Chicago Organization

The Presidential campaign is entering the final stages but there are still no proposals from either Democrat or Republican candidate on how to control health-care costs. This is fundamental to producing a fair and accessible health service but the issue is not being addressed. What we do have is a proposal from Romney and Ryan to redesign Medicare as a voucher service. It’s faintly possible this might cover all costs for the first six months, but it’s certain a gap would rapidly open between the actual prices for treatment and the value of the vouchers.

The only way of bridging this gap would be for seniors to pay out of their own savings or buy private insurance. As it stands, Medicare does a good job of holding down costs. As a monopoly buyer for services, the prices have only been rising at half the pace in the private sector. Private insurers have no incentive to control costs. If they are not making enough profit, they simply increase the premium rates.

There is, similarly, very little enthusiasm from the Democrats to take on the medical lobby or the pharmaceutical industry, although there is, however, a move to more preventative medicine. Drug prices are shooting up and doctors refuse to accept an evidence-based approach to determine what treatments offer the best value-for-money to their patients. In a capitalist system, doctors and hospitals are for profit and not altruistic. So although the Affordable Care Act will have insurance exchanges in place for 2014, the competition will not of itself control medical costs. Premiums will be pitched at rates to pay the current costs and make a profit for the health insurance companies. In other words, the policies of both parties are fundamentally flawed.

For middle-class policyholder this will mean, sadly, that it is likely that there will be no cheap health insurance for them. There will, of course be subsidies for those on or below the poverty line, but the health insurance quotes for everyone else will continue to rise faster than the rate of inflation. In due course, this will make insurance increasingly unaffordable.

Commercial truck drivers have a special need for car insurance. They drive expensive vehicles, valuable cargo, for long hours. Fatigue and boredom can easily kick in and cause a truck driver to be at a higher risk for accidents. They also have a higher rate of problems such as tire blowouts. Lastly, the trucks or their cargo are often stolen by people. It is, therefore, important to understand both the different types that are available and what the commercial truck insurance offers.

Different Types of Truck Insurance

There are many different types of insurance coverage out there. Commercial trucks typically require coverage such as cargo and trailer insurance, and liability coverage. These policies are different than the ones you would purchase for a standard vehicle. For one, commercial trucks need much higher amounts of coverage because the trucks, and their contents, have a much higher value than a standard car would. Insurance for a commercial big truck has to cover the trailer while it is in operation but also when it is not being operated, or while a truck is operating without a trailer. Because it is determined by the value of the cargo that is being transported by the driver commercial truck insurance can often be very expensive.

Some other types of insurance you may encounter include:

• Body Injury and Property Damage, or BIPD insurance. This type of insurance is sometimes called primary liability insurance. It protects a truck driver if he or she is injured in an accident. This type of coverage can also protect a driver and the carrier from any damages incurred in an accident.
• Second, there is Leased Operator Insurance. This type of insurance coverage is for truck operators who are leasing a truck from a motor carrier. The amount stated in the lease agreement is the amount of insurance coverage required.
• Then, there is Cargo Insurance. Cargo insurance covers the value of the cargo your truck is carrying. This amount will obviously vary, depending on the load you are carrying.
• Another type of insurance is Trailer Insurance, which simply covers any equipment in the case of an accident.
• Finally, there is Bobtail insurance. Bobtail insurance coverage is used for the tractor when it is being used without a trailer.

As you can see, commercial truck insurance is more complicated than standard car insurance. It is necessary to discuss with your employer, and your insurance agency, the specifics of your situation so that you are adequately covered no matter the situation.

With fraud out of control around the country, we need a tightly focused campaign to jail everyone concerned with fraud. That way, our car insurance quotes will fall and we will be rewarded for remaining law-abiding. We are the victims here. The law enforcement process should protect us. If not, the car insurance rates will continue rising with no one prepared to take responsibility for investigating crime and enforcing the law. This is a political issue. Which is more important. Lower car insurance quotes or rampant fraud?

The latest national statistics show drivers will have an accident once every ten years. The whole point of averages is that they hide the performance of individuals, some of whom may drive all their lives and never have an accident, to the young men who seem to hit something every time they leave the driveway. There’s one fact that remains worrying. Every year, about 88 people a day are killed on our roads. As with all figures, it’s the tip of a big iceberg made up of all the people who are only injured. No matter where you drive, it’s always better to arrive in the same state as you left but, with the more challenging conditions in cities, the risk of a collision is significantly higher. How do you give yourself the best chance of arriving safely?

It all starts with speed. All the scientific evidence from US and the developed countries shows that speed kills. If there’s a collision, the higher the closing speed, the more likely serious injury. To reduce the risks, everyone should drive within the speed limits and follow the rules of the road. This means staying alert. There are always more people walking and likely to step into the road. Although this is controllable during the day, remember there are fewer streetlights and there are often long distances between them. This means the majority of side roads are relatively dark and, with fewer crosswalks, people can suddenly appear in front of you.

Finally, always make sure you stay a safe distance when following behind any vehicle. Once you get off the main roads, you will often find larger vehicles making deliveries. Remember drivers of semi-trucks have reduced visibility so, if you are going to overtake, ensure there’s plenty of space and you have time to do it safely. Keeping cheap car insurance available for all depends on everyone following these simple rules. Hopefully, this is not too much to ask. If there are fewer accidents, there’s less money claimed, premium rates will fall and bring cheap car insurance for everyone.

The Insurance Commissioners have many important functions, but the one with the most immediate impact for the consumers is complaint handling. Anyone who does not feel they have received the best service from local insurers can contact their state’s Commissioner.

There will be an investigation. All Commissioners have the power to order compensation in cases found proved. If the problem is systemic, the Commissioners can issue regulations to change the current practices. Perhaps because everyone waits anxiously for the payout on a claim, the most complaints are made about the way in which the claims are handled.

A failure by most people to read their policies until they are faced with the need to make a claim is a common fact. At this point of sometimes high emotion, people can discover problems. The most obvious revolve around precisely what risks are covered and the level of evidence required to support the claim. People find insurers reluctant to explain exactly what is required or to help in filling in the relevant forms.

There can be delays even if claims for defined risks are submitted on the right forms with the right documentation, which is even more annoying. Even though all Commissioners lay down timetables, many insurers fail to respond within the limits or, if there is an acknowledgement, there is no explanation of the cause of the delay.

What adds to consumers feeling aggrieved is the increase of car insurance quotes for all the drivers…

When it comes to the valuation of claims, there can also be disagreements with assessors offering obviously low settlements on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. Even when settlements are agreed, there can still be unreasonable delays in paying out. If you have paid the premiums on time, you are entitled to a proper level of service as directed by the wording of the police and regulated by the Commissioner. Indeed, if insurers did make payments more promptly, it would boost their reputations and improve sales by word-of-mouth. Car insurance quotes would therefore fall as business increased. As it is, additional money is spent in defending complaints to the Commissioner and the cost is passed on to us in the next car insurance quotes.