Claim Settlement Record Of Indian Insurance Companies

An insurance contract between the insurance company and the insured is one of trust. The moment of truth in this relationship appears when there is a claim by the insured (in the case of a non life policy) or by the dependents (in the case of a life insurance claim). Till that moment comes, everything is hunky dory- premiums are being paid regularly by the clients, and the insurance company is only too happy receiving them. However, the moment a claim appears, an insurance company proceeds to evaluate the claim closely, as every claim paid out is an expense for the company, hurting profitability. Thus, there is a basic conflict here: the insured wants the maximum claim to be paid, while the insurance company would like to reduce the claims outflow to the extent possible.

From a customers point of view, it is very important to study the claims settlement history of a life insurance or a general insurance company before deciding to purchase an insurance policy from that company. During the sales process, the sales representatives will be all sugar and honey so that the prospective customer signs up. But the fact of the matter is that if the insurance company you are considering has a bad history of claims settlement, there is a high probability that you will face a claim rejection or reduction when the time comes for you or your nominees to file a claim.
We had a close look at the claim settlement data of the various insurance companies. This is what that data tells us:

LIFE INSURANCE: Apr 09-Mar 10

Life Insurance Company
Total Claims (%)
Claims Paid (%)
Claims refused (%)
Claims pending at year end (%)

LIC
100
96.54
1.21
1.41

Private Insurers
100
84.88
7.6
7.48
Total
100
95.24
1.93
2.08

NON LIFE INSURANCE :Apr 09- Mar 10

Category
Public Sector
Private Sector
Total
Fire
81
73
80
Marine
76
86
78
Motor
88
80
85
Health
120
92
111
Others
57
57
57
TOTAL
88
80
86

The table above clearly reveals that the Public sector insurance companies are more generous in terms of paying claims. The life insurance data shows that LIC pays almost 97% of the claims while the private life insurance companies pay about 85% of the claims. The same pattern is revealed in the non life insurance sector also where on an overall basis, the claims ratio of the public non life companies is higher than that of the private general insurance companies. However, one needs to be careful here before jumping to a conclusion. It could very well be that in the public companies are sourcing the wrong kind of business with lax underwriting norms, whereas the private companies would be more stringent at the entry time itself. However, the worrying part is the claims denied ratio of the private life insurance companies which is over 7%. In the case of a life company, the claim is a death. There can be no ambiguity here- someone is either dead or alive. The repudiation figure of 7% seems mysteriously high here.

In the next post, we will delve deeper and look into the claims breakup at the individual private company level.

What You Need To Know About Construction Contractor Insurance

Residential and commercial contractors all need construction contractor insurance. This is not a negotiable requirement. It will often spell the difference between getting and losing a contract.

Any party who contracts services to others needs contractor insurance. This is required when contracting services to the government on the federal, state or city level. It is also most often required by private entities from contractors.

In effect, contractor insurance protects all parties involved in a contract. Those who hired the contractor are assured that any damage or injury on persons or property caused by the contractors work will be paid for by the insurance. The contractor is assured that he will not have to pay for claims on such damage or injury from his own pocket. It also protects him in case he is wrongfully sued.

Contractor insurance generally covers the contractor, the party who contracts the services and any member of the public directly affected by the work of the contractor. It should offer full protection against accidental damage caused to equipment and property, as well as full liability protection to cover all medical, legal and compensation costs. If a contractor has more business than is covered by the policy, extra coverage can be applied for in the areas of public liability and professional indemnity.

Contractor insurance does not, however, cover deliberate errors and negligent acts on the part of the contractor. If the contractor shows a consistent pattern of negligent behavior, the insurance company will not extend coverage.

Normally, contractor insurance covers only the period during which the contracted work is being done. Some work, however, may give rise to issues many years afterwards and the contractor still runs the risk of being sued even then. He could already be retired by that time. Contractors should, therefore, apply for additional insurance to cover such eventualities. This could be in the form of a run-off insurance policy or an extension of the liability clause of the existing contractor insurance.

Construction contractor insurance specifically covers all the risks involved in the construction of a commercial or residential building. This covers compensation for builders risk, demolition liability insurance, professional indemnity insurance, public liability, employers liability and accidental death of a worker due to construction default or structural fault such as the collapse of walls in the construction site.

Builders risk covers claims and legal fees against damage to the building while construction is going on. Demolition liability insurance covers claims against damage caused by the demolition done in the course of construction.

Professional indemnity insurance covers claims and legal fees against professional negligence. This is different from deliberate errors and negligent acts. Professional negligence refers to not having produced the quality of work that the contractor has represented himself to be qualified for.

Public liability, as mentioned earlier, covers claims and legal fees for injury or damage caused by the contractors work to a third party or members of the public.

Employers liability covers claims and legal fees against injuries or illness incurred by the contractors employees in the course of their work. This extends to cases of accidental death of employees in the construction site.

The typical cost of contractor insurance ranges between 0.5% and 1% of the total coverage. Among the factors involved are the industry of the contractor, the specific companys business turnover, the amount of coverage required, the probability of the company facing any legal action, and, of course, the insuring company.

Construction contractor insurance is a necessary investment for all residential and commercial contractors. It will protect them, their employees, their clients and the public at large. It will also show proof of their professionalism.

Your Need to Know Basics on Cheap Insurance

Every person who wants to buy cheap insurance for home must know the basics of this matter. This will help you get the best and most affordable rate of home insurance. This will also help you know more about the coverage and features of cheap insurances.

Get Basic Information on the Internet

The Internet is the best source where you can ideas about home insurances and even low cost premiums. Various selections of different kinds of home insurance and other types of cheap insurances are available on the Internet.

Know the Coverage of Insurance

You must know what type of coverage featured on a particular cheap insurance you are choosing. There are two types of premium coverage you can choose from. These are usually offered by many insurance companies. You can either choose the content’s coverage or the home coverage. You can even avail both of these types of coverage.

Find Out the Insurance Quotes

It is necessary that you get insurance quotes so you will be able to compare prices of various types of insurances. This can help get the best, cheapest and the most reliable insurance plan for your home. Through these insurance quotes, you are surely given a list of possible cheap insurances you can choose.

Seek Other Options in Finding Insurance

There are alternative ways you can do to search the right insurance agency where you can purchase the cheap insurance plan. These are other sources which include newspaper ads and yellow pages of phone directories. Newspaper ads give exact rates for some home insurances. The yellow pages cover phone numbers with addresses of home insurance agencies.

Determine the Replacement Cost of Your Home

A homeowner who is interested to get insurance, like you, must not only insure the market value of his home. He also needs to know the cost of how much to rebuild or renovate it. You must know your home’s replacement value. You could use the Internet to know the exact monetary value of your home and its market value.

Learn the Content’s Insurance Coverage

The coverage of content’s insurance must be determined to know exactly the personal belongings or items that are covered in this kind of cheap insurance. What are the specific appliances, furniture, fixtures, jewelry and other personal items that are covered in this insurance plan? That is what you are going to find out if you get content’s insurance.

List Down Things that are not Covered

It is also advisable to make a checklist of items that are not covered in the cheap insurance you are trying to get for your home. This gives you idea whether you can get lots of benefits from that insurance or not.

Every homeowner needs to review the coverage of insurance they are choosing before making a purchase. You must be able to secure the best insurance policy with the right price. Apparently, this insurance can help you protect your home and assets even in times of damages and accidents. Having the cheapest insurance policy does not mean that you get the right and the best insurance for your home. It is important that you get the most reliable insurance company that offers the perfect insurance.

The word for cheap insurance in Danish is Billig forsikring her and if you want to get one you should visit this amazing Danish website. You can translate it with Google Translator if you don’t know the language. More about cheap insurance you can read here.

Cheap High Risk Home Insurance In Alabama

Everyone wants to insure their home (their biggest asset) but everyone also wants to find the best possible deal when it comes to their home insurance. Fortunately there are several different ways for homeowners to get this in Alabama.

If you are willing to take the risk you can lower the cost of your home insurance by not insuring for flood damage. No standard policy protects for flood damage; if you want flood damage insurance you’ll have to purchase a special policy that is federally insured. Not purchasing this policy will save you money.

Also, most home insurance polices in Alabama do not offer full-coverage for wind damage. If you live in an area where high winds – hurricanes or other storms – are a problem then you will have to purchase a rider to your policy that will cover you for full wind damage. Not buying this extra protection is a risk on your part, but not buying it will save you money.

Increasing your deductible will also save you money. Just remember that if you ever file a claim you will be expected to pay your deductible out of your own resources, so don’t offer to pay a larger deductible than you can actually afford to pay. You can save money on your home insurance if you install motion-sensitive floodlighting and if you install deadbolt locks on all exterior doors and make sure every window has a working lock.

You can save money if you install a kitchen-rated fire extinguisher in your kitchen and you make sure to install the proper number of smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide detectors throughout your house and make sure they each have a working battery.

Installing a 24/7 home security system that automatically reports problems to fire and police authorities can save you 20% or even more on your monthly premium. Just be sure to discuss your choice of system with your agent ahead of time since not all systems qualify for the highest premium discount.

Buying your high risk home insurance online will also save you money. Looking at the prices on several of the price comparison websites will allow you to see the widest range of prices and will help you to find the very best price that’s available.

Alabama has some of the best rates for home insurance, but if you are seriously in the market for affordable high risk home insurance in Alabama then you are in luck because there are several simple things you can do to save more money than you ever dreamed possible.

Let’s start with the simple stuff. Paying your premiums yearly rather than monthly will save you money. If you can’t swing paying all of your premiums at once then set up an automatic monthly payment for your premium. If your insurance company doesn’t have to bill you each month you’ll save money. Make your home less attractive to burglars by adding motion sensitive floodlighting, deadbolt locks on all exterior doors and working locks on all windows.

Make your home safer from injury claims by filling pot holes, replacing broken or cracked cement, and replacing all broken and lose floorboards on decks and porches.

Purchasing a home security system that monitors your home day and night for fire, theft and carbon monoxide can save you a bundle each month on your premiums, but make sure you discuss your plans with your agent first as some systems won’t qualify for a full discount. If you run a business out of your home you may be able to also claim a tax deduction for a portion of your home security system, adding even more to your savings!

Here in Alabama most home insurance policies do not cover your home for wind damage. If you want full wind coverage you will need to pay extra. Due to hurricanes and other wind-related problems not signing up for the extra insurance, while saving you money, is somewhat risky.

Similarly, no standard policy covers you for flood damage. In order to be covered for floods you will need to purchase a separate policy that is backed by the Federal Government. Not buying this insurance will save you money but it is a risk to you. Increasing your deductible will save you quite a bit of money every month. Just be sure you don’t make your deductible so high that you are unable to pay it should you ever file a claim.

Buying your home insurance online will definitely save you money. If you are serious about finding this then you will need to take the extra time necessary to run your price comparisons on more than one of the price comparison websites. The more sites you run your policy on, the more prices you are going to see and the more chances you’ll have of finding the lowest price possible.

Medicare supplement Insurance; bridging the gap..!

Medical expenses can be one of the biggest problems for the elderly as well as those who belong to the lower strata of the society.As such the federal government provides what is known as the Medicare, to everyone over 65, the disabled as well as the lower class people in certain specific contexts.The Medicare tends to cover the basic medical expenses providing, specific number of doctor and hospital visits and stays basic medicines and therapy. But at times Medicare is not able to cover all the costs regarding healthcare; live extended hospital stays, higher surgeries and others; called the Medicare supplements.These generally need to be covered by the patient and can be a trouble at times of crisis.

Also known as Medigap, referring to the gap in Medicare, these elements of Medicare can get too costly and beyond common man’s budget, as such the most common practice is to get Medicare supplement insurance. And as evident from the notion itself, the Medicare supplement insurance is so designed to pay up for the Medigap at times of need. The Medicare facilities are indeed a help to the growing population; it not only ensures longevity but also helps give out the basic healthcare need to the people.

And most of the facilities falling under the program is provided with professional expertise and al no or reasonable cost. But when it comes on to medical complications, the situations can get grim and then the need for a proper and efficient higher healthcare facility arises. This can call in for a lot of money and it is always safe to get insured against high prices that healthcare me cost. With more and more people turning to Medicare supplement insurance, the companies are rolling out more variety and customer friendly policies to meet the growing demand- Check out Medicare supplements insurance And Medigap