changing underwriting terms, or maybe a bad quarter, so they either want more bundles or none at all. It happens all the time. If you have a great driving history and a good record of payment, there is no reason you shouldn't be able to change your insurance around. Depending on the coverage you have for your insurance, I can forsee a lower rate for the autos too. Find an independent and bundle your insurance with a Preferred carrier. Which state are you in?

The Jizzer
Mar 19, 2003

...a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.

ntd posted:

I'm 99.9% sure that pregnancy can't be a pre-existing condition for health insurance, but I don't know what kind of advice to give about actual coverage...depending on income levels, perhaps a Medicaid program if it comes to that

1. In underwritten states (such as CA), pregnancy IS a pre-existing condition for both parents. It's treated as a health condition same as any other. Effective January 1st this will be a non-issue.

2. Be very careful about using the M-word around. There's very strict rules about an agent even talking about it.

3. To meanieface: If you have current coverage and are in an underwritten state (meaning individual health insurance CAN be declined) then by all means do NOT drop your coverage, unless you really do qualify for some sort of state assistance. Each state has a helpline to address this issue.

meanieface
Mar 27, 2012

During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.

The Jizzer posted:

1. In underwritten states (such as CA), pregnancy IS a pre-existing condition for both parents. It's treated as a health condition same as any other. Effective January 1st this will be a non-issue.

2. Be very careful about using the M-word around. There's very strict rules about an agent even talking about it.

3. To meanieface: If you have current coverage and are in an underwritten state (meaning individual health insurance CAN be declined) then by all means do NOT drop your coverage, unless you really do qualify for some sort of state assistance. Each state has a helpline to address this issue.

Okay. Well, the primary danger has passed and the base contract has been fully funded. He's not going to lose his job.

He's still looking for another job; we'd like to not live two hours apart, especially with the uterus enlargement. So if he does land a better job in the same city as me and our mortgage--what's the procedure? Do we go on Cobra for the month or so before the new insurance kicks in?

Thanks!

The Jizzer
Mar 19, 2003

...a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.

meanieface posted:

Okay. Well, the primary danger has passed and the base contract has been fully funded. He's not going to lose his job.

He's still looking for another job; we'd like to not live two hours apart, especially with the uterus enlargement. So if he does land a better job in the same city as me and our mortgage--what's the procedure? Do we go on Cobra for the month or so before the new insurance kicks in?

Thanks!

Yes, I always tell people to keep COBRA until they've successfully lined up alternate coverage (read: said coverage is ACTIVE, not just "applied for.")

Ring of Light
Sep 3, 2006

I was hoping someone can help me with my current dilemma concerning health insurance. I am currently a substitute teacher and my husband was laid off in November and accepted a job at a temp agency in March. Between November and the end of February we were paying for COBRA coverage for just husband as we couldn't afford it for both of us and we wanted to keep him from having a lapse in coverage since he has bipolar disorder. I was uninsured during this time.

My husband takes daily medications that total about $500 a month without insurance. He also sees a therapist bi-monthly and a psychiatrist once every 3 months. Our insurance through the temp agency only allows you to fill 12 prescriptions a year and will pay $20 towards each prescription. The pharmacist found us some kind of discount code that she could use that allowed us to not use the insurance at all and knocked the price down to about $50 a month, but I don't know how long it will last. His psych has worked out a payment plan where he will pay the copay on his old insurance and the rest will be covered with county health funds, and his therapist has worked out a cash payment plan with him. I am thankful we are able to afford to meet all of his healthcare needs even without good insurance, but I am uncomfortable having him go without being insured. I have no chronic health problems. I only use my health insurance for a yearly physical, flu shot, and my birth control prescription.

I accepted a full time teaching job in March for next year so we decided to switch to the insurance offered by the temp agency so we could afford to insure both of us and then we would get us both on my employer's policy when school started in the fall.

When I opened my packet to choose my plan and saw the prices my heart sank, and I knew our plan was not going to work. My employer only offers Employee or Family plans, not Employee+Spouse. There are 3 plans with choices of family deductible. The cheapest family plan with a $3000 deductible is $1367 a month. My employer pays $600 a month towards our benefits so it would be almost $800 a month just to insure my spouse for medical! If we went with one of the plans with a lower deductible it would be over $1000 a month. That seems ridiculously expensive and is double the price of the COBRA we were paying for him. My employer's contribution would cover all of either of the plans for just me.

I feel like we now have three options

1) Cover me on my employer and keep him on the crappy temp insurance until he secures full time employment and have him get coverage from his own employer and use the other means we have secured to keep his medications and care affordable as long as we can.

Pros: Cost, no worries about pre-existing condition issues for him. Keeps him with proof of continuous coverage

Cons: This insurance doesn't really meet any of his health care needs and will pay out a lifetime maximun of $5000 so we would be screwed in a real emergency. It only keeps him from being uninsured and having a lapse in coverage.

2) See if we can get him private health insurance for less than $800 a month now and have him switch to his own employer's plan when he gets full time employment.

Pros: He would hopefully have better coverage and we could hopefully use his insurance to pay for his meds. It would have a high enough maximum that we would be covered in a real emergency.

Cons: I don't know how much it would cost or if he would be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition.

3) Keep the crappy temp insurance until the new pre-existing condition regulations pass (October?) and get him private health insurance then.


I looked into one website and they had plans with quotes between $35 and $250 dollars for a regular 25yr old male in Iowa but I am assuming it would be more once he filled out personalized information. Any insurance goons have an idea how much more? Are we being unreasonable to think he will qualify for something with a $3000 deductible for less than $800 a month? Will he even qualify for private health insurance with a mental health condition? It looks like most have exclusions for therapy and in-patient and out-patient mental health care but include up to 4 specialist visits a year. I know his therapist would not be covered and we would keep having pay her in cash, but would his psych count as out-patient mental health care or a specialist?

Could any insurance goons weigh in with what option is best or how to best navigate private health insurance? Anything we are missing or need to make sure to consider? There seem to be so many similar plans and I don't know how to decide what plan will best balance cost and meeting his needs. Sorry for the wall of text but I feel really lost and don't know where to start.

Disco Salmon
Jun 19, 2004
I'm hoping someone might be able to help me with this problem.

My husband recently had his appendix out, and after doing so, the appendix was found to be cancerous. Upon further testing, it seems that he has a genetic disorder called Lynch Syndrome due to a faulty gene. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lynch-syndrome/DS00669

So, we went for genetic testing to verify that he does indeed have this, and it is a cancer diagnosis, even tho it was on the appendix that was removed.

The doctors said that he will not be able to get life insurance because of this diagnosis, even though it was removed etc, because of the fact that it is Lynch Syndrome.

Is this true that he cannot get life insurance? And what other options do we have with this? We do have life insurance on him through his employer at this time.

The Jizzer
Mar 19, 2003

...a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.

Ring of Light posted:

I was hoping someone can help me with my current dilemma concerning health insurance.
...
Could any insurance goons weigh in with what option is best or how to best navigate private health insurance? Anything we are missing or need to make sure to consider? There seem to be so many similar plans and I don't know how to decide what plan will best balance cost and meeting his needs. Sorry for the wall of text but I feel really lost and don't know where to start.

Short answer: Stick with any "guaranteed" coverage you can get such as employer-provided coverage. Iowa underwrites their health plans so your spouse will almost definitely get rejected.

Here's how to think like a health insurance carrier:
- Review applicant
- Will cost of treating applicant's pre-existing condition (by treatment and/or medication) equal or exceed 85% of the monthly premium? If yes, decline.
(It's not that simple, but you get the point. These are mostly for-profit entities we're talking about.)

Important to note that OPEN ENROLLMENT starts in October. The plans and exchange-sponsored coverage won't be available until January 1st.

I'm not based in Iowa so I can't tell you how they're coming along with the exchange implementation.

The Jizzer
Mar 19, 2003

...a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.

Amethyste posted:

I'm hoping someone might be able to help me with this problem.

My husband recently had his appendix out, and after doing so, the appendix was found to be cancerous. Upon further testing, it seems that he has a genetic disorder called Lynch Syndrome due to a faulty gene. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lynch-syndrome/DS00669

So, we went for genetic testing to verify that he does indeed have this, and it is a cancer diagnosis, even tho it was on the appendix that was removed.

The doctors said that he will not be able to get life insurance because of this diagnosis, even though it was removed etc, because of the fact that it is Lynch Syndrome.

Is this true that he cannot get life insurance? And what other options do we have with this? We do have life insurance on him through his employer at this time.

I don't know if Lynch Syndrome per se will disqualify him from being insured, but the recent cancer dx will.

Typically with ANY cancer diagnosis, aside from say, basal cell, you're rendered uninsurable for at least a couple years if not up to a decade depending on type and severity. Just because his cancerous appendix was removed doesn't mean he's guaranteed to be cancer free. There's still a mortality factor post-treatment, there's the chance it's spread without you knowing, plus he has an even higher bonus cancer risk for having Lynch Syndrome.

If you're curious about how long EXACTLY he'd be ineligible for coverage, PM me and I'll run it by some underwriters for shits and giggles.

Keep the employer-provided insurance. If he's able to increase it without underwriting, maybe a good idea.
The only other option would be guaranteed-issue coverage but it's expensive and not worth it unless you are really old or really dying.

Jastiger
Oct 11, 2008

by FactsAreUseless

Ring of Light posted:

I was hoping someone can help me with my current dilemma concerning health insurance. I am currently a substitute teacher and my husband was laid off in November and accepted a job at a temp agency in March. Between November and the end of February we were paying for COBRA coverage for just husband as we couldn't afford it for both of us and we wanted to keep him from having a lapse in coverage since he has bipolar disorder. I was uninsured during this time.

My husband takes daily medications that total about $500 a month without insurance. He also sees a therapist bi-monthly and a psychiatrist once every 3 months. Our insurance through the temp agency only allows you to fill 12 prescriptions a year and will pay $20 towards each prescription. The pharmacist found us some kind of discount code that she could use that allowed us to not use the insurance at all and knocked the price down to about $50 a month, but I don't know how long it will last. His psych has worked out a payment plan where he will pay the copay on his old insurance and the rest will be covered with county health funds, and his therapist has worked out a cash payment plan with him. I am thankful we are able to afford to meet all of his healthcare needs even without good insurance, but I am uncomfortable having him go without being insured. I have no chronic health problems. I only use my health insurance for a yearly physical, flu shot, and my birth control prescription.

I accepted a full time teaching job in March for next year so we decided to switch to the insurance offered by the temp agency so we could afford to insure both of us and then we would get us both on my employer's policy when school started in the fall.

When I opened my packet to choose my plan and saw the prices my heart sank, and I knew our plan was not going to work. My employer only offers Employee or Family plans, not Employee+Spouse. There are 3 plans with choices of family deductible. The cheapest family plan with a $3000 deductible is $1367 a month. My employer pays $600 a month towards our benefits so it would be almost $800 a month just to insure my spouse for medical! If we went with one of the plans with a lower deductible it would be over $1000 a month. That seems ridiculously expensive and is double the price of the COBRA we were paying for him. My employer's contribution would cover all of either of the plans for just me.

I feel like we now have three options

1) Cover me on my employer and keep him on the crappy temp insurance until he secures full time employment and have him get coverage from his own employer and use the other means we have secured to keep his medications and care affordable as long as we can.

Pros: Cost, no worries about pre-existing condition issues for him. Keeps him with proof of continuous coverage

Cons: This insurance doesn't really meet any of his health care needs and will pay out a lifetime maximun of $5000 so we would be screwed in a real emergency. It only keeps him from being uninsured and having a lapse in coverage.

2) See if we can get him private health insurance for less than $800 a month now and have him switch to his own employer's plan when he gets full time employment.

Pros: He would hopefully have better coverage and we could hopefully use his insurance to pay for his meds. It would have a high enough maximum that we would be covered in a real emergency.

Cons: I don't know how much it would cost or if he would be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition.

3) Keep the crappy temp insurance until the new pre-existing condition regulations pass (October?) and get him private health insurance then.


I looked into one website and they had plans with quotes between $35 and $250 dollars for a regular 25yr old male in Iowa but I am assuming it would be more once he filled out personalized information. Any insurance goons have an idea how much more? Are we being unreasonable to think he will qualify for something with a $3000 deductible for less than $800 a month? Will he even qualify for private health insurance with a mental health condition? It looks like most have exclusions for therapy and in-patient and out-patient mental health care but include up to 4 specialist visits a year. I know his therapist would not be covered and we would keep having pay her in cash, but would his psych count as out-patient mental health care or a specialist?

Could any insurance goons weigh in with what option is best or how to best navigate private health insurance? Anything we are missing or need to make sure to consider? There seem to be so many similar plans and I don't know how to decide what plan will best balance cost and meeting his needs. Sorry for the wall of text but I feel really lost and don't know where to start.

Woo my home state of Iowa!:) I can tell you that they have accepted the Medicaid expansion if that is any assistance to you. You can certainly find out more through the Iowa Department of Health and Welfare on that one if that resource is needed for you.

The Jizzer notes that Iowa underwrites their policies, but I wouldn't givee up until you've actually applied. That premium is RIDICULOUS. I have insured cancer survivors for less than that. Absolutely contact a private agent and shop around. Shopping is just shopping. Nothing is set in stone, but at least you can get all the groundwork done and see what you're looking at for premium. I'd do that before signing over to some thousands of dollars a month policy. A lifetime amx of $5000? Forget that.


Amethyste posted:

I'm hoping someone might be able to help me with this problem.

My husband recently had his appendix out, and after doing so, the appendix was found to be cancerous. Upon further testing, it seems that he has a genetic disorder called Lynch Syndrome due to a faulty gene. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lynch-syndrome/DS00669

So, we went for genetic testing to verify that he does indeed have this, and it is a cancer diagnosis, even tho it was on the appendix that was removed.

The doctors said that he will not be able to get life insurance because of this diagnosis, even though it was removed etc, because of the fact that it is Lynch Syndrome.

Is this true that he cannot get life insurance? And what other options do we have with this? We do have life insurance on him through his employer at this time.

If you've read my OP and seen my stance on life insurance: Listen Up Goons. This is why you buy life insurance early, and you look at whole life. Developments like this may not be detected early on, and when you have a nice nest egg...they creep along and now you're uninsurable.

The only real hope he has of being insurable for life at this point is to see if he can get medical professionals to declare him cancer free, and SPECIFICALLY STATE that the cancer was excised with the appendix. Many companies may still have a "cooldown" period for this, but this is the only way. Cancer is like a bar-none denial for life insurance in 90% of cases.

Keep in mind, even if he is found insurable after you go around getting all these medical clearances, he will be rated far below optimal rates and you. Will. Pay.

But if you want life insurance, that is the way you gotta go. Otherwise, absolutely max out employer sponsored life insurance. That is your best bet.

Ramrod Hotshot
May 30, 2003

I bought a new Corolla last year, and pay $115 a month in car insurance. This is the first time I've had to deal with car insurance, and even though I really have no inkling if this is true, I feel like that's a lot to pay, even for a new car. I compared my current insurance provider (State Farm) with USAA and it was about the same. Then I looked at the breakdown of the cost and all the different coverages, and I really have no idea how much I should have for each. How should I determine the best balance between cost and coverage? Should I ask my insurance agent his opinion?

Jastiger
Oct 11, 2008

by FactsAreUseless

Ramrod Hotshot posted:

I bought a new Corolla last year, and pay $115 a month in car insurance. This is the first time I've had to deal with car insurance, and even though I really have no inkling if this is true, I feel like that's a lot to pay, even for a new car. I compared my current insurance provider (State Farm) with USAA and it was about the same. Then I looked at the breakdown of the cost and all the different coverages, and I really have no idea how much I should have for each. How should I determine the best balance between cost and coverage? Should I ask my insurance agent his opinion?

Yeah. That is what he is for! Do you have any tickets? That seems high for a clean record. But..I don't know the details. Talk to your agent and he can compare with different companies.

IdeoPhanthus
Oct 22, 2004

I have a car insurance question. My husband got his license when he was 22 (2002, but had his permit since 16), then it was revoked in 2008 after a series of suspensions from unpaid tickets, and in the last couple months of 2012 we finally had the money to pay it all off. This wiped him clean, basically; he was back to zero points according to the lady at the dmv. He had to start the process to reapply from square one as though he was a brand new driver...so permit test, 5hr course cert, and his road test is this friday. I want to add him as a driver on my insurance before he takes his road test. I would have done it when he got his permit again, but he's stubborn & wanted his own car/insurance, so I just didn't let him drive my/relatives cars until he was insured. Time is running out & he is still lacking insurance, so I'm just going to toss him on mine until he has a car.

To get to my question, when I go to add a driver (the last time I checked), it asks if the person was a new driver (or maybe it was how long they've been driving for). Assuming it asks any questions like that, do I answer as though he's a brand new driver, or do I answer it based on when he had his license the first time. That's the only thing really confusing me because he had a license & drove for several years, then there was the gap from the revocation, and now he is 6mo into a permit. It's not like he's a new driver who never had a permit/license, he's just on license #2.

I guess my other question is, are they going to be able to see this history anyway and use it to determine how much my payments go up (so it doesn't really matter how I answer the questions)? Also, when would my payments go up from adding a new driver? My policy renews in October, but my final payment is July. Are they likely to tack it on as a lump sum due immediately, or split it across my remaining two payments?

I only pay what averages out to $30/mo (once we have reliable income I'll bump things up beyond the minimums), so I'm not too worried about any increase. I'm just curious as to whether my rates will skyrocket because they'll count him as an inexperienced driver or not, or if there's a special bracket for people who have a license gap, or if his age will soften the blow at all (32, 33 soon).

Jastiger
Oct 11, 2008

by FactsAreUseless

IdeoPhanthus posted:

I have a car insurance question. My husband got his license when he was 22 (2002, but had his permit since 16), then it was revoked in 2008 after a series of suspensions from unpaid tickets, and in the last couple months of 2012 we finally had the money to pay it all off. This wiped him clean, basically; he was back to zero points according to the lady at the dmv. He had to start the process to reapply from square one as though he was a brand new driver...so permit test, 5hr course cert, and his road test is this friday. I want to add him as a driver on my insurance before he takes his road test. I would have done it when he got his permit again, but he's stubborn & wanted his own car/insurance, so I just didn't let him drive my/relatives cars until he was insured. Time is running out & he is still lacking insurance, so I'm just going to toss him on mine until he has a car.

To get to my question, when I go to add a driver (the last time I checked), it asks if the person was a new driver (or maybe it was how long they've been driving for). Assuming it asks any questions like that, do I answer as though he's a brand new driver, or do I answer it based on when he had his license the first time. That's the only thing really confusing me because he had a license & drove for several years, then there was the gap from the revocation, and now he is 6mo into a permit. It's not like he's a new driver who never had a permit/license, he's just on license #2.

I guess my other question is, are they going to be able to see this history anyway and use it to determine how much my payments go up (so it doesn't really matter how I answer the questions)? Also, when would my payments go up from adding a new driver? My policy renews in October, but my final payment is July. Are they likely to tack it on as a lump sum due immediately, or split it across my remaining two payments?

I only pay what averages out to $30/mo (once we have reliable income I'll bump things up beyond the minimums), so I'm not too worried about any increase. I'm just curious as to whether my rates will skyrocket because they'll count him as an inexperienced driver or not, or if there's a special bracket for people who have a license gap, or if his age will soften the blow at all (32, 33 soon).

Well this is where you could possibly fudge it a bit.I will tell you right now that if you put him down as a brand new driver it WILL increase your premium. You could make the argument either way. If it were me, I'd put down that he's been licensed since he was 22. If they press it, you can come clean. They can see his history if there was a physical claim against him like he hit someone, or filed a claim because he backed into something. They can also check the court system records to see if any moving violations have been reported.

I am pretty sure his parking tickets will not show up there, so wouldn't worry too much about that. However, a license being revoked...I don't know how they report just that since there is usually an accompanying DUI or something that is associated with it. A license being revoked for tickets....I am just not sure. I'd probably not report any violations and if they come back with something, contest it. Not paying parking tickets does not make him a less safe driver (but then again neither does most other things they hit you for).

As for the premium, they will generally want the premium paid on the periods that the insurance was increased. If he's on there in June, they are going to want a correspondingly higher premium for June. Most companies will inform you of the premium increase and have you pay it immediately and then all the next bills will be higher. Or they may just wrap it into all your remaining payments. Very few are going to be on you for a lump sum increase unless its a high risk situation.

You'll see an increase because now you have two people, but provided they don't ding you for the license being "new", you should be alright.

IdeoPhanthus
Oct 22, 2004

Jastiger posted:

Well this is where you could possibly fudge it a bit.I will tell you right now that if you put him down as a brand new driver it WILL increase your premium. You could make the argument either way. If it were me, I'd put down that he's been licensed since he was 22. If they press it, you can come clean. They can see his history if there was a physical claim against him like he hit someone, or filed a claim because he backed into something. They can also check the court system records to see if any moving violations have been reported.

I am pretty sure his parking tickets will not show up there, so wouldn't worry too much about that. However, a license being revoked...I don't know how they report just that since there is usually an accompanying DUI or something that is associated with it. A license being revoked for tickets....I am just not sure. I'd probably not report any violations and if they come back with something, contest it. Not paying parking tickets does not make him a less safe driver (but then again neither does most other things they hit you for).

As for the premium, they will generally want the premium paid on the periods that the insurance was increased. If he's on there in June, they are going to want a correspondingly higher premium for June. Most companies will inform you of the premium increase and have you pay it immediately and then all the next bills will be higher. Or they may just wrap it into all your remaining payments. Very few are going to be on you for a lump sum increase unless its a high risk situation.

You'll see an increase because now you have two people, but provided they don't ding you for the license being "new", you should be alright.

Okay, thanks for the info. I'll just hopefully skirt it with the licensed since 22 thing then. These were all speeding tickets (15-20mph over), most got reduced in one way or another, but then things went downhill financially so they went unpaid, and turned into suspensions as a result. A couple got paid twice (they lost his reciept when they switched their records from paper to digital), we triple paid a driver assessment fee that they lost reciept of once, and the next time they claimed that we only paid half (we paid what the lady said was the full payoff at the time). It was a huge mess with somewhere around $6000 in the end just to finally get it all cleared up with every city & the dmv.

At this point I'm just happy he will be able to drive himself again, which makes income issues easier since we live out in the sticks, so driving is nearly a requirement.

Jastiger
Oct 11, 2008

by FactsAreUseless

IdeoPhanthus posted:

Okay, thanks for the info. I'll just hopefully skirt it with the licensed since 22 thing then. These were all speeding tickets (15-20mph over), most got reduced in one way or another, but then things went downhill financially so they went unpaid, and turned into suspensions as a result. A couple got paid twice (they lost his reciept when they switched their records from paper to digital), we triple paid a driver assessment fee that they lost reciept of once, and the next time they claimed that we only paid half (we paid what the lady said was the full payoff at the time). It was a huge mess with somewhere around $6000 in the end just to finally get it all cleared up with every city & the dmv.

At this point I'm just happy he will be able to drive himself again, which makes income issues easier since we live out in the sticks, so driving is nearly a requirement.

Wow, municipalities/counties that "lose" receipts. That is pretty messed up. Where was all of this?

I didn't see they were speeding violations. That kind of changes things. If they are moving violations they will show up if they were within the last 5 years. Some companies only care about 3 years, most are 5. They have two segments 1-15 and 16+. 16+ is a big big deal and most may even deny you, at best will sky rocket your rates. The 1-15 are still quite costly. I have some on my record and it pretty much doubles the rate I've seen others pay with clean records. As I've said before speeding tickets are a MASSIVE racket and triple hit the recipient in money, time lost, and insurance premiums.

With that said, I'd really ask him when those last tickets were or what is showing up. If they are recent it may be more cost effective to shop around since it will go from one "safe" driver to a household with an "unsafe" driver. You're married and both have access to the car so most companies will require you to be together. I'd work with an agent to find the best options.

IdeoPhanthus
Oct 22, 2004

Jastiger posted:

Wow, municipalities/counties that "lose" receipts. That is pretty messed up. Where was all of this?

I didn't see they were speeding violations. That kind of changes things. If they are moving violations they will show up if they were within the last 5 years. Some companies only care about 3 years, most are 5. They have two segments 1-15 and 16+. 16+ is a big big deal and most may even deny you, at best will sky rocket your rates. The 1-15 are still quite costly. I have some on my record and it pretty much doubles the rate I've seen others pay with clean records. As I've said before speeding tickets are a MASSIVE racket and triple hit the recipient in money, time lost, and insurance premiums.

It was a couple of the cities neighboring Albany, NY. The last tickets were almost 6 years ago now. I added him online, said he was licensed since 22, answered all the other questions, and an hour later they had him added. My premium actually went down after adding him, which was a surprise.

Three-Phase
Aug 5, 2006

by zen death robot
Renters insurance: I currently have State Farm. Haven't had any issues with them, but of course I have never had a claim for anything like burglary and whatnot.

I've been told that having photographs or video or serial numbers written down on stealable goods (computers, cameras) is a good idea. I'm thinking about taking an inventory of everything that's worth more than $50 and keeping that inventory and photos/videos at my parents house in their safe. Are there any other things that are good to have just in case you ever do get burglarized?

For anyone who has had their house burglarized or car stolen, what was the process like? My understanding is you file a police report, call the insurance agent, and they sit down with you and go over what happened, and if your claim isn't rejected, you get a check for the replacement value (depends on the policy) of goods stolen.

I've also seen some "Channel 5 On Your Side" style videos about people who have had their insurance claim denied. Where the insurers talk about "red flags" that cause serious problems or claims to be denied. What are those flags? My understanding is that things like criminal records and bad credit are what can cause serious roadblocks. I'd be interested in hearing about this from the insurer's side and their view.

Three-Phase fucked around with this message at 23:43 on May 22, 2013

Goontastic
Feb 2, 2011
Trying to help a friend out:
What options are there for an uninsured 26 YO female who was told she needs surgery ASAP both by the ER and a GYN? The hospital won't even do anything until she has about 4500 in cash of about 7000 total. Her income is about 1900 a month, and normally she breaks even after bills, etc. Cutting everything possible out from her budget would leave about $200, maybe $300 a month after bills/students loans/etc. That's assuming she is able to keep working, but from the pain she's been laying the floor crying/puking for several hours twice the last week. As far as I know, no credit at all either. She's from AL, and has no assets besides a car that has another 5 years of payments on. There's not much at all she could sell to try to get anywhere close. She also doesn't really know anyone financially stable enough to even borrow anything close to that type of money, even combined with selling anything possible.

Edit: neither workplace offers any type of insurance whatsoever.

Goontastic fucked around with this message at 07:46 on May 28, 2013

Magic Underwear
May 14, 2003


Young Orc

Goontastic posted:

Trying to help a friend out:
What options are there for an uninsured 26 YO female who was told she needs surgery ASAP both by the ER and a GYN? The hospital won't even do anything until she has about 4500 in cash of about 7000 total. Her income is about 1900 a month, and normally she breaks even after bills, etc. Cutting everything possible out from her budget would leave about $200, maybe $300 a month after bills/students loans/etc. That's assuming she is able to keep working, but from the pain she's been laying the floor crying/puking for several hours twice the last week. As far as I know, no credit at all either. She's from AL, and has no assets besides a car that has another 5 years of payments on. There's not much at all she could sell to try to get anywhere close. She also doesn't really know anyone financially stable enough to even borrow anything close to that type of money, even combined with selling anything possible.

Edit: neither workplace offers any type of insurance whatsoever.

If the condition is life threatening, go to an ER, they will operate no matter what. Otherwise I'd say seek out some kind of charity care program at the (any) hospital.

Goontastic
Feb 2, 2011

Magic Underwear posted:

If the condition is life threatening, go to an ER, they will operate no matter what. Otherwise I'd say seek out some kind of charity care program at the (any) hospital.

It's not life threatening, but excruciating from what she's said and I've read about. Morphine alone wasn't even doing anything at all to it. Our mutual friend said she was almost begging for a knife at one point so she could cut it out because of how bad it felt.

And that's the best price so far she's found. That's the cash price (vs insurance) with about another 30% knocked off because of her income.

Kung Fu Jesus
Jun 20, 2002

lol jews gonna get fucked.

Three-Phase posted:

Renters insurance: I currently have State Farm. Haven't had any issues with them, but of course I have never had a claim for anything like burglary and whatnot.

I've been told that having photographs or video or serial numbers written down on stealable goods (computers, cameras) is a good idea. I'm thinking about taking an inventory of everything that's worth more than $50 and keeping that inventory and photos/videos at my parents house in their safe. Are there any other things that are good to have just in case you ever do get burglarized?

For anyone who has had their house burglarized or car stolen, what was the process like? My understanding is you file a police report, call the insurance agent, and they sit down with you and go over what happened, and if your claim isn't rejected, you get a check for the replacement value (depends on the policy) of goods stolen.

I've also seen some "Channel 5 On Your Side" style videos about people who have had their insurance claim denied. Where the insurers talk about "red flags" that cause serious problems or claims to be denied. What are those flags? My understanding is that things like criminal records and bad credit are what can cause serious roadblocks. I'd be interested in hearing about this from the insurer's side and their view.

Never had my house burglarized but I do handle these claims occasionally. Each company can be a little different but the process you described is basically it. Police report and list of stolen items.

The biggest thing with insurance companies is proof of ownership. Showing a receipt, manual, box, or anything proving what you had is very important. Its generally not mandatory and some companies are more lenient. But it makes it a lot smoother. It also helps to verify the exact model of item when searching for replacement costs. This is one area a claim or certain items may be denied. If its an expensive item and you can't prove ownership and didn't list it with the police, they may not pay for it. Your policy might also have certain limits on certain items. For example, stolen guns may have a $2000 limit. Cash may have a $500 limit.

Red flags could be a million things. Multiple similar claims over the years. A lot of stolen items. A lot of stolen items from your car, like why do you have $5k worth of new electronics in your '96 Geo Prism in June, while its parked overnight in front of your studio apartment? A lot of stolen cash. Wanting the claim settled immediately either by being an angry rear end in a top hat or willing to negotiate prices on stuff for a quicker payout. Usually these will lead an adjuster to involve their internal investigators to further review the claim. That's when they will research your credit and criminal history.

I would not say you need video of items. I've never had anyone with that. Receipts and a photo is more than 90% of people out there, including me. Read your policy for certain limits. If you have very high end things that have limits like jewelry, you might want to add a floater which generally eliminates the monetary limits and covered perils limits. For example, I had a guy lose his grandfathers $4000 ring. Theft is a covered peril, not misplacement. Look under Coverage C - Personal Property for the covered perils. Another lady had about five rings stolen. Total value of a couple thousand. While they were covered under the theft peril, the limit of coverage was $1000.

Jastiger
Oct 11, 2008

by FactsAreUseless

Three-Phase posted:

Renters insurance: I currently have State Farm. Haven't had any issues with them, but of course I have never had a claim for anything like burglary and whatnot.

I've been told that having photographs or video or serial numbers written down on stealable goods (computers, cameras) is a good idea. I'm thinking about taking an inventory of everything that's worth more than $50 and keeping that inventory and photos/videos at my parents house in their safe. Are there any other things that are good to have just in case you ever do get burglarized?

For anyone who has had their house burglarized or car stolen, what was the process like? My understanding is you file a police report, call the insurance agent, and they sit down with you and go over what happened, and if your claim isn't rejected, you get a check for the replacement value (depends on the policy) of goods stolen.

I've also seen some "Channel 5 On Your Side" style videos about people who have had their insurance claim denied. Where the insurers talk about "red flags" that cause serious problems or claims to be denied. What are those flags? My understanding is that things like criminal records and bad credit are what can cause serious roadblocks. I'd be interested in hearing about this from the insurer's side and their view.

Taking an inventory is never a bad idea. The thing with renters is they generally look at what you're purchasing as far as the total coverage. If you pay your premium they are generally more or less willing to write a check for the amount you've purchased, provided the claim is legit. You bought $50,000 of renters, they're gonna give you $50,000 if there is a total loss. If you have a specific item you want covered you can file it in the police report and they'll generally replace it. For example "They broke in and stole my TV valued at $1000". They'll see it in the report and pay you for a new TV. If they want to contest it, THAT is where having pictures and stuff is useful. They'll generally only contest if its fishy or not a consistent story.

The denial of claims has nothing to do with credit or criminal history or anything like that. You bought insurance from them, you paid the premium, they are obligated to cover their end of the deal. Red flags for denial would be a claim for stuff, but no police report filed or you waited two months to file a claim for some reason.

Kung Fu Jesus has some goods points as well. I would add that you can increase limits for just about anything, but I'd talk to an agent to go over the cheapest option. For example if you have a lot of guns over the policy limit of say $2000, and you want coverage for $15000. It MAY be cheaper to just add a special floater for just "collectables: guns" listed separately instead of increasing the "guns" limit, since a floater can generally cover just about anything.

In your situation if you have specifics that you want covered that you think would be hard to replace or hard to convince that you owned, take pictures, keep receipts, write it down, and give it to the agent. Done deal:)

Jastiger
Oct 11, 2008

by FactsAreUseless

Goontastic posted:

Trying to help a friend out:
What options are there for an uninsured 26 YO female who was told she needs surgery ASAP both by the ER and a GYN? The hospital won't even do anything until she has about 4500 in cash of about 7000 total. Her income is about 1900 a month, and normally she breaks even after bills, etc. Cutting everything possible out from her budget would leave about $200, maybe $300 a month after bills/students loans/etc. That's assuming she is able to keep working, but from the pain she's been laying the floor crying/puking for several hours twice the last week. As far as I know, no credit at all either. She's from AL, and has no assets besides a car that has another 5 years of payments on. There's not much at all she could sell to try to get anywhere close. She also doesn't really know anyone financially stable enough to even borrow anything close to that type of money, even combined with selling anything possible.

Edit: neither workplace offers any type of insurance whatsoever.

If she can't afford insurance and the hospital won't budge, she needs to either hit up Medicaid, a place like Planned Parenthood if it involves GYN stuff, or a charity place.

Goontastic
Feb 2, 2011

Jastiger posted:

If she can't afford insurance and the hospital won't budge, she needs to either hit up Medicaid, a place like Planned Parenthood if it involves GYN stuff, or a charity place.

Cutting all non-essentials, she probably could. But there's the whole pre-existing thing that a lot of places have until January. I tried finding insurance that included that, but it looks like it's no longer offered. Looking for charity services and I'm not really finding anything for our area.

She makes almost double the Medicaid cutoff, and no one has mentioned Planned Parenthood to her before so she's checking into that tomorrow.

Sperg Victorious
Mar 25, 2011

Goontastic posted:

Cutting all non-essentials, she probably could. But there's the whole pre-existing thing that a lot of places have until January. I tried finding insurance that included that, but it looks like it's no longer offered. Looking for charity services and I'm not really finding anything for our area.

She makes almost double the Medicaid cutoff, and no one has mentioned Planned Parenthood to her before so she's checking into that tomorrow.

You generally need to go to a university hospital or a religiously affiliated hospital. Some private hospitals will also have something. You'll have to call up and ask for any hospital. Unfortunately, they typically only assess your eligibility for charity care once you've been billed. They'll also help you get on disability/medicaid before they start writing off your bills.

Goontastic
Feb 2, 2011

Sperg Victorious posted:

You generally need to go to a university hospital or a religiously affiliated hospital. Some private hospitals will also have something. You'll have to call up and ask for any hospital. Unfortunately, they typically only assess your eligibility for charity care once you've been billed. They'll also help you get on disability/medicaid before they start writing off your bills.

The one she says has worked with her the most is religiously affiliated, I'll tell her to hit up the university hospital as well.

Forgot to say on this part:

Jastiger posted:

...a place like Planned Parenthood if it involves GYN stuff...

It's cysts, so it should under the GYN stuff. She said that both the ER doctor and the GYN doctor the next day said basically only pregnancy things would be considered an "emergency" to the hospital, not having 5 cysts that cover about 18cm.

Kung Fu Jesus
Jun 20, 2002

lol jews gonna get fucked.

Jastiger posted:

Taking an inventory is never a bad idea. The thing with renters is they generally look at what you're purchasing as far as the total coverage. If you pay your premium they are generally more or less willing to write a check for the amount you've purchased, provided the claim is legit. You bought $50,000 of renters, they're gonna give you $50,000 if there is a total loss. If you have a specific item you want covered you can file it in the police report and they'll generally replace it. For example "They broke in and stole my TV valued at $1000". They'll see it in the report and pay you for a new TV. If they want to contest it, THAT is where having pictures and stuff is useful. They'll generally only contest if its fishy or not a consistent story.

The denial of claims has nothing to do with credit or criminal history or anything like that. You bought insurance from them, you paid the premium, they are obligated to cover their end of the deal. Red flags for denial would be a claim for stuff, but no police report filed or you waited two months to file a claim for some reason.

Kung Fu Jesus has some goods points as well. I would add that you can increase limits for just about anything, but I'd talk to an agent to go over the cheapest option. For example if you have a lot of guns over the policy limit of say $2000, and you want coverage for $15000. It MAY be cheaper to just add a special floater for just "collectables: guns" listed separately instead of increasing the "guns" limit, since a floater can generally cover just about anything.

In your situation if you have specifics that you want covered that you think would be hard to replace or hard to convince that you owned, take pictures, keep receipts, write it down, and give it to the agent. Done deal:)

Yeah, I don't write policies so my only experience is telling someone they are poo poo out of luck because their policy was horrible.

I should also note, although there are a ton of red flags, and checking credit histories is part of that, we probably deny 1% of those that go that far. Or they pay it, then refuse to renew their policy next time.

Sperg Victorious
Mar 25, 2011
How difficult is it to change agents on a business and a work man's comp policy? I want to keep the carrier, just want to change agents. What's involved and how long does it usually take?

Jastiger
Oct 11, 2008

by FactsAreUseless

Sperg Victorious posted:

How difficult is it to change agents on a business and a work man's comp policy? I want to keep the carrier, just want to change agents. What's involved and how long does it usually take?

If you like the company, you just need to find another agent in your area that is authorized for that company. You can call them up and they can have you sign a change of agent form. This is pretty easy to do, they'll just need the specifics on your policy and it shouldn't take more than a few days.

Sperg Victorious
Mar 25, 2011
Are there any potential downsides? I feel a little hesitant because he got me a comparatively low rate and understood my business. When I shopped around at the very beginning, most agents didn't understand the business and carriers were giving me very high rates.

My agent is otherwise worthless, but he did get me in the door. I'm just a little worried that if I change agents, then it might affect my rates since I'll probably have an agent that doesn't understand the business as well.

Jastiger
Oct 11, 2008

by FactsAreUseless

Sperg Victorious posted:

Are there any potential downsides? I feel a little hesitant because he got me a comparatively low rate and understood my business. When I shopped around at the very beginning, most agents didn't understand the business and carriers were giving me very high rates.

My agent is otherwise worthless, but he did get me in the door. I'm just a little worried that if I change agents, then it might affect my rates since I'll probably have an agent that doesn't understand the business as well.

Well, if you're just changing agents it shouldn't change anything on your policy unless you want them to. The only thing I'm hesitant on is if you're in a very specialized type of business that requires special credentials in order to sell and manage. Things like some types of bonds, medicare coverage, and specialized health plans come to mind.

Those are all things to take into consideration when changing agents. If he's worthless, but knows how it operates, maybe its worth keeping it around than gambling with someone new. I don't know the situation. But generally no, there should be no downsides apart from things out of your control like if an agent moves, a company changes, or personal reasons.

Sperg Victorious
Mar 25, 2011

Jastiger posted:

Well, if you're just changing agents it shouldn't change anything on your policy unless you want them to. The only thing I'm hesitant on is if you're in a very specialized type of business that requires special credentials in order to sell and manage. Things like some types of bonds, medicare coverage, and specialized health plans come to mind.

Those are all things to take into consideration when changing agents. If he's worthless, but knows how it operates, maybe its worth keeping it around than gambling with someone new. I don't know the situation. But generally no, there should be no downsides apart from things out of your control like if an agent moves, a company changes, or personal reasons.

I don't have anything that specialized.

I do a kind of specialized inspection service, and other carriers/agents seemed a bit wary and gave me huge quotes. My current agent has at least a few other clients with a similar business, so he was able to explain the risks a lot better and got me better quotes. At least that's how I think it went down. No special coverage or bonds, etc though.

My main problem is that it can take over a week to get a certificate out. One client ended up calling his office himself to get the certificate. If I email him about a certificate on a Friday, I know it'll never get done. Typically, I can usually get one out after 2-3 days. It took over two weeks to get an increase in coverage. Just lots of stuff like this.

I'm about to add a policy for insuring my tools. I figure he can get me a decent price, but I'm still a little worried about jumping out of the skillet.

Jastiger
Oct 11, 2008

by FactsAreUseless
Hmm yeah sounds like change agent time. You can ask others in your business who they use PR contact your company and ask about agents in your area. You could try telling him how upset you are too and get him to clean up his act. Otherwise you're going to keep giving him money.

Sperg Victorious
Mar 25, 2011
Quick question, on my tailored general liability I have hired and non-owned auto coverage. It's not listed on my certificate. I'm curious if that would normally be listed on my certificate since I'm paying for the coverage. Current agent is telling me that I need to make a special request for it to be listed on my certificate.

I am changing agents. Hoping for it to go through next week.

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Jastiger
Oct 11, 2008

by FactsAreUseless

Sperg Victorious posted:

Quick question, on my tailored general liability I have hired and non-owned auto coverage. It's not listed on my certificate. I'm curious if that would normally be listed on my certificate since I'm paying for the coverage. Current agent is telling me that I need to make a special request for it to be listed on my certificate.

I am changing agents. Hoping for it to go through next week.

Its probably just a general certificate they use and they could add it on there. The important thing is what is on the policy, not the cert unless you want to have it displayed somewhere so others can see it. You're well within your right to ask for it though and he should be able to have it put on there.

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