Car Insurance

It doesn’t matter if you are shopping for Auto, Home, Health, Life or Business insurance – if you don’t know the lingo you are liable to end up paying too much or getting the wrong coverage. Here’s a handy guide to some of the more important insurance terms to keep you on the right track.

Insurance (in general):

Deductible – Deductibles reduce the price of insurance because you pay a predetermined amount of the loss or expense BEFORE the insurer pays. You select the deductible and the higher you choose, the lower your premium.

Premium – This is simply the amount you or your company pays to the insurance company in exchange for their coverage and benefits provided.

Property and Casualty – this identifies a part of the insurance industry that handles impairment to property or individuals hurt in an accident. Auto, householders and commercial liability insurance fall into this category.

Life and Health – This is the part of the insurance industry that covers life and health insurance as opposed to property and casualty.

Umbrella Policy – This is a general term implying broader coverage than a basic policy would typically offer can. For example, homeowner insurance that includes coverage for general lawsuits would be considered umbrella insurance.

Automobile Insurance:

Collision – Collision insurance covers the damages to your vehicle from a collision or accident.

Comprehensive – Comprehensive insurance covers the “non-collision” types of losses to your vehicle like fire, flood, vandalism or theft.

Liability – this is the part of your coverage that pays for damage done to a third party such as bodily injury, property damage or pain and suffering. Homeowners policies also typically have liability provisions to protect you against various types of personal injury lawsuits.

No-fault – Half of the states have no-fault insurance which pays for losses no matter who is at fault in the accident.

Medical Insurance:

Ancillary Care/Coverage – Ancillary is just a fancy term for “additional” or “extra” or “related.” It applies to comprehensive policies that for example, only cover basic health benefits but also have added (ancillary) coverage for prescription drugs or eye care, etc.

Cobra – The “Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act” is a Federal law that requires companies to offer extended health care coverage to terminated employees for a period of time. This coverage is typically paid for by the ex-employee but at group rates.

Co-payment – An amount much your insurance requires you to pay for each visit to the doctor’s office, or for other care. The insurance company then pays the remainder of the bill assuming the deductible has been met.

Fee for Service – This is the type of health Insurance that allows you to select any Doctor and pays for some agreed percentage of “reasonable and customary” fees. You then end up paying the difference.

H,M.O. – “Health Maintenance Organizations” are designed to provide comprehensive medical coverage for a set fee. However, these organizations typically require that you use their Doctors and facilities thus limiting your choice.

P.P.O. – “Preferred Provider Organizations” are networks of doctors who charge on a fee for service basis but typically at a discount pre-negotiated by the insurance company. Thus insurance companies will usually pay a larger share of your bill if you go to one of their “preferred providers.”

Life Insurance:

Annuity – These are policies that pay while a person is alive for a specified period of time. They are usually offered by life insurance companies.

Term Life – Term life is life insurance in effect only for a specified period (term) of time. If death occurs during this period, the insurance is paid. If not, the coverage must be renewed or it expires.

Universal Life – A Life policy accompanied by a savings plan tied to market rates of interest and the benefits are not fixed but can change within boundaries.

Whole Life – A policy based on a fixed rate of return and with pre-determined premium that build cash value while the policy is in force. The insurance benefit is fixed as well.