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Money Saving Ways To Remove Stress From Buying Insurance
Having the right amount of insurance for you and your family can create some stress, but if you follow these eight money-saving tips, you can alleviate a lot of it.
Health insurance. Life insurance. Car insurance. Of the three, health insurance creates the highest anxiety, simply because health care costs continue to rise at the fastest rate in U.S. history. But you can take the stress out of buying insurance with these eight money-saving tips.
1. Do your homework. It’s important to create a balance between all three, necessary insurance coverages. The greatest majority of Americans cannot afford adequate insurance coverage, period. But creating a plan that includes saving for insurance coverage is less stressful than giving up.
2. Comparison shop. You can purchase a policy that has stronger coverage or you can buy insurance you don’t currently have if you’ll lower the costs you currently pay. Comparison shop. Go to unbiased resources such as the magazine Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org), which accepts no advertisements to avoid conflicts of interest when rating. It is wise to review your coverage and your costs annually.
3. Think “group coverage.” If you are self-employed or working for an organization that does not provide insurance, consult professional organizations in your field to learn if “group” self-insurance is available that can offer lower rates than individual-only policies.
4. Investigate a provider’s ability to deliver what he promises you before you sign the bottom line. A.M. Best provides free access to its Insurer Ratings Directory at its Web site at www.ambest.com. Contacting the Attorney General’s office for your home state will provide more information for you. Do a “google.com” search, too, for the latest news and reports on the reputation of insurance companies.
5. Don’t make mistakes on your insurance application. If you make a mistake or leave out any information (especially on many of today’s health policies that will void your policy over the smallest mistakes or omissions), you risk being declared ineligible. When you need your insurance is when some insurers will go over your policy word by word searching for any mistakes. So don’t make mistakes.
6. Never pay for insurance in cash. You need a paper trail to prove you have coverage and have made your payments in a timely fashion. Keep your records in a safe place.
7. Do your homework before saying yes to supplemental insurance. Don’t pay for supplemental insurance you don’t need. Also ask yourself: Is this policy really just a company that provides discounts that you can negotiate yourself or find by comparison shopping?
8. If you are over the age of 50. If you are 50 or older, or approaching that age, consider joining the American Association of Retired Persons (www.aarp.org). The richest corporations have powerful lobbyists to win tax breaks and cost savings from Congress every year. The AARP combines its large membership voice to equal the lobbying clout of many top corporate interests.
Today’s environment makes buying health insurance, life insurance, and car insurance somewhat of an anxiety-laden task. We hope our tips help to lower your stress level.