Category: Insurance

There are different types of health insurance covering all walks of life like individual, family, employees and others.

What is a Family Health Insurance?

Families are always special and they ought to have complete protection against medical emergencies. A comprehensive Family Health Insurance helps to save medical cost and complete shield to family against emergency due to an accident or sudden illness. Family members covered under Family Health Insurance are spouse, dependent parents and children of an insured.

Benefits of Family Health Insurance

During a policy period if the sum assured has exhausted as more number of people covered, the policy can be renewed at no extra cost. Health Insurance Companies cover Health check -ups, day care treatment, pre and post hospitalisation etc. A new member to the family can be added anytime during the policy period and in case of death of family member others can avail same benefits and health cover without any hindrances.

A lump sum cash benefit is paid upon being diagnosed for a critical illness such as first heart attack, cancer kidney failure and others as well. If a family member covered under Family Health Insurance has to travel aboard for treatment, Health Insurance Companies bear all the expenses like travelling cost, cost of treatment abroad and expenses incurred by the person accompanying the insured. Cashless hospitalisation are very helpful if case of unforeseen medical uncertainties.

Common exclusions of a Family Health Insurance

Health Insurance Companies do not cover any pre-existing injuries or illness. Any diseases diagnosed within 1 month from the date of commencement of policy are not included. Only injuries due to accidents are covered within 1 month. Medical expenses due to self inflicted injury or attempt to suicide are not covered. Dental treatments, cost of contact lens are not part of Family Insurance Plan. Cost of treatment incurred due to consumption of alcohol or drugs are not born by the Health Insurance Company.

Lump sum cash benefit covering a critical illness is paid only once in life to spouse or an individual after waiting period 3 months or survival period of 1 month is met under Family Health Insurance. Children are not covered for critical illness by the Family Health Insurance.

Family member are engaged any of dangerous sporting and sustained injuries due the sporting action is not borne by the Family Health Insurance.

Sudden Illness and expensive medical expenses of a family member can cause lot of financial liability. A well planned Family Health Insurance will help in facing medical emergencies and access to best medical treatments.

For more information visit: Family Health Insurance and Health Insurance Companies.

The Vauxhall Zafira is, according to the manufacturer, a compact family car, although most reviewers describe it as being a spacious Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV). It will seat up to seven people, or you can use it to carry a considerable number of items. It is also well equipped inside, and considering its role as an MPV, it is attractive to look at on the outside. There are a number of models available under the Zafira marque and this not only provides access to cars on a wide range budgets, but it also means that you can choose the model that best suits your needs, and the one that costs the least to run.

The Vauxhall Zafira

The Vauxhall Zafira is comfortable to drive, and equally comfortable for the multitude of passengers that can be squeezed in. While the entry level model is not overflowing with features, there are some great additions to the other cars in the range. If you need the additional seating space, or you have to drive around a lot of gear as well as a handful of people, it is an ideal choice. The amount that you pay for car insurance for your Vauxhall will depend on a number of factors, but you can haggle and shop around to try and get the best available deal.

Don’t Auto-Renew

First and foremost, you should avoid letting your insurance auto-renew. Insurance policies don’t go all out to provide the best offer possible for automatic renewals. This means that you are likely to be paying an inflated price if you do simply let your renewal come into force. Try to arrange a new policy as soon as possible, and inform your current insurer so that they do not simply renew your policy on your behalf.

Use Your Renewal And Haggle

When you receive your renewal from your insurer, contact them straight away. Tell them that you intend to look around for a better price, and that you believe you can do better. Usually, they will make you an improved offer on car insurance for your Vauxhall. The improved offer can prove very useful, because you can use it when contacting other insurers. Any that are interested in winning your business will attempt to beat the price that you have received.

Shop Around

Take your improved renewal offer and contact other insurers. Some people still prefer to ring around, or use a broker, to try and access the best deals and prices. However, the far more convenient option is to use an online comparison site.

An online comparison site works similarly to an insurance broker. You provide your details once, albeit manually online, and then the site will generate offers from dozens or even hundreds of insurers, before compiling the results and providing them to you in order of the cheapest deals first. This can make the whole shopping around process considerably easier, but you do need to ensure that the policies provided offer the same terms so that you can be sure you are comparing on a like-for-like basis.

Contact Insurers As Well As Using Comparison Sites

Launched in March 2013, the Santander current account has been lauded by experts as the UK’s most generous current account in terms of customer rewards, according to The Daily Mail. If you are considering making the change to the Santander account, here’s what to expect in terms of risks and rewards.

The Santander account offers you cashback on purchases at a tiered system of 1-2-3. For example, the 1 stands for 1 percent cashback you receive when you use the Santander card to pay water and council tax bills. The 2 stands for 2 percent cash back on electricity and gas bills while the 3 percent stands for cashback on bills paid to mobile, home phone, broadband and on-demand television packages. You can set the account up as either a single or joint account based on your and your partner’s unique needs.

The 1-2-3 comes into play in another way. You also earn interest based on the amount of money you keep in the account on a monthly basis. For example, if you keep 1,000 or more in the Santander account, you earn 1 percent interest on this amount. If you carry a balance of 2,000 or more, you will earn 2 percent interest each month. When your funds exceed 20,000, you will earn 3 percent interest for your account balance, which is the maximum interest rate you can earn with the Santander account.

If you are curious if you could benefit from the Santander account, visit the company’s website at Santander.co.uk and go to the 123 Santander page. In the “What You Get” area, there is a cashback calculator. This allows you to put in your typical utility bill information to determine how much money you could get back. You also can view a list of utility providers to ensure your provider is a member of the cashback awards program.

The Fine Print

You must meet a few basic requirements to qualify for the Santander 123 card. For example, you must be older than age 18 and a permanent UK resident. In addition, you must keep a balance of at least 500 in your account and use at least two direct debits per month.

Remember that you will only earn the cashback rewards for the Santander 123 card if you have at least 1,000 in your account. If your balance drops below this amount, you will not get the cashback. To maximize the amount of interest you earn each month, follow this strategy: Keep as much money as you possibly can in your account for as many days as possible. To get the cashback rewards on your utility bills, they must be from direct debits. If you do choose to utilize direct debits, you may wish to set them all for the end of the month to maximize your interest.

You must pay a small fee to receive these benefits. The Santander card costs 2 each month to earn the cashback perks. Unlike some other cashback cards that pay once per year, the Santander card will pay cashback rewards on a monthly basis.

If the Santander 123 account does not appeal to you, but you wish to stay with the Santander company, you can choose its Everyday account, which does not offer cashback or charge a fee for holding the current account.

Making the Switch

Santander is a member of the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) that will switch your bank accounts within seven business days upon your request. The CASS system ensures you can switch your account in a hassle-free manner. If any details of the account do slip through the cracks, such as direct debits from the old account, the responsible bank must cover the costs associated with the error.

Insurance coverage is often considered complicated and confusing. Commercial truck insurance is no exception. This is because the truck industry is highly diversified and many regulations exist to govern it.

The many forms of commercial truck insurance provide motor carriers and independent owner/operators with all the coverage they need to protect themselves and their assets.

The following are several examples of coverage options for both large companies and independent haulers.

General Liability

This coverage protects company employees and vehicles with liability coverage. Damage and injury costs are covered for employees and employers are given protection against lawsuits from accident victims.

Primary Liability

This type of coverage is required by federal regulations and covers damage and injury costs incurred by third party motorists involved in accidents caused by commercial truck drivers.

Physical Damage

Independent drivers are encouraged to purchase these policies in order to protect their own assets, such as their trucks. Damages caused by fires, theft, vandalism, and accidents will be covered up to a pre-determined amount. Considered the minimum policy coverage a driver should purchase to feel protected from the various situations that occur.

Non-Trucking Insurance

This form of liability insurance is a more cost-effective form of coverage for independent drivers. It covers drivers when not on active dispatch and therefore not covered by their contracted employers policy.

Trailer Interchange Insurance

This coverage is for instances in which trailers are being exchanged between two different companies. Trailer interchange coverage will cover the cost of any damages to the trailer or its cargo while being hauled by an outside party.

Cargo Insurance

Many commercial truck insurance policies do not cover the actual cargo, just the truck itself. Cargo insurance protects the goods that are being transported, as well as protects if those goods fall out or cause harm to another driver.

Freight Insurance

General freight insurance protects companies that haul dried goods ranging in value from $10,000- $100,000. Freight valued higher than $100,000 typically needs additional coverage.

Dump Truck Insurance

The defining quality of Dump Truck Insurance is the mechanical moving parts of the truck. Because the back of the dump truck is a machine itself, it requires special a policy for those that could be injured by operating it.

Writing your Vehicle Duty of Care Policy can be a pain! We have written this guide to help you and highlight the important points your policy should include.

We recommend you think of your vehicles as “mobile offices” and download or print an 8 page leaflet by the HSE called “5 steps to risk assessment” from our PDF downloads it will help you to understand the basics of what your policy is all about.

MISSION STATEMENT

Your introduction or mission statement should outline your company/organisations “culture” when dealing with its vehicle fleet with regard to such things as defensive driving, risk assessment, driver’s hours and regular health checks for both driver and vehicle. You should inform people that your policy is a complimentary addition to the main company policy and should be read in conjunction with their contract of employment and a current copy of the Highway Code.

BUSINESS DRIVER

A business driver is anybody who drives any vehicle on Company Business.

In this section you should explain that any driver out on the public roads on the company or organisations business is a company driver and that includes the person that uses an “owned” vehicle on Fridays to collect the fish and chips at lunchtime for the workforce.

Your policy must explain the driver’s responsibilities to the vehicle and respect for it, the limitations and responsibility of use by the driver and others while using a vehicle on business and the management structure authorising a business driver.

Some people use this area to explain driving licences and reporting procedures for them but we prefer this to be included in the LEGAL section.

NB – Reporting structure – Approved Driver List

BUSINESS VEHICLE

The company is responsible for any vehicle, company owned, privately owned or hired with or without driver. When it is used on company business explain your procedure checks for:

Right vehicle for the job
Road worthiness.
Legality
Safe use within the law.

This must be explained clearly in terms of how the company will and will not allow a vehicle on company business to be used e.g. with (trailer) and where (abroad), as they all impinge on the above four.

NB – Reporting structure – Approved Vehicle List – Servicing List

SAFE USE OF A VEHICLE

This is one of the most important sections of any Vehicle Duty of Care policy and you understanding its full implications and how you write it.

It is also where the reporting structure is at is most important and also where it breaks down in a lot of companies.

An example to illustrate what we mean:-

A company driver driving their own car is involved in an accident killing their passenger. The police decide the driver was well above the speed limit both for the road and weather conditions. On further investigation it was found that the driver had been driving to a 4pm sales meeting on the instructions of management and was late. It was also discovered that one of the front tyres was less than 1.6mm. Further investigation by police of company records showed the driver was on a sales bonus scheme related to the number of new customer visits per week.

The Police can lay charges against the driver from driving without due care and attention to dangerous driving and even manslaughter. He will be charged for the illegal tyre, gain 3 points on his licence and receive a fine of up to 2,500.

The Police could also lay charges against the company and its officials for corporate manslaughter if they think they were negligent in their duty of care by the structure of reporting from driver to company and was not actively followed (tyre) and that the sales bonus scheme brought unreasonable pressure on the driver to perform. At the minimum the legal officer of the company, usually the company secretary, will have their licence endorsed with 3 points and a fine (tyre).

NB – No matter how good your Vehicle Duty of Care Policy is with regard to the legality, safe use and clearly stipulates NO work schedule incentives for drivers, if your support structure is not active, problems will occur. Sorry but we will say this again. No matter how eloquent your Duty of Care Policy is written, with all the “do this, don’t do that,” unless – Your Reporting Structure is Robust and Active – You will fail in your Duty of Care!

VEHICLE SECURITY

Sometimes vehicle security is mixed with Insurance or safe use of a motor vehicle. We feel that security is not only that of the vehicle itself but also where it is parked on company premises, customers’ premises and overnight and therefore needs a section of its own.

LEGAL

In this group you base everything your drivers and vehicles need to stay legal on the roads and what happens when they don’t!

You need to clearly outline your company/organizations stance on all things that will stop a person driving legally from drinking, driving offences to non payment of fines and who is responsible for payments both fines & court offences needs to be made clear.

You need to make drivers aware here that they also have a duty of care to keep you informed through the proper procedures which you write of any changes to themselves or the vehicle they drive that could result in legal action. Your main approved lists stem from this section because failure to maintain any one of them can result in Legal Action against the driver and or your company/organisation.

NB – Reporting structure – Driving Licence List – Tax & MOT List – “O” Licence List – Insurance List

INSURANCE

All vehicles used on company business need business cover and it should be made clear to the drivers the position of both the company and insurance company.

ACCIDENTS

The driver is at their most vulnerable immediately following an accident and therefore it is here that you want to be sure that you have done all that you can to support the driver while protecting the company to make sure that the correct procedures will be followed.

NB – Accident forms – for the last time, honest! A strong reporting structure has to be in place for any Vehicle Duty of Care Policy to succeed in your Company/Organisation.