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Car rental insurance: vital or scam?

cgs — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:50:14 -0800

Car rental insurance: what should I get? - I don't have any primary auto insurance (don't own a car).
- This is just in the states (NY, NJ, PA)
- I am renting via my credit card which has Master Rental Insurance (http://www.citibank.com/us/cards/gen-content/en.htm). They said on the phone that they become the primary insurer since I don't have auto insurance, that it is the same category (damage/loss... mentioned in that document as well).

Does this mean I just need to worry about hitting someone else?

I don't understand the various insurance labels and want to be as well informed as possible when I get to the counter. I hate feeling pressured or like they are taking advantage of me.

Thanks for your help-
cgs

Cheap public liability insurance for my web (yes, web) business

tomargue — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:48:36 -0800

I'm after really cheap public liability insurance for my new business. I need public liability purely for bureaucratic reasons, so I'm after the cheapest, nastiest policy I can find. Can anyone recommend a company? I'm setting up a web application and was recently successful in obtaining funding for next year as part of the Australian Government's NEIS program. As part of the NEIS program requirements, I must, unfortunately, have public liability insurance before I commence the program, despite public liability insurance being redundant for my purposes.

I called up a few insurance agencies and the cheapest I could find was $480 per year through RACV (insured for $5 million). $480 per year seems pretty excessive, since I'm going to be working from home and never actually going to see any of my customers!

Does anyone know if it's possible to get real cheap public liability insurance (I live in Melbourne)? I don't care if it's dodgy...no customer is actually going to come up to my apartment in person! I just need something cheap and nasty. So long as I have a policy number and proof of payment, NEIS are happy with that.

Theft, damage and loss home and contents insurance

simplesharps — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:55:18 -0800

What Australian home and contents insurers should I look into? First time I've thought about insurance for other than auto. I've accumulated a few expensive electronics that I'd be lost without - computers, iphone etc - and I'd like to know what companies you'd recommend that I should research further.

Specifically I was after iPhone insurance, but whirlpool recommended I look into home and contents as an alternative to product specific insurance.

Any general insurance tips would also be appreciated, I'm new to it all :)

No soup for you!

FunkyHelix — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:48:19 -0800

I have a question about childrens' flu vaccines and insurance. I have two kids, one I gave birth to and one I have shared custody with his mother. My birth son is under my husband's insurance. My other one is under the NJ Family Care provided for kids without medical insurance (my husband's insurance refuses to cover him because it's shared custody and his mother has no insurance herself.)

This weekend my husband took the boys to the pediatrician for required school vaccines, one of which was the standard flu vaccine. My birth son's appointment was first and my husband was told there was no available flu vaccines. He said okay and went to reschedule the older one's appointment since he needed that too.

But the doctor said no that there was a flu vaccine for him because he was NJ Family Care. That she wasn't giving the vaccine to kids with insurance, just the ones on state insurance.

Can she do that? Is it legal to do that?

Relocating to the US, health insurance advice needed!

hibbersk — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:12:36 -0800

I'm relocating to the US (from the UK) in a couple of weeks and having concerns about health insurance. My husband's employer covers health insurance for him, but to cover me as well we must take out the 'family policy' for $500 per month (if we had 4 kids this would be a great deal, but apparently it's the same price for the whole 'family' even if that's just me. This seems crazy to me, not sure if it is normal!). Is my alternative plan crazy? Health insurance companies confuse and scare me! To simplify things, assume that I'll be there for a year, and I will not have a job that includes insurance. I'm on the H4 (nonimmigrant) visa. However the year will be split into chunks where I'll be back in the UK - for example a month from mid-Dec to mid-Jan, a couple of weeks in April, and a few weeks in June/July. So the chunks of time when I'll be in the US will be 2-3 months each.

My idea is to get premier single trip travel insurance through my regular provider STA Travel, for £134 (2 months) to £172 (3 months). The coverage is outlined on the link above and is all quite standard as far as travel insurance goes. The policy is single entry, so I'd buy a policy with each return flight to be covered for all the time I am in the US. This is clearly much better value than the $500/month policy offered through husband's employer. I assume the travel insurance wouldn't cover routine checkups etc and I'm ok with that; I can get those done when I'm back in the UK every few months courtesy of our wonderful NHS. Worst case scenario, the savings we'd make from not going with the $500/month policy would easily cover a flight home for a non-emergency, non-covered but necessary medical consultation. The travel insurance has other benefits too, such as emergency dental treatment (dental isn't covered at all in the employer's policy), legal costs, theft, etc. But I'm also totally paranoid about the US healthcare system, and don't want to be caught out or bend the rules to such an extent that the travel insurance policy wouldn't pay up in an emergency because I'm classed as being a US resident or something, because if insurance companies can find a way not to pay out, they usually do in my experience! So mefites, is this a sensible plan of action or am I missing something?

Am I being gullible for considering cat insurance?

Tarumba — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:25:06 -0800

Am I being gullible for considering cat insurance? My cat-girl is about to be 6 months old. We pretty much found her on the streets when a baby. She had a funky eye, flatworms, a crazy flea infestation and was insanely underfed. we took care of her and now we want to take her to the vet so she gets spayed. They will spay her as long as she has all her vaccines and other thingies in order (she has none of these), and at the local pet supermarket they advised me to get her cat insurance. The prices are as follows:

First payment: 69.99
monthly payment: 21.00

This insurance covers vaccines, spaying and other basics for no extra cost, plus free vet visits with/without calling in advance, and a 10% discount on anything else.

I thought it was a good deal, but then, how big is the probability that my cat will need to go to the vet in at least 7 years?

Prices without insurance: The spaying alone is about 400.00 dollars, and the vaccines are about 50.00.

Public Liability Insurance

ninazer0 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:46:57 -0800

I need public liability insurance for a 1 day stall at a country church fete. Is there any Australian insurer who does this? The shortest term I can find is 3 months at $110 via AAMI. I have been given the run around all day and I'm at the end of my tether. All that I seem to have done today is write complaint letters about being given wrong info.

Any suggestions? $110 to run a jam stall at a tiny Church Fete seems utterly ridiculous. What are they going to do? Put an eye out with an exceptionally sharp marmalade?

Any suggestions? Because at this rate I'm ready to throw in the towel.

Is it worth a claim?

lizjohn — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:45:50 -0800

Sometime last night someone severely scraped the side of my car while is was parked at my apartment complex. They left no note. What are my options? I'm afraid I'm just going to have to grin and bear it, but I'm hoping there's some recourse I'm not thinking of. I didn't notice the damage until I got to work just a few minutes ago and I remember there was no one parked next to me when I left. It's a long, low scrape starting from the drivers door to the back of the back wheelwell. The bottom panels are pushed in and there is paint residue. It seems to be cosmetic, both doors open and the tire seems fine. Should I make an insurance claim? Do I need a police report for that? Is it not with my premiums going up?

This whole thing miffs me. My husband and I only have one car and we try to keep it nice. I've never had anything like this happen, outside of a few door dings. Sorry if this is rambly.

If it was COBRA...it would've bitten me AND my family!

littleredwagon — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:59:49 -0800

Since being fired last month, I'm in the process of getting health insurance for my family. But, I'm kind of confused with this COBRA '65/35 for nine months' deal with the government. I'm awaiting to hear from our local Blue Cross provider for a 9/15 effective date, but, our calculations show that the COBRA discounted price for nine months would be roughly $150 less than the Blue Cross premium. Now, it is my understanding that you have to elect COBRA AND send in your request for the 65/35 subsidy at the same time. If I don't get the subsidy, I want to go with Blue Cross. How do I do this properly? Is there any way I can apply for the subsidy without requesting COBRA at the same time?

Keywords for the Finance industry?

ckohrman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:29:41 -0800

Please help me gather Keywords for the "Accounting/Finance/Insurance" industry. I'd like to create keyword lists for the "Accounting/Finance/Insurance" industry. These keywords will be used to help tag resumes on a job board.

Possible examples might be: actuary, Quickbooks, Excel, etc. Thanks for your help!

I Wanna Be Protected!

fourcheesemac — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:52:15 -0800

Can one buy a personal auto liability policy for rental cars that replaces or supplements LDW or liability supplement coverage offered by the rental agency? I travel constantly, and rent cars 20+ times per year as a result. However, I live in New York City and do not own a car, and hence possess no personal auto policy. Prior to moving here, I owned cars and trucks for 15 years, and have an extensive and good driving record across multiple states. I am, of course, licensed to drive in New York.

My credit card (Visa) covers the collision damage liability for the rental car itself as primary insurance in this situation, so I typically decline the CDW. In any case, it wouldn't break me to pay cash to replace the economy or compact cars I usually rent. So to be clear, this is not a question about coverage for damage to the rental vehicle itself. As far as I know, credit cards do not offer liability coverage at all (and many people are misinformed about this, in my experience, including some rental agents).

In some states in which I rent, the rental agency claims not to carry any liability insurance (in Indiana, Alamo and National have told me they are exempt from state minimums and that, in essence, a renter is required to either possess an auto liability policy or buy their liability supplement). In other cases, even where there is some liability coverage (ie, for damage done to other people and property in a hypothetical accident in which I was at fault), it's pathetically low given the risks one takes by pulling out of the airport parking area. So I usually buy whatever additional liability coverage is offered by the agency (still not great -- usually a 100K-200K overall limit). Tends to run 12-15 bucks per rental day. Usually you have to persist in asking for the liability coverage alone, and not as part of a package with the CDW and veterinary coverage for the family pet and every other little ripoff option.

I would like to buy my own policy that would simply cover me in any rental car in the US to the tune of half a million to a million bucks. Does such a policy exist? I've heard about general personal liability policies, but that seems like overkill to me.

I am having a devil of a time searching for this on the net because any combination of keywords pulls up endless bitching about the CDW/LDW policies of the various rental agencies.

Even when I travel on business and supp. insurance is covered by my employer, I'd love to have a personal policy for increased protection. Like I said, it's pretty easy to imagine doing 100K worth of hurt backing into someone's outside wall, for crying out loud.

Seems like an obvious product for business travelers, no?

Virgin Mobile ate my insurance

a non e mouse — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:58:31 -0800

I've just been seriously burned by Virgin Mobile - who've reneged on insurance - just wondering what strategies I can use given the situation. I recently transferred to Virgin Mobile from Vodafone (not willingly, Vodafone didn't have coverage to where I was moving). I transferred my number, Treo750 and also my handset insurance (or so I thought).

You see, Virgin's insurer (Risk Insure) only accept insurance for phones that have been purchased through Virgin Mobile, and are no older than a few days old (fair enough).

Trouble is, Virgin Mobile didn't tell me this (I did the transfer over the phone), and accepted the insurance knowing that I'd brought my own phone.

They never sent the PDS (insurance policy), but continued to charge me each month. I assumed I was insured.

I got hit by a wave walking with the kids and of course the phone is now cactus. I called Virgin and they realised they'd made an error and tried to simply cancel my insurance and refund the past 4 months of payments. I argued the point and they then put me through to Risk Insure, who then gave me the run around for 3 weeks before telling me they wouldn't honour the insurance!

They've since offered me 2 months of service for 'free' and sent me these drivelly, over-familiar emails suggesting the matter closed.

For what it's worth the phone was worth $1000AUD.

Do I have any sort of case? God, it's so utterly depressing...

Oh, I'm out of work, low on cash but have plenty of time on my hands

The Health Insurance In-Out Network shuffle

Raze2k — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:55:45 -0800

Health Insurance snafu. The In-Out Network shuffle. Am I borked? I was recently experiencing a number of health related issues that came about suddenly and seemed to indicate the possibility of something significantly more serious than the actual cause turned out to be. To make a long story short, I saw a number of doctors in a very short period of time, all recommended by a new general practitioner who had been recommended highly by a coworker.

The new doctor was a member of my health insurance network and with each doctor that he referred me to, I first checked with the online health insurance web site to see if the doctor was listed as being In Network. Every doctor seemed to check out and up until this morning, all seemed to be well; every claim had been processed perfectly, listing only my copay as responsibility.

This morning I checked and noticed that three of the claimed had finished processing with the entire cost being forwarded to me, each stating that the health care provider was not in-network. I cannot afford the amount being billed to me and I immediately checked the website again to see if the doctor was listed as being in-network.

He is, however, upon calling my provider the friendly woman I spoke to on the phone mentioned that the claim might have been rejected because the address listed on the website differs from the address at which I actually saw the doctor (he has office hours at a different location). She forwarded the claim back to the health insurance network and said that I should check back in two weeks.

Am I screwed because of the different address on file? I was under the impression that a doctor was in- or out- of network.. the location of the procedure and service by this doctor were all at a location listed as in-network as well (since he was using the offices of my general practitioner). I asked what my options were in the event that the claims were rejected again and she said that I could file an appeal. Has anyone dealt with anything like this in the past?

What are my options for insurance?

suncoursing — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:39:18 -0800

What are my options for insurance? I'm starting grad school this fall in Texas, after a few years at a startup. If I were an RA or a TA, I'd automatically be enrolled in the staff insurance plan, but I'm not eligible for that because I'm on a fellowship. I can keep my current insurance through COBRA but, at $600/month, it's a bit expensive. The plan is really nice (no co-pay for a lot of things, $200 annual deductible and maximum out of pocket, no maximum benefit for health or perscriptions, etc.), but it's way beyond anything I need.

The student insurance plan is ~ $160/month, but it has a maximum benefit of $100k. I could handle a plan with a $100k deductible, but $100k maximum benefit means it would only cover relatively minor problems that I could afford without insurance, leaving me with most of the bill for anything catastrophic. Maybe there's something I don't understand about insurance, but this plan seems completely pointless. There's an option to increase the maximum benefit to $500k for an extra fee, but that's still an order of magnitude lower than the maximum benefit for the BCBS plans I've looked at.

BlueCross BlueShield of Texas has various plans ranging from $40/month to $200/month. The $160/month plans look much better than the student insurance plan, and if I'm willing to take a $10k deductible, I can get away with only paying $40/month. If I don't have a pre-existing condition, is there any reason I should prefer group coverage to individual insurance? Are there other insurance providers I should be looking at? I found this list (http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/health/lhiah_lst_incl.html) through a previous post, but since I know absolutely nothing about any of these companies, I might as well go with BCBS if I'm just going to randomly pick a company off that list.

So my options are (roughly in order of preference):
1. BCBS insurance. Only $40/month!
2. Defer my fellowship for a semester, get an RA or a TA, and then pay $300/month to get the staff insurance through COBRA.
3. COBRA. $600/month.
4. ???. Is there something I could do that I don't know about?
5. No insurance
6. Student insurance.

Other than the large deductable, is there any reason I wouldn't want option 1?

Also, do I actually need dental insurance? It seems like insurance only ever covers half the cost anyway, and I doubt anything really horrific will happen if I skip getting a cleaning for a year.

Do I need insurance for my web business?

tomargue — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:47:04 -0800

Do I need to insure my web business? I am setting up a to-do list + calendar web application that holds users' data. Do I need to insure against data loss, or down time? Or can I put all that in a EULA (e.g., [web application] will not be responsible for any data loss, down time, data corruption etc)? I plan to speak to a lawyer in about two months time about all the legal requirements prior to my web application "going live", but I want to get a bit of a feel of the risks associated before speaking to a lawyer and forking over $1000s or more.

If I do need insurance for my web app, what's the best way of finding insurance? (I've never looked at finding insurance before...my housemates have always taken care of home and contents insurance, and I've never owned a car). If insurance does exist for data loss etc, what's the ball-park figure on how much such a scheme would cost? Would I need to go with an multinational insurer, since the site will be available world-wide? Or would a small local insurer do (I live in Melbourne, Australia)? Or can I simply have an End User License Agreement and make my users agree not to sue me if I accidently lose their data. I know, even to this day, that Hotmail deletes user accounts if left idle for a few months....

Rental Car Accident filter

spacefire — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:43:10 -0800

Hertz fender bender, do I need to file police report, and am I covered? I backing up out of my parents driveway, I hit my mom's car with the rear of my Hertz rental car. Dents and scratches , but no other damage. I have Liability Insurance supplement but no Loss Damage Waiver as that should be taken care of by Visa since I rented using my Visa card. Should we file a police report?

Another question, related: The liability protection states, quote:
Within the limits stated in this subparagraph, hertz will indemnify, hold harmless....which by definition EXCLUDES ANY OF YOUR OR ANY AUTHORIZED OPERATOR'S FAMILY MEMBERS...RESIDING WITH YOU OR THEM..."
I don't live with my parents, I was just visiting, will the liability thing cover the damage to my mother's car?

What the hail, I'm keeping the car

weathergal — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:45:51 -0800

I'm the owner of a 2002 Toyota Corolla which just hit 107,000 miles. On June 9th while I was at work, my car got hammered by some pretty large hail. The damage was enough that my insurance (Progressive) declared it a total loss. My frugal heart couldn't bear to have them tow away a perfectly drivable car, so I took the lesser payout (just under $5000) and kept it. Now what? Some pics can be seen here, although I had a lot of trouble getting the dents to show up well, and it looks worse in person. There are some cracks in the paint starting to show up near the front fender dent and on the trunk, so PDR won't work in those areas. The windshield was a safety issue, and has already been fixed.

I'm rather confused about getting a salvage title. The guy at the shop where I replaced my windshield said I didn't need to get one, and from my reading of this Kansas statute cosmetic stuff like hail damage is exempt. However, the lady at the titles office in Topeka said yes, I needed to get one, and an insurance agent from another agency confirmed this. I'm hoping to move by the end of the year, so how would a Kansas salvage title affect trying to register the car in another state?

I've already started to put some money into an account for the next car, and my original plan was to bank almost all of the insurance money, and continue to put a small amount in each month. In 2-3 years, the account would be in the 5 figure range and I could get a fairly nice used car for cash.

However, I've started to second guess myself. The insurance agent I talked to above seemed to assume I'd get it fully fixed, as he told me to keep the receipts in case I have to file a claim again with my insurance. There are many "hail specialist" tents around town, and they probably could fix at least a few of the bigger dents for less than my original estimate. Or is this throwing good money after bad?

If I do continue driving it as a dented up car (with a probable salvage title), how much money should I put into it in the future? Obviously, I'd want to keep it road worthy with oil changes and other maintenance, but what about the minor annoyances? For instance, my brake pads that I got replaced last August are squeaking, despite being in for adjustments several times already. Is it worth the time and money to try and get rid of the squeak?

Thanks, and sorry this was so long.

Car Insurance Coverage

Elsie — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:18:31 -0800

What car insurance coverage to I need for a brand-new car? We're haven't had a car for a couple years while living out of the US, but now we are relocating to an area (MA--small town) where we will need one. It's probably going to be a RAV or CRV. We're in our early sixties, have had spotless driving records for decades, never filed a claim, hope not to drive more than 8000 miles a year, and will take $1000 deductible.

In most things, such as insurance, we usually choose at the most conservative end of the spectrum--say 85% of the maximum coverage the insurance company would like everyone to buy. With every contract full of consumer traps these days, what levels of liability, collision, etc. should we buy to have peace of mind?

Give me my money back, give me my money back-you bitch.

hollygoheavy — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:00:22 -0800

How do I appeal a long term disability claim that's been denied? I worked as a retail manager until this past February when I had a major hernia repaired. Because of the location, the type of repair that was done and complications I had with the surgical wound, my doctor has put me on "light duty" until the end of August. I have long term disability insurance, but they refused to pay anything after April 30th. In my particular job, I am required to work alone at times for up to 4 hours, I process shipments which come in boxes up to 75 pounds, I regularly move full tables of products and carry bags of products that weigh up to 30 pounds. In addition, I climb ladders which requires balance that I don't have anymore (per my surgeon) because the muscles that were repaired are my core abdominals which are responsible for balance.

The LTD company states that the reason they are denying further payment is because according to my "occupation" I don't require lifting. They further state that whether my "job" requires it or not isn't relevant, they go by occupation when making their decision. I told the case manager I wanted to appeal the decision, because I am unable to go to work until my surgeon releases me (he won't) and because I can't perform my job requirements I would be fired for incompetence (a technicality, but they have to have someone that can do the full job and I can't).

I had to request the appeal paperwork twice and received the 2nd set yesterday. Basically it was just a letter detailing their reasons for the denial and if I wanted to appeal, to call their 800 number. Obviously, that's been done several times over. I've left a message for the case manager to ask her exactly HOW to appeal this, but she hasn't returned my calls yet. I'm lost as to my next step since I really feel that this is just standard for them to deny as a matter of routine. (This is after they took nearly 7 weeks to determine it wasn't a pre-existing condition.)

MA Health Insurance

Elsie — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:16:47 -0800

Anyone know about Massachusetts Health Insurance? I'm between a rock and a hard place. I'm about to move to MA from overseas. I sent off application for the low-cost insurance, Commonwealth Care, but it may be weeks after I arrive to hear whether I qualified. I do not want to go one minute without coverage in the U.S. so I thought I'd get a short-term policy. However, as I understand it, if you have any prior health insurance at all in the U.S., including short-term, you can't qualify for the Commonwealth Choice low-cost option. The other available insurance, a high deductible polict or Health Savings account is $500 a month. Any advice on how to proceed? Based on fruitless calls to MA Insurance Dept. it seems to be a Catch 22 situation unless I'm missing something. Any advice?

Replacement cost insurance for my bicycle - US

Carbolic — Tue, 19 May 2009 09:02:33 -0800

Is bicycle insurance available in the US? I just discovered that my bicycle, particularly the frame (Tommasini Sintesi), is worth much more than I thought. I bought the frame 10 years ago and it went unused for about eight years so it's nearly like new. A friend was curious and looked it up on the net. Turns out the frame I paid $700 for now goes for appox. $1,800. It's outfitted with Ultegra so I'm guessing replacement would be in the neighborhood of $3,000. I'm not worried about theft because that would be covered by my by my homeowners.

My concern is if I'm rear ended, I have a rack that attaches to the receiver hitch on the rear of my car, or if I crash. I carry only liability on my auto so it won't cover the bike. I'm looking for a policy that would cover replacement cost in those situations. Searching the net I can find such policies available in Europe but none in the US. A policy was once available through USA cycling but no longer.

My head hertz.

peanut_mcgillicuty — Sun, 17 May 2009 07:19:36 -0800

More rental car insurance confusion. I live in NYC so have no car/no insurance. I can't tell if I need to buy what the rental car company is selling. I'm renting a car for five days in Georgia this week. I got the car through Orbitz--the rental car agency is Hertz.

This previous question indicates that I need to purchase additional insurance, since the insurance my credit card provides is not liability. But this previous question indicates that Hertz DOES provide primary liability insurance up to a state's limit (which in Georgia appears to be 25/50/25).

Hertz's website says this: On all rentals commencing in the state of Georgia, Hertz will provide secondary liability protection. The renters personal/business insurance is used to its limits. In the event of no applicable liability protection, Hertz, by default, becomes primary. Hertz will become primary if the Liability Insurance Supplement - LIS - is purchased. LIS is available at USD 12.95 per each full or partial day of rental. I take that to read that they provide it at no cost--but you can purchase it to make their insurance, not yours, the primary. And if you don't have insurance, it's provided automatically.

But calling the location itself to verify that was not helpful, as the girl on the phone simply said, "If you don't have insurance already, you need to buy it." I'll be calling their corporate line as well, but it certainly appears that if I'm happy with the 25/50/25 coverage they're required to offer, I don't in fact need to purchase any insurance through them.

However, I haven't dealt with car insurance in about seven years and all this back-and-forth has me questioning reality in general. Am I reading this right? If you were in my shoes, would you pay for insurance through Hertz? (It's not a huge amount but I really don't want to pay for something they'd be providing me with anyway.)

Bonus question: either way, does that insurance cover me and a secondary driver (assuming I list that second drive with Hertz), or just me?

Should I get travel insurance as a UK citizen in Holland?

Kirn — Wed, 13 May 2009 10:22:01 -0800

Do I need travel insurance if I live in the UK and am travelling to Holland? I'm about to spend 4 days in Holland (flying the day after tomorrow). I completely forgot to look into travel insurance.

I'm a UK citizen (since always) and have a European Health Insurance Card (which is not about to expire). Does this basically cover me for medical issues and emergencies in Holland?

Should I still get travel insurance?

If so, can I still book it at this late stage?

And if the answer to the last two questions is yes: who would the hive mind recommend? I've never heard of any of the companies the comparison sites bring up.

Details: I'm in my mid-20s. I have mild asthma but no other medical conditions. I'm not planning on driving or taking part in any dangerous activities, and I'm not taking anything particularly valuable (passport and wallet are probably the only things I really wouldn't want to lose). I don't have any other kind of insurance other than home insurance.

Other details: I'm an idiot who doesn't know anything about insurance.

Thanks in advance Internet.

Should I report my stolen car stereo to the insurance company?

agentmunroe — Sun, 10 May 2009 10:35:32 -0800

My car stereo just got stolen - while my car was in my driveway. Should I report it to my insurance company? So I came outside not 10 minutes ago to find the passenger-side window of my '02 Chevy Prizm smashed in, and my 3-year-old mediocre Alpine head unit stolen. It was the cheapest one at the time that had an auxiliary in (I think $199 new, not that I have the receipt handy to prove it), and I was starting to look at replacing it anyway with one that had better iPod integration and HD radio, so I'm not particularly worried about the stereo cost itself - although it would be nice to have it replaced.

What I'm not sure about is - should I handle this out-of-pocket, or report it to State Farm to see what they'll do? While it would be great to have the repairs paid for, we have three other cars under our policy; I don't know if it works this way, but I'd be worried we'd be classified as a higher risk and have our rates raised. If any rates get raised, I'd rather just pay for it myself.

As a bit of background, we live in a mediocre to bad part of town - we haven't had any home theft lately, but did have a car stolen a few years ago that we reported and was eventually returned.

I don't yet have the insurance paperwork in front of me (going to dig those up next), but our plan with State Farm is fairly comprehensive... it's covered a windshield replacement due to a crack, and all of the rental/repair costs from when I was in a not-at-fault accident about six months ago and had some collision damage taken care of.

Side question - if I don't report it, is it even worth filing a police report? And am I allowed to drive it without the window for now (NYS)?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Help me get a cheap prescription!

thankyouforyourconsideration — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:10:35 -0800

I am in a temporary position of having no health insurance. I think I have strep throat for the second time this year. Where is the least expensive place for me to go right now to get diagnosed and prescribed medicine? I'm in Portland, Oregon. Thanks!!