How To safely Buy Car Insurance & Avoid Scams

According to Progressive Auto Insurance, here is the breakdown of reasons that cars are stolen in the U.S.: 55% were unlocked, 34% left the windows open, 6% left keys in the car!

Driving around without car insurance is illegal in most states
Do not drive around without auto insurance, it is illegal. In fact, most auto insurance companies will not insure you if you are currently uninsured. They won't even give you a quote. This is why it is important that you never let your car insurance coverage lapse. Allstate and GEICO are probably the only companies who will still give you car insurance coverage if you are currently uninsured.

Always shop around for the lowest car insurance rates
Note: Unfortunately, if you don't currently have car insurance, you won't be able to use Comparison Market, in this case, try GEICO instead. Comparison Market gives you a better way to shop for auto insurance. Instantly compare accurate rates from America's top insurance companies, including Travelers, The Hartford, Liberty Mutual, Safeco and others. Comparison Market and BestCarInsuranceSite allow you to:

• Shop for your car insurance easily, making apples-to-apples comparisons
• Save money on your auto insurance
• Receive accurate, real-time auto insurance quotes
• Make an informed choice

Don't fall into the gap!
If you owe more on your car than it is worth, if you lease, or if you put down less than 20%, you should get Gap Coverage from Gapinsurancequotes.com. Most people refer to it commonly as "gap insurance". Don't even bother buying it from dealers, they charge $500-$700 when you can get it online directly from Gapinsurancequotes.com for less than 1/2 the car dealers. If you owe $20,000 on your car, but it's only worth $16,000, you're upside down. You total the car, or it's stolen, your insurance company gives you $16,000. You must still come up with $4000 to pay off the bank, plus your $500 deductible! Gap coverage protects you against this. The better ones cover up to $500 of your deductible.

Why you must get a copy of your driving record
I highly suggest you get a copy of your drivers license record BEFORE shopping for insurance. Many of us have errors in our driving report that drive up our auto insurance rates. I once paid a traffic ticket and attended driving school, but they never credited my driving record! How did I find out? Allstate canned me! That's not the way you want to find an error on your driving record. In the newspaper, a clerk of the court admitted they had a 20% error rate, and shrugged it off as normal. So lucky 20% me had my license suspended by mistake. Don't let this happen to you! Trust me, you don't want to go through what I did to fix it. If you go to driving school or pay fines, keep the receipt in your wallet for 3 years or until you renew your license! If you get pulled over by the police, it's your only salvation from being arrested for driving with a suspended license. Just like your credit history determines your car loan approval, your driving record determines how expensive your auto insurance will be.

Car Insurance - Accident Scams

Insurance company’s country wide spends millions of dollars yearly to defend against misleading car accident claims by mischievous individuals looking to reap the benefits of the insurance claims. How do auto insurance scams affect you? Well not to mention the obvious possible outcome of death due to car accident scams gone wrong. Who do you think actually pays for the cost of the scams? Not the insurance companies, you pay because the insurance companies raise premiums to compensate for the loss. It is an unfortunate outcome for the honest citizen. What can you do to help yourself and the insurance companies? Educate yourself to help prevent possible car accident traps that are practiced today. Contact you insurance provider if you think you have been scammed or witnessed a scam. It is possible that you insurance provider could reward your effort.

Below is a list of scam techniques practiced today by many criminals.

Paper Accident

When a criminal actively solicit others in the auto repair and salvage industry to participate in accidents that only exist on paper. Shady lawyers, doctors and insurance agents are normally part of this as well. The perpetrator will keep the claim lower than 1,000 dollars knowing that most insurance companies do not send investigators to examine a claim at that amount.

Hit & Run

When a perpetrator reports a factious hit and run to their insurance provider.

Swoop and Squat

When a perpetrator abruptly swoops in front of a car and quickly squats or stops. An accomplice moves to the side of the targeted victim to prevent the trapped car from swerving out of the way. The passengers of the squat car all report injuries that are supported later by a doctor or a chiropractor that are in the scam.

Sideswipe

A tactic used in multiple turn lanes at an intersection. A perpetrator will continue to take the multiple left turns until another car suddenly maneuvers into the lane in which the perpetrator suddenly speeds up to force a collision.

T-Bone

This is normally conducted with the absence of any hostile witnesses. The perpetrator waits at an intersection and intentionally rams into a car as it passes. When the police arrive, bogus witnesses are planted to tell the police officer that the victim ran a stop sign or red light.

Wave

A tactic normally conducted in heavy traffic, and when there is a merge. The perpetrator waves to the victim, pretending to yield the right of way. As the victim begins to merge, the perpetrator quickly accelerates to initiate contact. When the police arrive, the perpetrator denies ever giving up the right of way.

Shady Helper

This could happen after an honest accident. A stranger approaches you after an accident and offers numbers to an auto repair shop, lawyer or doctor. This could be a setup. The auto repair shop often pads your repair cost, and a doctor may give you shady treatment or none at all. A lawyer may even try to convince you to sue the insurance company.

Most scams are performed by professionals that run practice drills before actually committing the crime. They are normally very professional and skilled at their craft, but that does not mean you can not take steps from being victimized. Here are some measures that can be taken to shift the advantage to your side.

Keep a disposable camera, paper and pen in your glove department. A picture speaks a thousand words is an old cliché, but it can be very valuable in an accident. After an accident, take unlimited pictures of every car including the passengers. Get as much information down on paper about every participant in the accident including witnesses. The pictures along with the note taking will leave little room for the perpetrators to lie about damage to their vehicle and persons after the fact. If you think an accident has been staged, get good details about the accident!

Below is a good list of details that you should obtain in an accident.

Exchange information with the driver.
Drivers License, vehicle registration and proof of insurance
Count the number of people in the car and get there:
Name
Address
Telephone Number
Make note if they were wearing seatbelts
Did they act injured only after the police arrived?
Get the names, address and phone numbers of anyone that witnessed the accident
Call the police if it seems staged!

This is all good information to know, but why should I care about helping the insurance companies catch these criminals if I am not the victim? This is a good question that many citizens ask themselves. Why do you want to help deter insurance fraud crime? Because you the honest citizen pays for the cost, not the insurance company nor the criminal. The burden of cost is transferred from the insurance company next time your insurance premiums increase.

What you pay?

Record Blemished – As you know, insurance companies keep a record of personal driving records to measure the risk of insuring motorists. The driving record is what determines your eligibility to be insured by the insurance company. Whether an accident staged or not, your record will be affected as well as your driving record.

Victims Terrorized, Killed – Staged accidents for insurance claims is very hazardous to your health. It only takes one mistake by you or the perpetrators to take your life or your loved ones.

Premiums Raised – Everyone’s auto insurance premiums rise because insurance companies pass the cost of bogus insurance claims to honest citizens.

Which type of health insurance is right for you?

Whether you are eligible for group insurance or choosing an
individual plan, you should carefully compare costs and coverage.
Be sure to compare:
1. Premiums.
2. Coverage/benefits.
3. Access to doctors, hospitals, and other providers.
4. Access to after hours and emergency care.
5. Out-of-pocket costs (coinsurance, copays, and
deductibles).
6. Exclusions and limitations.
Even if you do not get to choose your health plan—for example, if
your employer offers only one plan—you still need to understand
your coverage. What kind of services are covered by the plan? What
steps do you need to take to get the care you and your family
members need? When do you need prior approval to ensure
coverage for care (for example, elective hospitalization for scheduled
surgery)? How are benefits paid; do you have to submit a claim?
Make sure you understand how your plan works. Don’t wait until
you need emergency care to ask questions.

If you are choosing between indemnity and managed care plans,
remember that they may differ in several important ways, including:
• How you access services.
• How you obtain specialty care.
• How much and sometimes how you pay for care.
Despite these differences, indemnity and managed care plans share
some features. For example, both types of plans cover a wide array
of medical, surgical, and hospital services. Most plans offer some
coverage for prescription drugs. Some plans also have at least partial
coverage for dentists and other providers.
The major difference between indemnity (nonnetwork
based coverage) and managed care
plans (network-based coverage) concerns
choice of doctors, hospitals, and other
providers; out-of-pocket costs for covered
services; and how bills are paid.
Be sure to check on the physicians and hospitals
that are included in the plan.

How do you get health insurance?

Most people get health insurance through their employers or
organizations to which they belong. This is called group insurance.
Some people do not have access to group insurance. They may
choose to purchase their own individual health insurance directly
from an insurance company. Many Americans get health insurance
through government programs that operate at the national, State,
and local levels. Examples include Medicare, Medicaid, and
programs run by the Department of Veterans Affairs and
Department of Defense.

Group Insurance
Group health insurance is typically offered by employers. Or, if you
are a member of a union, professional association, or other group,
you may be able to get group coverage through that organization.
Some employers allow employees to choose between several plans,
including both indemnity insurance and managed care. Other
employers offer only one plan. Some group plans offer dental
and/or vision benefits as well as medical benefits. So it is important
to compare plans to find the one that offers the benefits you need
most. Once you enroll in a health insurance plan, you usually
cannot change to another plan until the next open season, usually
set once a year.
When group health insurance is an employee benefit, your
employer usually pays a portion or all of the premiums. This means
your costs for health insurance premiums will be lower than they
would be if you paid the entire premium alone.
When you get group insurance through membership in an
organization, you usually will benefit from being a member of a
large group. You may pay less for premiums than an individual
would pay. However, the organization often does not pay a share of
the premium, meaning you may be responsible for paying the entire
premium yourself.
Individual Insurance
If you are self-employed or your employer does not offer health
insurance, you may not have access to group insurance. You may,
however, be able to purchase individual coverage directly from an
insurance company. When you buy your own health insurance, you
will be responsible for paying the entire premium rather than
sharing the cost with an employer. You should shop around to find
a plan that fits your needs at a price that you are willing to pay.

Most self-employed workers are able to deduct their health
insurance premiums from their Federal taxable income, providing
them with an important tax saving. Most States also offer similar
tax preferences. If you are self-employed and buy individual health
insurance, you should consult a tax advisor to find out if you are
eligible for this deduction.
Insurance plans differ greatly from one company to another and,
within an insurance company, from one plan or product to another.
Some plans have multiple products (options) from which you can
choose; read carefully through the “fine print” to be sure you
understand the various choices.

health insurance guides

If you have ever been sick or injured, then you must know how important it is to have health coverage. But if you’re confused about what kind is best for you, you’re not alone.there are many kinds of health insurance policies and in this health insurance guide i will try to explain health insurance in brief.
The term health insurance refers to a wide variety of insurance policies. These range from policies that cover the costs of doctors and hospitals to those that meet a specific need, such as paying for long-term care. Even disability insurance—which replaces lost income if you can’t work because of illness or accident—is considered health insurance, even though it’s not specifically for medical expenses.

Today, there are many more kinds of health insurance to choose
from than were available just a few years ago. Traditional differences
between and among plans may no longer apply. Also, there is an
increased emphasis on the role of consumers in managing their own
health care and health care finances. There is a focus on providing
information on the cost of care and health care quality—at the level
of the physician, physician group, and hospital—to help consumers
and employers choose among the many options available to them.

New Health Care Marketplace

Things have changed a lot since the 1970s, when most people in the
United States who had health insurance had indemnity insurance.
Indemnity insurance is often called fee-for-service or traditional
health insurance. This type of coverage generally assumes that the
medical provider (usually a doctor or hospital) will be paid a fee for
each service provided to the patient—that is, you or a family member covered under the policy.

in this health insurance guide i will try to explain that you do you need health insurance?

As medical care advances and treatments increase, health care costs
also increase. The purpose of health insurance is to help you pay for
care. It protects you and your family financially in the event of an
unexpected serious illness or injury that could be very expensive. In
addition, you are more likely to get routine and preventive care if
you have health insurance.
You need health insurance because you cannot predict what your
medical bills will be. In some years, your costs may be low. In other
years, you may have very high medical expenses. If you have health
insurance, you will have peace of mind in knowing that you are
protected from most of these costs. You should not wait until you
or a family member becomes seriously ill to try to purchase health
insurance.

Now the next thing explained in this health insurance guide is that How do you get health insurance?

Newport Car Insurance Company

Newport offers a personal auto program with competitive rates for "clean drivers" all the way to drivers with minor and major accidents or violations. Newport also provides an auto management solution that has a proven positive underwriting result for over 20 years.

Newport Customer Service: 1-866-671-5048
Newport Claims Service: 1-800-285-2524
Online Policy Services: arrowheadexchange.com

Newport boasts superior customer service and they offer non-credit scored competitive rates for drivers that don't want their credit used in scoring auto insurance.

The Hartford Car Insurance - Hartford Auto Insurance - Hartford Policy

Hartford Customer Service: 1-800-624-5578
Hartford Claims Service: 1-800-243-5860

The Hartford provides individuals and families with the products and services they need to protect and grow their wealth. In addition to offering home and automobile insurance, they offer 529 college savings plans, variable universal life and universal life insurance products, individual annuities, and mutual funds, The Hartford helps to ensure a secure financial future for its customers.

Direct General

Direct General Insurance Company a partner for car insurance quotes and auto insurance policies. Simply, enter your zip code or postal code and start your quote. You can compare car insurance rates and purchase a policy online or through our call center. In your location we may offer Direct Insurance quotes and/or other insurance companies.

Direct General Customer Service: 1-866-376-6463
Direct General Claims Service: 1-800-403-1077

One of the first and most important things you can do to save money on your auto insurance, is to shop around before you buy your policy. Sometimes even if you can afford your current policy, others may offer the same policy for a cheaper price. Remember, the insurance business is highly competitive and smart consumer who shops around can easily benefit from it.