IMPORTANT SERVICES

Car insurance is designed to protect you against financial losses if you’re involved in an accident or if the vehicle is damaged in some way.

Most states require you to have the minimum amounts of liability insurance coverage; some states also require you to have other types of coverage, like uninsured driver coverage.

Taxes are the amounts you pay each month, every two years, or every year to maintain an auto insurance policy, while deductibles are the amounts you pay when you file a claim.

Shopping for the best auto insurance rates is crucial to finding the right coverage for your car at a reasonable price.

What is the automobile insurance policy?

Actually, the car insurance policy is an agreement between you and the insurance company in which you agree to pay monthly rates in exchange for financial protection against financial losses caused by accidents or additional damage to the car. Your auto insurance policy may offer coverage for:

Car accidents, including your car or another driver’s car

Accidental property damage or bodily injury

Medical and/or funeral expenses related to injuries sustained in an accident

The precise specifications of what is covered depends on the minimum coverage requirements for your state and any other coverage you decide to include.

Automobile insurance policy prices vary depending on a number of factors. Other factors include the candidate’s gender, age at the time of application, years of driving experience, history of accidents and traffic violations, among others. Again, most states impose a minimum auto insurance policy limit. The minimum amount varies by state, but many purchase more insurance policies to protect themselves more.

The lender may state that you must have certain categories of auto insurance policies. For instance, if you buy an expensive vehicle that will likely depreciate very quickly once you drive it off the lot, you may need gap insurance. If you’re involved in an accident, gap insurance can help pay off the difference between the value of the vehicle and what you still owe on it.

A poor driving record or the need for comprehensive coverage will increase prices. However, you can reduce your taxes by agreeing to take on more risk, which means increasing your deductible.

The amount you must pay when filing a claim before the insurance company will pay you any damages is the deductible amount. Therefore, your policy could be deducted $500 or $1000. Accepting a higher deductible may result in a lower rate, but you must be reasonably certain that you can pay the higher amount if you need to file a claim.

How Auto Insurance Works

The insurance company agrees to pay your losses as outlined in your policy in exchange for paying a premium. Policies are priced separately, allowing you to adjust coverage amounts based on your specific needs and budget. Policy terms typically last for six or twelve months and can be renewed.

Nearly every state requires car owners to carry bodily injury liability, which covers costs associated with injuries or death that you or another driver causes while driving your car, regardless of whether they require having a minimum amount of auto insurance. They may also claim property damage liability, which compensates others for damage caused by you or another driver while driving your car into another vehicle or other property.

Many states go further, requiring car owners to pay medical costs or personal injury protection (PIP), which offset medical expenses for injuries suffered by you or your passengers. Lost wages and other related expenses will also be included.

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Uninsured motorist coverage compensates you in the event of an accident caused by a driver without an auto insurance policy. When you are involved in an accident with a driver whose insurance policy is not enough to cover the full cost of a claim, an uninsured motorist insurance policy is designed to protect you.

Who is protected by auto insurance coverage?

Whether you drive your car or someone else’s car (with their permission), an auto insurance policy will cover you and other family members on the policy. The policy also covers someone who is not on your policy and drives your car with your permission.

Only the personal auto insurance policy covers personal driving. If you use your car for commercial purposes—such as making deliveries—it will not provide coverage. Neither will it cover you if you use your car for ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft. Nowadays, some

Health Insurance

Cuando se le solicita seguro médico por teléfono o en línea, la variedad de opciones e información disponibles hace que sea aún más difícil de elegir. Scammers aprecian la anonimidad del marketing telefónico y aprovechan esa confusión. Consulte la sección de solicitudes telefónicas y en línea arriba. Para evitar ser utilizado por un estafador, esta sección ofrece algunas preguntas simples que puedes hacer.

You can talk to a licensed insurance agent or a navigator if you need help with understanding health insurance. El mercado federal de seguros médicos, healthcare.gov, ofrece definiciones de términos de seguro médico. If you are a senior, you can contact the South Carolina Department on Aging or call 1-800-MEDICARE to talk to

Medicare Supplement Insurance

What you should know about purchasing a Medigap policy

Learn the reasons why a Medigap policy may be necessary. A Medigap policy is health insurance sold by private insurance companies in order to fill the “gaps” in an original Medicare Plan coverage. Medigap policies help pay for some of the medical expenses that the original Medicare plan does not cover. Medicare and your Medigap policy will both pay their share of covered health care costs if you are in the original Medicare Plan.

Some examples of “gaps” in Medicare: Because Medicare does not pay for all of your health care, you may want to buy a Medigap policy. It is necessary to pay “gaps” or out-of-pocket expenses in the first one.

Some examples of care that is not covered by Medigap: A Medigap policy will not cover long-term care, vision or dental care, hearing aids, and private-duty nursing.

Eligibility requirements: In most cases, you need to have Medicare Part A and Part B to purchase a Medigap policy. If you are in your Medigap open enrollment period or under Medigap protection, you are guaranteed the right to purchase a Medigap policy. You may not be able to purchase a Medigap policy if you are on a Medicare benefit plan, have Medicaid, have a previous Medigap policy, are under age 65, and are disabled or have advanced kidney disease.

Pre-existing conditions: A health problem you had before the date a new insurance policy starts is called a pre-existing condition. A Medigap insurance company can refuse to cover that health problem for up to six months if you have a health problem before your Medigap policy started. This is known as a precondition waiting period. Only if your health problem was diagnosed or treated six months prior to the start of a Medigap policy, the insurance company can use this kind of waiting period.

In most cases, it is not possible to kick you off Medigap. If you purchased your policy after 1990, the policy is guaranteed to be renewed. This means that only if you stop paying on your insurance policy can your insurance company cancel you.

Shop around to find the best Medigap policy. Find a Medigap policy that you can afford and that gives you the coverage you need most. As you purchase a Medigap policy, be aware that different insurance companies may charge different rates for the same Medigap policy, and not all insurance companies offer all of the Medigap policies.

Verify that the insurance company is trustworthy. You can take the following steps to determine if an insurance company is trustworthy: Stop before you sign anything and call the Insurance Department at 803-737-6180 to confirm that the insurance company is licensed to do business in our state. You can also call the Insurance Department for more information.

Keep an eye on illegal insurance practices. It is illegal for someone to force you to buy a Medigap policy, trick or mislead someone into switching to another company, or sell you a second Medigap policy if they know you already have one. It is also illegal to sell you a policy that cannot be sold in our state.

Know your Medigap rights and protections. You should know that you have rights and protections regarding your Medigap coverage under federal law. These include your right to purchase Medigap coverage, protections if you lose or drop your health care, and protections for people under 65 with Medicare. To better understand these rights and protections, please contact the Department of Insurance.