Insurance - All The Basics

Insurance - All The Basics
What is insurance? Insurance is a means of providing protection against financial loss in a great variety of situations. It is a contract in which one party agrees to pay for another party?s financial loss resulting from a specified event. Insurance works on the principal of sharing losses. If you wish to be insured, against any type of loss, agree to make regular payments, called premiums, to an insurance company. In return, the company gives you a contract, the insurance policy. The company promises to pay a certain sum of money for the type of loss stated in the policy. History Insurance is thousands of years old. The Code of Hammurabi, a collection of Babylonian laws of 1700BC, is believed to be the first form of credit insurance. A borrower did not have to repay a loan if personal misfortune made it impossible to do so. Insurance as we know it today can be traced to the Great Fire of London in 1666, which devoured 13,200 houses. In the aftermath of this disaster, Nicholas Barbon opened an office to insure buildings. Types of Insurance Insurance generally covers situations involving pure risk ? that is, situations in which only losses can occur. Such situations include fire, floods and accidents. People also buy insurance to cover unusual types of financial losses like, a dancer might insure her legs against injury. There are mainly three types of insurance policies sold: 1. Life Insurance A life insurance policy provides that the insurance company will pay a certain amount when the person dies. This may be paid in a lump sum or in installments to the beneficiary [people named by the policyholder to receive the death benefit]. Some types of life insurance policies also enable policyholders to save money. Such policies have a cash value. A policyholder may borrow money against the cash value or surrender the policy for its cash value. Annuities These are savings plans sold by insurance companies to provide a fixed and regular retirement income. If the annuitant [owner of the annuity] dies before receiving the guaranteed number of payments, the insurance company must continue the payments to the beneficiary. Dividends Some insurance policies refund part of the premiums in the form of dividends. Such policies are called participating policies. An insurance company pays dividends if the money it collected in premiums exceeds the amount needed to pay benefits and administrative costs. Dividends may also include a share of the profits the company earned on investments made with premium funds. Dividends are most commonly paid on life insurance. 2. Private Health Insurance Health insurance pays all or part of the cost of hospitalization, surgery, laboratory tests, medicines, and other medical care. The rising cost of medical care has increased the need for adequate health insurance. You could suffer a major financial hardship without such coverage, especially in case of a serious illness or accident. Dental insurance is one of the fastest-growing types of health insurance. It helps pay for a wide variety of dental services. 3. Property & Liability Insurance Individuals and businesses buy property and liability insurance to protect their assets against financial loss. Property insurance provides direct compensation if a policyholder?s possessions are damaged, destroyed, or lost as a result of perils. Liability insurance protects individuals and businesses against possible financial losses if their actions result in bodily injury to others or in harm to property owned by others. The main types of individual coverage are: ? Homeowners Insurance This provides protection against losses from damages to an owner?s home and its contents. ? Automobile Insurance This is the most widely purchased and most important kinds of insurance. Drivers are legally responsible for any costs arising from accidents they cause. This insurance protects a policyholder against financial losses from accidents. Financial viability of Insurance Companies Financial stability and strength of the insurance company should be a major consideration when purchasing an insurance contract. An insurance premium paid currently provides coverage for losses that might arise many years in the future. For that reason, the viability of the insurance carrier is very important. In recent years, a number of insurance companies have become insolvent, leaving their policyholders with no coverage (or coverage only from a government-backed insurance pool with less attractive payouts for losses). How Insurance Is Sold Most insurance companies sell policies through agents. Exclusive agents are employees of an insurance company who sell only that company?s policies. Independent agents sell policies for several companies. David Dugan is a contributing author to the insurance information site <a href="http://insurance.divinfo.com/">http://insurance.divinfo.com/</a>, a site that has information on auto, homeowners, life, pet and all kinds of insurance as well as the retirement site <a href="http://retirement.divinfo.com">http://retirement.divinfo.com</a>.
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Whiplash Compensation Claims Advice
Whiplash Compensation Claims. Personal injury solicitors - “No Win No Fee” service. Compensation paid in full - No deductions. WhiplashWhiplash of the neck is caused by any sudden moderate or severe involuntary forced movement of the head in any direction, and the resultant rebound of the head or neck in the opposite direction. Consequently there are injuries to the surrounding and supporting tissues of the neck and head including tendons, muscles, bones and discs. To get advice on any whiplash compensation claims advice you may have contact our personal injury claims solicitors today.SymptomsThese may not appear straight away. They can develop gradually over time after the injury. Basic Whiplash Symptoms Include:Fatigue Neck pain and/or stiffness Dizziness Blurred vision Pain between the shoulder blades Difficulty swallowing Pain in the arms or legs, feet and hands Irritability Ringing in the ears Numbness and tingling Shoulder pain Vertigo Low back pain and/or stiffness Nausea Headaches Vomiting DiagnosisWhiplash can be difficult to diagnose, a physical and neurological examination is performed. X rays and scans do not always reveal the injury and diagnosis is used to evaluate the patient’s general condition. Based usually on observation of, medical history, symptoms, and physical examination. Our personal injury solicitor can advise on the right course of legal action in all cases.TreatmentThis is usually by way of various home or medical therapies and treatments. For example severe whiplash may be treated with a surgical collar. Speak to one of our personal injury solicitor before trying to obtain compensation.Home Take acetaminophen for pain relief or ibuprofen for anti-inflammatory action. Apply ice to your neck for 35 minutes, 4 times per day. Do not apply ice directly onto skin. Place towel between the ice and your neck. Continue to use ice until pain stops. MedicalNeck massage Pain relievers Heat Ice Bed rest Soft cervical collar for neck immobilization Motion exercises at early stages with limited range Combined with heat therapy - 72 hours after the injury Avoid excessive neck strain in the following weeks CompensationWhiplash compensation is dependant upon the severity of the injury and will affect the amounts payable.Other factors include the recovery period, and any permanent residual symptoms. A Claims Master Group personal injury solicitor are at hand to help.Medical HistoryThe medical record of your injury will used as part of the assessment your claim. Suffered a whiplash injury in an accident? You must seek medical advice as soon as possible. Normally your doctor, or if it s more serious, the Accident and Emergency department of your local Hospital. As part of your claim assessment, the medical record of your injury will used. It is therefore important that your injury is documented as soon as possible after you re aware of any symptoms. Contact our personal injury solicitor with Claims Master Group for a no win no fee settlement. Contact Julian Hall of Claims Master Group - The Personal Injury, Accident Claim, No Win No Fee specialists. If you need advice or would like to speak to someone don't hesitate to give us a call on 08000 71 22 71.
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