If I had to Choose Between Current US System and Current Japanese System...I Would Unequivocally Choose the Japanese System

"I�ve been living in Japan for over four years now and my experiences with the Japanese health care system have been universally positive. During my first year in Japan I was covered by the Kokumin-Kenk?-Hoken ?????? (national health insurance � i.e. �the public option�).

Since I had no registered income in Japan for the year prior to signing up with the national health insurance system I ended up paying the absolute minimum amount (the amount you pay into the national system is calculated as a percentage of your previous year�s income). I ended up paying 18,000 yen for a year�s worth of insurance, or the equivalent of around 180 U.S. dollars. This allowed me to see any doctor I chose with no limitation on consultations or on treatment. Of course, there were co-pays involved depending on the services that I needed, but these were so incredibly low as to be practically non-existent. For example, a consultation with a doctor would run me between 300 and 700 yen (three to seven U.S. dollars) and a two-week prescription for antibiotics might end up costing about 1,500 yen (about fifteen dollars).

In my second year of living in Japan new rules came into place and I was required to sign up with the insurance program offered by the university that I work for (supplementary insurance is available if you feel that the university insurance is insufficient). Now I pay somewhere between 100 and 300 dollars a month for my health insurance (I�m not sure exactly what the precise amount is since it�s taken out of my paycheck automatically and it doesn�t make enough of a dent in my earnings for me to spend very much time thinking about it).

As with a great many employers in Japan, the university that I work for requires its employees to take an annual medical exam (at no expense to the individual). This exam includes a host of standard tests (urine, blood, etc.), as well as a mandatory chest x-ray for teachers (tuberculosis is a problem in Japan, as is lung cancer). What this means, of course, is that doctors are able to offer preventative medical advice about lifestyle choices based on the readings they get from your annual exams, in addition to the obvious benefit of catching medical problems early enough that they can be dealt with at the stage when treatment is most effective � i.e., before symptoms escalate to the point of an emergency room visit.

Here's a more detailed account dealing with a sinus infection that I had: I came to the hospital with no appointment and was directed to the ear-nose-throat specialists. I did have to wait almost two hours (luckily I brought a book), but I was finally seen by the doctor who checked my sinuses, sent me for an x-ray to confirm that I had a sinus infection, and then prescribed antibiotics for me. The total cost out of my own pocket? About 3,500 yen, or 35 bucks in U.S. currency. I had a followup appointment the next week. I had to wait for about 15 minutes, the doctor asked me how I was doing and checked my sinuses again, saw that the medication was doing the trick, and sent me away. Cost? 300 yen (about three U.S. dollars).

Since I�ve been living in Japan I�ve had nothing but good experiences with the Japanese medical system and even though I have had two waits of longer than an hour, I was still able to see the doctor on the same day without an appointment and get the treatment that I needed. On the days when I had made a prior appointment I was able to see the doctor within 15 minutes of the appointed time (comparable to the States, except for one time in Berkeley when I was left waiting in the examination room for about 45 minutes before the doctor showed up). My visits to the doctor are unconscionably cheap, the doctors are always nice enough (though it�s true they don�t spend a lot of time with pleasantries), and they�ve listened to and addressed my questions. Whenever I�ve had medicine prescribed it�s been cheap and done the trick. When friends from abroad have come to visit they�ve had similar experiences (including being amazed at the incredibly cheap doctor bills). I have had the proverbial three-minute doctor visit (which was indeed a blunt instrument), but it worked �prescription given, problem solved.

Let me be absolutely clear � If I had to choose between spending the rest of my days with the Japanese health care system as it stands now or spending the rest of my days with the U.S. health care system as it stands now, I would unequivocally and without hesitation choose the Japanese system."

Trane DeVore
Kansai, Japan

Insuring Savings With A Simple Checklist

Insurance needs change with age and circumstance, yet few people take the time to review their insurance needs and find savings to fatten their monthly budget. It is, though, one of the easiest ways to cut living expenses and save money. On the bright side, it takes just a phone call to switch policies, get a new quote, or change the terms of an existing policy. Here are a few things to check every year, to determine if you can save money on your insurance bills.

* Get new quotes � Every year, it pays to look around and see what other companies are offering for their insurance policies and costs. Just shopping around can save hundreds.

* Bundle your insurance needs � If you have your car with a company that also offers homeowners insurance, it can save you money on both, typically a 10% discount.

* Check your deductibles � If you can stand to have higher deductibles, it will lower your insurance premium.

* Opt out of term life insurance � Once your kids are no longer dependent on you for support, you can cancel your term life insurance policies. Otherwise, you should carry about seven times your income on term life insurance to take care of your kids in case you die.

* Go with a group � Are you a member of a group that offers special discounts on life insurance? Check them out. Members of the AARP, teachers, student body alumnae, retired, or military personnel all can find group discounts for being a member of any of these groups.

* Remove extras you don't need � If you already have towing benefits with AAA, there's no need to carry towing insurance through another provider too. Collision insurance is only good to carry for cars that are less than 10 years old, otherwise, it's the same as replacing the old car out-of-pocket (about $1000).

* Pay yearly or semi-yearly � You can save another 5 to 10% of the policy simply by paying ahead of time, instead of monthly. A few extra dollars a month to process the loan on a monthly basis may seem like little, but it can add up to 10% by the end of the year.

The Japanese Receptionist Apologized for the High Costs

I have Diverticulitis which sometimes becomes inflamed and I have to go to the doctor to receive antibiotics. The pain subsides within 24 hrs and disappears after about three days. My last problem with it occurred about 4 yrs ago.

Well, while I was visiting Japan a couple of years ago with my Japanese wife, it became inflamed and within 24 hrs I developed a slight fever and knew I would have to go see a doctor or go to the hospital. I was a little concerned as I had no national health insurance, but it had to be done regardless of the cost.

My wife called a doctor in the neighborhood and an appointment was made for an hour later. It was a Saturday morning and I figured it would probably be crowded. I had not received medical care in Japan since the 80�s when I was living there full time and, not knowing the present cost without insurance we took 60,000 yen (about US$600) with us as, in the US, with no health insurance the cost would probably be at least $200 if not more.

We walked the 10 minutes to the small clinic and upon entering, after removing our shoes and using the slippers (pink for females, blue for males) I was amazed that there were only two patients there, an elderly gentleman and a woman with a baby. Surprising for a Saturday morning as in the US on a Saturday the offices are booked solid and one must wait at least an hour over ones scheduled �appointment�. The nurse behind the counter took my basic information and asked that I take a seat and said the doctor would see me shortly. Unlike the US there were no pages and pages of info to fill out for a first time visit.

Within 10 minutes the doctor called us in and I noticed his diploma on the wall from Tokyo University. I explained my situation to him in Japanese with help from my wife and what kind of penicillin I usually take for the symptoms. He understood what I was talking about, checked his computer for reference and asked that I lie down. Locating the pain on the left side of my abdomen he asked that I take a urine test. I left the cup on the counter in the restroom and as soon as I returned to the room he said that my urine was ok. Now that was fast!

He said that he would give me a 5 day prescription for antibiotics and pain killers and that if the pain did not subside within 24 hrs that I was to return. We went to the counter and we were given the medicine right there! No pharmacy to go to! Our bill was calculated and it was presented to us.

To my astonishment the total bill for the visit, urine test and two prescriptions was 4,610 yen!! Approximately US$38 at the then exchange rate! And that was with no National Health Insurance! My wife and I looked at each other with wide open eyes. I asked her if this was the normal cost and she asked the nurse. Yes it was and they apologized for the cost with my having no health insurance! Unbelievably reasonable in my opinion and there was no need for them to apologize if they knew the cost of such a visit in the US. It was way lower than either of us expected. Had I been living in Japan it would've cost me about US$7 - $10 for the visit under their health care system.

I calculated the cost of what this would have cost me in the US WITH insurance. The co-pays for the doctor, urine test, and two prescriptions at a pharmacy would have come out to about $60 and, with no insurance the cost would have been at least $200! This just goes to show how unreasonable medical costs are in the US.

Anyway, within a couple of days I was fine and my visit to Japan was not interrupted at all as I was still able to function thanks to the pain killers and had a wonderful time during the rest of my visit. I am very grateful that in Japan you are not ripped off for emergency medical care even if you have no health insurance!

Therefore, if you are visiting Japan and become ill, don�t fear that it will cost you an arm and a leg if you have to receive emergency care as the costs are very reasonable to one without insurance.

It's funny how many of the major pundits never mention Japan's Single Payer System and how successful it is. Rather they point fingers at the UK's and Canada's bad systems. In Japan anyone can go to any doctor or hospital at any time for any test or surgery or care. In Japan's system no one is turned down due to pre-existing conditions and everyone is required to participate and the monthly premiums average around US$250. THE per capita cost in Japan to the government is around US$2,500 whereas in the US the per capita cost, with the present system, is over $6,000!

Would such reasonable and affordable care happen in the US with a national health care system and the prices be so affordable? I think not as the US system is designed for profit whereas in Japan all prices from major surgeries to prescriptions to the number of stitches is set by the Japanese government every two years and hospitals must be not for profit. It would, in my opinion be a disaster in the US. The US must go slow on this and all congress people should be required to read the bill before it is passed. If not it will cost the US and their people trillions and will fail. Besides, the system is too corrupt in the US for it to be a success as the majority of our government is bought and paid for by the pharmaceutical industries and the insurance industries IMO. It's doomed to fail unless the people are vigilant and ensure that a reasonable system is enacted and where the average person can read and understand the bill now before congress!

Joe
Tennessee
Japan

Americans Who Can't Go Home Because of Health Care

Can't Go Home from Turtlebox Productions on Vimeo.

Cost for care in Scotland was zero

I'll make this short. Our daughter suffered for years in the United States with an undiagnosed case of Myasthenia Gravis. Her doctors, including a neurologist in New York, failed to diagnosis her disease and dismissed the symptoms as psychosomatic. Mind you, the symptoms, as we learned later, were classic for a young woman with this admittedly rare disease.

After moving to Scotland to start a Masters program, she could finally no longer swallow reliably or talk for more than a few minutes before her muscles no longer worked. After receiving no useful care at an emergency room, she went to see our local GP who referred her to the local teaching hospital. There, based on nothing more than a conversation and superficial examination, the UK equivalent of a new resident correctly diagnosed the disease. Since then, she has been hospitalized for a month, given two very expensive courses of IVIG treatment, and had her thymus removed in major, open chest surgery. Thankfully she is now much better and about to head off for a Ph.D. program in England.

Recently, we flew back to New York to consult with perhaps the world expert on Myasthenia. After reviewing her symptoms and treatment he declared that the doctors in Scotland were doing all the right things. He then asked how much this cost. He had a bit of a hard time understanding that the cost was exactly zero. By the way, I spent about two months paying various bills associated with that one visit to his office. Quite a contrast I'd say.

Is the system in the UK perfect. Of course not. Did they provide superlative care for our daughter. Absolutely.

John
Scotland
New York

Some Comments on French Health Care System

I just thought I'd put in my two pennies worth about the French system of universal healthcare.

In fact, I am a person who avoids doctors like the plague and only seek medical care in an emergency. Even so, I'd much rather be in France than in the U.S. when that emergency happens.

Medical emergencies
In 25 years, our family has only had two major emergencies and in both cases, the medical care was exceptional and cost us nothing. The first was when our 5-year-old daughter caught her foot in the spokes of my bicycle while in the carry-on seat. She almost lost her heel. The neighbor rushed us both to the emergency room of the nearest medical facility, a private clinic. We were met by a surgeon and she went straight into the operating room. We both stayed in a private room for a week. I had a cot in her room, could stay with her 24 hours a day, and had meals in the room with her. All we had to pay was for my personal telephone calls. Everything else was covered between social security and our teachers' mutual insurance. To this day, whenever any medical person sees her scar, they are amazed at the terrific job the surgeon did - she was within one centimeter of losing her entire heel.

The other occasion was when the coffee machine exploded on me and burned both hands and arms up to the elbow. Again I rushed to the same medical facility, was met by the same surgeon, and received instant top care. Again it cost us nothing. In fact, we then contacted our mutual and asked for household help, because I could not use my arms or hands. That same day, a specialized caregiver arrived on our doorstep, and was there to do anything that needed doing -- housework, meal preparation, driving.... She came every day for three weeks, until the burns were fully healed. Today I have no scars whatsoever, although at the time, all the flesh of my inner right arm had disappeared....

Giving birth
The French system has positive and negative points. One is that because everything is free, people tend to go to the doctor on the slightest pretext. They are also heavily over medicated. Each time I was pregnant, I was required to have an examination every month, plus an ultrasound at four months and another at 8 months. These experiences were traumatic for me -- they felt like a violation of my privacy and not necessarily good for the child. However when it came to delivery, I, like every other woman here, was kept in the hospital or clinic, for a full week after giving birth, and again, at no cost other than my phone calls. I have been told that in the U.S. costs for staying in the hospital just overnight after giving birth are astronomical.

Mental Health
When discussing medical coverage, we need to include mental health. When close relatives have needed mental health care, they have been able to walk straight into a clinic, and receive counselling, therapy, and psychiatric care at no cost. No identity papers had to be shown, no forms filled out. The care continued as long as needed.

Alcoholism is treated as an illness. One member of the family went to his doctor, confessed the problem, and was sent to an alcohol specialist who treated every aspect of the problem -- physical consequences, addiction, psychotherapy. If necessary, the person would have been sent to a reatreat -- however in this particular case, other solutions were found. The entire attitude towards alcoholism was very enilightened and effective -- and the person was charged nothing.

Similarly, when another member had a mental breakdown, she was able to go to a psychiatrist in a socio-medical center and follow therapy without ever laying out a dime or filling out a form or even showing an id card.

Pros and cons
The French social security system is much more comprehensive than anything in the U.S. The way it is financed contributes to the economic gridlock of the country, because social charges are so high that employers can't afford to hire additional personnel. Furthermore, the employer has to pay these charges whether or not s/he has had any income at all. This problem is being addressed in a variety of ways, as the government tries to find more flexible means of financing social care. In terms of medical and mental health care, as I mentioned, people tend to abuse the system -- going to the doctor for a sniffle, overmedicating, and not taking responsibility for their daily life.

Nonetheless, as I stated in the beginning, I'd rather be in France in an emergency than in the U.S. Furthermore, healthcare and a wide variety of childcare facilities were major reasons for staying in this country when the children were small.

Christine
France

Don't Believe What You are Told by Republicans

An American in France responds to a CNN story about Health care.
It starts with this:
"As an American living in France I speak about government health care based on experience. Don't believe it when you're told you won't be able to choose your doctors or treatment."

Watch the video here
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-268771

Blog posted by Linda
Video by Sally in Paris

Prostate Laser Surgery for the Equivalent of $1500

I'm a permanent resident of Japan and therefore am an automatic Japanese National Health Insured Payee; I had the latest laser surgery (as per date of surgery) for prostrate complications, for around $1,500 on February 5, 2008. Period!!!!! It's called HOLEP.

I've researched the internet and wasn't able to come up with the costs in the US, but I do recall it cost almost $1000 alone to get checked in NY. And people who are familiar with this procedure are well aware that $1500 would barely cover the room costs in the US.

PJ Johnson
Tokyo
New York

In case you don't believe Americans living abroad, will you believe Canadians?

Keeping, Dropping or Changing Your Comprehensive or Collision Coverage

Managing the cost of your insurance car insurance northern ireland, for example) can be as simple as answering a few simple questions. Here's a short discussion that will walk you through the process of deciding to keep, drop or to change (different deductible) your comprehensive and/or collision coverages in your car insurance policy. First we need to do a very short 'inventory.'
TAKING YOUR FINANCIAL PICTURE -

Insurance is simply the management of risk. Owning and driving an automobile is a risk. You risk injury, loss of your vehicle, and potential liability for damage to others. The purchase of insurance is merely an agreement with the company to transfer some of your risk to them. You are saying, "I choose not to assume all of this risk myself. In exchange for my premium dollars, the insurance company will suffer some of the financial loss instead of me." With this thought in mind, you must decide how much risk to transfer and in doing so, decide how much risk you are willing to keep yourself in the from of deductibles and unpurchased coverages.
Before we can get to ways to save money on your premium, you need to take a short inventory of your financial picture. Before you get to deciding whether to take a $100 or a $500 deductible on your collision coverage you first need to decide that you can reasonably handle a $500 loss. So before we jump into any tricks of the trade, lets take a moment to diagnose your "loss threshold."
Lets say you go out and buy a $3 picture to hang in your bathroom. Are you going to insure it? Of course not! Now you go out and buy a famous $252,000 masterpiece painting. Are you going to insure it? Unless you are a multi-millionaire, you certainly will. Somewhere in between the $3 print and the $252,000 masterpiece is your loss threshold. Your loss threshold is the amount of money you can stand to lose without doing any great harm to your daily lifestyle or your peace-of-mind. In the above example, different people will have different thresholds. There is no right or wrong answer here!
In addition to settling on your personal loss threshold, it is important to consider your previous history of insurance losses. If you have had several losses in the last 10 years, you may be wise to lean more heavily on your insurance coverage. If, on the other hand, you go almost forever between losses, you will save premium dollars by assuming more of the risk yourself in the form of higher deductibles or dropped coverages. Now, if assuming this extra risk is going to give you some sleepless nights and make you a nervous wreck every time you get into your car, then don't do it! Part of what you buy in the purchase of insurance is peace of mind.
What matters most is where you are comfortable. Take a moment to apply a value to your "Loss Threshold." Try thinking in terms of $50, $100, $250, $500, and $1000. How much money can you, with peace of mind, place at risk? As you will see below, once you determine your Loss Threshold, you need only to weigh the cost of the coverage versus the potential for loss to you. Insurance can be a reasonably simple commodity to manage.

1. DROP YOUR COLLISION COVERAGE-

So you have been driving "Old Betsy" now ever since Noah was working on his boat. To you, its worth every bit of what you may have paid for it way back when but to another car buyer, its just an old bucket of bolts, rubber, faded upholstery. Unfortunately, the insurance company views your precious 4-wheeled family member with the same cold business approach as a prospective buyer. Its only worth...well, its worth a lot less than you would hope.
There comes a time in the life of almost every car when its value does not warrant the cost of collision coverage any longer. Collision coverage is that portion of your insurance that pays to fix damage to your car suffered by a collision. You will need this coverage for your car when you are in an accident that is your fault or if your car is the victim of a Hit & Run accident. Looking back to your Financial Picture we discussed above, compare the cost of your coverage with the potential for loss.
In discussions with your agent or by examining your renewal bill, identify the annual cost of your collision coverage. By looking in the newspaper or car-trading publications, determine the actual retail value of your car. Be careful to be objective here and remove whatever emotional attachment you may have to your car that might unrealistically increase its perceived value.

Let's say that the real value of your car is $1200 and the annual cost of just your collision coverage with a $100 deductible is $150. Now here are the Test Questions:

1. Can I afford to withstand this loss without any help from the insurance company? (in this case $1200)
2. Would I rather save $XX (in this case $150) every year and risk the loss of the car myself? By not getting this coverage I am saving $XX ($150) per year. I will save enough to make up the loss ($1200) in Y (8) years. (1200 � 150 = 8)
3. Does my driving and claim history lead me to believe that I might go Y (8) years without suffering that sort of loss?

If the answers to these questions are yes, then you might be well on your way to cutting your insurance costs by dropping your collision coverage. These simple Test Questions can be applied to virtually any insurance-buying decision. Take a look at the next example.

2. DROP YOUR COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE -

Comprehensive coverage like collision coverage is designed to protect your car from loss. Much of the same logic that we applied to collision coverage can be used to decide on the fate of your comprehensive coverage. There are, however some important considerations to weigh in your analysis.
Comprehensive coverage covers almost anything that happens to your car except collision. The most commonly submitted claims are broken windshields, stolen hub caps, stolen stereos, vandalism and theft of the entire vehicle. Note here that many of these losses produce the same amount of financial loss regardless of the value of the car. It costs virtually the same to replace a windshield in a 75 Ford as it does in an 85 Ford. Consider also that the cost of comprehensive coverage is much less than collision coverage. The ratio between money saved and dollars put at risk is smaller and therefore you may be less eager to drop this coverage. Ask yourself the Test Questions that we did for collision coverage and make an informed decision.
If your vehicle is financed or leased, always remember to check with your financial institution before changing these coverages. Your loan contract may have certain requirements and deductible limitations that somewhat restrict your options.


3. RAISE YOUR DEDUCTIBLES -

If deleting collision and comprehensive coverage puts you at greater risk than you are willing to assume at this time, you may want to consider increasing your deductibles as a compromise. As you increase your deductibles you decrease your premium. The insurance company is going to give you a break on your premium here for two reasons. First, when you have a loss, the insurance company will pay you less money when you have a higher deductible. Secondly, with a higher deductible, you will have fewer claims that are presented to the insurance company in excess of your deductible.
When you take a higher deductible you are saying that you, for the consideration of a lower premium are willing to assume a greater portion of the loss yourself. You trade the certainty of a lower premium for the uncertainty of more loss to you should a claim occur.
If you have decided in your Financial Picture that you are comfortable with a $500 loss (and the premium savings is enough) and you own a car worth $3000 then you probably do not want to drop your collision coverage completely. But you can increase your $100 collision deductible to $500 and your zero comprehensive deductible to $100. Let's examine the numbers. If you save $30 per year on your comprehensive coverage and $65 per year on your collision deductible you realize a $95 per year savings the first year and every year thereafter. You are only increasing your risk by $100 on the comprehensive coverage and by $400 on the collision coverage. Remember you already had a $100 deductible on collision and increasing it to $500 changes your participation in the loss by $400. Again, ask yourself the same questions.

1. Can I afford to withstand this loss (the bigger deductible) without any help from the insurance company?
2. Would I rather save this money ($95) and risk the larger deductible loss myself? By taking this bigger deductible I am saving $95 per year. I will save enough money to make up the loss in one year for a comprehensive loss and in just over four years for a collision loss.
3. Does my driving and claim history lead me to believe that I might go one or five years without this sort of loss?

If the answers are primarily yes then most likely an increase in deductibles is right for you.


It's a Good Life !






Dennis Volz Insurance Agency
10791 Jamacha Bl, Suite 1, Spring Valley, CA 91978
OFFICE: (619) 670-1000 - FAX: (619) 670-1121
eMail:Dennis@DennisVolzInsurance.com
Websites: Company Site: DennisVolzInsurance.com

This post contains only a general description of coverages and is not your insurance contract. Details of coverage or limits can vary. All coverages are determined by the terms, provisions, exclusions and conditions of your policy along with any endorsements.

How to Review Your Auto Insurance Renewal Statement

You can save TONS OF MONEY by just taking a few minutes to look over that annoying little renewal statement that has your insurance bill attached to it.

We sure get a lot of paper these days. Seems that in this paper-LESS society, we shouldn't have quite as much paper as we do. True... we can scan it, archive it, or just throw it away. There is one piece of paper that you'll want to pay attention to -- Its your Auto Insurance Renewal Statement. You'll get these once or twice a year depending on how often your auto insurance renews. You'll probably also get one whenever you adjust your coverage or change vehicles.

One of the reasons the insurance company sends these statements out to you is to give you an opportunity to pause and determine if those coverages and limits and deductibles you started with so long ago still apply to you. Things change and so should your insurance policy. Sometimes people keep up with it; sometimes they don't. By not paying attention to these renewal statements, you could be spending needless premium on coverage you no longer need or want, or you could be setting yourself for an uninsured or underinsured loss by having limits that are too low or thinking you have coverage that you really DON'T have.

Here's a few steps to help you quickly and systematically look over that statement in just a few minutes.

1. Quickly review all the basic information: Name, address, vehicle description. OK there?

2. Next take a look at the rating information. You might need a little help from your company or agent on this one. Companies apply different rating factors for different driving characteristics Thes can include how many miles you drive, your age, your years of driving experience, ticket, accidents, etc. A quick call to your company or agent and they can walk you through these in just a couple minutes.

3. Check your LIABILITY LIMITS. This is usually the first coverage listed. This is probably the most important coverage to examine. This is the coverage that stands between some accident that you may cause and everything that you own.

Individual state laws mandate different minimums. California minimums are 15/30/5. Others are listed here. This means the insurance company will pay up to $15,000 for the injuries you cause to any one person, up to $30,000 for the injuries you cause in any one accident, and up to $5,000 for any property damage you may do (the car, house, light post, whatever you happen to hit). While these limits may seem like lots of money, they can evaporate very quickly. Consider a recent client of mine who sustained injuries in an accident and spent over $14,000 before ever even leaving the emergency room.

My recommendation is to think in terms of at least 100/300/50 instead of whatever your state minimum might be. Consider more if you own a home or have appreciable assets. Cut and slice and minimize on other coverages, but this one is where you protect everything you own against the possibility of a large liability lawsuit.

4. Check your Medical Payments. This is usually listed second. It's the coverage that provides (depending on your state insurance laws) coverage for injuries to you and other pople in your vehicle. There's some overlap here with your health insurance. This can be used to pay deductibles, copayment and other portions of your medical bills that may not be covered by your health insurance.

5. Check the coverage on your vehicle -- Specifically Comprehensive and Collision coverage. Collision coverage pays for your car when you sustain damage from a collision. Comprehensive covers (almost) everything else. Decide if the annual cost of these individual coverages makes sense compared to the value of your car. Check here for a more detailed discussion of this process.

6. Don't neglect Uninsured and/or Under Insuraced Motorist Coverage. There's LOTS of uninsured drivers on the road these days. Some surveys estimate as high as 25%. That means one out of every 4 drivers on the road can be uninsured. This is the coverage that for just a few dollars a year 'constructively' gives all those drivers insurance coverage to pay you if they cause an accident with you. You should consider having limits at least equal to your liability limits (#3 above.)

6. Make sure you're receiving ALL the discounts you can get. Here's where that phone call can pay some dividends. There are many discounts available. There are discounts related to your car: Airbags, alarm system, theft tracker systems and others. There are also other discounts. One of the biggest can be the Multi-Line Discount. This is where you save even more on your auto insurance if you have other policies such as homeowners or life insurance with the same company. Also remember to check for short mileage, good student, mature driver, defensive driving class, loyalty (with the same company for a long time). Just call the company and ask them to list all of the possible discounts to see for which ones you can qualify.

This process might take you a little longer the first time you do it. I suggest you make some notes right on your renewal notice and file it for next time. Then when you get your next renewal, you can get your first one out and compare and use the notes you make to ask more questions that will either save you money or better protect your hard-earned assets.

Till next time...

Dennis Volz Insurance Agency
10783 Jamacha Bl, Suite 1, Spring Valley, CA 91978
OFFICE: (619) 670-1000 - FAX: (619) 670-1121 - Cell (619) 339-1339
Email: Dennis@DennisVolzInsurance.com
Website: Dennis@DennisVolzInsurance.com

This post contains only a general description of coverages and is not your insurance contract. Details of coverage or limits can vary. All coverages are determined by the terms, provisions, exclusions and conditions of your policy along with any endorsements.

Current State Minimum Auto Insurance Liability Limits

• Alaska 50/100/25
  
• Alabama 20/40/10
  
• Arkansas 25/50/15
  
• Arizona 15/30/10
  
• California 15/30/5
  
• Colorado 25/50/15
  
• Connecticut 20/40/10
  
• Delaware 15/30/5
  
• Florida 10/20/10
  
• Georgia 15/30/10
  
• Hawaii 20/40/10
  
• Idaho 20/50/15
  
• Illinois 20/40/15
  
• Indiana 25/50/10
  
• Iowa 20/40/15
  
• Kansas 25/50/10
  
• Kentucky 25/50/10
  
• Louisiana 10/20/10
  
• Maine 50/100/25
  
• Maryland 20/40/10
  
• Massachusetts 20/40/5
  
• Michigan 20/40/10
  
• Minnesota 30/60/10
  
• Mississippi 25/50/25
  
• Missouri 25/50/10
  
• Montana 25/50/10
  
• Nebraska 25/50/25
  
• New Hampshire 25/50/25
  
• New Jersey 15/30/5
  
• New Mexico 25/50/10
  
• Nevada 15/30/10
  
• New York 25/50/10
  
• North Carolina 30/60/25
  
• North Dakota 25/50/25
  
• Ohio 12.5/25/7.5
  
• Oklahoma 10/20/10
  
• Oregon 25/50/10
  
• Pennsylvania 15/30/5
  
• Rhode Island 25/50/25
  
• South Carolina 15/30/10
  
• South Dakota 25/50/25
  
• Tennessee 25/50/10
  
• Texas 20/40/15
  
• Utah 25/65/15
  
• Virginia 25/50/20
  
• Vermont 25/50/10
  
• Washington 25/50/10
  
• Wisconsin 25/50/10
  
• West Virginia 20/40/10
  
• Wyoming 25/50/20