Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with insurance

Ok to use a public insurance adjuster?

neilkod — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:17:38 -0800

Flood! Will it be worthwhile for me to use a licensed public adjuster to handle a flood insurance claim? A neighbor, who has been in this position with both his own home and his rental properties recommended I consider a public insurance adjuster. I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. I'm trying to be a good mefite and honor the 'if it sounds too good to be true' axiom, but I need to make sure. We took on some damage (and two cars were totaled because of interior flooding) and I want to make sure I'm treated fairly.

Will there be a single bright light in the middle of the room?

anastasiav — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:22:39 -0800

I was in a serious auto accident in October of 2009. I do have an attorney. We've filed suit to settle the case, and my deposition is this afternoon. As the time grows closer, I'm getting more and more anxious about this. What should I expect? The settlement value of this case is very high, because my injuries were serious and my medical bills were high. The other driver's insurance has (I assume) accepted his responsibility because they already paid the loss on the vehicle (scooter vs car - I was the scooter). Yet I suspect (because I distrust insurance companies, and because of some other things that have happened in the case) that they're going to try and play hardball and perhaps insinuate that I somehow caused the crash (I did not). I do have a prep session with my attorney one hour before the deposition, but I'm losing my mind waiting until then.

Have you been through this? What should I expect?

Need minor surgery but I'm just about to change jobs (and health plans). Disaster?

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:16:38 -0800

I have a small health issue which will probably require minor surgery. Pretty routine and low-risk kind of thing. I'm employed and have a good health plan through my job. But here's the problem: I might be changing jobs (and therefore health plans) very soon. Will this create problems getting the procedure paid for? I won't find out for sure if I need the surgery for a couple of weeks. And I'm sure that if I do, it will be even longer before I'm able to get the surgery. I might be in a new job much sooner than all that gets resolved. Questions:

1) Will I be able to sign up for my new employer's plan quickly enough to help with this?
2) Will that insurer decline to pay for my surgery because "it was a preexisting condition?"

Nothing's done yet. What should I be considering? Suggestions for a plan?

Can auto claim be reopened?

elizfield — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:48:45 -0800

After I settled an auto injury claim I found out the adjuster mislead me on a number of issues. Had I known that I would have obtained an attorney. Can settled injury claims get reopened (Adjuster says no)?

Car insurance in New Orleans

goneill — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:24:44 -0800

I bought a car!! It is a 1993 Honda Civic. I need to buy insurance. I will be driving my car about once a week, to buy groceries - otherwise I will be riding my bike around New Orleans, Louisiana. I don't know anything about car insurance. I am 34, have a perfect driving record. Can anyone help me figure out what kind of insurance I should get? I will be fine if the car is totaled or stolen and I cannot ever drive it again. I have health insurance for myself so I do not need to protect myself in that way.

I need help in just understanding the basic terms that insurance companies use, what I should look out for, and how much coverage I should get, and any other information that I'm not thinking of!

Thanks!

How to qualify my mom for long-term care insurance

mrstrotsky — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:51:47 -0800

My parents are considering long-term care insurance. The problem is that my mom may not qualify because she uses a walker. Is this legal? Any experience with long-term care insurance and pre-existing conditions? More details: She is 67, he is 65. She suffered from polio when she was 7, which left her mostly healthy but with a leg that has nerve/muscle damage. She started using the walker about 5 years ago. She also doesn't drive, due to peripheral vision loss (perhaps caused by some falls she had before she started using the walker). My dad would qualify, although he has had a heart attack.
I'm the only child, and I'm feeling overwhelmed about this. Any advice is appreciated!

Should I get these tests done now, and will insurance cover treatment in the future?

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:01:50 -0800

A complicated question about a specific medical condition, insurance, and pre-existing conditions. Hello,
I'll try to explain this clearly- apologies if it's a bit long, the background is necessary!
I live in New York. Three months ago I switched jobs, and the new job told me I had to wait three months for my insurance to kick in. I did not elect to take COBRA or any interim insurance because I recently had surgery and that knocked my premiums up past what I could afford.

About three weeks after starting the new job I got the results back from a pap smear and they said they'd found HPV of the "dangerous, may possibly cause cancer" variety, and that I had to go in for a colposcopy. I explained that I was waiting for my insurance to kick in and they said it should be ok to wait the two months till this happened.
So last week I got laid off. Now there isn't going to be any insurance till I don't know when.

Planned Parenthood will do the colposcopy on a sliding scale that I can just about afford, but my concern is: if I get this test while I have no insurance, and god forbid it turns out I have cervical cancer or pre-cancer that needs to be treated... when I get a job and get insurance, will this then count as a pre-existing condition and not be covered?

I'm really worried about this. The strange thing is that I already have a condition- ulcerative colitis- but whenever I've started a new job, the employer's insurance has covered it with no problem. So that's a pre-existing condition, right? But everyone is saying that this will be different and that I absolutely should wait to get the colposcopy till I already have insurance.

So, two questions. Is there, for some reason, a difference between things like ulcerative colitis and (knock wood) cervical cancer, that would mean that the former is covered while the latter is not? Is it true that if I test positive my new insurance wouldn't cover treatment?

Second question- I know you are not my doctor, but would it be all right to wait until I do get insurance to get tested? It's already been almost three months now and I'm getting really nervous, thinking that something awful and dangerous might be growing inside me and I just have to wait. I know that the earlier you catch these things, the better, but I also know that if it IS pre-cancer, this kind tends to move slowly- is it all right to wait a bit longer?

Thanks...I'm sorry if this is a bit disjointed but the whole subject makes me incredibly stressed out and nervous and I feel a bit helpless in this situation. I want to do what's best for my health without putting myself into years of debt.

Thanks in advance to all of you....

Bus bent my bike; am I stuck with the damage?

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:18:18 -0800

Locked my bike to a post, and a bus sideswiped my bike. Am I stuck with the damage? I stupidly locked my bike to a garbage can near a bus stop. A bus driver trying to squeeze past a left-turning car clipped my bike and pretzeled my wheel.

The damage is probably about $300 (unless the frame is bent in which case it's $1500). I don't have insurance. I do have photos of the scene of the collision, and two witnesses. I've made a report to the Toronto Transit Commission, and in three weeks I'll know what their claims department thinks of it.

Has anyone else tried to claim property damage from a Canadian transit system? What should I expect? If their claims department says no, what should I do?

Any not-legal-advice would be much appreciated

Fender bender responsibility?

cosmac — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:41:38 -0800

Who is at fault in the following scenario (USA, Colorado)? "Person A" in a pickup stopped in the left lane of a 4 lane road waiting for a car in front to turn left. "Person B" in a car stopped behind "person A". "A" and "B" get tired of waiting and seeing no traffic in the right hand lane pull into it to pass the stopped car. "B" hits the right rear quarter panel of "A"'s truck. "A"'s truck is large, "B"'s car is small. "A" asserts (s)he never saw "B". Note I'm interested in both the legal and ethical answer!

How can I have a baby in NYC without health insurance?

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:12:36 -0800

We are having a baby! We are super excited, except that we are in NYC without health insurance and really scared. What are our options? To further complicate things we are both non US citizens (Swedish and Australian), freelancers, young and broke, and live here on non-immigratant visas. My fiance and I want to stay in NYC, but only if we can find a way that is best for mother and baby. One option is to return to our home country and benefit from free health care, but this is our home now. We will do this though if there isn't any alternative, but we hope to find a solution here.

I have called around to some OBGYN offices, but they quoted around $10k, and that doesn't include tests or complications. It seems too expensive, especially considering if there are potential problems. We would get her health insurance if possible, but from reading around it seems that pregnancy is considered a pre-existing condition and wouldn't be covered? Either of us can't be employed because of our visa status and so company health care isn't an option either.

My fiance is 6 weeks pregnant and we are eager to see a doctor immediately, but we haven't had much luck so far. Have you been in this situation? How can we see a doctor immediately without a huge financial burden? Can we get health insurance in NYC even when pregnant? Thanks so much for any advice, leads or suggestions.

Need insurance for my future pregnant self

grablife365 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:37:58 -0800

I need help finding insurance for now and for my future pregnant self. Possible issue I'm told: I'm in Texas. I want to change insurance carriers. I have an individual PPO at the moment. It does not cover IVF or maternity and the child unless something goes wrong. I would like to have insurance that does cover these areas. I am not pregnant but I do have a possible pre-existing condition (not yet confirmed for sure) which would make it harder to switch. I'm told being in Texas makes this even harder for me.

Where can I go that does not cost more than a few hundred a month and has all of the above?

Thanks.

Where can I get tested for ADD?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:20:53 -0800

[Chicago Filter] Where can I find a place that tests for adult ADHD/ADD, and accepts insurance up front? Most places I've tried want me to pay up front and then send the bill to my insurance company, which would be fine except the price ranges from $600-$2000. I don't have much time to save up the money because it's urgent (poor performance in college, not really looked into earlier because of at-home issues, in case anyone is wondering.)

I can pay up front/bill the insurance later if the price is ~$300, so if you know any places like that that would be great also. Thanks in advance!

Humana Medicare Supplemental Insurance--is it any good?

I'm Brian and so's my wife! — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:07:34 -0800

Has anyone here had any experiences with Humana's Medicare Supplemental Health Insurance for seniors? My mother-in-law currently is paying $400 a month for her supplemental insurance with another insurance company. She recently called Humana and got a quote of $98 a month. Sounds a little too good to be true. Any folks out there have the supplemental health insurance with Humana? Have your experiences been good or bad?

She resides in Tennessee and is in her 80s.

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

Please assure me about insurance

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:10:02 -0800

I live in an apartment building, and my neighbors recently caused some pretty significant damage to my unit (the details are irrelevant.) Anyway, I'm going to have to vacate while repairs are done. My insurer will pay for my stay in a hotel, and my landlord has offered to re-imburse my rent for whatever time I'm not occupying the apartment. Is this ok? I know: YANML. I am a little bit worried that I might have some legal responsibility to disclose the money my landlord is providing me with to my insurer. Am I just being neurotic? I've never dealt with insurance companies before, so I don't really know what I'm doing. I don't know how long I'll need to stay in a hotel - probably somewhere between 3 and 8 weeks - but the hotel stay will certainly be significantly more expensive than whatever rent I get back. (To give you an idea, I pay about $1100/mo rent, and I'm looking to stay at a reasonable mid-range chain hotel that charges about $110/night.) I am covered for re-location expenses that are about 10-15x more than whatever I'll get back from my landlord. Nonetheless, I'm a bit worried that if my insurer knew, they would want to deduct that amount from whatever they reimburse me for, since I could use the money my landlord is giving me toward housing. Does my insurer care?

I live in Ontario, Canada, and my insurer is Intact.

Help a Canadian travel with peace of mind!

exquisite_deluxe — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:29:19 -0800

I'm a Canadian abroad with expired health insurance. What options do I have for a new policy? I need private health insurance for a 6 week trip to India, departing from New Zealand. I've been out of Quebec, Canada since October 2008, and I'm returning in December 2009. My private health insurance (bought through Travel Cuts) has expired, and they will not sell me a new plan without being in Canada.

I was then going to book through World Nomads, which does allow policy purchases after leaving Canada. However, they require Canadians to confirm that they are still covered under provincial health insurance. Since I have been out of Quebec for more than 183 days this year, and did not obtain a letter of extension before departure from Canada, apparantly I am no longer covered. So I can't get the World Nomads insurance.

All the policies I have looked at require booking before the trip, or being out of Canada for less than six months. I have seen this question asking about good travel insurance in Quebec, but it doesn't seem to address what to do without having a valid extension from Quebec health.

Help!! Do I have any options?? My main concern is having coverage for major medical emergencies.

Thanks in advance!

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 :)

What are my rights with my insurance company?

btkuhn — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:02:45 -0800

What are my rights with my insurance company? You are not my lawyer, but...

I am not looking for a legal opinion, but I'd like to find out what my rights are in a situation, and I don't know how. I have insurance coverage through my job with a major national insurer. I had to go for a long-term residential stay in the hospital to take care of some health problems. I knew that it was going to be expensive before going in, so I contacted my insurance company to make sure that the treatment was covered and at what rate it was covered. I was told that yes, the treatment was covered, and it was covered at 70% until my out-of-pocket max of $3000/year was reached.

So, after going through the treatment and getting my bill, I saw that it was covered as it should have been, except that when my out-of-pocket max was reached nothing different happened - I wasn't cut off at $3000 responsibility. I contacted my insurance co and was told that I must have been told the wrong thing before going in, and the type of treatment I underwent had no out of pocket max restrictions - ie I was responsible for 30% of the total cost, which works out to be about 35%.

I've had problems with insurance companies in the past, so I made sure to get written confirmation of my responsibility before going in for treatment. I have two email from customer service saying that my liability was capped at $3000, for the specific treatment I went for. I went through the appeals process with my insurance company and showed them these emails, and my appeals were denied, with no explanation except "sorry, you were told the wrong thing". I am currently appealing through my state insurance commission but I've heard things move very, very slowly.

My question is, what are my rights in this situation, legally? It seems pretty straightforward - the insurance company told me a treatment was covered, and then after I had it done they changed their tune and won't cover it. So they should be forced to pay for what they said they would. But I don't know how the law really works - perhaps insurance companies are allowed to lie to you (maybe customer service communications aren't legally binding), all that matters is the text of the policy itself? It turns out that the policy itself does not have a out of pocket max for this kind of treatment - this is written in the fine print of the 100+ page policy book, which I didn't have at the time of my treatment. All I had access to was a condensed policy booklet that did not mention this exclusion.

Can anyone comment on what my actual rights are in this situation, if any?

Is there any way to estimate what a car & car insurance would cost me if I moved to San Francisco?

scazza — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:16:16 -0800

What are ways to estimate what a car and car insurance would cost me if I moved to San Francisco? I'm looking for what it would cost to have a reasonable, eco-friendly (not necessarily a hybrid, probably not a hybrid) car for 2 people in San Francisco. Something like a hatchback that's 1-2 years old. I live in NYC now so I have no idea how to go about estimating insurance and car loan payments. Resources? Thanks!

(There is a question about this from 2005, but I think things may have changed by now.)

Liability for fire in the kitchen

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:18:09 -0800

Less than a year ago, my SO left a pan on the stove and the rental house burned. Now, the owner's insurance company wants her to pay. The renter's insurance (same company as owner's insurance company) lapsed less than a week before the fire through a mix-up/misunderstanding. I'm thinking that isn't a significant point since that policy only have covered SO's personal contents, right?

Insurance company has made two offers ($10,000 at first; now $5,000) for SO to pay them part of the money paid to the owner. If SO does not accept within 30 days, the subrogation unit will refer it to the legal department to recover the full amount ($68,000).

I know you are not SO's lawyer, but what is a reasonable expectation for the end result? Does SO's carelessness necessarily mean negligence? Only a court can determine that?

SO does not have the money to hire a lawyer, but has a consultation appointment this week. What suggestions do you have? How should SO proceed?

This is definitely not the first time this has happened, hive mind, but it is SO's first (and hopefully last) time and SO is shocked and scared.

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?

Will Kaiser health insurance pay for a knee brace? Subsidize it?

jstef — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:25:13 -0800

Will Kaiser health insurance pay for a knee brace? Subsidize it? I had an ACL operation two years ago (two replacements, actually) while insured by Aetna. My doctor told me the insurance would help pay for a functional brace, but that I should wait a few months to let my muscles grow again.

Two years later, I have insurance with Kaiser, and I am only now returning to full activity. Do you think there's any chance they'll help subsidize the cost of a CTi brace or equivalent? Will this prior condition not be covered? Anyone have experience in this department?

Thanks!

I need insurance!

shrimpsmalls — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:29:33 -0800

Cobra running out next month. Can you recommend a basic, inexpensive private insurance plan? I am a 25 year old female in Chicago, relatively healthy with no major health conditions. I was laid off last year and my cobra is out as of December, so I need to find a replacement plan ASAP since I am however prone to minor accidents/ illnesses and a bike commuter. Basically, no insurance is not an option. Can you recommend any plans that cover the basics and would prevent me from going totally bankrupt in the case of a medical emergency? Ideally, I would like to keep my payment between $100-130 a month.

Other relevant info: I am also working part time and going to grad school full time, so joining an employer group plan is not going to happen any time soon. (also, the university does not have any student options - i already asked.)

Help! My new car was rear-ended...

ComeUndone — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:38:22 -0800

My 2-month-old car was rear-ended on Friday night, what should I do now? I was at a stop-light on Friday night, and a car rear-ended me going 40 MPH. Thank goodness nobody was hurt, in fact, there weren't any bruises or soreness at all. The rear-end of my car from the bumper to the back seat is pretty much demolished.
The next morning, I turned the claim into my car insurance company, and the other driver's company (Geico) called me to get my account of the accident. I told them what happened, and they admitted full responsibility and said they'd pay for everything.
I asked for a rental, since my car is not driveable. They said that an adjuster would inspect the car on Monday.
My question is..am I missing anything? Is there anything I should be doing? The car is a 2010 Ford Fusion I bought new around 2 months ago. Has anyone had this happen to them so close to buying a new car? I'm worried they're going to total the car instead of repairing it, and I'm not sure where that would leave me, because I haven't been able to find any sort of consistent estimate on the value of my car since it's technically "used".
Any advice or tips from people who've had this happen to them would be greatly appreciated.