Ledger's lawyer launches suit over $10m insurance payout

A former lawyer for Heath Ledger has launched a suit against the late actor's insurance company for allegedly refusing to pay out the $10m (£5.5m) in benefits due to Ledger's two-year-old daughter. John S LaViolette maintains that ReliaStar insurance company, with whom the 28-year-old Dark Knight star took out a life insurance policy in 2007, claim the policy is null and void because his death in January this year was suspicious and possibly a suicide, even though officials have ruled that he died from an accidental overdose of painkillers and other medicines. LaViolette claims that he is also listed as a beneficiary in Ledger's policy and is suing to get the money for Matilda Rose, Ledger's daughter from his marriage to Michelle Williams. ReliaStar has stated that it is entitled to investigate because Ledger died within two years of taking out the policy and called the lawsuit "premature" as no decision had been made on the claim. A hearing is scheduled for December 1.

Need helping looking over your insurance policy? Are you with the right life insurance company? Contact Ryan Perrenoud today for a quick evaluation.

Genworth may spin off mortgage insurance unit

from MarketWatch - http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/genworth-says-may-spin-off

SAN FRANCISCO -- Genworth Financial said Tuesday it may spin off its mortgage insurance business as the insurer tries to reduce its exposure to the housing crisis.

Genworth shares surged 72% to close at $8.61 on Tuesday. The stock lost roughly half its value on Monday after the $700 billion government bailout plan failed in the House of Representatives, spooking investors. Genworth has lost two-thirds of its market value so far this year.

Genworth sells life insurance, long-term care coverage and offers retirement and wealth-management services, while also running an international unit. But investors have generally overlooked those businesses this year and worried about the company's mortgage insurance operations instead.

Genworth's U.S. mortgage insurance business may be worth more than $2 billion, UBS analyst Andrew Kligerman estimated in a note to investors. He has a buy recommendation on Genworth shares.

At ConectUS Insurance we strongly believe in this Insurance Company as a viable option to consider when seeking life insurance. Solid and stable. Genworth also highlighted more than $800 million in cash and cash equivalents at the holding company and almost $4 billion in cash and cash equivalents in its operating companies.

Got Insurance? The Next President of the United States...

Article by Newsweek, http://www.newsweek.com/id/161203

Barack Obama and John McCain have put forth radical—and radically different—proposals to change the way Americans do, or don't, get health insurance. Is it really possible to make sure everyone's covered? Are the candidates even trying for that? And what lessons can we learn from Massachusetts, which has embarked on its own experiment with universal health care? NEWSWEEK's Mary Carmichael spoke with Katherine Swartz, a professor of health policy and economics at Harvard who studies insurance and recently published an in-depth analysis of the McCain plan:

CARMICHAEL: McCain wants to take away the tax break workers get on health insurance at their jobs, and instead give people who buy their own insurance $2,500 in tax credits. Families would get $5,000. What do you make of this idea?

SWARTZ: The positive part is that it would reduce favoritism in the tax system. If you're unemployed, or if you're with a small employer who doesn't provide health insurance, you don't get any special treatment [taxwise] on insurance now. The bad part is that the tax credit could make it harder for low-income people to get insured. In the current system, a lot of low-income people with jobs are getting insurance they could never afford on their own. The credit is supposed to help.But you have to purchase health insurance to get the tax credit, and low-income people still may not be able to do that. For a family, insurance premiums in the nongroup markets are typically above $700 a month, and that's with a deductible of at least $5,000. We're talking $8,400 a year in premium payments, but the tax credit is only for $5,000. You still have to pay $3,400, plus the deductible, before the insurance covers medical expenses. Also, the type of coverage on the individual market typically does not cover as many services as group policies. If you buy your own policy, when you get sick, you are going to pay more out of pocket.

Can you explain McCain's plan to help out people with previously existing conditions by expanding "high-risk pools"?
We've had state-sponsored high-risk pools for several decades, but they cover fewer than 200,000 people. They were set up so insurance companies could essentially cede people who they predicted would have very high health-care costs. At one point McCain said he would subsidize high-risk pools with between $7 billion and $10 billion a year. That would cover maybe 3 million people, which is not much of a dent in the 47 million people without insurance now.

How many people would be insured under McCain ' s proposals, compared to today?
My colleagues and I have predicted that around 21 million people in the first year would lose access to health insurance because their employers would stop offering it. About 21 million higher-income people would take the tax credits and buy their own insurance. So it would be a wash in the first year. We worry that within five years, more employers would stop offering insurance, and we'd end up with more people uninsured than there are now.

Now let ' s look at Obama ' s plan. What exactly is an insurance exchange?
The one he's proposing looks a lot like the Health Connector we have in Massachusetts. It acts as a clearinghouse where people can buy insurance policies that are essentially given the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval by the state. In the Obama plan, there's a minimum set of benefits every plan has to offer, and if your income is below some threshold yet to be specified, you would get a subsidy. Small businesses could also use this exchange to provide health insurance. This has worked very well in Massachusetts.

And his national health plan?
It's basically one more choice offered in the exchange. It sets a floor for what kinds of services the other plans would have to offer. Here's where we have to start thinking about the total cost. If the national plan is quite generous in terms of services covered, the proposal's cost will be more than the campaign is estimating. In Massachusetts, costs have already gotten out of control.Costs are higher than expected, but that's partly because the original projections underestimated the number of uninsured people who were eligible for subsidies. It's also partly because health-care costs are rising—and that's the case everywhere.

Obama would also require insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions. Wouldn ' t insurers raise premiums?
Yes, premiums may be higher. I think people need to consider the alternative—if patients are closed off from coverage, they still go to the ER, and we all pay for that.

Does the Obama plan actually provide universal coverage?
No. It requires that children be covered, but there's no mandate for other individuals. Some adults would continue to be uninsured—roughly 6 percent of the nonelderly, compared with 17 percent now, so many more people would have insurance than do now.

Obama ' s plan is very ambitious. How on earth can we pay for it?Given the federal deficit, that's a problem for both plans. McCain's plan is not cheap either. I think it will be hard for either candidate to do much in the next few years.

Long Term Care Insurance Decline Story

I had a client this past spring apply for long term care insurance with one of our carriers after reviewing the top five. After going through the underwriting process his wife was approved preferred but he was rated 25% higher because of his diabetes and high A1C levels. He was not happy but I really encourage him to take the offer because the company we used is one of just a handful that will insurance insulin dependent diabetics. He said no and decided to use another carrier a couple months later. Unfortunately because of new test results to the negative he was declined by the second company. He then wanted to go back and take the offer of the first company, but of course the original company is skeptical now of his change in health. This case happens all the time because as people age they become less healthy usually and once a person crosses to the uninsurable line all long term care insurance option are off the table. Long term care insurance might be a right fit for you so if you think so, it might not be wise to wait.

My personal auto insurance covers both my personal and business use of my car

False. If you occasionally use your own car for business purposes such as transporting clients, going to and from meetings or hauling business equipment, then you will more than likely need to extend your personal car insurance to cover your business use as well.

If you have your employees use their car while they work for you, you will want to also obtain a separate non-owned car insurance policy.

Myth #1: Hey, You're Paying the Premiums... Insurance Should be Bought and Used for Every Accident and Disaster.

Insurance is designed to protect one from catastrophic disasters. An insurance rule of thumb: If you can pay for the loss or damage without a financial hardship then pay it, otherwise expect your insurance premium to eventually show an increase. Also, buying every type of insurance just isn't necessary. Sometimes the risk is worth taking rather than paying a premium. Learn more at Don't Buy Insurance You Don't Need

Motorcycle Insurance

I started riding motorcycles when I turned 50, about 7 years ago. I was sitting on the couch one Autumn Sunday afternoon. I was half asleep while watching a pretty boring football game. I heard a loud rumble in my driveway and looked out to see my buddy, Steve, parking a new, bright red Harley Fat Boy. He told me that he used to sit on the couch and watch weekend football and now he rides the motorcycle. Wow, Steve's afternoon visit changed my life!

I started reading everything I could get my hands on about motorcycles. I learned that each type of bike has a culture that goes with it. Sport bikes, choppers, touring bikes each have a distinct group of enthusiasts. Well, I started fantasizing about long trips throughout the Western United States with my wife on the back of the bike. She agreed she would like to ride and to go ahead and look into a bike.

I was not very interested in taking off by myself, I wanted to ride with friends and family. So, I narrowed my motorcycle search down to Harley Davidson and then down to an Ultra Classic. This bike has all of the comforts I wanted on the road, Radio, CD player, CB and and intercom to talk to the wife. I got a bright red one and my friends began calling it the red couch.

My only previous biking experience had been years earlier with a small off road bike. The new Harley weighed over 800 pounds and had all kinds of power. I figured I better take a motorcycle safety course before I tried to get my California Motorcycle Endorsement on my driver's license. This turned out to be a very good investment of time and money. It was a 20 hour course over 3 days at the local high school. I learned a lot about things I would have never considered. The course ended with each of the students getting the official DMV endorsement and a certificate that would be needed for a safety course discount on my motorcycle insurance.

Speaking of insurance, I now needed to get the bike fully covered. I made the mistake many people make when shopping for vehicle or auto insurance. I shopped for the best policy I could find for just the new bike. I compared all of the companies and I ended up going with Progressive. I was not unhappy with Progressive and, in fact, they had great customer service. Their premium rate was among the best at the time I first signed up. It was not until a couple of years later that my wife asked me why my rate was going up so much. In fact it was going to double on the renewal! What was this about? I did not have any tickets or accidents. I was a more experienced rider and the bike had depreciated.

I decided it was time to shop again. I called a number of companies and eventually I spoke to a Farmer's Agent to get a quote on my almost three year old bike. He asked me if I had any other vehicles or property that I currently insured. I told him of course, but they are all covered and I had already searched for the best prices on each of them. I had my house with Auto Club, my two cars with Mercury Insurance and my motorcycle and boat with Progressive.

He was the first agent to ask my permission to compare all of the policies if we bundled them with Farmer's. I had nothing to lose and gave him the cover sheet on each of my policies. A few days later, Ryan Perrenoud, said he was going to fax me over a VIP comparison of my current coverage and premium costs and those same coverages and premiums with Farmer's Insurance. Long story short, he saved me over $1,800 a year on the combined policies. He even found me a special discount because I am a retired law enforcement officer. He explained to me that most people stay with a company because they are comfortable with their price and service. Also, most people buy insurance as needed for their car, house or toys. These needs usually occur at different times, so most people never take the opportunity to package them all together for one combined quote. Also, most people think that a policy has to expire before they can replace it with a better policy. California insurance law requires that any unused portion of a policy premium must be refunded to the insured withing 30 days from the time they notify the insurance company that they wish to cancel the policy. It is pretty much the opposite of what we are used to with our cellular service contracts with early termination clauses.

From this experience my suggestion is that when you are looking for insurance for ANY of your property, shop for coverage on ALL of your property. It is almost a sure bet that you will save a bunch of money on premiums. I can think of many things I would rather do with my $1,800 savings than write checks to insurance companies.

So, the bad news was that Progressive Insurance wanted to double my rates. The good news is that that event caused me to do the shopping most of us always put off to another time. I ended up with better coverage and lower overall premiums. Check it out!

The Affect of Drinking and Driving

We all know alcohol can slow reaction time and make you loud, obnoxious, or affectionate. But here’s an example of the effects alcohol has on just one of your vital senses, your eyes:

Focus	Slows your eyes’ability to focus back and forth from objects near and far.
Muscle control	Relaxes the fine muscle control of your eyes, blurring vision.
Coordination	Impairs the eye’s ability to work together, causing double vision.
Distance Judgment	Reduces the ability to judge distance accurately.
Peripheral vision	Reduces the ability to perceive things from the side.
Night vision	Limits the eye’s ability to see in low light.
Colors	Impedes the ability to distinguish colors.

DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE OR YOU MAY BE REQUIRED TO GET SR-22 INSURANCE WHICH IS NOT CHEAP!

ConectUS can help you get on track with SR-22 insurance. Contact John G who is an SR-22 specialist today.

Used Car Insurance Made Easy

When purchasing insurance for your car, there are a variety of factors to consider. The state minimum requirements for auto insurance coverage vary depending on the state in which you reside; for example, in the state of California, where I currently work as an insurance agent, the minimum requirements for auto insurance coverage is 25/50/25, which pertains to bodily injury liability limits. This translates out into $25,000 per person, $50,000 per incident, and $25,000 for property damage. Keep in mind that these are the absolute minimum limits required by law. I would definitely recommend carrying more than that in bodily injury and liability/property damage coverage. If you cause a multiple-car pile-up, or even cause an accident where a few people are injured, chances are that you would cause more damage than you think. The extra premium you are paying for more coverage is well worth it (and this is coming from someone who is pretty conservative when it comes to spending money).

Comprehensive and Collision Coverage

It is also important to consider what deductible amounts would work for your used car situation. It is important to keep in mind that the higher your deductibles are, the lower your premium amount for that year is. Also, there are two kinds of deductibles: comprehensive and collision. Comprehensive pertains to any damage caused to your vehicle by vandalism, acts of God, hit-and-run, and hitting an animal. Collision has to do with actually hitting another vehicle while on the road. Comprehensive claims do not affect your future insurance premiums, but collision claims do negatively affect you future premiums. So, I feel that you should have a lower comprehensive deductible, and a higher collision deductible. My personal auto policy has a comprehensive coverage of $100 and a collision of $1000. Also, glass is covered under the comprehensive deductible. Some insurance companies have a $0 deductible for glass coverage, so ask your agent about this.

Used Cars Worth Less than $2500

If your used or older car is not worth more than $2500, then cover it with liability only insurance. That way, you are not paying for a collision deductible if it would cost you more to pay out the deductible than the vehicle is actually worth. However, don’t forget about the bodily injury liability coverage, as this could cover you if you are ever at fault in an accident. If you injure someone, you cannot simply claim that you are broke and have no coverage—you will still have to pay for the injuries or property damage regardless.

8 arrested for alleged $33-million SoCal fraud

Reprint from AP

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Thursday (09-18) 16:56 PDT Los Angeles, CA (AP) --

Eighteen people in the Los Angeles area are accused of filing more than $33 million worth of phony Medicare bills.

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Federal authorities say they arrested the suspects Thursday after the FBI searched six locations, including a clinic in South Los Angeles. Those arrested include clinic owners, medical professionals and owners of medical equipment companies.

Eight federal indictments allege they submitted bills to Medicare for unnecessary medical equipment, including motorized wheelchairs and hospital beds.

The charges include submitting false claims and conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Some of those charged with multiple crimes could face dozens and even hundreds of years in prison if convicted.

Funniest Insurance Claim Explanation

Possibly the funniest story in a long while, this is a bricklayer's accident report, which was printed in the newsletter of the American Insurance Journal.

This is a true story.

Had this guy died, he'd have received a Darwin Award for sure.

Dear Sir: "I am writing in response to your request for additional information in Block 3 of the accident report form. I put "poor planning" as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explanation and I trust the following details will be sufficient.

I was alone on the roof of a new six-story building. When I completed my work, I found that I had some bricks left over which, when weighed later, were found to be slightly more than 500 lbs. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley, which was attached to the side of the building on the sixth floor.

Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it.Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow descent of the bricks.

You will note in Block 11 of the accident report form, that I weigh
135 lbs.

Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building.

In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel, which was now descending at a rapid rate. This accounts for the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collarbone, as listed in section 3 of the accident report form.

Slowed down slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers on my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence of! mind an d was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of beginning to experience a great deal of pain.

At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel.

Now devoid of the weight of the bricks, that barrel weighed approximately 50lbs.

I refer you again to my weight.

As you can imagine, I began a rapid descent, down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, broken tooth and several lacerations of my legs and lower body.

Here my luck seemed to change. Hitting the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked.

I am sorry to report, however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and let go of the rope and I lay there watching the empty barrel beginning its journey back down onto me. This explains the two broken legs.

I hope this answers your questions.

Best Insurance Agent in Southern California

The best agent in Southern California is Ryan Perrenoud. I just moved to California from Texas and I never thought I could replace the customer service I was currently receiving. Ryan Perrenoud exceeded my expectations for an insurance agent! He actually cared about my financial situation and treated me like family. I highly recommend him for ALL your insurance needs. If you need to contact him click here !

Where to find the best Insurance rates

With 1000's of insurance companies and millions of agents it can sometime be difficult to find the best and honest rates. There are many sites out there that will give you a projected auto, life, business, or heath quote within a few minutes. 99% of the time these automated results are not actually what you will pay. This is a tactic that makes you want to do business with that company.

This site here has a simple form that will then connect you with a live agent so you can get an honest and personal insurance quote.

ConectUS Insurance strives to make insurance personal again. Insurance is important, it is imperative that you know what you are getting yourself into.

You can also call their office to speak with a live agent by calling 800-211-0712

Senior Life Insurance Settlement

We are working with a very interesting portion of the insurance industry. It is commonly referred to as Senior Life Insurance Settlement. Here is how it works:

1. Senior of 65 or older medically qualifies for $1M plus term life insurance policy

2. Company provides 100% financing of premium and insured has coverage for first 2 years

3. After 2 years insured sells policy at profit to company. This is usually 20% -60% of face value depending on the insured's health at that time. The worse the health the more it is worth to the insured.

4. Company continues to own the policy and pay the premiums hoping to profit when insured dies.

For many seniors this is an opportunity to create cash in their later years. Some people are uneasy with the fact that a company owns a policy on their life and it is in the interest of the company for the insured to die sooner rather than later.

A life insurance policy is an asset that can be sold - just like real estate or a car. A Life Settlement (sometimes called a Senior Life Insurance Settlement) is simply the sale of a life insurance policy by a senior citizen in return for a lump sum of cash. It's usually a "win-win" situation. The seller of the life insurance policy gets cash to use however they want from an unneeded or unwanted life insurance policy and with a "bonded" life settlement there is a predetermined rate of return for the buyer. It's a perfectly safe, high quality investment - often offering high returns.

Bonded Life Settlements are insurance policies that have been underwritten to the standards of a bonding company, who, for a bonding premium, is willing to provide a performance bond warranting that should the policy not mature by a specified date, the bonding company will buy-out the purchasers' interests in the policy at face value. The return on investment is typically lower on bonded policies because part of the purchase funds must be utilized to pay the performance bond premium... which is paid in a lump sum... up front... at closing.

I was with a 67 year old friend on the golf course last week. He told me that he surrendered a $500,000 life policy for the cash value of $130,000. He later discovered that he could have sold the policy for $200,000. so, he left $70,000 on the table because he was not aware of this product.

The message is to sit down with a qualified life agent and explore ALL the possibilities when buying or selling a policy.

AIG Disaster

Can you believe that AIG(American International Group), one of the countries largest providers of auto, life, heath, and term life insurance is now 80% owned by the US Taxpayers? At ConectUS Insurance Services we were always impressed with the quality of the AIG insurance products. I hope the fact that the US Government is providing $80 Billion in bridge loans will not affect the the service of the AIG. Is this the end of the collapsed companies for awhile? Will the stock market continue to decline as other companies melt down? Was AIG insuring losses sustained by Countrywide?

Should we look to Genworth to provide our term life insurance products now?

The Consequences of Not Having Auto Insurance

When you don't have the proper insurance or no automobile insurance at all you not only put yourself at great risk but you also put the life of people on everyone on the road at even a greater. We have been witness to several unfortunate cases that have literally bankrupted families because they did not get the proper insurance or they were misled by not having any at all.

The team at ConectUS has the insurance profession down. Since 1975 they have helped 1000's of individuals, families and business secure the needs they demand.

Insurance is manditory, contact the Insurance Professionals today