More and more drivers are purchasing smartphones to help run their lives and with this comes the temptation to use the phone while driving. It's no surprise that using your phone while driving is highly dangerous, but with so many drivers on the road trying to multitask, it's getting very scary.
The article "Use Smartphones Smartly Can Help Avoid Car Accidents" by Richard Burton on AutoQuoteNow's website says 72% of people using their phone while driving say work related items encourage them to check their phone while on the road. About 33% are tempted to use the phone while driving to check social sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Many others check personal business items such as bank statements, auto insurance bills and to-do lists while operating a vehicle.
In the last few years, fatalities from accidents caused by multitaskers has increased dramatically despite numerous laws put into place to stop texting while driving. Smartphones are an amazing invention and offer many benefits to our societies, but the temptation to use the phone while driving is one of the dangerous downfalls. Awareness is on the rise and more and more people are committing to leaving their phone alone while driving. Hopefully those numbers will increase rather than fatal accidents from those who text while driving.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
South Carolina Health Cooperative
There have been many changes made to Carolina health insurance over the years, but more are coming. This includes a South Carolina health cooperative designed to help small businesses pay for health care for their employees. With health care costs making or breaking a small business, any help they can get will be valuable.
The South Carolina Health Cooperative (SCHC) combines many different types of companies together to create a pool that applies for health insurance. SCHC structures plans over the long term which protects smaller companies from unexpected rate increases. SCHC is the first approved cooperative in the state which happened this month.
The co-op is available for small businesses with 2-50 employees and the application process has been started. The best thing about this type of pool is that the more people that sign up, the more negotiating power there is to get low rates from the health insurance companies.
The South Carolina Health Cooperative (SCHC) combines many different types of companies together to create a pool that applies for health insurance. SCHC structures plans over the long term which protects smaller companies from unexpected rate increases. SCHC is the first approved cooperative in the state which happened this month.
The co-op is available for small businesses with 2-50 employees and the application process has been started. The best thing about this type of pool is that the more people that sign up, the more negotiating power there is to get low rates from the health insurance companies.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Sinkholes Increase Florida Insurance Rates
According to the article "Sinkhole Claims Are Driving up Florida Insurance Rates, State Official Says" by Laura Green on TCPalm.com, property insurance companies in Florida are reporting a 200% increase in sinkhole claims between 2006 and 2010 with costs of over $1.4 billion.
The Florida DOI and Commissioner Kevin McCarty believe sinkhole claims are driving up insurance rates and a recent report confirms this. He is concerned because rates will never stop increasing if the problem isn't addressed. Only about 1% of the claims represent a catastrophic sinkhole, something that could swallow up a whole backyard or a SUV car.
The majority of the claims comes from Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, which are all known as the sinkhole belt. The report also shows a steady incrase in claims in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, which are areas not generally prone to sinkholes. Some of the claims may not be legitimate and not only is this type of fraud immoral, but they drive up the costs of insurance for everyone.
The Florida DOI and Commissioner Kevin McCarty believe sinkhole claims are driving up insurance rates and a recent report confirms this. He is concerned because rates will never stop increasing if the problem isn't addressed. Only about 1% of the claims represent a catastrophic sinkhole, something that could swallow up a whole backyard or a SUV car.
The majority of the claims comes from Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, which are all known as the sinkhole belt. The report also shows a steady incrase in claims in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, which are areas not generally prone to sinkholes. Some of the claims may not be legitimate and not only is this type of fraud immoral, but they drive up the costs of insurance for everyone.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Health Care Reform Facts
With election season here, health care reform has been a hot topic across the nation. There is so much information flying around that it's hard to decipher the facts from fiction. There seems to be three main myths out there scaring consumers. Let's put some of the myths to rest.
Health care reform is not designed to raise taxes or cause job losses. The law actually includes the largest middle class tax cut for health care ever in the United States. Most Americans do not want to pay any more taxes than we already do and the administration recognizes this.
Some experts worry that the health care bill will force Americans to purchase health insurance policies they cannot afford. Between tax breaks and hardship waivers the plan hopes everyone can have affordable health insurance policies.
Another major myth out there is that Medicare is going to be cut dramatically and hurt beneficiaries. The plan does not include any Medicare cuts to beneficiaries, but rather it adds benefits such as free preventative health care and annual wellness visits.
Understanding reform is the first step in getting Americans on board so that the plan can actually work. Politics aside, health care reform will be in full effect by 2014 so everyone needs to work together to get the best possible results.
Health care reform is not designed to raise taxes or cause job losses. The law actually includes the largest middle class tax cut for health care ever in the United States. Most Americans do not want to pay any more taxes than we already do and the administration recognizes this.
Some experts worry that the health care bill will force Americans to purchase health insurance policies they cannot afford. Between tax breaks and hardship waivers the plan hopes everyone can have affordable health insurance policies.
Another major myth out there is that Medicare is going to be cut dramatically and hurt beneficiaries. The plan does not include any Medicare cuts to beneficiaries, but rather it adds benefits such as free preventative health care and annual wellness visits.
Understanding reform is the first step in getting Americans on board so that the plan can actually work. Politics aside, health care reform will be in full effect by 2014 so everyone needs to work together to get the best possible results.
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