Critical Illness

Spring Maintenance Tips to Protect Your Home

A home is one of life’s most important investments. Keeping it properly maintained can help reduce the risk of a loss and help ensure the safety and well being of friends and family. Just in time for spring, Paul Fisher Insurance Services and Travelers, a leading provider of auto and homeowners insurance, offer these maintenance tips to prepare your home for warmer weather and to keep it safe year-round:

• Inspect your smoke detectors. Make sure that there is one on each floor of your home. Test them and change the batteries at least every six months, when you change your clocks.
• Check the light bulbs in all your fixtures to be sure that they are the correct wattage as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Replace lamps that use high-producing bulbs (such as halogen) with those that use fluorescent bulbs and operate at much cooler temperatures.
• Check your electrical outlets for potential fire hazards such as frayed wires or loose-fitting plugs. Be sure not to overload electrical outlets, fuse boxes, extension cords or any other power service.
• Keep a multi-purpose fire extinguisher accessible that is filled and ready for operation.
• Have your air conditioning system inspected by a professional as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Check for damage to your roof, and clean gutters and downspouts to keep debris from accumulating.
• Check your water heater for leaks and corrosion, and keep surrounding area clear.
• Clean and/or replace your furnace filter.
• Clean the clothes dryer exhaust duct and space under the dryer. Remove all lint, dust, and pieces of material or cloth.
• Inspect washing machine hoses and replace hoses that show signs of wear or leakage with stronger reinforced hoses. Turn off the water when not in use to prevent water damage if a hose breaks.
• In your yard, remove all dead trees and keep healthy trees and bushes trimmed and away from utility wires. Do not attempt to remove tree limbs from power lines yourself. Instead, call your power company to request assistance.
• Safely store oil and gas for lawn equipment and tools in a vented, secured area.
• Repair driveway and walkways that are cracked, broken or uneven to provide a level walking surface.

Established in 1983, Paul Fisher Insurance Services is an independent insurance agency offering a full range of insurance products including Auto, Home, Life, Equipment Leasing, Business Owners Insurance, Wedding Protection, Special Occasion Protection, and much more!

For information and quotes on insurance coverage, please visit
Paul Fisher Insurance Services at 3967 William Penn Highway Suite 3, Murrysville, PA 15668 or call (724)519-7503.

About Travelers
Travelers understands that life and business are inherently dynamic and that the best way to serve agents and policyholders is to deliver insurance that evolves to stay in-synch with life and business as they change. For more information on being in-synch, visit www.travelers.com.
The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) is a leading property casualty insurer selling primarily through independent agents and brokers. The company’s diverse business lines offer its global customers a wide range of coverage in both the personal and commercial settings, including automobile, homeowners, construction, small business, oil and gas, ocean marine, surety and management liability, global technology and public sector services. Travelers is a Fortune 100 company, with 2007 revenues of $26 billion and total assets of $115 billion. The company has approximately 33,000 employees.

Critical Illness Insurance In The USA

Critical illness insurance did not exist in the USA long ago. There was a type of insurance known as the cancer insurance. It covered some types of cancers, alike critical illness which covers certain critical illnesses. Cancer insurance had been in the USA for many years. It was during the year 1989 that a critical illness product was firstly launched in the USA by Jackson National Life. The critical illness policy lacked benefits, as it was the case when firstly introduced in the UK. It covered only around 5 critical illness conditions with about 25 percent acceleration of the life benefit. The product sold well during the first two to three months but then came to a slowdown.

The slowdown could have arisen as Jackson National Life sold the critical illness policy in the broker market. The broker market at that time had the tendency to be guided by whatever was new. Therefore, when a new product came into the market, critical illness policy was left behind. The policy may still exist and could be sold in the USA but under a different form. (Source: Health Care Conference, 2000)

Moreover, then came the American Physicians Life�s policy (APL). This type of critical illness policy may still be sold in the USA. But sales may have been considerably low. There may be three reasons that could explain the poor sales of this critical illness policy. Firstly, APL was only licensed in 8 states and could be seen as a niche provider. Secondly, the policy was based upon the critical illness policy in the UK and thus turned out to be ineffective for the US market at that time. Finally, the APL had been sold to a finance group which owned the American Founders Life (AFL). AFL also had a critical illness contract but sales had as well been meager.

The attempts to sell an effective critical illness policy over the US market did not stop here. Bankers Life & Casualty came with the only standalone critical illness policy. The US market did not respond positively to change. Again, sales had been relatively low. However certain problems may explain the lack of growth of critical illness cover in the USA. There are many states in the USA. Thus, each state has its own law which also regulates insurance separately. Therefore, if critical illness policy issued by a company is recognized in only a few states, many people may be left unaware as it may not reach them easily. The success of critical illness insurance in the UK may explain everything as laws and regulations may have been set only by one authority as compared to the USA.

Furthermore, critical illness insurance may have been considered as another form of cancer insurance in the USA. Cancer insurance had not been successful in the USA as it did not offer cover for all types of cancers. As a matter of fact, its benefits may also have been slight.

Looking at critical illness insurance in the USA, we can see that this product had not been as successful in the UK. The direct sales forces in the UK may have led critical illness insurance to the status it now holds in the market.

via Critical Illness Insurance In The USA.

Choosing Critical Illness Insurance

Surveys tell that most people are more likely to become critically ill than to die before they reach the age of 65. Critical illness affects a lot of people in UK as well as all over the world. Consequently, life insurance companies found a solution. They came across the idea of bringing out a new policy called critical illness cover. To date, this type of policy has kept its name. As time passed by, critical illness gained popularity as it was sought by many people. How do we choose critical illness insurance? Let us find out the answer.

First of all if you are worried about the safety of the family or want to set everything right for the future, you are probably wondering about taking a critical illness insurance. Fine idea as it is, to get the best critical illness insurance you must start looking around. In an initial step you have to make a list of what life insurance companies you have to visit or phone. Now, not all life insurance companies offer the critical illness cover. To get round this, you will probably have to make some phone calls. Once done, you now have a list of all life insurance companies which offer the critical illness insurance.

Therefore, start by calling the most prominent critical illness insurance companies. You will have to compare different quotes and check out prices to find on the critical illness policy that suits you. Tiresome and tricky as it is you may find yourself in a dilemma. You could end up having so much paperwork in your hands that it becomes difficult to make a choice. Remember that you have to take all the factors included within the policy into consideration. Do not always opt for cheap critical illness insurance policies. Most of them might not be as effective.

Probably the best way to search for a critical illness insurance or any other life insurance is to surf the internet. You could just sit down on your comfortable chair at home and avoid visiting the insurance companies one by one. You open Google for example and write critical illness insurance. The results would show you a list of all insurance companies that offer critical illness insurance. You have immediately thousands of insurance companies to visit and request a quote online.

To get a quote online is in most cases easy. You can specify which type of critical illness cover you want. You can also mention for how much time you need the cover for and are sometimes asked how much cover you need. Thus, the bigger the cover you want, the higher the premium will be.You are also asked if you want a joint or single critical illness insurance account. Besides, you will be able to compare the quotes from various companies at a time. Hence you have a broad vision of the types of critical illness insurance company that exist and the advantages they are giving. As said before, do not get attracted by cheap prices. Anyway if you still want the support of an agent, you could easily get a contact. Most of the time you would be explained things clearly.

As a matter of fact, contacting online brokers for critical illness insurance is very often an easier task compared to visiting one company after the other. So take advantage of the internet and unlock the appropriate critical illness insurance you have always dreamt of.

via Choosing Critical Illness Insurance.

Critical Illness Insurance To Help During Hard Times

ust like a normal insurance package, critical illness insurance is also designed to facilitate the lives of those who are insured. It is different from the standard insurance covers and best suited to someone who might have been diagnosed with a critical illness.

Critical Illness Cover

When someone in the family or the main earning member gets diagnosed with a life threatening condition, the future suddenly looks bleak. Usually, there are no future plans that take into account the condition that will most likely take away a precious life. In such a situation having critical illness insurance plan works towards providing some advantages, the first being giving some peace of mind to the one who is battling the condition. The first thought he might have is what will happen to his family, their future and their growth when he is not there to protect them. He will see to it that they are safe and no harm comes to them. That is what this sort of insurance cover normally aids the insured person.

When you decide to take such a policy you are not only safeguarding your family, you might also be making sure that their future is taken care of.

The Benefits

Getting the right plan for you might be a tricky proposition since there are a number of policies out there. These policies are provided by various companies covering a range of different illnesses. You need to choose the one which is most likely to suit you and also take into account other important factors.

If you are not sure how to approach this subject you can take the help of a number of online options that present you with varied choices. They will ask you some basic questions and depending on your answers will provide you with a number of policies that are best suited. You will be required to give out your medical histories and whether there was any serious illness in the past.

They will then show the various policies that might be designed to suit your case. You can also ask for a tailor made policy once you decide that you want a more comprehensive cover with specific conditions.

It is important that you look at the features and check out the kind of medical conditions that are covered in the critical illness insurance. Some might not cover the most critical conditions while others might cover a range of problems that might not even be a possibility where you live. Though you might feel that it is best to be prepared in advance, accepting all these might simply increase your premiums.

If you are a businessman and want to take out a group cover for your employees there are various policies that can cover that as well. You might get advantages from this cover and also see to it that all your employees are benefitted from this type of critical illness insurance.

When you recover this money in a lump sum amount like any critical illness insurance, you might like to spend it on paying off a huge debt that you would have taken care of in the normal circumstances, pay for your child’s care for the future and make sure that their needs are taken care of even if you are not physically present.

via Critical Illness Insurance To Help During Hard Times.

Health Insurance and Survivors of Cancer

If you have a history of cancer you’ll find it hard to be enrolled in any kind of medical care policy. However this is also a difficult time for them to look for a decent job. Employers are of course wary about hiring applicants with cancer because this will drive up their medical expense.

Low-cost health insurance can also be a hassle. The cancer survivor is usually hit with very high premiums, the obvious exclusion because of a pre-existing condition, and the uncertainty that the health insurance provider really does not want to insure the individual.

The unfortunate catch-22 situation that a cancer survivor is placed makes them wonder what the point is of having health insurance of any kind. Often they are categorized under the high risk pool. This is the reason why their premiums are high. You will need to pay a medical policy even though you won’t have coverage for eighteen months because you used to have cancer.

Most plans specialize in managed preventive care instead of catastrophic benefits that a lot of people will need some time in their lives. This puts the survivors in high-risk pools that will give them a problem of paying the costly premiums.

Most patients will try their best to pay their premiums but it will come to a point when they can no longer pay. This leads them to hold on to whatever they have so they could keep paying their premiums and keep their policy.

The opportunity to find a different carrier with an offering of a lower cost health insurance policy is very slim. For some individuals, they feel that getting an individual paying policy is less adequate than going through an employer-sponsored insurance.

The new health insurance provider may require and elimination of the rider for the cancer treatment you so desperately needed simply because they can. Sad to say, there are insurance providers who will not give you coverage until five years after. But it defeats the purpose of applying for health insurance. Because of financial challenge, some patients just turn to their state government for health coverage,

via Health Insurance and Survivors of Cancer.

A Health Insurance Guide for Cancer Patients

Even though you have already recovered from cancer, you still have to face another problem – finding an affordable medical insurance. The common health insurance policy is set up to cover necessary medical expenses and non-medical expenses. Your non-medical costs cover your loss income when you lose your employment.

Other familiar features include the in-home health care, ambulatory transportation and when it becomes necessary, childcare expenses for those individuals who still have young children residing in the home. Included under medical costs are co-pays, medical tests, extended hospital stay and other medical emergencies.

Cancer survivors need to consider a few important facts before they begin to proceed with caution.

1. Cancer diagnosed before the application of the health insurance policy

2. Cancer that began before the application of the health insurance policy even if the individual was not aware

3.Cancer related illnesses such as common infections, pneumonia, and diabetes

4.Outpatient treatment coverage just in case the cancer occurs again

Individuals who are susceptible to cancer needs a complete medical coverage compared to those who are not susceptible to it. I know this is not easy to decipher but it helps for you to trace your family medical history.

Most health insurance providers will cover hospitalization for up to ninety days in an annual cycle, though the majority of patients remain in the hospital for about twelve to fourteen days at a time. It’s already difficult as it is if you have been diagnosed with cancer. The last thing you would want to worry about is looking for a goodhealth care .

Patients who recovered from cancer who are lucky enough to go back to their jobs will more easily be able to keep their health insurance. If you get your plan through a group insurance, then it will be better for you since it will mean getting lower premium rates.

It is vital for cancer survivors to know that having a health insurance is extremely important for their care because anytime cancer might come back. Even a temporary long-term health insurance policy is far better than no health insurance policy. Catastrophic health insurance is another option for the cancer survivor.

via A Health Insurance Guide for Cancer Patients.

An Overview of Cancer Insurance

A cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming enough before you even start to consider the financial ramifications. Cancer insurance policies were created fairly recently in response to rising cancer rates. These policies are designed specifically to help curtail the expenses related to cancer care.

What is Cancer Insurance?

Cancer insurance is a supplemental insurance policy, meaning it does not take the place of an entire health insurance policy. It is used to cover the costs of cancer treatment that are not included as part of a standard policy. Cancer insurance can be a great help to cancer patients, allowing them to focus on their recovery rather than worry about mounting medical bills. However, it is not available to everyone.

Cancer Insurance Eligibility

To qualify for a cancer insurance plan, you must be totally free of any pre-existing cancerous conditions. This is all the more incentive to plan for the future by purchasing a cancer insurance plan before it is needed. In most cases, you will also not be eligible for coverage if you have been successfully treated for cancer in the past.

Cancer Insurance Coverage

Although plans vary from policy to policy, most cancer insurance plans allow for coverage of medical and non-medical expenses. The medical expenses include such things as hospital stays, medications, and cancer-specific treatments. The non-medical coverage extends to other costs that have been accrued as a direct result of a cancer diagnosis. This includes things like the loss of an income, the costs of home childcare, and special dietary needs. Loss of income coverage can be especially helpful when a cancer patient is unable to work due to their illness. Non-medical can also cover things like transportation, such as the ambulance or helicopters used to bring patients to the hospital.

Choosing a Cancer Insurance Plan

Because policies can differ greatly, it is always important that you take the time to fully understand and compare each cancer insurance plan before you make a decision. One quick way to get the most efficient pricing on a plan is to compare it to your health plan. This can help you discover any overlap in coverage between the two policies and allow you to make the most cost-efficient choice. After all, you don’t want to pay for any kinds of coverage in your cancer insurance plan that you are already paying for in your health plan.

Disease-specific insurance policies are currently a topic of considerable debate. While some argue that the general benefits of cancer insurance could be met by a traditional health insurance plan, others have found cancer insurance to be an invaluable complement to their health plan. While this can change from person to person and plan to plan, there are a few things you can think about to help you decide if you should purchase a cancer insurance plan. Does your family have a significant history of cancer? Does your career or lifestyle put you in a higher risk group for cancer? Is your current health plan equipped to handle any medical and non-medical costs that could arise if you were diagnosed with cancer? Answering “yes” to any of these questions is a good indication that you should look into a cancer insurance policy.

For people at a low-to-average risk for cancer, it might be a more financially sound move to update their current health insurance plan with coverage aimed at cancer-related costs. This could cost less than the addition of a whole new disease-specific policy. However, it’s important to realize that this could mean giving up the non-medical expenses offered by a cancer-specific policy, including loss of income.

Finally, keep in mind that cancer insurance is not a replacement for a standard health insurance plan. It is meant as a supplement and not designed to stand on its own. A solid cancer insurance policy will work with your health plan to make sure all your bases are covered in the event you’re diagnosed with cancer. Everything should be covered, such as chemotherapy, experimental treatments, transportation to and from the hospital, loss of income, child care, medication, and more. With three out of seven Americans contracting cancer in their lifetimes, this might be the right time to give yourself the peace of mind that comes from full coverage.For consumers looking for insurance online and where to get the best insurance quote possible, look no further than 2insure4less.com. Whether it is auto insurance, home insurance, health insurance, life insurance, cancer insurance, disability insurance, business insurance or burial insurance, 2insure4less has helped countless consumers find insurance online.

via An Overview of Cancer Insurance.

How Disability Income Insurance Policies Define Disability

When was the last time you read the fine print of an insurance policy? The fine print tells you some important information–how the policy defines disability, what your benefits will be, what exclusions apply, and more. The disability definition used in the policy determines how you qualify for disability benefits.

To be considered disabled under most policies, you must be unable to earn income. However, many policies narrow down this definition quite a bit. They may specify that you must try working in another occupation if you can’t do your own job, or they may pay benefits if you can do some but not all of the duties of your own occupation. Other policies aren’t concerned with occupation at all; they consider you to be disabled when, because of illness or injury, you earn less than you did before.

Own occupation coverage

Although the terminology used to define disability varies from policy to policy, an own occupation policy generally defines disability as the inability to perform the material and substantial duties of one’s own occupation. This definition of disability is liberal, because even if you can work in another occupation, you still receive disability benefits. Own occupation coverage is often more expensive and may be available only to individuals who have a clean medical history and work in a relatively risk-free occupation.

Any occupation coverage

An any occupation policy defines disability as the inability to perform the duties of any occupation. This definition of disability is strict. To receive benefits according to this definition, you have to be unable to work in any occupation, not just your own. Generally, however, the wording is modified to take into consideration your earning level, education, training, and experience.

Split definition coverage

Many disability policies incorporate both an own occupation definition of disability and an any occupation definition. You purchase a policy that provides own occupation coverage for a limited period of time. After this period ends (usually two years), you must meet the any occupation definition of disability to continue receiving benefits. This is sometimes known as short-term own occupation coverage.

Presumptive total disability coverage

No matter how your insurance company defines total disability, most companies automatically consider certain catastrophic ailments to be totally disabling. If you are disabled by one of these ailments, you don’t have to meet the conditions normally required in order to be considered totally disabled. Not only do you receive immediate benefits, but you also continue to receive benefits even if you are able to return to work. These ailments (which may be caused by injury or illness) are the loss of sight in both eyes, hearing in both ears, speech, the use of both hands, the use of both feet, and the use of one hand and one foot.

Residual disability coverage

Disability policies can pay benefits in the event that you cannot work at all (total disability), can work some time but not all the time (residual disability), or both. Residual disability or income replacement policies pay benefits according to the amount of income you have lost due to disability. These policies pay benefits even if you are not totally disabled and can work part-time. Your benefit will be based on the percentage of income you earn working part-time in relation to what you used to earn working full-time. In some policies, to qualify for residual disability coverage, you must first qualify for a period of total disability. This is the least desirable method.

You can purchase a total disability policy with residual coverage as a rider, or an income replacement policy (as residual coverage is known when that is the only way benefits are paid) as a stand-alone policy. The income replacement policy will generally cost less than the total disability policy with the residual rider.

Partial disability coverage

Partial disability coverage is usually offered as a rider to a total disability policy, although it may be included in base coverage. It is similar to, but not the same as, residual disability coverage. Both types of coverage pay benefits if you can perform some but not all of the duties of your occupation. However, unlike residual disability, a partial disability definition does not consider loss of income. Rather, you are paid an amount equal to 50 percent (occasionally less) of the benefit that you would earn if you were totally disabled. In addition, the benefit period is much shorter than that for residual disability (a few months or a year at most).

Does your policy cover illness, injuries, or both?

Most policies offer coverage for both injuries and illnesses. Some policies, however, offer accident-only protection and don’t cover illnesses. Also, because work-related disabilities are covered by workers’ compensation, most policies will reduce their benefits by any amount of benefits paid by workers’ compensation, as well as any benefits received from Social Security and other government programs.

Sickness is usually defined in disability policies as illness or disease that manifests itself while the policy is in force. This definition covers mental as well as physical illness, but most policies limit payments for mental illness and drug- or alcohol-related disabilities to two years of benefits. Some policies have exclusions for disabilities caused by pregnancy, war, and self-inflicted injuries as well as other exclusions. All of the exclusions will be detailed in the policy.

via How Disability Income Insurance Policies Define Disability.

Health & Fitness :: Protect Your Family With Critical Illness Insurance | ArticleBiz.com

A sudden onset of a crippling disease can leave you temporarily handicapped, to ensure your financial well-being in such a situation you should consider getting critical illness insurance. In today’s world, a debilitating affliction can result in huge financial loss, first because if you are bedridden the flow of income stops, and secondly, long drawn out treatments can incur massive costs.

Critical illness insurance can give you sometimes vital financial aid in crunch times like these. If ever, you are in a position where you find yourself diagnosed with a critical illness, you will get a lump sum of money, tax-free to tide you over your hard times. However, there is a procedure to safeguard against unlawful claims but if your case is genuine; this insurance can be a huge help.

Critical Illness Insurance Cover

Under critical illness insurance cover, you get cover for a number of diseases listed as critical illnesses. Seven core categories are present in almost all policies. These are the following:

* Heart attack

* Coronary artery bypass

* Multiple sclerosis

* Cancer

* Major organ transplant

* Kidney failure

* Stroke

Other diseases and conditions that lead to disability are also in present in the policy.

To tighten the insurance claims the companies do not cover all categories in the above illnesses such as non-invasive skin cancer and cardiac conditions like angina. In case of cardiac problems, an ECG (Electro Cardiogram) will be necessary to prove changes in the heart or proof of typical chest pain to validate the claim.

Once the necessary proof is there, the insurance company will agree to release the payment. There is, however, a clause which states that the patient should survive for a certain amount of time before they release the payment, so it takes anything between 28-30 days to get the payment. In case of paralysis, it takes much longer as it takes more time to ascertain the paralysis. They release the payment in case of paralysis in about six months to one year.

Benefits Of The Insurance

Once you have the money you can do anything you want with it. Pay off your mortgage, pay the medical bills and even redecorate the house. This lump sum of tax-free money is absolutely yours.

The benefits to a family person with dependents or even in a relationship are far greater. In case you have dependents, this money will help you out tremendously as you can fall upon it and thus have a healthy and full recovery without bothering about the payments and other financial aspects. Similarly as in a family, if you are a couple the money will help you and your partner avoid the stress of wondering where the money is going to come from and give you a peace of mind that is necessary to rehabilitate from a critical illness. Critical illness insurance in this way protects your family.

If you do go in for critical illness insurance, be wise in deciding the policy and choose the right insurers. Be completely honest and truthful about your medical history when they question you about it, and be sure to be clear on what your policy covers and does not cover.

via Health & Fitness :: Protect Your Family With Critical Illness Insurance | ArticleBiz.com.

Tips to ensure your claim is processed in a timely manor

There are a couple of key factors that will help process your claim within a timely manor:

1. Be sure to fill out all of your personal information on each claim form. Sometimes the company will ask for the information several times on each page, it is necessary for you to complete the information each time. It seems redundant, but it is necessary.

2. Make sure to give your physician the claim forms to fill out. You can provide your physician with our fax number (724)519-7484 and ask them to complete it and fax it directly to our office. You do not have to wait for them to fax the information. You can send us your completed portion as soon as it is finished.

3. Make sure to give your employer the claim forms to fill out. You can provide your physician with our fax number (724)519-7484 and ask them to complete it and fax it directly to our office. You do not have to wait for them to fax the information. You can send us your completed portion as soon as it is finished.

4. We will also need a copy of your Operative Report faxed to our office.

5.  We will need ANY copies of itemized statements, chiropractor visits, or any doctors visits.

6. Claims should be filed within 14 days of the accident or sickness. The sooner we receive your completed paperwork, the sooner the claim is filed and processed.

7. You can check on the status of your claim 24 hours a day by visiting the Insurer’s direct website or by contacting our office.

Baldwin Benaware
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