As a regular columnist in the 400 Edition I view my role as an advocate for truthful information. I am always concerned that we the public are not given all the facts to make a well-informed decision. My column today concerns insurance policies.
As consumers we are bombarded with commercials from various automobile companies for inexpensive coverage. These commercials tout low rates, and great service. Their spokespersons include cavemen, reptiles, and others. These low rate guarantors never explain the fundamentals of why you need or should buy their product. They only imply that you need cheap rather than adequate insurance in order to comply with government-mandated limits. These spokes models never tell you that inadequate insurance can cause more harm than good, and that you can quickly lose everything in the event of a catastrophic injury.
Last month I was retained by a family, which went on line to buy their auto insurance. They purchased barely adequate insurance with no provisions for medical payments. They had switched from a more expensive full service insurer with a great reputation to one of the TV insurers. When they went on line they were not advised on what type of coverage's was needed for themselves or their children. They chose cheap insurance.
On that dark and stormy night disaster struck. The accident occurred independent of some hanging onto their car causing mischief. My client and her child were hit head on and then forced into a ditch. Fire rescue was called and a jaws of life was used to open the door to extract the child. She was life-flighted to Scottish Rite, and her mother transported to a local hospital. My client was incapacitated, her daughter miles away, and her husband left to handle the situation.
There were no funds for living expenses, no funds to pay deductibles, and barely enough to take care of other necessities. Had they had better coverage, and better planning they would have been able to shelter themselves from these economic realities.
No TV, or on- line insurers proposed greater more extensive limits or coverage's. Cheap was the bottom line
It is important that people understood the value of good insurance coverage. I recommend that anyone buying auto insurance consult with an agent who should spend time with them to understand their needs.
Many types of insurance are available. I recommend adequate add on uninsured motorist coverage - which piggybacks or supplements someone else's policy limits. I always suggest that people buy medical pay coverage. This is an essential coverage which helps persons avoid deductibles, government paybacks for Medicare, and will help cover passenger's entire medical bills. I suggest wage loss coverage, and greater property damage coverage.
People's lives are at stake when a catastrophic accident occurs. Injured persons families can lose their economic lives, and financial independence without adequate protections. Oftentimes people lose everything in an accident when they turn over their assets to pay for medical bills.
I advocate that everyone given the education or guidance they needed to make a rationale choice. I suggest that all readers take the opportunity to research, and explore their options. A thirty second commercial cant be relied upon the real work of this important decision making.