According to the Health Insurance Glossary, an exclusion is a provision within a health insurance policy that eliminates coverage for certain acts, property, types of damage or locations. In the past, individual health insurance policies frequently contained exclusions for pre-existing medical conditions. Insurers add exclusions to policies in order to avoid covering severely high-risk claims.

You can usually locate any exclusions incorporated into your policy under a section titled “exclusions.” These exclusions may be included for a number of reasons. Just a few of these include:

•Catastrophe

Insurers are often unwilling to cover catastrophes that affect a large number of people. War would be an example of this.

•Policy Overlap

Some things are excluded from certain policies because they are covered

elsewhere. For example, liability insurance does not cover auto liability because

it is included in commercial auto insurance.

•Purposefully Inflicted

Insurance policies cover events that are out of the policy holder’s control.

Therefore, losses intentionally inflicted by the holder are excluded. This would

include bodily harm inflicted by the holder on other individual.

•Easily Avoidable

Many policies exclude harm that could have been easily avoided by the policy holder. For example, if the holder forgets to park his car in the garage and subsequently suffers damage from sleet or snow, the insurance company will not cover the harm inflicted.

•Illicit Activity

Most insurance companies will not cover loss that results from engagement in

illegal activity.

Regardless of why your policy has exclusions, it’s important to know what those exclusions are. Take time today to read through your policy or contact an agent for assistance.

One of the many amenities we offer to our customers is the Howard Webb Insurance App. Today’s blog is dedicated to teaching you how to navigate our app in a helpful and efficient manner. Our app can be found on Itunes and is completely free to download and use. When you open the app, you will be presented with a home screen with six different links: Claims, Contact Us, Payments, Roadside/ID Cards, Policy Changes, and Referrals. Each button has a unique purpose aimed to help you easily execute routine procedures concomitant to your insurance policies.

•Claims

The Claims button links to a page that has two options: Auto and Home/Other. The Auto

page allows you to navigate the process of reporting and processing claims involved with vehicle accident. There are links to submit a claim, call your insurance carrier, leave a voice note, and access a comprehensive accident diagram. It also compiles a list of helpful tips about how to deal with such an event. The Home/Other page compiles a similar list of tips about how to deal with several different kinds of home damages or

miscellaneous emergencies. It also includes links that allow you to call your insurance

carrier, leave a voice note, or take a video. We recommend recording a video and narrating the events of the incident while they are fresh in your memory. The app will allow you to access the date, time, and location of the accident and provides the option to send any videos or voice notes directly to us. It is wise to include footage of the scene, license plates, driver’s licenses, and the insurance information of the other driver. If preferable, there is also an option to contact your insurance company directly to report the claim from the scene.

•Contact Us

The Contact Us button links to a page that contains all the information necessary to contact us presented in a simple, easy-to-access format. This page includes the options

to either call, email, locate, or research our company.

•Payments

The Payments button allows you to access your account with your insurance provider and make all necessary payments

•Roadside/ID Cards

The Roadside/ID Cards button allows you to access, send, and store digital copies of your necessary documentation and ID Cards. In order to take advantage of this service, it is necessary to download a digital copy of your ID card from your insurance company onto your device or take a photo of the card with your phone camera when prompted. You must then associate that file with the mobile app so that the app is able to display the proper document later on. We are happy to assist with this process when you are in the office.

•Policy Changes

The Policies button links to a page that allows you to choose from four options: Policy Changes, Payments/ID Cards Online, Certificate Request, and Get a Quote. The Policy

Changes tab allows you to add or change the drivers or vehicles on your policy or contact a representative about other miscellaneous policy changes. The Payments/Id Cards Online tab allows you to either make a payment, access your ID Cards, or make an emergency claim/check on an existing claim. The Certificate Request tab allows you to contact a representative about certificate requests. The Get a Quote tab allows you to process a quote request.

•Referrals

The Referrals button links to a page that will prompt you to either send a referral or share our mobile app. All referrals that result in the referred customer getting a full coverage auto and home quote will be acknowledged with a complimentary gift.

Follow this link to check out our free mobile app today!
https://itunes.apple.com/kz/app/howard-webb-insurance/id1040489587?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.redhead.howardwebbins&hl=en

On the Move: Protecting Yourself from Moving Scams

Packing for a move can be a stressful time full of checking and rechecking to make sure you got everything. However, one thing many movers forget to check is the legitimacy of their moving company.

Nearly 3.000 consumers filed moving fraud complaints just last year. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to make sure that you don’t have to. The first step is being aware of the red flags that can help you recognize a fraudulent moving company.

One practice that is common among rogue movers is giving estimates over the phone or online without ever inspecting your items in person. The figures they give you often sound too good to be true, and usually that’s because they are. You should also be wary if a mover refuses to give you a physical, written document recording the estimate he offered you. The company should also be willing to provide this information well before the move. It is important to do so in order to insure that they mover can not charge you more than the agreed amount.

Another thing that unreliable companies will do is ask for cash or a significant deposit beforehand. Reliable companies should have no problem with transporting your possessions before receiving any significant payments.

Moving companies are not only responsible to provide you with quality service, but also with the proper paperwork. All movers are required by law to give their clients a copy of the “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” booklet and a copy of FMCSA’s “Ready to Move” brochure.

You should also be skeptical of any company that does not offer a physical address on their website, or answers the phone with a vague description of the company rather than giving the specific company name.

And finally, it is not too late to back out if the company arrives with a rental truck rather than a company moving vehicle. This detracts from the company’s legitimacy, and should signal to you that they are unreliable.

Moving is already stressful enough. Don’t let an unreliable moving company make it worse.

Contact us here at Howard Webb Insurance 764-644-8847 or www.howardwebbins.com for more information

Winter is right around the corner; which means you probably have Christmas shopping and festive get-togethers on the mind. But holiday cheer isn’t the only thing that should be preoccupying your thoughts during this season. It is also important to ensure that your house provides a safe environment in which to enjoy these things. So what can you do to make sure your family shares their favorite Christmas traditions in safety?

Well, let’s start from the top down. The first thing you’re going to want to do is repair any leaks in your roof. You can even hire a contractor to test your roof’s ability to withstand the weight of snow and ice.

You will also want to make sure that your Christmas tree isn’t the only one getting trimmed this winter. It is necessary to get rid of any tree branches in your yard that could get weighed down with ice or snow and fall on your house – or your neighbor’s. This is important in order to avoid liability. It is also important to clean out your gutters to make sure they don’t get clogged and weighed down by snowfall.

Next you will want to check that your walls are properly insulated so that your house is not only safe, but also warm. Another way you can keep your house heated is by rearranging furniture to places that don’t block any heating vents.

Your living spaces aren’t the only things you want to keep warm, however. It is important to make sure your pipes don’t get so cold that they freeze. A busted pipe can cost you up to $3,800. You can do this by wrapping them with insulation sleeves to slow heat transfer. It is also helpful to keep a constant stream of trickling water circulating through them. You can also completely drain the water supply if your home will be unattended while you are on vacation.

And finally, keep your cabinets open and your fireplace flue closed. By doing these things, you allow warm air to ventilate throughout your house.

By keeping these important safety measures in mind, you can assure a safe, warm holiday season for you and your family!

As always, we at Howard Webb Insurance are always available to answer your questions and help you prepare for the change of seasons. contact us at:
765-644-8847 or www.howardwebbins.com