Free Insurance Quotes - Cheap and Simple Way to Manage Our Savings

Have you checked your insurance for better insurance rate quotes lately? Many people ignore this just because they don't want to go through all the troubles looking for insurance rate information or comparing rates, and decide to stick with the old companies which they think have already given them the best rates and coverage even if the rates are raised by the companies. If that is what happen, they might have missed the chance of getting better rates and coverage offered by other insurance companies on the market.
In every insurance company, insurance rate is dynamically changed through time. There are so many aspects that can influence the rate changing whether it is an external or internal factor.
Government rules and policies, political and economic situation, business atmosphere such as number of competitors, or even a natural disaster could be considered as external factors that give effect to an insurance rate as well as the coverage. For example when the political situation is getting hot which might trigger some riots or civil commotions insurance companies will raise their rates since the risk factors are increasing, and they might lessen the extend coverage for RSCCTS (riot, strike, civil commotion, terrorism, and sabotage) or give an extra charge for the items. But if an insurance company finds a lot of competitors on the market selling the same insurance product, this could make the company lower their rate and sometimes offers a better coverage and service.
While the internal factors usually have something to do with the loss and profit of an insurance company. Let's say insurance company A provides auto insurance and homeowner insurance. Due to a catastrophic in one area, they have to pay out a large amount of homeowner insurance claims. To cover the loss over the homeowner insurance claims, the company may raise premiums for their auto insurance customers. But if the company is in a profitable year they might lower their rates to attract more customers. Beside that, certain record of costumers might also affect the insurance rate like credit history or driving record in the case of auto insurance.
Since there are so many factors that could affect the raise or decrease of insurance rates, we can be sure that there is no guarantee we will continue to receive the best rates from the time we signed with an insurance company. Like I said before, insurance rate is dynamically changes through time, so even if we still pay the same rate like the first time we signed with an insurance company or even lower than that, we still have a chance of getting a better insurance deal on the market.
To ensure we are getting the best rate, best is to make a regular review of our policy and then make a comparison against the offerings from other competing insurance companies. Not like in the past, when to obtain insurance quotes could take a lot of time and waste so much energy since we have to spend hours on the phone and having lots of meetings with different insurance agents, today we can easily get free insurance quotes from the internet. This could be done in a very short time, only by filling out the online questionnaire and without lifting the phone or leaving home, we already can obtain free insurance quotes from many different insurance companies.
We can get free insurance quotes from insurance company websites, insurance broker websites, or from any other insurance websites that have free insurance quotes tool. If we'd like to have a more detail information on coverage and services of an insurance product beside the rate, we can get a free insurance quote from insurance company websites. But this way, we're going to have to travel from website to website to get quotes from other insurance companies and also we have to fill the questionnaire form again and again. So if we'd like to save a little time and energy, we can get free insurance quotes from insurance consulting websites that offer free insurance quotes. We can easily find these websites by simply type "free insurance quotes" on the search engine, and we'll find hundreds of websites offering to give free insurance quotes. The best thing is we don't have to visit another websites to get insurance quotes from different insurance companies and usually we only have to fill the questionnaire form once. These kind of websites usually also give tips on how to get the best rate, coverage, and other insurance services.
To obtain sufficient information from free insurance quotes to be able to help us in making comparisons and determine which insurance company will we choose, here are some things should be noted:
o We must determine from which site we will ask for an insurance quote based on our needs. If we want more detailed information about coverage and services provided by an insurance company is better to directly ask for quotes from the insurance company's website. We should also do this if we want an insurance quote for specific types of insurance such as the antique car insurance which has many different aspects from the general car insurance. But if we wish to make a quick comparison and intend to more detailed information later on, we can go to any insurance site which provides a free insurance quote for many different insurance companies, and be sure we pick the site which has a large amount of insurance company database so we can have a lot of choices to compare.
o Determine what kind of coverage we really need and how much money we prepared, and what amounts of coverage needed to protect us. Because the insurance market is sometimes like a shopping mall that often tempt us with products that are irresistible, so we often fall and spend money on something that we don't really need.
o Fill the questionnaire form with accurate data, if we do not feel confident about what we have to fill in one column, it's better to ask or look for documents that can help us fill, in case of auto insurance maybe we can prepare the vehicle documents, driver license, and any related documents. If the insurance object is under insured, the policy's declarations page can help you a lot in filling the form. Answer all the questions in the form truly and don't hide anything, this is the only way for us to obtain an accurate quote.
o Ask free insurance quotes from at least three different companies to be able to get more alternatives. If we ask for quotes from different sites, make sure to enter exactly the same information so that we can get a balanced comparison.
o Do some experiments by changing information or value in various fields that can affect insurance rates and consider the results of the calculation to see which one best suits our needs and budget, then do the same thing with quotes from other insurance companies in order to make comparisons. For example, generally if we increase the deductible value and decrease the amount coverage then we shall have a lower rate. Or in case of auto insurance, number of drivers and average mileage can also affect the rate. But please notice that there are some fields which also affect the rate that we cannot change like driving record in case of auto insurance or health record in case of health insurance otherwise we won't get an accurate quote.
After getting a rate quote that suits our needs and budget, we can continue to do a further check to the insurance company and the insurance plan. Remember, that the cheapest quote doesn't necessarily mean you will get the best value on your coverage and good coverage doesn't always come from a big company. Here are what we have to do after getting rate quotes:
o Look beyond the amount of money to what the coverage actually covers. Pay attention to the several other factors that could affect the claim process and payment as well as the length of the claim process, also find out what is not covered in the policy exclusions. We can get the information on the website if it's available there or best is to contact the insurance agent to get more sufficient comprehensive information.
o Check the history and reputation of the company, since having insurance covers from an experienced and reputable company can give us peace of mind. Find out whether they provide high quality costumer care or if there were complains about the company performance. we can find testimonials or experts review on an insurance company concerning these issues.
o There's nothing wrong to follow our instinct as long as we also use common sense in deciding which insurance company we should choose. We can go with the company that makes us feel most comfortable as long as it gives a nice rate and coverage based on the insurance quote. Pay attention if the agent or company representative able to answer all our coverage and policy questions or whether the agent treat you with courteous and respect. After all, we always want to have insurance protection with the best rate and service.
After we have made our mind and choose one insurance company to insured us, we shouldn't stop trying to get more discounts or lower rate. Besides raising up the deductible amount which can give us up to 15-30% lower rate, there are still many other things that can lower the insurance rate such as:
o If the insurance company handles a wide range of insurance products consider having all our insurance provided by this company, this will give us a great discount on our premiums.
o In the case of auto or homeowners' insurance, ask the company about multi-family price reductions for coverage. If there is a price reduction, consider to purchase multi-family over a single type of insurance from the company. We can also get discount by having well-security system for the vehicle / house.
o We can also choose to make annual premium payment to save money. That's because most insurance companies do charge a service fee if we make quarterly or monthly payments since this increases the risk that we won't pay the next month. Some insurance companies don't charge these fees but do give us a discount if we pay our entire premium in one lump sum. While that might seem too expensive of a bill to pay at once, we could always put back the amount of the monthly premiums into a savings account each month then we'd have the full amount to pay the yearly premium
After we have got the best coverage with the best rate, all we have to do is to keep it that way by avoiding things that can cause us to lose some protection and rate increases. For example, in case of auto insurance, we should be a safe driver, avoid accidents, and try to avoid making too much claims. As for homeowners' insurance, we can try to minimize our liability risks by placing fence around the pool or having adult supervision when anyone is at home. We might also consider small repairs yourself without making a claim.
This way we can maintain the coverage and the low rate we already have although it's not 100% guarantee it will stay that way for a very long time. That's why we still have to make a regular review of our policy especially at the end of an insurance period to get the best deal on the market by taking advantage of free insurance quotes available, since the rate might easily changed every time.

Car Insurance Terms and Glossary

No car insurance resource would be complete without a comprehensive glossary of car insurance terms. We've compiled a list of terms and their definitions to better help you navigate the sometimes confusing world of insurance
Accident - This is an unexpected sudden event that causes property damage to an automobile or bodily injury to a person. The event may be an at-fault or not-at fault and it may be report or unreported. An accident involving two vehicles may be termed a collision.
Accident report form - This is the report filed by police, often called the police report, containing the important information regarding the vehicle collision. This report will include the names of all individuals involved, vehicles involved, property damaged and citations that were issued.
Adjuster - This is the person who will evaluate the actual loss reported on the policy after an accident or other incident. They will make the determination on how much will be paid on the auto insurance policy by the Insurer.
Agent - This is a licensed and trained individual who is authorized to sell and to service insurance policies for the auto insurance company.
At Fault - This is the amount that you, the policy holder, contributed or caused the auto collision. This determines which insurance agency pays which portion of the losses.
Auto Insurance Score - This is a score similar to credit score that evaluates the information in your consumer credit report. These scores are used when determining pricing for your auto insurance policy. Negative marks on your credit report can increase your auto insurance premiums. The use of this information to determine policy pricing does vary from state to state.
Automobile Insurance - This is a type of insurance policy that covers and protect against losses involving automobiles. Auto Insurance policies include a wide range of coverage's depending on the policy holders needs. Liability for property damage and bodily injury, uninsured motorist, medical payments, comprehensive, and collision are some of the common coverage's offered under an auto insurance policy.
Binder - This is a temporary short-term policy agreement put in place while a formal permanent policy is put into place or delivered.
Bodily Injury Liability - This is the section of an insurance policy that covers the cost to anyone you may injure. It can include lost wages and medical expenses.
Broker - This is a licensed individual who on your behalf sells and services various insurance policies.
Claim - This is a formal notice made to your insurance company that a loss has occurred which may be covered under the terms of the auto insurance policy.
Claims Adjuster - This person employed by the insurance agency will investigate and settle all claims and losses. A representative for the insurance agency to verify and ensure all parties involved with the loss, get compensated fairly and correctly.
Collision - The portion of the insurance policy that covers damage to your vehicle from hitting another object. Objects can include but are not limited to; another vehicle, a building, curbs, guard rail, tree, telephone pole or fence. A deductible will apply. Your insurance company will go after the other parties insurance policy for these cost should they be at fault.
Commission - This is the portion of the auto insurance policy that is paid to the insurance agent for selling and servicing the policy on behalf of the company.
Comprehensive - This is a portion of the insurance policy that covers loss caused by anything other than a collision or running into another object. A deductible will apply. This includes but is not limited to vandalism, storm damage, fire, theft, etc.
Covered loss - This is the damage to yourself, other people or property or your vehicle that is covered under the auto insurance policy.
Declarations Page - This is the part of the insurance policy that includes the entire legal name of your insurance company, your full legal name, complete car information including vehicle identification numbers or VIN, policy information, policy number, deductible amounts. This page is usually the front page of the insurance policy.
Deductible Amount - This is the portion of the auto insurance policy that is the amount the policy holder must pay up front before the Insurance Company contributes and is required to pay any benefits. This amount can be within a wide range in price and varies from approximately $100 - $1000. The larger amount you pay in a deductible the lower your normal monthly/yearly policy will cost. This is the portion of the auto insurance policy that would be applicable only to comprehensive or collision coverage.
Discount - This is a reduction in the overall cost of your insurance policy. Deductions can be given for a variety of different reasons including a good driving record, grades, age, marital status, specific features and safety equipment on the automobile.
Emergency Road Service - This is the part of an auto insurance policy that covers the cost of emergency services such as flat tires, keys locked in the car and towing services.
Endorsement - This is any written change that is made to the auto insurance policy that is adding or removing coverage on the policy.
Exclusion - This is the portion of the auto Insurance policy that includes any provision including people, places or things that are not covered under the insurance policy.
First Party - This is the policyholder, the insured in an insurance policy.
Gap Insurance - This is a type of auto insurance provided to people who lease or own a vehicle that is worth less than the amount of the loan. Gap auto Insurance will cover the amount between the actual cash value of the vehicle and the amount left on loan should the care be stolen or destroyed.
High-Risk Driver - If you have a variety of negative marks on your insurance record including driving under the Influences, several traffic violations, etc. you may be labeled as a risk to the insurance company. This will increase your insurance policy or may make you ineligible for coverage.
Insured - The policyholder (s) who are covered by the policy benefits in case of a loss or accident.
Insurer - Is the Auto Insurance company who promises to pay the policy holder in case of loss or accident.
Liability insurance - This part of an auto insurance policy which legally covers the damage and injuries you cause to other drivers and their vehicles when you are at fault in an accident. If you are sued and taken to court, liability coverage will apply to your legal costs that you incur. Most states will require drivers to carry some variation of liability coverage Insurance and this amount will vary state by state.
Limits - This is the portion of the auto insurance policy that explains and lists the monetary limits the insurance company will pay out. In the situation you reach these limits the policy holder will be responsible for all other expenses.
Medical Payments Coverage - This is the portion of an auto insurance policy that pays for medical expenses and lost wages to you and any passengers in your vehicle after an accident. It is also known as personal injury protection or PIP.
Motor Vehicle Report - The motor vehicle report or MVR is a record issued by the state in which the policy holder resides in that will list the licensing status, any traffic violations, various suspensions and./ or refractions on your record. This is one of the tools used in determining the premium prices offered by the insurance agency. This is also used to determine the probability of you having a claim during your policy period.
No-Fault Insurance - If you reside within a state with no-fault insurance laws and regulations, your auto insurance policy pays for your injuries no matter who caused the accident. No-fault insurance states include; Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington, DC..
Non-Renewal - This is the termination of an auto insurance policy on the given expiration date. All coverage will cease as of this date and insurer will be released of promised coverage.
Personal Property Liability - This is the portion of the auto insurance policy that covers any damage or loss you cause to another person's personal property.
Personal Injury Protection or PIP - This portion of an auto insurance policy pays for any lost wages or medical expenses to you and any passengers in your vehicle following an accident. PIP is also known as medical payments coverage.
Premium - This is the amount charged to you monthly, yearly or any other duration agreed upon by insurance company and policy holder and paid directly to the auto insurance company. A premium is based on the type and amount of coverage you choose for your vehicle(s) and yourself. Other factors that will affect your insurance premium prices include your age, marital status, you're driving and credit report, the type of car you drive and whether you live in an urban or rural area. Premiums vary by insurance company and the location you live.
Quotation - This is the amount or estimated amount the insurance will cost based on the information provided to the agent, broker or auto insurance company.
Rescission.- This is the cancellation of the insurance policy dated back to its effective date. This would result in the full premium that was charged being returned.
Rental Reimbursement - This is the portion of the auto insurance policy that covers the cost of an automobile rental of similar size should the covered vehicle be in repair from a reported incident.
Replacement Cost - This is the amount of money it would cost to replace a lost or damaged item at it is actually new replacement value. This monetary amount would be based on a new identical item in the current local market.
Salvage - This is the auto insurance policy holders property that is turned over tot eh insurance agency in a loss final settlement. Insurance companies will sell the salvage property in hopes to recoup some of its monetary loss due to the loss and settlement.
Second Party - this is the actual insurance company in the auto insurance policy.
Surcharge - This is the amount added to your auto insurance policy premium after a traffic violation or an accident in which you were found to be at fault.
Third Party - This is another person other than the policy holder and auto insurance company who has faced a loss and may be able to collect and be compensated on behalf of the policy holder's negligence.
Total Loss - This is complete destruction to the insured property of a policy holder. It has been determined that it would be a great sum of money to repair the item rather than replace the insured piece of property to its state prior to the loss.
Towing Coverage - This is the portion of the auto insurance policy that covers a specified amount for towing services and related labor costs.
Under insured Driver - This is the portion of an auto insurance policy which covers injuries to you caused by a driver without enough insurance to pay for the medical expenses you have incurred from the accident. This is portion of the policy can vary state by state as some states include damage to the car in this section.
Uninsured Driver or Motorist - This is the portion of the auto insurance policy which covers injuries to you caused by a driver who was without liability insurance at the time of the accident. Uninsured driver or motorist coverage comes in two different sections; uninsured motorist bodily injury and uninsured motorist property damage. Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage covers the injuries to you or any passenger in your vehicle when there is an accident with an uninsured driver. Uninsured motorist property damage coverage covers the cost for the property damage to your vehicle when there is an accident with an identified uninsured driver. Uninsured driver or motorist coverage must be offered when you purchase the required liability coverage for your vehicle. You must sign a declination waiver if you decline Uninsured driver or motorist coverage. The majority of states require drivers to carry some form of uninsured motorist coverage. Some states include damages to your car in this coverage.
Vehicle Identification Number or VIN - A VIN is a 17 letter and number combination that is the identification of the specific vehicle. It will identify the make, modem and year of the automobile. This number is typically located on the driver's side window on the dash. It can also be found on the vehicles registration and title.

Advantages and Disadvantages on Group Health Insurance VS Individual Health Insurance

In this article we will explore the reasons that motivate employers to get group health insurance for employees and we will look at the advantages and disadvantages from both points of view.
Group Health Insurance VS Individual Private Health Insurance
Probably the most significant distinguishing characteristic of group insurance is the substitution of group underwriting for individual underwriting. In group cases, no individual evidence of insurability is usually required, and benefit levels can be substantial, with few, if any, important limitations.
Group underwriting normally is not concerned with the health or other insurability aspects of any particular individual. Instead, it aims to obtain a group of individual lives or, what is even more important, an aggregation of such groups of lives that will yield a predictable rate of mortality or morbidity. If a sufficient number of groups of lives is obtained, and if these groups are reasonably homogeneous in nature, then the mortality or morbidity rate will be predictable. The point is that the group becomes the unit of underwriting, and insurance principles may be applied to it just as in the case of the individual. To assure that the groups obtained will be reasonably homogeneous, the underwriting process in group insurance aims to control adverse selection by individuals within a group.
In underwriting group insurance, then, certain important features should be present that either are inherent in the nature of the group itself or may be applied in a positive way to avoid serious adverse selection such as:
Insurance Incidental to the Group: The insurance should be incidental to the group; that is, the members of the group should have come together for some purpose other than to obtain insurance. For example, the group insurance furnished to the employees of a given employer must not be the feature that motivates the formation and existence of the group.
Flow of Persons through the Group: There should be a steady flow of persons through the group; that is, there must be an influx of new young lives into the group and an out flow from the group of the older and impaired lives. With groups of actively working employees, it may be assumed that they are in average health.
Automatic Determination of Benefits: Group insurance underwriting commonly requires an automatic basis for determining the amount of benefits on individual lives, which is beyond the control of the employer or employees. If the amount of benefits taken were completely optional, it would be possible to select against the insurer because those in poor health would tend to insure heavily and the healthy ones might tend to elect minimum coverage.
As the group mechanism has evolved, however, insurers have responded to demands from the marketplace, particularly large employers, for more flexibility in the selection of benefits. This flexibility typically is expressed in optional amounts of life and health insurance in excess of basic coverage provided by the employer and in more health care financing choices. Also, increasingly popular cafeteria plans allow participating employees to select among an array of benefits using a predetermined allowance of employer funds. Individuals select, subject to certain basic coverage's being required, a combination of benefits that best meet his or her individual needs.
Minimum Participation by the Group: Another underwriting control is the requirement that substantially all eligible persons in a given group be covered by insurance. In plans in which the employee pays a portion of the premium (contributory), generally at least 75 percent of the eligible employees must join the plan if coverage is to be effective. In the case of noncontributory plans, 100 percent participation is required. By covering a large proportion of a given group, the insurance company gains a safeguard against an undue proportion of substandard lives. In cases in which employees refuse the insurance for religious or other reasons that do not involve any elements of selection, this rule is relaxed.
Third Party Sharing of Cost: A portion of the cost of a group plan ideally should be borne by the employer or some third party, such as a labor union or trade association. The noncontributory employer-pay-all plan is simple, and it gives the employer full control over the plan. It provides for insurance of all eligible employees and thus, eliminates any difficulties involved in connection with obtaining the consent of a sufficient number of employees to meet participation requirements. Also, there is no problem of distributing the cost among various employees, as in the contributory plan.
Contributory plans usually are less costly to the employer. Hence, with employee contributions, the employer is likely to arrange for more adequate protection for the employees. It can also be argued that, if the employee contributes toward his or her insurance, he or she will be more impressed with its value and will appreciate it more. On the other hand, the contributory plan has a number of disadvantages. Its operation is more complicated, and this at times, increases administrative cost considerably.
Each employee must consent to contribute toward his or her insurance, and as stated before, a minimum percentage of the eligible group must consent to enter the arrangement. New employees entering the business must be informed of their insurance privilege. If the plan is contributory, employees may not be entitled to the insurance until they have been with the company for a period of time. If they do not agree to be covered by the plan within a period of 31 days, they may be required to provide satisfactory evidence of insurability to become eligible. Some noncontributory plans also have these probationary periods.
Efficient Administrative Organization: A single administrative organization should be able and willing to act on behalf of the insured group. In the usual case, this is the employer. In the case of a contributory plan, there must be a reasonably simple method, such as payroll deduction, by which the master policy owner can collect premiums. An automatic method is desirable for both an administrative and underwriting perspective. A number of miscellaneous controls of underwriting significance are typically used in group insurance plans, but the preceding discussion permits an appreciation of the group underwriting underwriting theory. The discussion applies to groups with a large number of employees.
A majority of the groups, however, are not large. The group size is a significant factor in the underwriting process. In smaller plans, more restrictive underwriting practices relating to adverse section are used. These may include less liberal contract provisions, simple health status questions, and in some cases, detailed individual underwriting of group members.
Group Policy: A second characteristic of group insurance is the use of a group policy (contract) held by the owner as group policyholder and booklet-certificates or other summary evidence of insurance held by plan participants. Certificates provide information on the plan provisions and the steps required to file claims. The use of certificates and a master contract constitutes one of the sources of economy under the group approach. The master contract is a detailed document setting forth the contractual relationship between the group contract owner and the insurance company. The insured persons under the contract, usually employees and their beneficiaries, are not actually parties to the contract, although they may enforce their rights as third party beneficiaries. The four party relationship between the employer, insurer, employee, and dependents in a group insurance plan can create a number of interesting and unusual problems that are common only to group insurance.
Lower Cost: A third feature of group insurance is that it is usually lower-cost protection than that which is available in individual insurance. The nature of the group approach permits the use of mass distribution and mass administration methods that afford economies of operation not available in individual insurance. Also, because group insurance is not usually underwritten on an individual basis, the premiums are based upon an actuarial assessment of the group as a whole, so a given healthy individual can perhaps buy insurance at a lower cost. Employer subsidization of the cost is a critical factor in group insurance plan design. Probably the most significant savings in the cost of marketing group insurance lies in the fact that group commissions absorb a much smaller proportion of total premiums than commission for individual contracts.
The marketing system relieves the agent or broker of many duties, responsibilities, and expenses normally associated with selling or servicing of individual insurance. Because of the large premiums involved in many group insurance cases, the commission rates are considerably lower than for individual contracts and are usually graded downward as the premium increases. Some large group insurance buyer's deal directly with insurance companies and commissions are eliminated. In these cases, however, fees frequently are paid to the consultants involved. The nature of the administrative procedures permits simplified accounting techniques. The mechanics of premium collection are less involved, and experience refund procedures much simplified because there id only one party with whom to deal with such as the group policy owner.
Of course, the issuance of a large number of individual contracts is avoided and, because of the nature of group selection, the cost of medical examinations and inspection reports is minimized. Also, regulatory filings and other requirements are minimized. In the early days of group insurance, administration was simple. That is no longer true. Even with group term life insurance, for which there is no cash value, the push for accelerated death benefits, assignment to viatical companies, and estate or business planning record keeping means that the administration of coverage may be as complex as with an individual policy.
Flexibility: in contrast to individual contracts that must be taken as written, the larger employer usually has options in the design and preparation of the group insurance contract. Although the contracts follow a pattern and include certain standard provisions, there is considerably more flexibility here than in the case of individual contracts. The degree of flexibility permitted is, of course, a function of the size of the group involved. The group insurance program usually is an integral part of an employee benefit program and, in most cases, the contract can be molded to meet the objectives of the contract owner, as long as the request do not entail complicated administrative procedures, open the way to possibly serious adverse selection, or violate legal requirements.
Experience Rating: Another special feature of group insurance is that premiums often are subject to experience rating. The experience of the individual group may have an important bearing on dividends or premium-rate adjustments. The larger and, hence, the more reliable the experience of the particular group, the greater is the weight attached to its own experience in any single year. The knowledge that premiums net of dividends or premium rate adjustments will be based on the employers own experience gives the employer a vested interest in maintaining a favorable loss and expense record. For the largest employers, insurers may agree to complicated procedures to satisfy the employer's objectives because most such cases are experience rated and reflect the increased cost.
Some insurers experience rate based on the class or type of industry, or even based on the type of contract. For small groups, most insurance companies' use pooled rates under which a uniform rate is applied to all such groups, although it is becoming more common to apply separate pooled rates for groups with significantly better or worse experience than that of the total class. The point at which a group is large enough to be eligible for experience rating varies from company to company, based on that insurer's book of business and experience. The size and frequency of medical claims vary considerably across countries and among geographic regions within a country and must be considered in determining a group insurance rate. The composition (age, sex, and income level) of a group will also affect the experience of the group and, similarly, will be an important underwriting consideration.
Advantages and Limitations of the Group Mechanism.
Advantages: The group insurance mechanism has proved to be a remarkably effective solution to the need for employee benefits for a number of reasons. The utilization of mass-distribution techniques has extended protection to large numbers of person s with little or no life or health insurance. The increasing complexity of industrial service economies has brought large numbers of persons together, and the group mechanism has enabled insurance companies to reach vast numbers of individuals within a relatively short period and at low cost. Group insurance also has extended protection to a large number of uninsurable persons. Equally important has been the fact that the employer usually pays a large share of the cost. Moreover, in most countries, including the United States, the deductibility of employer contributions and the favorable tax treatment of the benefits to employees make it a tax effective vehicle with which to provide benefits.
Another significant factor, and one of the more cogent motivations for the rapid development of group insurance, has been the continuing governmental role in the security benefits area. Within the United States, Old-Age. Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance programs has expanded rapidly, but many observers believe that, had not group insurance provided substantial sums of life insurance, health insurance, and retirement protection, social insurance would have developed even more rapidly. As economies worldwide continue to reduce the size and scope of social insurance programs, we can expect the demand for group based security to grow even more.
Disadvantages: From the viewpoint of the employee, group insurance has one great limitation- the temporary nature of the coverage. Unless an employee converts his or her coverage to an individual policy which is usually ore expensive and provides less liberal coverage, the employee loses his or her insurance protection if the group plan is terminated and often also at retirement because employment is terminated. Group life and health protection is continued after retirement in a significant proportion of cases today in the United States, but often at reduced levels. Recently, with the introduction of a new U.S. accounting standard (FAS 106) requiring that the cost of such benefits be accrued and reflected in financial statements, an increasing number of employers have discontinued post retirement life and health benefits entirely. When such continued protection is not available, the temporary nature of the coverage is a serious limitation.
Retiree group health insurance often is provided as a supplement to Medicare. Another problem of potential significance involves individuals who may be lulled into complacency by having large amounts of group insurance during their working years. Many of these persons fail to recognize the need for, or are unwilling to face the cost of, individual insurance. Perhaps of even greater significance is the fact that the flexibility of the group approach is limited to the design of the master policy and does not extend to the individual covered employees. Furthermore, group plans typically fail to provide the mechanism for any analysis of the financial needs of the individual which is a service that is normally furnished by the agent or other advisor. Many agents, however, discuss group insurance coverage with individuals as a foundation for discussing the need for additional amounts of individual life and health insurance.

Auto insurance principles should be applied to health insurance

Many Americans rely on their automobiles to get to work. No automobile means no job, no rent or mortgage money, no food. A single parent, struggling to make ends meet in the suburbs with 100,000 miles on the odometer, would presumably welcome the guaranteed opportunity for low-priced insurance that would take care of every possible repair on her auto until the day that it reaches 200,000 miles or falls apart, whichever comes first. Especially if the insurance is valid regardless of whether she even changes the oil in the interim.

So why aren't the auto insurance companies writing such coverage, either directly or through used auto dealers? And given the importance of reliable transportation, why isn't the public demanding such coverage? The answer is that both auto insurers and the public know that such insurance can't be written for a premium the insured can afford, while still allowing the insurers to stay solvent and make a profit. As a society, we intuitively understand that the costs associated with taking care of every mechanical need of an old automobile, particularly in the absence of regular maintenance, aren't insurable. Yet we don't seem to have these same intuitions with respect to health insurance.

If we pull the emotions out of health insurance, which is admittedly hard to do even for this author, and look at health insurance from the economic perspective, there are several insights from auto insurance that can illuminate the design, risk selection, and rating of health insurance.

Auto insurance comes in two forms: the traditional insurance you buy from your agent or direct from an insurance company, and warranties that are purchased from auto manufacturers and dealers. Both are risk transfer and sharing devices and I'll generically refer to both as insurance. Because auto third-party liability insurance has no equivalent in health insurance, for traditional auto insurance, I'll examine only collision and comprehensive insurance -- insurance covering the vehicle -- and not third-party liability insurance.

Bumper to Bumper

The following are some commonly accepted principles from auto insurance:

* Bad maintenance voids certain insurance. If an automobile owner never changes the oil, the auto's power train warranty is void. In fact, not only does the oil need to be changed, the change needs to be performed by a certified mechanic and documented. Collision insurance doesn't cover cars purposefully driven over a cliff.

* The best insurance is offered for new models. Bumper-to-bumper warranties are offered only on new cars. As they roll off the assembly line, automobiles have a low and relatively consistent risk profile, satisfying the actuarial test for insurance pricing. Furthermore, auto manufacturers usually wrap at least some coverage into the price of the new auto in order to encourage an ongoing relationship with the owner.

* Limited insurance is offered for old model autos. Increasingly limited insurance is offered for old model autos. The bumper-to-bumper warranty expires, the power train warranty eventually expires, and the amount of collision and comprehensive insurance steadily decreases based on the market value of the auto.

* Certain older autos qualify for additional insurance. Certain older autos can qualify for additional coverage, either in terms of warranties for used autos or increased collision and comprehensive insurance for vintage autos. But such insurance is offered only after a careful inspection of the automobile itself.

* No insurance is offered for normal wear and tear. Wiper blades need replacement, brake pads wear out, and bumpers get dings. These aren't insurable events. To the extent that a new car dealer will sometimes cover some of these costs, we intuitively understand that we're "paying for it" in the cost of the automobile and that it's "not really" insurance.

* Accidents are the only insurable event for the oldest automobiles. Accidents are generally insurable events even for the oldest autos; with few exceptions service work isn't.

* Insurance doesn't restore all vehicles to pre-accident condition. Auto insurance is limited. If the damage to the auto at any age exceeds the value of the auto, the insurer then pays only the value of the auto. With the exception of vintage autos, the value assigned to the auto goes down over time. So whereas accidents are insurable at any vehicle age, the amount of the accident insurance is increasingly limited.

* Insurance is priced to the risk. Insurance is priced based on the risk profile of both the automobile and the driver. The auto insurer carefully examines both when setting rates.

* We pay for our own insurance. And with few exceptions, automobile insurance isn't tax deductible. As a result, the fear of increasing insurance rates due to traffic violations and/or accidents changes our driving behavior and we sometimes select our automobiles based on their insurability.

Each of the above principles is supported by solid actuarial theory. Although most Americans can't describe the underlying actuarial theories, most everyone understands the above principles of auto insurance at the intuitive level. For sure, as indispensable automobiles are to our lifestyles, there is no loud national movement, accompanied by moral outrage, to change these principles.

Unsustainable Market

In contrast, similar principles are routinely violated in health insurance. To demonstrate this, let's return to the same suburban mother from the opening paragraph. She's busy working, driving to and from work, and driving her kids to school and activities. She ends each day exhausted, sitting on the couch with fast food. She's obese, has a sedentary life, a bad diet, and hasn't taken the time to go to the doctor in years. After a simple injury doesn't heal for weeks, she turns up at the emergency room and learns she has type II diabetes. Although type II diabetes is controllable, changing diet and exercise habits and properly tracking her condition takes time and effort and she's never quite successful in implementing the necessary lifestyle changes.

So the initial emergency room visit is only the first of a long list of health care related to non-controlled diabetes and other problems associated with obesity. Whether she has individual or group insurance, her insurance pays for each episode of care, without singling her out for a premium increase, and without charging her any more cost sharing than is charged to the healthiest and most medically diligent insureds. Her coverage continues until she voluntarily changes insurance companies and/or employers or becomes eligible for Medicare. If she's covered under group insurance she may not even pay any premium. Her insurance continues unabated, even though the disease was caused by neglecting her body and she maintains her poor lifestyle even after the disease becomes known.

This just wouldn't happen in auto insurance. This scenario is the auto insurance equivalent of guaranteed access to low-priced auto insurance that takes care of every possible repair, including damage already done, until the day the car falls apart so completely it's unsalvageable (death) or reaches 200,000 miles (Medicare), regardless of whether she even changes the oil (takes care of herself) in the interim.

As a society, we don't expect this in private-market auto insurance, but we expect it in private-market health insurance. Furthermore, there's a chorus of national and state interests, which continuously pushes us further away from the auto insurance principles.

The current private health insurance market isn't sustainable. Prices have been consistently increasing faster than inflation for decades. Each year, insureds use more health care than ever before and more people have no insurance at all. Most actuaries and other people in the private health insurance market don't want national health insurance with its bureaucracy and one-size-fits-all benefits. Yet, we're trying to sustain a private insurance system, which violates the very principles we know are necessary for private insurance markets.

Yes, health insurance involves the sacredness of human life and is therefore different from auto insurance. But if we're to sustain a private-market solution to health insurance, actuaries need to explain to the larger society, in terms that society understands, the rationale for the following principles:

* As sacred as health care is, it's still an economic transaction that has to be balanced by individuals and societies, against other economic choices. It can't be unlimited. Sometimes it will be secondary to other choices. On a given day, for example, the mother in our scenario may value her car more than her health.

* Insurance premiums should be paid by the individual and tied to controllable risk factors. This will provide the best incentive for the control of risk factors.

* Although it's hard to draw the line between abuse, neglect and ignorance, self-abuse shouldn't be insured and we need to draw that line somewhere.

* The private market can't provide unlimited, self-directed health insurance.

* Routine care and ongoing treatments of chronic conditions can be pre-funded, can even be subsidized, but they don't constitute "insurable events."

* Insurance can't be expected to keep every human body in pristine condition. No amount of health care will prevent everyone's ultimate death.

* Comprehensive, unlimited, non-subsidized private-market coverage isn't possible for people with severely impaired health.

* The private health market can provide limited non-subsidized health insurance, such as protection from accidents, to even health-impaired individuals.

* Individuals who can afford to do so and who take good care of themselves should be able to "buy up" to better coverage. People have the option of buying up for everything else in life.

Discussion of these principles is lacking from most of the current health insurance debate. If society can intuitively understand how similar principles apply to health insurance, then they should be able understand the principles in the health insurance context. We need to initiate the debate.

This commentary is solely the opinion of its author. It does not express the official policy of the American Academy of Actuaries; nor does it necessarily reflect the opinions of the Academy's individual officers, members, or staff

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