Term Insurance

Term Insurance
By: ArticleGOLD

Term insurance is a level term life insurance product that pays out a lump sum when the insurance policyholder dies or becomes terminally ill. It provides peace of mind to the insurance policyholder that loved ones left behind after their death will be financially secure. Term life insurance can be configured to pay off all existing loans - including the mortgage - and leave a cash sum in the bank to support your spouse and children. If you don't want your family to have to cope with financial pressures during their bereavement, or struggle to find the funds to pay for your funeral then term insurance is the life product to have.

Term insurance is different to mortgage insurance

It is important to realise that term insurance is a different life product to mortgage insurance. Term insurance is a long-term insurance product that can be taken out over a lifetime of 50 years. During this time the insurance premium remains the same as does the amount paid out in the event of death or terminal illness.

Mortgage insurance on the other hand mirrors the life of your outstanding mortgage loan. The insurance premiums remain the same throughout the life of the product, but unlike term insurance the amount paid out upon death or terminal illness reduces in line with the outstanding mortgage loan. So, if you were to die at the point that you owe only £2000 on your mortgage, then the mortgage life insurance product would only pay out £2000.

Terminal illness

Terminal illness cover generally comes as standard with term life insurance polices. The terminal illness clause tends to trigger pay out if the insurance policyholder is diagnosed with a terminal illness named on the term policy and is given 12 months or less to live. Pay out in these circumstances allows the policyholder themselves or someone with power of attorney for the policyholder to receive the full lump sum from the term life insurance policy. They are then free to enjoy the final months of their life with their family free from financial constraints.

When a term life insurance policy pays out for terminal illness the policy will end. Therefore the life insurance company will not be liable to pay anything further upon death of the policyholder.

Term life insurance restrictions

As with most insurance policies there are restrictions and exclusions that apply to term life insurance policies. The main restriction is on pay outs to term life insurance policyholders who become critically ill, yet are not diagnosed as terminally ill. In this case, a standard term life insurance policy will not make a payment, unless a critical illness policy has been added to the term life insurance.

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Health and Medical Insurance - Comparing Managed Care Health Plans

Health and Medical Insurance - Comparing Managed Care Health Plans
By: Abi

Health insurance plans have been forced to take action to contain costs of quality health care delivery as health care costs have skyrocketed. Health insurance premiums, deductibles and co-pays have steadily increased, and health insurance companies have implemented certain strategies for reducing health care costs. "Managed care" describes a group of stratgies aimed at reducing the costs of health care for health insurance companies.

There are two basic types of managed care plans; health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, and preferred provider organizations, or PPOs. So which health plan is best? How do you choose what type of health insurance best suits the health care needs of you and your family?

Both HMOs and PPOs contain costs by contracting with health providers for reduced rate on health care services for its' members, often as much as 60%. One important difference between HMOs and PPOs is that PPOs often will cover the costs of care when the provider is out of their network, but usually at a reduced rate. On the other hand, most HMOs offer no coverage for health care services for out-of-network providers.

Both HMO and PPOs also control health care costs by use of a gateway, or primary care provider (PCP). Health insurance plan members are assigned (or select) a primary care practitioner (physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner). usually a family practitioner or internal medicine doctor for adult members or a pediatrician or family care practitioner for childern. The primary care provider is responsible for coordianting health delivery for plan members. Care by specialist physicians require referral from the primary care provider. This cost containment strategy is intended to avoid duplication of services (for example, the cardiologist ordering tests that have already been done by the PCP, or a sprained ankle being referred to an orthopedic) and avoid unnecessary specialist referrals, tests and/or procedures.

HMO and PPO plans also contain costs by requiring prior approval, prior authorization, or pre-certification for many elective hospital admissions, surgeries, costly tests and imaging procedures, durable medical equipment and prescription drugs. When such services are required, the provider must submit a request to the health insurance plan review department, along with medical records that justify the service. The request is reviewed by the health insurance company to determine whether the services are justified as "medically necessary" according to the health plan policy and guidelines. Review is usually performed by licensed nurses, and, if the reviewer agrees that the service is necessary, approval is given and the service will be covered by the health insurance plan.

As health care costs continue to rise, many indemnity health insurance plans, or "fee for service" plans are being forced to adopt some managed care strategies in order to provide quality health care and keep health insurance premiums affordable. And as long as health care costs continue to rise, the distinctions among PPO, HMO, FFS and other health insurance plans will become blurred. Rest assured, however, that managed health care is here to stay.

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Can I Afford Health Insurance?

Can I Afford Health Insurance?
By: Mark

In light of today's health care costs, a better question would be, "Can I afford NOT to have health insurance?". Indeed, medical expenses are a leading cause of bankruptcy in the US. A health insurance plan should be an essential part of any responsible financial plan, whether married or single. Even young, healthy adults should bear in mind that a single emergency room visit can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars, and intensive care can cost thousands per day. And that's not even counting the costs of prescription drugs.

There are steps to take to minimize the expense of health insurance. Many employers offer health insurance as a benefit for employees. Rates for group health insurance such as this are usually lower than private insurance rates; employers can negotiate better rates as a group. Labor and trade unions also may offer group health insurance for their members. Spouses and children can often be added to most employee health plan, though the rate will be higher. Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance can be deducted from the employees' paycheck, often with pre-tax dollars, increasing the savings. Many employers offer multiple health plans. The employee may be able to select from PPO, HMO, and traditional plans. Compare the options, check the policy to determine what medical expenses are covered, and select the plan that most suits the needs of you and/or your family.

If a group plan is not available, private health insurance coverage is available. Private health insurance is usually more expensive than group health insurance, but there are ways to minimize the rate. Shop around and compare rates offerd by various health insurance companies. Health insurance companies usually offer lower rates for younger persons, for nonsmokers, and those with normal weight. Rates will be higher, or coverage denied for pre-existing health conditions, for those working in high-risk occupations, and those who engage in high-risk activities such as race car driving.

A relative newcomer to health insurance plans is the health savings account, or HSA. An HSA allows the individual to save money to pay routine health care expenses, deductibles and co-pays. The IRS allows this money to be set aside pre-tax as well. HSAs are paired with a health insurance plan with low premiums and high deductible to cover major health expenses. In a sense, the individual is "self-insured" for routine health care, with a major medical plan for bigger expenses. Many experts predict that HSAs will become more popular in time as an alternative to traditional health insurance plans.

Whatever health plan that you choose, health care coverage is essential. A major surgery and/or extended critcal care stay could easily bankrupt any individual or family. Consider the options available. Be certain of what is and is not covered, and consider how appropriate that coverage is for your situation.

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Medical Insurance Policy

Medical Insurance Policy
By: Jody

A Medical Insurance policy is a contract between an insurance company and an individual or a group which promises to pay for medical care reasonably required by the insured policy holder for treatment in case of any injury or illness. Even now a day’s medical insurance policy is provided for disease like obesity.

If an individual has taken up a medical policy then he pays the premium according to a specific time frame as decided between the two groups. Usually, the policy takes care for the health & medical acre of an individual but if the premiums value is higher the insurance covers the family members also. In the case when the policy is taken by a group or an association, then all the individuals under the association receive the certificate of insurance. Some key points like payment of premiums, deductibles and co-pays are decided at the beginning and both the parties have to abide by these rules.

Searching a Medical Insurance Plan?

The terms in the policy may be hard to understand at times and the person may stand confused. So here is list of some terms commonly used up in an insurance plan:

Deductible-The deductible refers to the yearly amount of money that the insured would need to pay before any benefits from the health insurance policy can be used.

1. Co-insurance / Co-payments- This is the amount that would need to be paid by the insured before the insurance pays and in addition to the deductible.

2. Out-of- pocket- An out of pocket expense can refer to how much the co-payment, coinsurance, or deductible is.

3. Waiting Period- This is the time one would have to wait until certain health insurance overages are available.

4. Grace Period- This is the amount of time one has to pay their health insurance premium after the original due date and before insurance coverage would be canceled.

5. Lifetime Maximum-This is the most amount of money the health insurance policy will pay for the entire life. Pay attention to individual lifetime maximums and family lifetime maximums as they can be different.

6. Out-of-Pocket - This is the cost one would pay out of their own pocket. An out of pocket expense can refer to how much the co-payment, coinsurance, or deductible is.

Is Medical Insurance Necessary?

Man saves money for a better & safe future. But life is a string of surprises. A serious medical situation can strain one’s pocket, thereby emptying all the lifetime savings. The best option to save oneself from this situation is to secure your future with the help of a medical insurance policy

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Pet Insurance : What To Look For

Pet Insurance : What To Look For
By: Nicholas Hunt

Keeping a pet is a rewarding experience which many of us enjoy, but it can also be expensive. As well as all the routine costs such as food and grooming, you can also come up against unplanned expenses such as vetinary bills through sickness or accident. These bills can unfortunately be very high, so to ensure that their pets can get the treatment they need many people decide that taking out pet insurance is a sensible way of helping to cushion these costs. But what should you be looking for in a pet insurance policy?

The first thing to consider is what kind of pet you have. The cheapest kind of pet insurance is that for the most common pets - cats and dogs. Prices for these policies can be very reasonable indeed, amounting to only the cost of a few tins of pet food a month. If, however, you keep a more unusual kind of animal as a pet, then the price you pay may well be higher. Make sure that any policy you take out specifically includes your kind of pet, as many will exclude more 'exotic' kinds of animal.

The main reason for considering pet insurance is cover for medical treatment, but there are some exclusions that you need to be aware of. Firstly, your policy will almost certainly not cover routine treatments such as vaccinations, flea control, or worming. Secondly, you won't be covered for any pre-existing conditions that were already known about when you took out the policy (you should also declare any existing conditions when you take out the policy, or you risk it being declared invalid when you come to make a claim).

You also need to check your policy for claim limits: there may be a time limit of cover, so for example a long-term condition such as arthritis may only be covered for a period of 12 months, after which you will be responsible for meeting the bills. There is also usually a limit to the total cost of medical bill claims you make in any one year, but this is usually high enough to cover almost any conceivable situation.

Another major reason for taking out insurance is to help you cover the costs of getting your pet back if it goes missing. Most policies will contribute towards advertising in local newspapers etcetera, and also to providing reward money for the safe return of your pet.

Another very important part of your insurance cover is public liability, especially for dog owners. Even the calmest and most well behaved of pets could possibly cause damage to someone's property, or even cause an injury to a person. In this thankfully rare event, you could be open to huge legal bills and compensation claims - make sure that your policy includes a substantial amount of third party liability cover as standard.

Finally, check whether the policy you're considering places a limit on the age of your pet. Many policies are only available to, for example, cats up until the age of eight years. As it is in later years that your pet is most likely to need treatment, it obviously makes sense to ensure your policy will cover this, especially if your pet has a few years under their belt!

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About Winter Sports Travel Insurance

About Winter Sports Travel Insurance
By: Nicholas Hunt

As the days grow shorter and summer becomes a memory, many of us will be turning our thoughts towards planning a winter vacation, especially one involving winter sports such as skiing. Travel insurance is an often overlooked part of holiday planning, but if you plan on taking part in sporting activites then it really is essential.

A normal travel insurance policy will probably not be up to the standard you need for winter sports, and if things go wrong you could be left facing a huge bill. So what features should you be looking for in a policy?

- Injury Cover

No matter how accomplished a skiier you are, hurtling down a mountain is always going to be more risky than simply lying on a beach working on a tan. And if you do have an accident, a mountainside isn't the easiest place for medical services to reach. If you're unlucky enough to need a mountain rescue or airlift to hospital, you'll be facing a bill running into the thousands even before you get medical attention. This sort of expense is likely to be specifically excluded on a standard insurance policy, but will be an integral part of almost any winter sports cover.

- Equipment

Most winter sports require expensive equipment, and where there are valuables there's always the chance of theft. Your insurance should provide enough cover to fully replace your equipment with brand new items if necessary, right there at the resort. Even if you plan to hire your equipment, the hire company will probably require insurance - and your own policy is likely to be cheaper than the standard one they'll try to sell you.

- Liability

Even the best skiiers or snowboarders can be involved in an accident in which someone else gets injured. Whether or not an accident is your fault, you could end up being taken to court and this is usually a long and expensive process. A decent insurance policy will cover costs from any legal proceedings and / or compensation payments.

- Closure of Piste

If bad weather (or warm weather!) means that the pistes are closed and you can't ski, your policy should pay you compensation to cover the costs of any pre-booked lessons or lift fees, and many will even include a payment simply to cover the inconvenience of not being able to ski.

- Off Piste

A final point to note is that a standard winter sports policy will probably only cover you for accidents that occur when skiing on designated pistes. If you plan to go off-piste, then make sure your insurance will cover this - you'll probably have to pay a supplement.

As with most kinds of insurance, paying out for travel insurance can seem like a waste of money. However, if you find yourself caught up in an accident on the mountainside then the costs involved can be truly frightening and you'll be glad you took the time to arrange adequate cover in advance!

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Should Medical Students Consider Disability Insurance?

Should Medical Students Consider Disability Insurance?
By: Andy Puls

Last year the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) said that schools should require disability insurance for all medical students and provide access to policies. Medical students are particularly vulnerable to the financial hardships that may result from a disability. Disability insurance protects students from possible fiscal disaster and is also a prudent investment. Purchasing a policy while still in medical school presents tremendous advantages that can save students money after graduation, while protecting their financial future and providing the peace of mind necessary to focus on the demands of a career in medicine.

Most medical students do not generate income while in school, but instead accumulate debt at staggering rates. In 2005, medical school graduates who took out loans started their residencies with an average debt of $100,000, a figure that does not include undergraduate debt. Only the expected future income from a career in medicine makes such exorbitant debt palatable; however, a student that suffers a disability may never realize that income. According to the 1994 Statistical Abstract of the United States, in the course of a year, 1 in 10 people between the ages of 25 and 64 will suffer a disability. When comparing that ratio to the odds of being victim of a house fire (1 in 122); injured in an automobile accident (1 in 160); or even of death (1 in 117), the value and protection offered by disability insurance is clear.

A student who suffers a disability and is unable to complete their education will be saddled with student loan debt and may not be able to work in any field depending on the disability and its severity. Repayment of student loans combined with medical expenses and lack of income due to disability can destroy a financial future. Even a student that is able to continue medical school could face the burden of simultaneously repaying loans and paying tuition.

Aside from the obvious advantages disability insurance offers by minimizing the risk riding behind a medical student’s debt, there are other long-term advantages to purchasing a policy as a student instead of as a physician. A student purchasing a policy will likely get a lower rate than a physician. According to doctordisability.com, three factors determine disability insurance rates: age at the time of purchase, occupation, and health status. These factors tend to favor a student. Not only are students younger, but generally the health status of younger people is better than that of older people. Obtaining insurance at a younger age may also protect the policyholder from the difficulties of securing a policy later in life when other health issues may affect insurability.

A disability insurance policy also adapts to meet the changing needs of the insured. A Future Increase Option (FIO) Rider allows the policyholder optional future increases in coverage without providing evidence of medical insurability. The ability to increase coverage regardless of current health status is attractive to any policyholder, but the FIO Rider is also ideal for a student who wants to increase coverage upon graduation and the expectation of significant income. A policy purchased by a student before they take their first class in medical school can be flexible enough to last a career.

The protection, flexibility, and benefits the insured has by purchasing a disability insurance policy as a student are reflected by the stance that medical schools take. Dartmouth Medical School and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine mandate that all students have disability insurance. While in some states it is illegal to require students to have a disability insurance policy, most medical schools at least recommend that all their students have it. In 2006, the University of Washington School of Medicine was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of only three schools in the top 10 for both research and primary care. Their office of student affairs and services says it is “advisable” to have disability insurance in light of the cost of education and risks associated with practicing medicine. The school offers its students a plan, but in general, group plans come with limitations and restrictions.

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is the sole accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to the M.D. degree in the United States. Accreditation standard MS-28 states, “all students must have access to disability insurance.” Simply allowing access to disability insurance—a minimal requirement placed on accredited medical schools—or even recommending it, is not enough to save students from the risks of not protecting their future income. In light of the monetary investment that students make to medical schools, it should be the responsibility of each school to promote and educate its students about the benefits, value, and importance of disability insurance.

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8 Easy Tips for Cheaper Home Insurance

8 Easy Tips for Cheaper Home Insurance
By: Nicholas Hunt

No one likes paying for home insurance, but it's a necessary evil for most of us. This doesn't mean you have to pay through the nose for it though - try these 8 easy tips for cheaper home insurance and see how much you could reduce your premiums by.

- Shop Around

By comparing prices from several insurance companies, you'll probably be able to reduce your premiums by a substantial amount. This may seem obvious, but research has shown that a surprisingly large proportion of people either just renew their current policy, or get only one or two quotes. Many insurance web sites will automatically compare dozens of policies for you, making this one of the easiest ways to reduce your insurance bill.

- Buy online

If you buy your policy online you can often get a discount of up to 20% on normal prices, because there are less administration costs involved and the savings can be passed on to you.

- Combine your buildings and contents policies

Many insurers will give you a discount if you take out both types of home insurance with them, and this usually works out cheaper than getting the two kinds of policies from different companies.

- Pay upfront

Although most insurers let you pay your premium in monthly instalments, many will charge interest for this. If you can afford to pay a full year's premium in advance, then this will work out cheaper in the long run.

- Don't claim for small amounts

Making many small claims can increase your insurance costs, as your insurer may see you as a greater risk and increase your premiums. You will also lose any no claims discount your policy has. Of course, you're entitled to claim for anything your policy covers, but ask yourself if making a small claim is really worth the hassle and possible future costs.

- Voluntary excess

This is related to the last point. Insurance policies feature something known as 'excess', which basically means that the policy won't pay out on claims below a certain value. On some policies, if you choose to raise your excess to a higher level, then your premiums will be lower.

- Increase your home security

Beefing up your home security with better door locks, window locks, outdoor lighting, and alarm systems can all result in lower premiums. Ask your insurer what you could do to get extra discounts.

- Reduce your cover

Many policies feature benefits that you might not need, such as cover for personal possessions while travelling, or 'free' legal advice. Look through your policy and see what parts of it you really need - by cutting your cover down to size you may be able to reduce your premium.

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Health Insurance Basics for the Self Employed

Health Insurance Basics for the Self Employed
By: Vlad Ehrsam

When you're self-employed, and meet your own health insurance bills, it can work out to be quite expensive. And in the absence of insurance benefits you'd get as full time employee in a company, it can exasperate you trying to get it, in the bargain. So before you start looking around for health insurance, here are some things you'll need to look for.

Like where to find health insurance. Try the Internet for starters, it'll give you a basis for comparison of various types of plans available, and even rates, on some sites. Low-rate plans may look attractive at first sight, but not so good when take a closer look. They could demand more in deductibles, or exclude your personal doctor from their panel. So take your time to assess the plans and what they offer before you choose a health plan, and before you sin on the dotted line.

Health insurance for the self employed comes with its own phraseology which you need to understand so that you can know the benefits of each plan before you choose one.

HMO. You will hear this phrase quite frequently. HMO is a managed care plan, often costing less than a PPO (see following paragraph) but that has more exclusions. In addition, it carries a low rating. Most HMOs stipulate that you have a primary care provider who is responsible for referring you to specialists if necessary.

PPO. This type of insurance plan is one that offers you wider choices within a network. You can see ay provider in the network (most companies have a very wide network) and they are very handy if you happen to fall ill while traveling. You can go outside the network, but you will have to pay a little more up front to do this. An EPO is similar, but there is no coverage outside the network (this usually isn't offered to the self employed anyway).

Another option you might see, Co-Pay, works on the up-front amounts you pay. Known as co-pays, you'd make payments of around $15-$25, or optionally choose to meet your deductible by paying 20% of your bill over a gradual time-period. Thereafter, the co-pay is very little, or even nothing. You can usually expect one co-pay for consulting a doctor in the office, and quite another for emergency consultations and prescribed medication.

Deductible. This is the amount you pay from your own pocket. If you have a co-pay it does not count towards your deductible. Under a 20% plan, office visits count as part of your deductible. Health insurance is similar to auto insurance in that the higher your deductible, the lower your insurance premium.

And having identified your health insurance needs, make sure the benefits of the plan you choose meets them. Remember to check they include maternity care, consultations with chiropractors, and mental health professionals. And while getting something ideal for your needs may not be possible, you have a good chance of getting a health plan that is almost there, and meets most of your needs.

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Life Insurance: Tell Me About It And How It Works ?

Life Insurance: Tell Me About It And How It Works ?
By: Mike Armstrong

Life insurance offers you an opportunity to ensure the financial security of your family and loved ones, no matter what happens. Life insurance can be used to:

* Pay off any final expenses or personal debts like credit cards, car loans or a mortgage
* Offset the loss of your income for those who rely on you for financial support
* Contribute to the future education of your children
* Protect your estate by helping to pay the taxes due on an estate upon death
* Leave a legacy to your favourite charity

Who should buy life insurance?
The purchase of life insurance is often associated with major life events like getting married, buying a home, or having children. However, if these don’t apply to you ask yourself the following questions. If you answer yes to any of them, you’ll want to consider life insurance:

* Does anyone rely upon you for financial support? Whether it’s a spouse, child, grandchild, parent or dependent adult, life insurance will help them protect their financial well being no matter what happens.
* Do you have a mortgage, or any other debts? If so, a life insurance policy can provide a way to take care of these outstanding bills along with any others like funeral expenses, legal fees and taxes, and medical expenses.
* Do you own a business?
o For sole proprietors, you're accountable for the debts your business owes. If you do not have enough life insurance to cover these debts, your personal assets could be liquidated to pay them off, possibly leaving little left for your family.
o If you’re in a partnership, a life insurance policy where the other partner is the beneficiary means the surviving owner has the cash easily available to buy out your portion of the partnership from the estate.
* Do you want to leave a legacy? Life insurance policies can be used to leave money to your favourite charity.

How much will life insurance cost?
There's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all insurance policy. Insurance professionals need to look at a lot of different things before they come up with a final insurance rate. They'll consider your age, gender, whether you're a smoker, and your past and current health record and family history. Then they'll balance all that with the amount and type of policy that you're applying for.

What types of life insurance are available ?
There are two main types of life insurance, level life insurance also known as term life insurance and decreasing life insurance or mortgage life insurance.
Level life insurance as it suggests is level cover that stays constant during the full term of the insurance and a level lump sum pay out would occur upon death. The sum assured is decided from the outset of the policy.
Decreasing is most often used to cover a mortgage and works exactly the same as level life insurance however the sum assured decreases over the term of the policy this is ideal cover for a mortgage or any decreasing debts that maybe paid off over a period of time.

Life insurance is now more accessible than ever with the advent of the internet. The best online brokerages offer instant online quotes, thus avoiding any hard sell tactics the industry was associated with in the past. A good example of this is Unbeatable Quote UK if you visit their website you will find an instant online quote with generous discounts and an online application.

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What Benefits Are Available On Life Insurance ?

What Benefits Are Available On Life Insurance ?
By: Mike Armstrong

I want life insurance what options should I consider adding ?

When taking out a life insurance plan there are a number of different options you could decide to add should you think they would be appropriate to your circumstances. These need to be added at the start of the life insurance policy from the outset.

Waiver of Payment Benefit
Waiver of payment benefit can be added to most life insurance polices, this benefit if added means that you do not have to pay your life insurance premiums if you cannot work for six months or more as a result of illness or injury. Most of the insurers will expect the premiums to be paid on the life insurance policy for normally at first, however after normally about 26 weeks of incapacity the premiums will be waived.

The incapacity or waiver on a life insurance policy is normally assesed by something called Functional Assessment Tests and these are to be done without the help of another person.

Walking - the ability to walk 200 metres on the flat ground with or without the aid of a walking stick without stopping or experiencing discomfort.

Bending - the ability to get into and out of a standard saloon car and the ability to bend or kneel to pick an object up off the floor and straighten up again.

Communicating - the ability to answer the telephone and to take a message.

Reading - having the required eyesight(corrected if necessary) to be able to read a daily newspaper

Writing - having the physical ability to write legibly using a pen or pencil without aid.

Climbing - having the ability to climb a flight of 12 stairs without stopping or suffering severe discomfort.

These are only guides and should not be relied upon totally your life insurance broker, will be able to advise in individual circumstances

Conversion of Life Insurance Policies
Some life insurance brokers/assurance companies will offer the flexiblity to convert your life insurance policy to a Whole of Life Plan without providing further medical evidence. When taking this option there are some restrictions that need to be explored fully when adding it. Your life insurance financial advisor/ broker needs to advise you on this option carefully.

Indexation of Life Insurance Policies
This option is added to keep your life insurance policy up with inflation. Both the premiums and the amount of life insurance increase with the RPI (Retail Price Index) this can be up to 10% in any one year. Normally if the indexation option is added to the life insurance policy the opportunity to increase the cover will be given regularly but if it is declined it wont be offered again.

If you are ever in any doubt about what options to add to your life insurance policy then you should consult your life insurance broker and request the technical guides and key facts for the products being cosidered. Life insurance is not complicated but it is important to pick the right policy with the right options from the outset.

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Term Life Insurance Understood

Term Life Insurance Understood
By: Roger Kelley

Life insurance provides a death benefit to your beneficiaries and can replace some of the income you were earning. Therefore, an important part of a sound financial plan is aqequate life insurance. Adequate meaning that it will provide enough money that your family can continue living the same standard of life that you've worked so hard to provide for them while you're alive. For example, this can help preserve any investments, savings, or other assets you intended on paying off.

Term Life Insurance:

A term life insurance policy can provide financial stability when you need it most in your life. This type of insurance policy provides coverage to the insured over a certain length of time. One key characteristic of level term life insurance is that the premiums remain level for the life of the policy (whether it be 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years).

The benefits in the different types of life insurance should not be overlooked. Before you buy a life insurance policy you should evaluate the overall condition of your financial portfolio. Yearly renewable term life insurance has a lower initial premium. However, the premium rises each year. Yearly renewable term life insurance is only cost effective for a few years because of the increasing premiums. If you are looking for term life insurance that runs more than a few years then a level term life insurance policy can cost less.

Reasons For Buying Term Life Insurance:

Term life insurance cost less than permanent insurance. A potential buyer may have young children at home and he/she has to protect his/her income. They may have bought a house and now have a 30 year mortgage for $500,000. Hence, they would need to purchase a level term life insurance policy for $500,000 30 year term to cover their mortgage. If something were to happen to the proposed insured between now and the next 30 years the insurance company would write a check for the full face amount of the term life insurance- policy for the survivor to pay off the mortgage and the balance would be paid to the designated beneficiary.

Term Life Offers Conversion Options:

You can convert all or part of the term insurance to a permanent life insurance product without having to prove evidence of insurability. This type of "conversion" is called a convertible term life insurance policy and means that during a specified time the policy can be converted from term life to permanent insurance. For instance, if you took out a term life insurance policy the amount of coverage you need may change down the road. The need for some life insurance may still exist. The conversion option on a term life insurance policy gives you the option to convert over a certain amount of the policy to cover final expenses.

The attraction to term life insurance is that it can be bought at an extremely low price and can be very beneficial to young families. If you lock in a term rate at an early age while you are young and healthy the rate is guaranteed for the full length of time on a guaranteed level term.

However, some clients like to combine different types of insurance plicy for even greater benefits. You can use term life insurance with a permanent life insurance policy so that during the earlier years of the policy you will have more coverage. As you get older you may not need as much insurance as you originally applied for. For example, the children are grown and/or the house is paid off so the need for so much coverage is not there. At that point you could allow the term insurance policy to expire and still have the permanent insurance that was put in force at the same time the term insurance was issued. If you take advantage of this opportunity you will still have the permanent life insurance to pay off final expense benefits down the road.

Why You Need Life Insurance:

1. Protect your family’s home by allowing them to pay off your mortgage.

2. Allow your family to maintain their standard of living.

3. Give you spouse a retirement income.

4. Provide income to pay off any outstanding debt you may have incurred.

5. Keep the family business.

Important Benefits Of Term Life Insurance Policies:

1. Term policies are designed to meet a multitude of personal and business needs and offer the most coverage for your investment.

2. Term insurance is available for a certain period of time (10,15,20,25,30 years) and wil benefit your beneficiary if anything happens to you during this time.

3. Many term life insurance policies allow you to convert your policy to a permanent policy within a specific time period.

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Get Covered By Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Get Covered By Workers’ Compensation Insurance
By: rateempire

Workers’ compensation insurance, commonly called workers’ or workmen’s comp, is a form of insurance designed to provide compensation to workers who have been injured while on the job.

While the details can vary significantly from one plan to the next, insurance plans in this category typically provide for some form of wage replacement, payment and/or reimbursement of medical costs, compensation for economic losses, possibly damages for pain and suffering, and settlements to the insured’s dependents in the case of a fatal work-related accident.

Given this broad range of covered areas – essentially combining the key features of disability insurance, health insurance, and life insurance, among others – workers’ comp is certainly one of the more critical forms of insurance an individual can obtain. By knowing all you can about workers comp you can ensure that if an accident happens on the job you are covered. If you are not you could find yourself and your family in trouble down the road. We all need money to pay the rent and buy food and getting compensation for an injury at work can help you to pay for these necessities.

Workers’ comp insurance is typically associated historically with labor or professional unions, and is often the result of coordinated campaigns to obtain the coverage for the union members. Proponents of workers’ comp cite improved working conditions, economic support for employees, and the safety net provided by the insurance, as key benefits of workers’ comp. Critics of this type of insurance cite increased costs to employers and potential infringement on workers’ rights to seek recompense on their own. Another concern that is frequently raised is the possibility of American companies moving parts of their operations or even their entire companies to areas with looser workers’ comp law. In the United States, however, workers’ comp laws are nearly universal, and almost all employers must carry the insurance in some form for their employees.

The body of laws governing workers’ comp insurance has become extremely complex and varies from state to state. For example, in many states it is illegal to terminate an employee for filing a claim or for reporting an injury incurred at the workplace. This isn’t illegal in all states, however. And while most states don’t allow employers to deny employment based on previous workers’ comp claims, employers are able to check a commercially maintained database of claims, a system that could potentially be abused by unethical employers.

Because abuse of the system has occurred on the part of employees as well, stiff fines and other legal penalties are in place for persons who file false claims for workers’ compensation benefits. While stories of supposedly injured employees engaging in physically demanding activities are commonplace, little hard data exists to indicate what percentage, if any, of the claims filed every year are actually fraudulent.

Vigorous investigation by employers, including tactics such as secretly video taping claimants engaged in physical activity, have also undoubtedly helped reduce the number of false claims. Certainly the vast majority of claims filed are the result of legitimate, unavoidable work-place injuries.

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Insurance Explained

Insurance Explained
By: Price Digger

Home insurance
This product covers your home and contents against a flood, fire, flood or break-in for example, or if your pipes burst. Your home insurance policy has to include those just covering the contents of your home, those just covering the actual building you live in, or joint policies, covering both.

Motor insurance
Finding the right policy and the cheapest car insurance cover can be a tricky process; drivers use the Internet, by telephone, read magazines, watch TV advertisement to get information on savings and offers on car insurance.

Owning and driving a car means taking on many risks to yourself and others. When a traffic accident happens, damage, injuries, loss or all of these factors may be inflicted upon you and others. Damage and loss of your property may also occur. Fire, theft, vandalism and natural disasters are other possible risks.

Car Insurance protects motorists and drivers against liability in the event of accidents they may cause. It can also provide cover for the motorist's own vehicle.

Many different types of cover are available, ranging from third party cover which protects individuals against liability should they injure a third party or cause damage to a third party's property, but does not provide any cover for the individual's own vehicle or property, through to comprehensive cover, which can offer protection for accidental damage, theft, fire damage as well as liability towards third parties. The minimum legal requirement for car insurance to drive in the UK is Third Party Only.

Here are 5 steps to follow to find the cheapest motor insurance deal:

STEP ONE: EXCESS
Voluntary excess the easiest way to cut your insurance premiums is to accept a higher voluntary excess. An insurer's standard excess may be £100; but if you meet the first £250 of any claim, you'll see a reduction in your premium. This is simply because you are more of the risk so you get a discount by your insurance company. This however is a gamble, insurer should be aware that they may have to meet the cost of a broken window after an attempted theft, then a bill for repairing bodywork damage after a car park crunch.

STEP TWO: SECURITY
One way to get cheaper insurance premiums is to fit a security device. Many insurers advise insurer’s to use Thatcham rated security equipment, usually minimum of an alarm. If you are living in a high-risk which may be known for car crime it would be useful to fit an extra security such as steering lock. This will save you money when your insurance renewal is due and gives you extra peace of mind.

STEP THREE: NAMED DRIVERS
Adding a named driver to your policy can increase or reduce your premiums depending upon the named drivers age, sex and driving record. When adding a young driver will increase your premiums, particularly with a limited or poor driving record. However, adding a driver over 30 years old with a long and clean driving record can cut premiums, particularly if the named driver is a female.

STEP FOUR: ANNUAL MILEAGE
If your annual mileage is, 5,000 miles or less, ask insurers if they offer discounts for agreed mileage restrictions, as some insurance companies do give discounts for restricted mileage. However many insurers won't offer this option as standard but will agree a discount if you ask.

STEP 5 - SHOP AROUND FOR GOOD RATES
The biggest potential savings come from shopping around. This has been made much easier with the explosion of the internet. There can be massive differences between the lowest and highest car insurance quotes for exactly the same car and driver(s).

Health insurance
This type of insurance include policies which pay for your private medical treatment, if you don't want to rely on the National Health Service, to those giving specific cover for dentists and optician bills.

Travel insurance
Insurance to protect you and your loved ones while on holiday and in case of holiday cancellations. This is available as Annual trip and also single trip cover. The cheapest travel insurance to find depends on which company your purchase from.

Life insurance
This cover, is to ensure your loved ones are financially provided for, if the worst should happen to you.
Income protection insurance
Insurance to help replace some of your earnings if you can't work because you become ill or are made redundant.

Pet insurance
Vet's bills can be expensive at times. This type of insurance covers you for unexpected vet's bills and more.
Purchase insurance
Provides cover on goods you buy.
Different ways to buy insurance
If you want to buy direct

There's lots of different ways to buy insurance:

Buy on the phone

Buy on the internet - it's really easy to compare quotes from different companies online before you buy. Many give a discount if you apply online

Buy from an insurance broker. You'll find local brokers in your phone book

Buy from your local bank or building society, or in the case of travel insurance, from your travel agent - but remember you may not get the best deal

Buy from a specialist insurer - for some types of insurance, like medical insurance, insurance for boilers/cookers, there are specialist companies just providing this type of insurance.

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Some Statistics On Critical Illness Cover

Some Statistics On Critical Illness Cover
By: Mike Armstrong

Statistics reveal that someone somewhere in the UK falls prey to a critical illness every 2 minutes. That critical illness is most probably the heart attack. As surveys are carried out, results appear, showing that 93 percent of these people are likely to have a critical illness cover. As a matter of fact, a serious amount of people continue to fall critically ill every year without getting any financial help to match the costs of possible treatments and intensive care.

According to ERC Frankona, 1 of every 3 men may suffer from a critical illness such as heart attack, stroke or cancer before reaching the age of 65. The same thing may happen to 1 of every 5 women. Sadly many women in England and Wales suffer from one of these critical illnesses: breast cancer. 36,000 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in the year 2000 among women, that is approximately 114 of every 100,000 women suffered from this critical illness. Consequently around 11,000 women died due to breast cancer in the year 2002 in England and Wales. Thus, these figures confirm that breast cancer may be the most lethal critical illness among women.

Furthermore, The Office for National Statistics shows that 80 percent of women between the ages of 50-55 may have developped a breast cancer. The process of discovery of this disease demonstrates such an elevated result as many women may have been tested for the first time. Also, in the years 1940s and1950s the death rates among women for a critical illness such as cancer decreased. It then rose back in 1980 and lowered again in the year 1990. On the other hand, the death pattern among men was the contrary. It rose to the 1970s and then continuously lowered from the 1990s.

Another well known critical illness in England and Wales is the circulatory disease accompanied by heart disease and stroke. This critical illness caused death rates among men to rise more than that of women. The Office of National Statistics states that of every 100,000 men 312 died due to circulatory malfunctions as compared to 194 of every 100,000 women. Further researches carried out define that the percentage of death from heart failures were greater than that of stroke among both sex.

Hence a most in depth analysis was carried out by the Office of National Statistics pointing to the death rates among people of various age categories. They are as follows:

In the year 2002 mortality for people between the age of 15 to 29 resulted from injury and poisoning. That is 0.041 percent for males as compared to 0.01 percent for females based upon a population of 100,000.

Men falling between the ages of 30 to 44 died also as a result of injury and poisoning. That is 0.045 percent based upon a population of 100,000. On the other hand, 0.032 percent of women on a population of 100,000 died due to a critical illness like cancer.

People aged between 45 to 64 suffered mainly from a critical illness, the most dominant being the cancer. 0.245 percent of men upon a population of 100,000 died as compared to 0.218 percent of women over the same population count.

For those people aged between 64 and beyond, the critical illness namely circulatory disease was the main cause of death. People aged 85 or more were more apt to suffer from circulatory diseases along with respiratory diseases and then pass away.

Figures show that at some point in someone’s life he may suffer from a critical illness. When you are young and energetic doesn’t mean that everything is fine. Life is so unpredictable. Anything can happen to you. So why not secure yourself and the ones you love by getting an insurance cover. Whether it is critical illness cover of life cover, you should know that you could be taken care of during your bad days.

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Understanding The Fine Print Of Dental Insurance Plans And Supplemental Dental Care Coverage

Understanding The Fine Print Of Dental Insurance Plans And Supplemental Dental Care Coverage
By: Tony Reineker

Dental insurance is an important incentive for many people in the workforce, but there are many instances when an employer doesn't provide adequate coverage. For example, some dental insurance programs do not cover orthodontic work, while others provide full coverage. Some companies offer dental coverage plans that will only address toothache relief with tooth extraction, but will not cover tooth fillings or root canals. It all depends on the type of dental insurance plan offered by a worker's employer.

Employers can offer their staff a few options in dental plans, which may include an HMO, PPO, or a simple "wrap around" coverage plan that works in cooperation with other coverage plans. Choosing the correct coverage plan can be difficult and even intimidating, but if an employee is handed the correct information, the choice between types of dental insurance plans can be quite easy.

Dental insurance that is based on the HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) option provides many benefits, but some additional rules apply when compared to other plans. For example, the employee who is provided coverage has a choice between only select dental practitioners that are part of the HMO. The employee usually decides which dentist they will use; at the time they start to receive dental coverage.

One potential drawback to the HMO plan is that there are higher fees, when an emergency dental procedure becomes necessary and the covered employee cannot use one of his or her HMO-approved dentists. The HMO system is usually not a problem for routine dental work, but may become a problem for an employee that needs emergency dental care. If a claim comes to the insurance company, they may refuse the claim, because the dental practitioner was not part of their HMO network. However, this is an extreme situation.

Many HMO companies also offer dental care providers that will be available in emergency circumstances, or the insurance company will provide coverage for a dental emergency if the insured agrees to an additional premium. In some cases, the insured patron must make sure that in such a situation, they still utilize a practitioner that is within the HMO network. HMO consumers should know in advance what their options are if an emergency dentist is needed.

Another option is to receive dental coverage through a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). With this option, the employer allows the employee to choose the dental provider they want to use. The dentists do not have to be within the network of the PPO, and it provides the insured a good option for employees who have been within the area for some time and have a good relationship with their current dental care provider. It should be noted that usually the out-of-pocket costs are generally higher when utilizing a practitioner that is not within the PPO network.

If the employee chooses the PPO option and uses a dental practitioner that is affiliated with the insurance company, then the out of pocket costs are sure to be lower than using a practitioner that is not affiliated with the program. Another advantage with the PPO option is that sometimes the employer may add additional benefits to the plan such as orthodontic coverage. This is a major benefit for employees with young children that may need the help of an orthodontist in the future. With this type of option, the employee usually must use a participating orthodontist in order to receive all the benefits from the plan. The PPO purchased by an employer is different for every organization, so it is important for an employee to research the options available to them.

Another type of plan offered by employees is sometimes called a supplemental plan. In order to get this type of plan, an employee must already have a health plan that includes some dental services. The supplemental plan provides for any benefits that the regular health plan does not cover, so that the employee is provided with full dental coverage for all services that they may need.

With many supplemental insurance packages, the primary health plan usually must provide diagnostic and routine preventative benefits and then the supplemental plan fills in the rest of the dental coverage for an employee, such as crowns, fillings or an emergency dentist visits. These are non-routine procedures and the supplemental plan was designed for employees that need these types of services, but cannot receive them because their health plan does not cover specific dental procedures. The supplemental plan usually requires an employee to sign up for the plan and use the preferred providers that are affiliated with the insurance company. This is a good option for those employees that have a good health plan with routine dental benefits, but may need additional coverage for further dental procedures.

Dental insurance can provide an employee with the coverage needed to keep an entire family with beautiful, healthy teeth without large out of pocket expenses. The HMO provides dental care through preferred providers that help keep the expenses for the insured low. A PPO offers the added flexibility for an employee to choose the dental practitioner of their choice, while a supplemental plan works in cooperation with an employee's already existent health plan, which provides for routine dental procedures to cover additional dental coverage needs.

Dental insurance plans can be confusing, but fortunately, with the proper information, an employee can choose the dental plan that will best represent the needs of their family.

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Affordable Health Insurance and How to Get it

Affordable Health Insurance and How to Get it.
By: Dennis Alexander

Getting and keeping affordable health insurance in your state is up to you. With health insurance market constant changing with new laws, new research and increasing cost of healthcare. It is up to us to do our research to understand health insurance and the ways on how we can control health insurance costs. Health insurance companies to stay competitive understand the need for affordable health insurance plans. Insurance companies are constantly changing their health plans to make them more affordable. The only real way to make health insurance plans more affordable is to exclude certain benefits. It is a risk that insurance companies are taking. Since most of the time when shopping for the health insurance plan most people do not understand what is exactly covered and what is not covered.

We have to agree that health insurance companies are not going to give away free coverage. With that in mind we have to agree that insurance companies are also not going to have a plan that cost less cover everything exactly the same as the plan that cost more. The cost of health insurance is almost the same across the board not matter which insurance company you go with. It is true that insurance companies that run more efficiently can offer better rates. What makes that largest difference in the cost of the actual plan is what and how it covers medical bills in case of emergency. The great thing is insurance companies are closely regulated by state insurance commissioner. State laws do vary and so do health insurance health plans in every state. For example in some states insurance companies can exclude certain pre existing conditions to offer you a lower rate. If you have some medical issue and it is being covered by workman’s compensation insurance then you would not need to have double coverage. In other states like California you either get approved or you will get a higher rate or you will get declined. Insurance companies in the state of California cannot exclude coverage on pre-existing conditions once you are approved.

With all of that in mind let’s look at all the options we have to make our health insurance plans more affordable. First is our deductible, which will give us largest control over health insurance premium we pay to Health Insurance Company. There are three types of plans with deductibles. One is a health plan where you have to meet the deductible to get any benefits, the second one is where everything is covered with small co-pay and deductible applies only for hospital stays and third the most popular and the most dangerous one in no deductible. No deductible plans in most cases are the creative work of the insurance companies. In most cases plans that have no deductible you will be responsible for what’s called daily fee and co-insurance. In most cases you could be more out of pocket with no deductible plans then a plan with a deductible.

Second we have more and more insurance companies offer health insurance plans with option of have brand name drug coverage or just generic prescription drug coverage. What does that mean to you? Well the simple way to explain this is that brand name drugs are the drugs that you see on TV commercials. Prescription drugs are regulated by FDA and by FDA rules after the brand name drug has been on the market for over five years over drug companies can copy it. That means that when Drug Company comes out with a new drug they can charge for it as much as they want and no one can copy their formula for that drug for over five years. The reason FDA has that type of rules is because they figure that it takes a lot of money to research new drug. By FDA regulations brand name drugs and generic drugs must have exactly same active ingredient. Basically they are exactly same drug just one cost a lot more. Talk to your doctor before you make any changes. Here is where we are getting with this is if you get a health insurance plans that covers generic drugs only you can save your self a lot of money on your health insurance premiums. With some health plans you can also customize your prescription drug deductible.

Third is health insurance plans that give you option of covering your doctor visits or not covering them. This option could save you a lot of money. What that means is some health insurance plans will allow you to pay for your own doctor visits versus having insurance company pay portion and you pay co-pay. You have to ask your self how many time do you really go to a doctor every year? Most regular doctor visit will cost you anywhere from $55 to $75. Therefore you if you go once or twice a year to a doctor and you can just pay out of pocket and save $50 a month on your health insurance, would you do it?

Well here you have it with these three options you can get affordable health insurance. There are some other options you can also take a look at like Health Saving Account qualified health insurance plans, which is a different topic. It all just makes sense, why pay for something you do not need and not going to use. With some simple decisions you can get the coverage you want at the premium you can afford.

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Growth In Demand For Critical Illness Cover In The UK

Growth In Demand For Critical Illness Cover In The UK
By: Mike Armstrong

With the continuous advance in the medical field, critical illnesses such as cancer, stroke, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, etc are being discovered prematurely. Therefore, the chance of pulling through the critical illness could be much higher. Recent statistics state that there has been a minor increase in critical illness among people. Consequently, this has resulted in much more people seeking a critical illness cover.

Going through a critical illness could be quite a harsh time. As financial breakdowns occur, money is needed for your treatment. Critical illness insurance could be the right answer for you at this tough moment in your life. Though advances in the medical industry now make it possible for more survival cases, disability may still occur. As a result, the use of a wheelchair may require different attention. Your lifestyle could be changed. You could even resume work after a long time of rehabilitation.

Here are some statistics about the growing need of a critical illness cover in the UK:

According to Munich Re (2002), 1 in every 3 men between the ages of 40 to 70 are likely to develop a critical illness. More precisely speaking, 32 in every 100 men may suffer from a critical illness. Out of these 32 men, 15 can develop cancer, 10 are likely to have a heart attack, 5 may suffer a stroke and 2 can undergo a coronary artery bypass surgery.

As for women, 1 in every 4 women between the ages of 40 to 70 may also develop a critical illness, which is 25 in 100 women. Out of these 25 women, 17 are likely to develop cancer, 3 can have a heart attack, 3 may perhaps suffer from a stroke, 1 may be capable to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery and 1 is likely develop multiple sclerosis.

Let’s see some statistics about three of the most life threatening diseases in the UK: cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Cancer
According to Cancer Research 2002, 1 of every 3 people may be diagnosed by a critical illness such as cancer. On the other hand, 1 of every 4 people is likely to pass away due to this critical illness. Moreover, four types of critical illnesses dominate the painful world of critical illness. These are: lung, breast, colorectal and prostate. Furthermore, according to Munich Re 2002, a quarter of the population in the UK could probably suffer from this critical illness in the future. Also, more than half of the people who suffer from cancer such as breast, cervix, testis, etc. may survive for a minimum of 5 years.

Heart disease
According to the British Heart Foundation 2002, each year about 280,000 new cases of coronary heart disease in the UK are most likely to occur. As seen, the level of this critical illness is quite elevated. Also, less than half of those suffering from a heart disease may die within 28 days, which means that care may be probably given on time. Moreover, about 28,000 coronary artery bypass surgeries are carried out each year, perhaps a 5 times increase since 1980. It is therefore unfortunate to see that a critical illness such as coronary heart disease can be the most common cause of premature death in the UK.

Stroke
According to the stroke association 2002, about 100,000 people may suffer from stroke each year in the UK. Around 10 percent of victims of this critical illness may be of retirement age. Stroke can be considered as a severe critical illness as its impact could be big on someone’s life. About 33.3 percent of people who suffer from this critical illness are likely to become disabled. The similar percentages of people may die within a year while the remaining can make a good recovery. Stroke is probably one of the largest causes of disability in the UK, with over 300,000 people being affected at any time.

As seen, these statistics show that we should be concerned about critical illness. Many people are left with no other choice than taking a critical illness cover. Although critical illness is a preventive measure, as it should, the cover can be useful by sometimes awarding you a payment at the right time, to save your life.

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Critical Illness Insurance VS Life Insurance

Critical Illness Insurance VS Life Insurance
By: Mike Armstrong

• Critical illness insurance
Critical illness insurance is a type of insurance designed to award a tax free lump sum on diagnosis of a critical illness acceptable to the insurance company. People are becoming more aware of the need for insurance cover, particularly critical insurance cover. That is why most people nowadays seek cover from critical illness insurance. Let’s see some advantages that a critical illness cover can offer.

To possess a cover from an insurance such as critical illness insurance can be a plus for you. Normally critical illness insurance covers seven major diseases namely: stroke, cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, major organ transplant, etc. If you claim for one of these listed diseases, you may be entitled to receive a tax free payout. The way you will consequently use the money is completely up to you. It can be towards your own advantage if you use the money intelligently.

As a matter of fact, due to your critical illness and state some financial pressures may grow up at your home. The payout may surely alleviate some of the financial breakdowns by settling some or part of your debts. Your mortgage repayments could be handled. Daily expenses could be covered such as paying of bills and buying of food. Your children could continue their studies as fees would be taken care of.

Moreover, when buying a critical illness insurance most companies offer you the choice to tailor make your own policy. You could decide how much cover you want and for how long you would be taking out the policy. The joint account option may also be available which pays out on illness of any one member of the account. This may be a definite advantage as you could make some important savings. That is both persons do not have to pay separate premiums and still could obtain the same benefits from only one policy.

Furthermore, when you make a claim, your critical illness insurance may wait about three months before awarding you payout. If by misfortune you happen to pass away, the inheritor you had already specified could obtain all the money hence having a degree of support even if you are not around.

• Life insurance
Likewise to critical illness insurance, life insurance also awards a payout but under different circumstances. Life insurance will make the payment only on death of the insured person. Life insurance can be considered as a long time investment. Normally it may last for 25 years or more. It depends on which type of policy you choose.

There are basically two types of policies that most people look for: term life insurance also called level term life insurance and permanent life insurance. Term life insurance is probably the most popular life insurance policy. The reason behind is because of its cheap cost. As its name already describes, this type of insurance lasts for only a short period of time. It can be fifteen years or less, depending on which type of policy you choose.
One of the advantages of term life insurance is that you know exactly when the policy is going to terminate. Therefore, you already have an idea of how much you are going to invest. Also, the relative low pricing of the policy may not affect your monthly budget so contributing may not be a burden. People who have a limited monthly income could also take term life insurance. Remember that if you opt to go for a combined policy, for example, term life insurance with critical illness insurance your premium payment values could be affected. They might either be lowered or elevated.

Permanent life insurance is a type of insurance that may last for a very long time. You could take a permanent life insurance policy if you want to ensure maximum cover in the future. If you happen to cross the entire policy in good health, you may be entitled to profit form a beautiful sum paid to you as survival benefits. Otherwise on your death, your inheritor may get the payout similar to term life insurance.

With permanent life insurance you get to pay a premium that may rise as you grow older contrary to term life insurance which stays constant throughout the whole term. Therefore, the premium payments may tend to be higher but you may surely get the lump sum compared to term life insurance. Upon termination or cancellation of term life insurance policy you may lose all your contributed money.

Insurance protection may be an advantage in your life. If you love your family and want to ensure their safeguard should you be victim of a critical illness or death, life insurance or critical illness insurance may be the right choice.

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Wedding Insurance - Reduce the Stress & Worry Over Planning Your Wedding

Wedding Insurance - Reduce the Stress & Worry Over Planning Your Wedding
By: Kathy Hildebrand

It's finally here... he proposed! She accepted! Or maybe the other way around! Regardless of who made the first move, there's a wedding to plan... decisions to be made, vendors to be booked, venues to choose... shopping to do... the mad preparation begins!

For many people, planning a wedding is probably much like embarking on a college education: there's a lot more to it than people think who haven't already been through it before. It's more than planning a party; there are some pretty serious emotions involved -- all around. It can be highly stressful at times. There are ways, however, to mitigate this stress and make this a happy time.

If you want to bypass most of this stress altogether, consider hiring a professional wedding coordinator to do all the legwork for you and even absorb much of the logistical stress on the big day itself. A competent coordinator will orchestrate the entire event for you, for a percentage of your total wedding budget. Before you balk at the idea of adding yet another cost onto everything else that must be paid for, realize that professional wedding planners often actually save the couple money by knowing how to get certain services for a much lower cost than the general public would pay for the same thing. And since the wedding coordinator's fee is a percentage of the budget you've already set, you won't actually be adding another cost. Considering how much work you will be saved, hiring a coordinator may be something that's well worth looking into.

Whether you hire a professional coordinator or organize the wedding all by yourself, there are many additional ways to minimize stress. One consideration is event insurance, just in case anything should go wrong. Wedding event insurance is quite comprehensive and can cover a wide range of possible disasters. According to one source, the top five reported claims include:

* damaged wedding attire
* having to re-take the wedding photographs
* having to cancel the wedding due to an illness or bereavement
* caterers not showing up
* loss of wedding rings

While it's never desirable to have to actually use insurance and file a claim, it's a good thing to have the policy in place nonetheless. This is the first day of the rest of your married life, and you want it to be as perfect as possible. Whatever you do, don't allow little mistakes or omissions to become calamities. It may not be understood by those who have not been through it, but on your wedding day, everything seems so much larger than life -- whether good or bad.

The last thing anyone wants is to have their wedding be remembered as a disaster, and with how much of an expense weddings can be these days, it only makes sense to have some form of insurance. After all, a wedding can cost as much as (or more than!) a down payment on a house, and you wouldn't buy a house without insurance, right? Right!

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Different Types of Health Insurance in California

Different Types of Health Insurance in California
By: WittyArticles

Different Types of Health Insurance in California
Whether you buy group or individual health insurance in California, the options you have regarding the different types of health insurance are generally the same. In some groups you can even choose from available plans. These different types are traditional health insurance, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and preferred provider organizations (PPOs).
California goes beyond the Federal requirements for offering health insurance to its residents. Examples of this include Industry Advantage plans (IAHP), short-term health policies, Insurance for high risk Individuals and special plans for children and teens.
Additional Health Insurance in California
The traditional health care delivery system is based on a fee-for-service type of arrangement. In a fee-for-service system, you pay or each itemized medical service you receive. In the days of the frontier, "Doc" often received a chicken as payment. Today, physicians are paid with money, lots and lots of it. Fee-for-service health insurance recognizes this practice and is designed to reduce or even eliminate your duty to pay directly for your medical care. Traditional health insurance comes in three parts:

California has four basic options for choosing a health care plan:
1. Health through an employer or association
2. Health Insurance through Income eligibility such as Medicaid
3. Health care for high risk individuals such as those that have had cancer or a heart attack
4. Private Insurance
Hospitalization
Hospitalization covers defined expenses incurred while in the hospital. Generally, the insurance will pay for all of the covered services rendered by the hospital staff. However, if the insurance benefit is an indemnity payment, the payment will be for a fixed sum regardless of the actual expenses incurred. This fixed sum will usually be far below the daily charge actually made by the hospital.
Medical/surgical
This part of a traditional health plan covers the expensive costs of medical care other than the bill from the hospital. Services such as doctor visits, treatment charges, etc., are covered here. Medical/surgical usually has a deductible and requires co-payments by the insured (payments you make for charges not covered by the insurance), typically 20 percent of the doctor's fee.

Catastrophic or major medical
There are usually lifetime maximum payments that hospitalization and medical/surgical plans will pay, after which the well runs dry. Unfortunately, these maximums may not be sufficient to pay for all of the care required if a major illness or injury should strike, since such afflictions can eat up hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars worth of health services. Thus, catastrophic coverage adds to your umbrella of protection in an amount sufficient to protect you from the horrendous expenses of such serious and prolonged illnesses. These policies also fill in some of the gaps not covered by hospitalization or medical/surgical.

Health Maintenance Organizations or Private Insurance in California
The health maintenance organization (HMO) is a relatively new player in the health insurance game, although it has been around in a limited fashion since the 1930s. The idea behind an HMO is to pay one premium and receive all of your health care at no or a nominal additional cost. The point is to save money compared to traditional health plans that cost more to purchase and require more out-of-pocket payments from the insured. What you, the insured, give in exchange for reduced cost is a substantial loss of your freedom to choose who will take care of your health needs.

Preferred Provider Organizations
Preferred provider organizations (PPOs) seek to give both the benefits of traditional health plans and the money savings of HMOs. They do this by paying higher benefits as a reward for your using the doctors or hospitals they preselect for that purpose.

Disability Insurance
Disability insurance does not pay for health care; rather it pays for lost wages caused by a disabling injury or illness.
How Health Insurance Is Priced
Ask anyone how health insurance is priced and you will get a simple answer: expensively! Beyond that, there are underwriting criteria used by health insurance providers, whether they are for-profit or, like Blue Shield/Blue Cross, nonprofit.

Underwriting Criteria
Age. The older you are, the more likely you are to get sick; therefore, the higher your health insurance premiums will be.
Number of people covered. Many people buy family coverage rather than individual policies. This means that there will be adults as well as minor children protected by the same plan. Some companies will charge based on the size of the family. Others charge a basic family rate without regard to the number of members.

Gender. Unlike life insurance, where women get the better end of the bargain than men, in health insurance women often pay higher premiums. This is based on health insurance industry statistics which indicate that the female of the species tends to need medical care more often than the male.
Health history. Insurance operates on statistical probabilities. If you have had a poor health history, statistically you are more likely to have a more expensive health care future. This, in turn, means that you will pay higher premiums-if you can get health insurance at all.
Occupation. The more likely you are to suffer injury or illness because of the work you do, the more likely the health insurance industry will be to charge excessively for benefits.
This may be well and good for professional deep-sea divers. But the industry has begun to stretch the concept into areas that have nothing to do with the inherent danger of the work.

Lifestyle. In your application for health insurance you will be asked questions about your personal habits. Your answers will have a lot to do with the cost of your premiums. If you smoke, you will probably pay more for health insurance. If you drink to excess, you will probably pay more for health insurance. If you are known to be under a great deal of stress, you may pay more for health insurance. California does reward the health care Insurance consumer with lower premiums if they have practiced good health policies.

One of the most important things you can do as a health care consumer is to engage in preventive care. Not only will you be able to spot serious diseases at an early stage, thereby increasing your chances of effective treatment and cure, but you should be able to save money as well, since it is usually far less expensive to treat a disease when it's a molehill rather than a mountain.

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Travel Insurance - is it important?

Travel Insurance - is it important?
By: gerimar

Before planning your summer vacations,think at great length if it needs to buy a travel insurance. There are situations that can make you cancel your ttravel,or to return to your house before time or to force to look for yore medical attention while traveling.

Travel insurance can give you extra protection that you needs. Before buying the cover, review the policy of your medical insurance or home, to avoid any confusion. For example, expensive articles like the camcorder, your personal computer or jewelry shop can be places setting by the insurance of your home, if they were robbed while in travels. In case that the airline loses your registered luggage, they have the obligation to reimburse your suitcases ( by a certain amount of money). Or if you become ill or suffers some injury while traveling, your personal medical insurance can cover the amount with your medical costs.

In agreement with the Magazine of the Consumer (Consumer Reports) travel insurance policy includes several types of protection. Be sure to read what it is written in the small letter: These establish if your travel insurance covers what you need. The policies and insurance agencies vary in their cover, so make sure to ask. Some of the different types of insurance available include:

Cancelación/Interrupción of Travel (TCI) - If your plans are altered suddenly and you must cancel or give by finished your travel before time, TCI will cover you by all this. But only it will reimburse you in case that you have a reason including in the list of the insurance, like for example, injury, disease, death or of a member of the family, of a partner or fellow traveller. Some travel insurance policies will include some reason for medical type solely and others will not cover preexisting medical conditions. It is important to read what it is written with the small letter.

Transfer by medical emergency - If takings vacations type venture or to moved away from a hospital center that counts the necessary thing yet, would be good idea to buy this type of cover. If the suitable treatment is not available in a local hospital,You will be transferred to the appropriate medical facility that is nearer.

Loss of luggage - This cover reimburses to you by the lost of one or damage to your luggage.Make sure to make a list of everything, because if you lose your suitcases, they will reimburse to you part of the content. BBB, altogether with the Magazine of the Consumer, advise the following thing to do:

Read what it is written in the small letter. Know exactly what type of cover is or is receiving.Considers to acquire travel insurance of a separate company, instead of buying it from your travel operator or cruises. Secure even more, paying with a credit card. The protection by loss of luggage is necessary solely if it takes in your suitcases, articles with a greater value to $2,500. Verify the policy of your house insurance .

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Disability Insurance: Being Adequately Protected despite of Disability

Disability Insurance: Being Adequately Protected despite of Disability
By: Lala C. Ballatan

It is not a good thing to become sick and unable to report for work for an extended period. Being sick and absent for a few days is bad enough, but being forced in bed for an indeterminate period because of disability can be quite a frustrating situation.

Aside from the boredom and pain of being unable to move around, what makes your situation more frustrating than ever is the fact that you are not being paid for the time you spent having to be forced in your bed. If you are the breadwinner of your family then it is not only devastating for you, but your family suffers severely, too.

Being disabled, becoming unable to move by yourself, wholly, becoming dependent on your family for the most basic tasks are already overwhelming concepts for you, let alone a contemplation of your future financial status.

Most importantly, if you have spent all your life saving adequately for your retirement, then the question dominant on your mind is how to continue your savings now that you need these most. Another is your nagging worry that since you cannot continue on working, then how could your retirement savings go on?

These questions and apprehensions could be easily answered and eased by having disability insurance. Many have their car, house and other important things insured, but only a few realize the significance of being insured against the days when lack of income from their jobs would occur.

Presently, 80% and more American workers do not have protection by having any kind of disability insurance. Meanwhile, according to latest survey on foreclosures, almost 50% are because of the homeowners’ loss of ability to work and earn income. Probing deeper on issue of being out of work, most of them suffered long-term medical issues causing their inability to work.

Many employees fall into the wrong assumption that when they become sick, the normal sick time benefits would be enough to cover their loss of income for a while.

However, once the sickness stretches to full weeks and even, months, that is when the problem starts. When they already run out of allowed sick time, even social security disability benefits cannot compensate for the lost wages. What’s more, not all is approved for social security disability claims as soon as possible. There are issues like eligibility that need to be hurdled until one gets to receive benefits.

Disability insurance is a very sure safety net for long-term illness that borders on partial or full disability. This is a type of insurance designed to replace some percentage of the income you lost after suffering from inability to work for an extended timeframe because of illness or disability.
If your employer offers some benefit packages and asks for your preferences, choosing disability, insurance benefits may be a very wise choice. It would be up to you whether to choose short term or long-term disability insurance.

Making sure that you have saved up for a rainy day beats being stuck without anything at all.

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UK House Insurance - What Policy To Choose

UK House Insurance - What Policy To Choose
By: Trevor Dace

The first step is to consider your needs.

As a starting point let's consider

What sort of property do you live in and do you have many collectibles or just typical fittings and furnishings?
Are you living in a flat or bed sitter?
Are you the owner of the buildings?
Maybe the landlord is already paying the insurance for the actual bricks and mortar?
Do you tend to have more than your fair share of accidents?
Are there any children rushing around the house?

Remember that you need to choose (for both buildings and contents) if you need, and want to pay for, accidental damage cover or if you are happy to accept just the basic perils covered. Considering questions like these will help you decide.

Nowadays, most of the companies offering online home insurance calculate their building valuations based on the type of building and number of bedrooms together with your post code. You are then invited to increase this value if your property is particularly well preserved or if it has additions such as a conservatory or converted loft. You must remember that this estimate is for the cost of having the house rebuilt, it doesn't include the cost of the land that the property is built on.

When considering the contents there are two options. You could write down a list of everything you have and note beside it the replacement value (we're presuming that you have 'new for old' cover). If that sounds too much like hard work then you might consider a 'bedroom rated' policy i.e. the contents valuation is calculated from the number of bedrooms in the property. It would save all that work but you would be very likely to be paying out a higher premium for higher sums insured than you need to.

Next, consider all those special items and valuable pieces you have. When considering any valuable jewellery, antiques or works of art, we always suggest that you specify them as individual items on the policy. This will add to the policy cost but it is worth the additional cost. Before listing them, get a professional valuation for each piece (and if jewellery, gem checked) and get a photograph of each piece. Similarly with laptop computers, Ipod's,bicycles, expensive camcorders, PDA's and so on. In fact, anything of value that you take out and about with you.

Next, I recommend you take out cover for unspecified items outside of the home. This cover should also give you insurance to cover accidental damage for these items within the home. This is essential cover for everybody that ventures past their front door! It will also cover you for your basic baggage whilst on vacation thus saving you on your travel insurance. And the cover is better! (Travel insurance providers always pays indemnity - i.e. item value minus wear and tear. Your unspecified items cover, if you follow my advice, is 'new for old' - except clothes).

Fifth - liability cover. In this age of blame culture this is essential. It is always provided free with your other cover. Make sure you have it on both buildings and contents if you are an owner. If you do not own buildings, then the liability cover on contents is fine on its own. It's a bit like having 'third party' cover on your car (although not legally compulsory).

Lastly, there are the 'freebies' that many insurers now provide. Services such as emergency assistance providers or free legal help sound like a good idea but you really shouldn't let these extras affect your buying decision

Now all you have to do is to buy the policy that you want. Chose an insurer that has a good reputation, even if it costs a little more. (All of the insurance companies featured on our site have a good reputation !)..and of course they offer superb value for money.

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Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma: Questions and Answers

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer in which malignant (cancerous) cells are found in the mesothelium, a protective sac that covers most of the body’s internal organs. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles.

What is the mesothelium?

The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and the expanding and contracting lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures.

The mesothelium has different names, depending on its location in the body. The peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity. The pleura is the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity. The pericardium covers and protects the heart. The mesothelial tissue surrounding the male internal reproductive organs is called the tunica vaginalis testis. The tunica serosa uteri covers the internal reproductive organs in women.

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelium) is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and divide without control or order. They can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Cancer cells can also metastasize (spread) from their original site to other parts of the body. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum.

How common is mesothelioma?

Although reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. About 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age.

What are the risk factors for mesothelioma?

Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma. A history of asbestos exposure at work is reported in about 70 percent to 80 percent of all cases. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven. Asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation. If tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, they may be inhaled or swallowed, and can cause serious health problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung ailment), and other cancers, such as those of the larynx and kidney.

Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma. However, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person’s risk of developing cancer of the air passageways in the lung.

Who is at increased risk for developing mesothelioma?

Asbestos has been mined and used commercially since the late 1800s. Its use greatly increased during World War II. Since the early 1940s, millions of American workers have been exposed to asbestos dust. Initially, the risks associated with asbestos exposure were not known. However, an increased risk of developing mesothelioma was later found among shipyard workers, people who work in asbestos mines and mills, producers of asbestos products, workers in the heating and construction industries, and other tradespeople. Today, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets limits for acceptable levels of asbestos exposure in the workplace. People who work with asbestos wear personal protective equipment to lower their risk of exposure.

The risk of asbestos-related disease increases with heavier exposure to asbestos and longer exposure time. However, some individuals with only brief exposures have developed mesothelioma. On the other hand, not all workers who are heavily exposed develop asbestos-related diseases.

There is some evidence that family members and others living with asbestos workers have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma, and possibly other asbestos-related diseases. This risk may be the result of exposure to asbestos dust brought home on the clothing and hair of asbestos workers. To reduce the chance of exposing family members to asbestos fibers, asbestos workers are usually required to shower and change their clothing before leaving the workplace.

What are the symptoms of mesothelioma?

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleura are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and abdominal pain and swelling due to a buildup of fluid in the abdomen. Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions. It is important to see a doctor about any of these symptoms. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis.

How is mesothelioma diagnosed?

Diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions. Diagnosis begins with a review of the patient’s medical history, including any history of asbestos exposure. A complete physical examination may be performed, including x-rays of the chest or abdomen and lung function tests. A CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI may also be useful. A CT scan is a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body created by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. In an MRI, a powerful magnet linked to a computer is used to make detailed pictures of areas inside the body. These pictures are viewed on a monitor and can also be printed.

A biopsy is needed to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma. In a biopsy, a surgeon or a medical oncologist (a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer) removes a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope by a pathologist. A biopsy may be done in different ways, depending on where the abnormal area is located. If the cancer is in the chest, the doctor may perform a thoracoscopy. In this procedure, the doctor makes a small cut through the chest wall and puts a thin, lighted tube called a thoracoscope into the chest between two ribs. Thoracoscopy allows the doctor to look inside the chest and obtain tissue samples. If the cancer is in the abdomen, the doctor may perform a peritoneoscopy. To obtain tissue for examination, the doctor makes a small opening in the abdomen and inserts a special instrument called a peritoneoscope into the abdominal cavity. If these procedures do not yield enough tissue, more extensive diagnostic surgery may be necessary.

If the diagnosis is mesothelioma, the doctor will want to learn the stage (or extent) of the disease. Staging involves more tests in a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to which parts of the body. Knowing the stage of the disease helps the doctor plan treatment.

Mesothelioma is described as localized if the cancer is found only on the membrane surface where it originated. It is classified as advanced if it has spread beyond the original membrane surface to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, lungs, chest wall, or abdominal organs.

How is mesothelioma treated?

Treatment for mesothelioma depends on the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient’s age and general health. Standard treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Sometimes, these treatments are combined.

Surgery is a common treatment for mesothelioma. The doctor may remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of the tissue around it. For cancer of the pleura (pleural mesothelioma), a lung may be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy. Sometimes part of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing, is also removed.

Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, involves the use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy affects the cancer cells only in the treated area. The radiation may come from a machine (external radiation) or from putting materials that produce radiation through thin plastic tubes into the area where the cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy).

Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body. Most drugs used to treat mesothelioma are given by injection into a vein (intravenous, or IV). Doctors are also studying the effectiveness of putting chemotherapy directly into the chest or abdomen (intracavitary chemotherapy).

To relieve symptoms and control pain, the doctor may use a needle or a thin tube to drain fluid that has built up in the chest or abdomen. The procedure for removing fluid from the chest is called thoracentesis. Removal of fluid from the abdomen is called paracentesis. Drugs may be given through a tube in the chest to prevent more fluid from accumulating. Radiation therapy and surgery may also be helpful in relieving symptoms.

Are new treatments for mesothelioma being studied?

Yes. Because mesothelioma is very hard to control, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is sponsoring clinical trials (research studies with people) that are designed to find new treatments and better ways to use current treatments. Before any new treatment can be recommended for general use, doctors conduct clinical trials to find out whether the treatment is safe for patients and effective against the disease. Participation in clinical trials is an important treatment option for many patients with mesothelioma.

People interested in taking part in a clinical trial should talk with their doctor. Information about clinical trials is available from the Cancer Information Service (CIS) (see below) at 1–800–4–CANCER. Information specialists at the CIS use PDQ®, NCI’s cancer information database, to identify and provide detailed information about specific ongoing clinical trials. Patients also have the option of searching for clinical trials on their own. The clinical trials page on the NCI’s Cancer.gov Web site, located at http://www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials on the Internet, provides general information about clinical trials and links to PDQ.

People considering clinical trials may be interested in the NCI booklet Taking Part in Clinical Trials: What Cancer Patients Need To Know. This booklet describes how research studies are carried out and explains their possible benefits and risks. The booklet is available by calling the CIS, or from the NCI Publications Locator Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/publications on the Internet.