CHEERS TO 2013!

NEW YEAR RESOLUTION:   Getting Your Insurance Coverage in Order for 2014   There is not a lot of time to think about insurance during the hectic rush of the holidays, but as you ring in the New Year, it is a good idea to evaluate your insurance coverage. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) offers these tips and reminders to help with your review.

Homeowners/Renter's Insurance This is a great time to update your home inventory and make sure your homeowners or renter's policy is up-to-date. While the decorations are out of storage, take some photos or video of your baubles. Do not forget to make note of any antique items and their value so you can talk with your insurance agent to ensure that they are properly covered. If you are starting a home inventory from scratch, the NAIC's free smartphone app, myHOME Scr.APP.book, takes some of the headache out of the process. Download the app from iTunes or Google Play. You can also download a paper version here.   Now that you have opened all your gifts, remember to add them to your home inventory, too. Include as many details as you can and take a photo of each item. Most basic home insurance policies have standard limits for big-ticket items like electronics, art, jewelry or sporting equipment. You may need special coverage, so be sure to call your agent as soon as possible to discuss changes for your policy.   If you want to review your insurance policy or declarations page before talking with your agent, take a look at this consumer alert to help understand the terminology.   Auto Insurance Winter can be a challenge for all drivers. Whether you are trying to escape the weather for someplace warmer or just preparing for the first drive to work in the snow, there are a few insurance items you should review.   To make sure you are winter-ready, check your auto insurance policy. Here is a quick reference on how to read your declarations page.   Make sure your coverage is appropriate for your life situation. Liability is the part of the policy that pays for any injury or damage if you cause an accident. If your liability insurance is too low, it is possible that you could be sued for any damages above your liability limits.   Also take a look at your deductibles for comprehensive and collision coverage. This is the amount you will pay if your car is damaged or totaled without fault of another driver. Raising or lowering this amount can affect your premium.   Before hitting the road, make sure you have a copy of your insurance card and your insurance agent or company's number in the car. It is also a good idea to have a way to record details of an accident if you are in one. The NAIC smartphone application WreckCheck walks you through the process of gathering information following an accident. You can then email your notes directly to your agent. Download the free app from iTunes or Google Play.   Health Insurance Many families recently went through the open enrollment process for their health insurance at work or Medicare Open Enrollment, which means you may have new insurance cards and paperwork coming in the mail. It is a good idea to get all this information together before winter illness or accidents happen.   Make sure to check your provider lists to verify visits to your doctor and any specialists are still covered by your policy, as in-network or preferred provider lists change from year to year. Also read through your documents and make note of your copays for in-network and out-of-network providers so you are not surprised later.   When you're planning a vacation away from home, check with your insurance carrier to identify urgent care centers and hospitals that accept your insurance coverage near your destination and along the way. Be sure to ask your carrier about applicable co-pays and deductibles if care is needed.   Click here for the explanation of some of the terms you may find on your health insurance paper work.

From all of us at the Boccarossa Insurance Agency!

Distracted Driving

Mental Distractions Behind the Wheel Are Real and Dangerous

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety partnered with researchers at the University of Utah to conduct groundbreaking research on mental distraction, also known as cognitive distraction, demonstrating that hands-free technologies in the car dangerously divert motorist attention.

 

MENTAL DISTRACTION – WHAT WE KNOWMental distractions dangerously affect drivers behind the wheel.  Just because a driver’s eyes are on the road and hands are on the wheel does not mean they are safe – hands-free is not risk-free.

 

MENTAL DISTRACTION – WHAT IT MEANSAttention is key to safe driving, yet many technologies cause drivers to lose focus of the road ahead. Hands-free features, increasingly common in new vehicles, create mental distractions that unintentionally provide motorists with a false sense of security about their safety behind the wheel.

 

MENTAL DISTRACTION – WHAT IS AAA DOINGAAA is dedicated to promoting road safety and reducing driver distraction through research, public education and collaboration with automakers to reduce the impact of mental distraction.

 

 

Winter Driving Tips

Severe weather can be both frightening and dangerous for automobile travel. Motorists should know the safety rules for dealing with winter road emergencies. AAA reminds motorists to be cautious while driving in adverse weather. For more information on winter driving, the association offers the How to Go on Ice and Snow brochure, available through most AAA offices. Contact your local AAA club for more information.

 

AAA recommends the following winter driving tips:

 

Avoid driving while you’re fatigued. Getting the proper amount of rest before taking on winter weather tasks reduces driving risks.

Never warm up a vehicle in an enclosed area, such as a garage.

Make certain your tires are properly inflated.

Never mix radial tires with other tire types.

Keep your gas tank at least half full to avoid gas line freeze-up.

If possible, avoid using your parking brake in cold, rainy and snowy weather.

Do not use cruise control when driving on any slippery surface (wet, ice, sand).

Always look and steer where you want to go.

Use your seat belt every time you get into your vehicle.

 

Tips for long-distance winter trips:

• Watch weather reports prior to a long-distance drive or before driving in isolated areas. Delay trips when especially bad weather is expected. If you must leave, let others know your route, destination and estimated time of arrival.
• Always make sure your vehicle is in peak operating condition by having it inspected by a AAA Approved Auto Repair facility.
• Keep at least half a tank of gasoline in your vehicle at all times.
• Pack a cellular telephone with your local AAA’s telephone number, plus blankets, gloves, hats, food, water and any needed medication in your vehicle.
• If you become snow-bound, stay with your vehicle. It provides temporary shelter and makes it easier for rescuers to locate you. Don’t try to walk in a severe storm. It’s easy to lose sight of your vehicle in blowing snow and become lost.
• Don’t over exert yourself if you try to push or dig your vehicle out of the snow.
• Tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna or place a cloth at the top of a rolled up window to signal distress. At night, keep the dome light on if possible. It only uses a small amount of electricity and will make it easier for rescuers to find you.
• Make sure the exhaust pipe isn’t clogged with snow, ice or mud. A blocked exhaust could cause deadly carbon monoxide gas to leak into the passenger compartment with the engine running.
• Use whatever is available to insulate your body from the cold. This could include floor mats, newspapers or paper maps.
• If possible run the engine and heater just long enough to remove the chill and to conserve gasoline.

Tips for driving in the snow:

• Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for regaining traction and avoiding skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry. And take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.
• Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, turning – nothing happens as quickly as on dry pavement. Give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly.
• The normal dry pavement following distance of three to four seconds should be increased to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
• Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold breaking. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
• Don’t stop if you can avoid it. There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.
• Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed down hill as slowly as possible.
• Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.
• Stay home. If you really don’t have to go out, don’t. Even if you can drive well in the snow, not everyone else can. Don’t tempt fate: If you don’t have somewhere you have to be, watch the snow from indoors.

Connecticut is only state enrolling more in private insurance than Medicaid under Obamacare

Connecticut is the only state in the country in which more people have applied for private coverage than Medicaid through the health insurance exchange, an exchange official said Tuesday.

 

James Wadleigh, Access Health CT’s chief information officer, said the state’s exchange has taken more than 11,000 applications for individual and small-business coverage. About 6,000 are for private insurance customers, and about 4,700 will receive Medicaid.

 

As part of the health law commonly known as Obamacare, the Medicaid program in Connecticut and many other states will expand Jan. 1 to cover more adults without minor children. In addition, exchanges like Access Health are selling private insurance plans that, for many people, are expected to come with discounted premiums, subsidized by the federal government.

 

A major reason for Connecticut’s unique balance of applicants, Wadleigh said, is that the state began expanding Medicaid in 2010, shortly after the health law passed. That means fewer people are becoming eligible for Medicaid in Connecticut than in other states.

 

Connecticut currently provides Medicaid coverage to adults without minor children earning up to 56 percent of the poverty level. As of Jan. 1, that level will rise to 138 percent. Officials expect that will add between 55,000 and 60,000 more people to the program. (For adults with minor children, the income limit for Medicaid is already higher, and that will remain largely unchanged.)

 

Wadleigh reported the state’s enrollment trends during a meeting Tuesday morning of the state’s Health Care Cabinet.

 

Of the private insurance customers so far, 27 percent have selected “gold” plans, which have the highest premiums but pay the highest share of members’ medical costs. The majority, 55 percent, have selected the midlevel “silver” plans, while 16 percent have chosen “bronze” plans, which have the cheapest premiums available to most customers but leave them with higher expenses if they seek medical care.

 

Two percent of the customers chose catastrophic plans, which are available to people under 30 and carry low premiums but high out-of-pocket costs for most medical care.

 

Wadleigh said that of the people signing up for coverage, 19 percent are between ages 18 and 34. He did not say whether that referred to people signing up for Medicaid and private insurance, or just private insurance. Figures released last month showed that most of the young enrollees were signing up for Medicaid.

 

Access Health also provides coverage options for small businesses, but that portion of the exchange’s activity has been smaller than expected, Wadleigh said.

 

People can sign up for private insurance through Access Health through March 31, but the deadline for getting coverage that begins Jan. 1 is Dec. 15. Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman asked whether there has been talk of extending the application deadline for getting coverage that takes effect Jan. 1. Wadleigh said there has been talk of doing that, including during a conference call with the White House last week, but said there's been nothing definitive.