If you’re like most people, you’re taking more responsibility for your health care — and picking up more of the tab. A growing number of Web sites can assist your efforts by showing how the price and quality of care offered by different providers measure up.

Insurer sites
Many health insurers have member sites, says Carlton Doty, a Forrester Research vice president and research director. Though their capabilities vary, most of the Web sites include educational content as well as information on average prices for procedures. If you’re insured, you’ll want to start your research here because the information should be most relevant to your situation, Doty says.

Aetna Navigator, the member site of Aetna, for instance, lets members in more than 30 states compare prices charged by health care providers. For example, the overall cost of a colonoscopy at one surgery center ran $1,200 to $1,800. The same procedure at a nearby hospital was $2,240 to $2,800.

The figures are based on two years of claims data, from which any extreme outliers have been removed, says Wayne Gowdy, Aetna’s senior product manager. The site also offers information on the number of procedures performed at a hospital or clinic over a time period, and it provides quality ratings. Aetna also offers a tool that lets members compare drug prices.

Government sites
A number of states and the federal government host Web sites that provide price and/or quality information. For example, Wisconsin PricePoint lets residents of America’s Dairyland search more than 100 procedures at hospitals and urgent-care centers. Use of the site is free.

For each facility and procedure, the site lists the range of prices charged, as well as the number of procedures completed, and the average and median length of stay. The figures are based on data the hospitals are required to provide to the government, says Joe Kachelski, PricePoint’s vice president. Though he and his staff double-check numbers that look out of whack, they don’t eliminate outliers.

Again, the price differences can be significant. Case in point: Treating an ear infection at one urgent-care center runs about $111. It’s $450 at an emergency room down the street.

Independent sites
A number of companies also operate sites. HealthGrades, for instance, assigns quality ratings of one, three or five stars to about 5,000 hospitals across the U.S., using data the hospitals submit to government agencies.

To calculate the ratings, the HealthGrades team adjusts the information to account for differences in patient population, company Vice President Sarah Loughran says. For example, one hospital may serve a largely elderly population, and age usually affects patient outcomes.

Then, Loughran and her staff will look at data on survival and complication rates, among other factors. Based on this, they’ll run the numbers to determine whether a particular hospital, given its patient population, performed as expected (three stars), better than expected (five stars) or worse than expected (one star). Most of the information is free. The Web site also provides information on physicians and nursing homes.

For nearly all procedures, about 12% of hospitals earn five stars, another 12% get one star, and the rest come in with three stars, Loughran says. The differences among the ratings can be meaningful. A 2008 study by HealthGrades found that patients’ chances of dying are 70% lower at top-rated hospitals than at lower-rated ones.

Not the whole story
Most experts agree that while you can use these reviews to complement what you learn elsewhere, it would be foolhardy to rely on them. You need to look at medical outcomes, says Valerie Wedin, a national health care communications champion with Watson Wyatt.

Clearly, you should expect that doctors’ appointments will proceed reasonably promptly and that the staff will treat you respectfully. However, it could be unwise to avoid a qualified professional because one reviewer had an unpleasant experience.

Though all these Web sites can help when you’re choosing health care providers, they’re not perfect. For starters, to accurately determine your cost, the sites would need to factor in your health care plan, as each plan negotiates different rates with providers. Instead, most sites give a range of prices across networks.

What’s more, measuring the quality of health care isn’t straightforward. Doctors worry that their ratings may suffer if, for instance, they take on patients whose conditions are more complicated. And if a measure includes only small groups of patients, the results can be skewed by a few extreme cases.

Even so, measuring and reporting quality can make a difference. A 2008 report by the National Committee for Quality Assurance in Washington, D.C., found that, for the ninth consecutive year, health plans that reported quality measurements provide better care. To take one example, the report estimates that between 76,000 and 132,000 lives were saved between 1996 and 2007 as a result of blood pressure control measures put in place by what it calls “accountable plans,” or those that report quality measurements.

That’s why it’s critical to improve today’s methods for measuring health care affordability and quality. Many of the variations among patient populations can be adjusted for, making the ratings more meaningful. Moreover, the notion that patients should remain in the dark no longer is acceptable, says Josh Seidman, the president of the Center for Information Therapy in Bethesda, Md. “It’s important to continue to push the envelope and make the systems better and do that in a public, transparent way.”

This article was reported by Karen Kroll for Bankrate.com.

Handling inventory, scheduling time, purchasing supplies, handling payroll — there are a myriad of procedures every home or small business entrepreneur needs to know, but one of the most critical and often neglected is buying proper insurance coverage.

TAKING A BUSINESS INVENTORY
What would happen if a fire or other disaster destroyed your property, making it impossible for you to get back to business right away? Would you remember what property had been destroyed? One way is by taking a complete inventory of all your personal business property, determining its value, and deciding what’s worth insuring. Having an up-to-date business inventory will help you get your insurance claim settled faster, verify losses for your business’ income tax return and help you purchase the correct amount of insurance.

Start by making a list of personal business property, describing each item and noting where you bought it and its make and model. Clip to your list any sales receipts, purchase contracts, and appraisals you have.

WHAT’S THE RIGHT COVERAGE FOR YOU?
Then there’s the question of what types of coverages you’ll need. Aside from personal business property, there is liability insurance, business income, insurance for the building, boiler and machinery, human failure, employee protection and management protection, among others. The type of coverage you need depends on a number of factors including what kind of business you operate.

HOW TO KEEP COSTS DOWN
Start your search for a policy with trade associations or business groups. In many cases, these organizations are able to provide reduced insurance rates based on the volume of business they can offer the insurance company. They’ve also negotiated coverage specific to your type of business, which can save you significant time in determining what you should cover. Also make sure that you are working with an agent that understands your type of business.

New Homes Can Affect Your Car Insurance Coverage
Also, if you have purchased property or a home since you first purchased your car insurance policy, you may want to consider upping your Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability coverage levels. If you own a home and make more than $75,000 a year, most insurance experts recommend that you have at least $100,000/$300,000 of Bodily Injury coverage and $100,000 total of Property Damage Liability coverage.

Remember to keep yourself adequately covered; while having the bare minimums required by your state may keep you in compliance with state laws, they may not be enough to protect your assets if you have a major incident. Insurance experts recommend that you review your insurance policy often and thoroughly.

Understand Your Car Insurance Coverage
While everyone that drives in this country has to have some form of car insurance by law, many do not understand the basics of their policies. While we don’t all have to be car insurance experts, it is important to at least comprehend the major bricks that build our car insurance policies. There are five parts of a typical car insurance contract (the titles of these sections may differ slightly from insurer to insurer, but they all address the same points):

Car Insurance Policy Declarations
This part of your policy is unique to you; it contains the personal facts for drivers in your household such as name and address, make and model of your vehicle(s), vehicle identification number(s), policy number and policy duration. It also contains the basic type of coverage you purchased and your policy limits and deductibles. Tip: Make sure your information is accurate; your claim may be denied if you provide inaccurate information to your insurer.

Car Insurance Policy Coverage Parts/Insuring Agreement
This section outlines the coverage options and coverage limits that you purchased, such as liability, medical, collision and comprehensive. This section basically outlines what your insurance company promises to provide in return for your payment, based on the coverages and coverage limits you selected.

Car Insurance Policy Exclusions
Exclusions simply detail what is not covered by highlighting your policy’s limitations. Combined with the section above, this ensures that you know exactly what will be covered when you make a claim. It also shows you some possible deficiencies that you might want to correct down the line.

Car Insurance Policy Conditions
This is where the legal responsibilities of both the insured and the insurer are listed, including premium payment obligations, steps to filing a claim, and procedures for resolving disagreements.

Car Insurance Policy Definitions
This section defines terms and outlines the rights of the policyholder and the insurance company. This section is often referred to as the “fine print.”

Car Insurance Policy Collision Coverage
This covers loss to your own auto caused by its collision with another vehicle or object. If you cause an accident, collision coverage will pay to repair your vehicle, and is normally the most expensive part of a car insurance policy. You must choose a deductible, which is the amount you, the insured, must pay before the insurance company pays the remainder of each covered loss. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium costs.

However, keep in mind that this is the amount you must pay (generally to the repair shop) if your vehicle is damaged, so deciding on your deductible, which directly affects your premium, can be a bit of a balancing act.

Car Insurance Policy Comprehensive Coverage
Comprehensive coverage covers damage to your vehicle caused by an event other than a collision or overturn. Examples include fire, theft, vandalism, and falling objects. This also comes with a deductible you select, which is how much you will pay before the insurance company pays the remainder.

Car Insurance Policy Liability
The official definition of liability is: “That portion of the insurance contract which pays and renders service on behalf of an insured for a covered loss arising out of the insured’s responsibility to others imposed by law or assumed by contract.” In simpler terms, if you are at fault in an accident, liability insurance will pay to cover injuries and property damage costs caused to others in the accident (including your legal defense costs, if applicable).

Bodily injury coverage pays for things like medical costs and lost salary to others, while property damage pays for repairs to other people’s property you damaged in the accident (other than your own car). Liability coverage (which is the state mandated part of your policy) is the basic building block of any auto policy, and minimum liability limits vary from state to state.

This article is provided by insweb.com

It’s material you’d rather not read. But if you’re in a car accident, you’ll need to be familiar with the auto insurance policy, the process and the payments.

Your heart is beating hard, you’re breathing fast and you can’t believe you just got into an accident. Look around. You’re alive? Good. Everyone else? Even better. Now here’s what you need to do once the dust settles.

You should:

• Keep your auto insurance information in the glove compartment, including a pre-printed form allowing you to provide the particulars of any accident, including a sketch of the scene. (Even better, use that disposable camera you keep in the car. You don’t? You should.)
• Stay at the scene of the accident until police have come and gone, making sure you have the name of the officer(s) and that they have your version of what happened. Do not assume a police report will “take you off the hook” or even that one will be generated in the event of a minor accident (”minor” may mean no one is injured even though your car suffers a direct hit).
• Exchange names, addresses, driver’s license and insurance information with the driver of the other car.
• Review your policy to make sure of your coverage. Make a list of questions and related information you want to know.
• Report the accident promptly to your insurance company. This may not seem wise or necessary to you. The accident may be minor, you may not want to risk seeing your rates rise or you may live in a no-fault state and think that the other driver’s insurance company will pay for everything. But state laws generally protect you from higher rates unless an accident was your fault. And even though you may think no-fault lets you off the hook for the other driver’s medical expenses, it does not. It simply says his insurance will pay for his expenses (up to the limits of his coverage), regardless of who is at fault. But rest assured his insurance company will come knocking on your insurer’s door seeking repayment if it believes you were at fault in the accident. The point is, your insurer should be informed.

Think that’s the end of it? Read on….

The policy
Admit it. You’ve never read your auto insurance policy, you don’t want to read it and even if you’re in an accident, you’re still not sure if it would force you into those endless lines of fine print and insurance-speak. Assuming you can even find the policy.

If you can, look in the back for what are called the conditions of your policy — what you are supposed to do in the event of an accident. These requirements are pretty straightforward, although compliance may seem like a hassle when you’re already upset by the accident itself. But you may forfeit some of your rights if you don’t follow these instructions.

Next, look at the cover sheet of the policy, which is called the declarations page and which lists the types and dollar limits of your coverage, including short-hand references to any discounts or special provisions you have elected to purchase.

Last, there’s the actual insuring agreement itself, which explains what your insurer is protecting you against, including definitions of terms used in the agreement and explanations of what’s not covered (called the exclusions).

If you don’t understand your policy, keep calling your agent and/or state insurance department until you get clear answers to your questions. Most people have heard that ignorance is no defense under the law, but they don’t think they’ll ever have to find out. Auto accidents are one of the most common ways to discover the sobering cost of ignorance.

The payments
Hopefully, your accident involves only damages to things and not to people. And, hopefully, it wasn’t your fault.

Even if it’s just your car that’s banged up, repairs can be a major headache. This is where the reality sets in that replacement cost is not the same thing as market value. Your car can easily be declared a total loss even though the money you’d receive is nowhere near what it would cost you to replace the vehicle.

The best advice about getting your car fixed is to remember that the money may be coming from the insurance company but you should control the repair process. This means refusing to settle for a repair job you don’t like. And it may also mean refusing to accept the use of generic replacement parts instead of the original manufacturer’s parts (your policy may give your insurer the right to use generic parts, so it’s important to check the fine print to know your rights). Even if your favorite shop doesn’t do the repairs, you can still have your mechanic look at the car (although this may be at your personal expense) and provide an assessment of what should be fixed. Ultimately, it’s your car and your call about what’s done to it.

Talk to your agent and/or insurer about your rights (better still, you should really ask these questions before you buy a policy). And if you don’t like the answers, call your state insurance department.

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Most common surgically removed items
1. Socks

2. Underwear

3. Panty hose

4. Rocks

5. Balls

6. Chew toys

7. Corn cobs

8. Bones

9. Hair ties/ribbons

10. Sticks

Source: Veterinary Pet Insurance

Pet insurance is a nonstarter for many pet owners, simply because they take a pragmatic approach to their animals. If the cost of treatment got too high, they would choose to have the animal put to death.

But many who think they’d draw the line at a certain dollar amount find their convictions wavering when the time actually comes, said Veterinary Pet Insurance’s chief executive, Dennis Drent. The kids are crying, the vet says a treatment would be successful, and some parents break down and spend the money.

“It can be a very emotional situation,” Drent said.

If you don’t have sufficient savings to cover the treatments, you might consider pet insurance. But do your homework before you buy:

Whether you opt for pet insurance or not, you can help control how much your animal costs you.
Here are some other ways you can trim vet bills:

A few years ago, pet insurance would have ranked right up there with life insurance for children and dread-disease coverage on my list of policies you don’t need.

Now I’m not so sure.

I still believe most people are better off forgoing pet insurance and instead putting the money they would have spent on premiums into a savings account. Pet coverage can cost $2,000 to $6,000 over the life of an average pet, and the chances are slim you’ll ever need to shell out that much for treatment.

But if you’re the type of person who would do anything to save your pet, including spend thousands of dollars on medical care, pet insurance might be a preferable alternative to going into debt.

New treatments and monstrous bills
What’s changed in recent years is the state of veterinary science, as well as the economics of running a veterinary practice. Vets today can offer treatments that were unheard of just a few years ago — and at prices that could make you howl. Consider:

Americans are expected to spend nearly $11 billion on veterinary care in 2008, according to the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association. That would be an 8.5% increase from 2007.

But pet owners with insurance are still in the minority. Less than 3% of the nation’s estimated 71 million pet owners have policies, although that number has grown from less than 1% in 1995.

Insurers have teamed with the American Kennel Club and Petco Animal Supplies to offer the insurance, and more than 1,600 companies — including Office Depot and Google — provide the coverage as an optional employee benefit.

Deductibles, exclusions and surcharges
The oldest pet insurer, Veterinary Pet Insurance, has seen its revenue climb at a 26.8% annual rate since 1998. The company, which has about 71% of the U.S. pet insurance market, had gross sales of $149 million in 2007.

Veterinary Pet Insurance, for example, offers two levels of coverage:

Item Standard Plan Superior Plan
Per-incident deductible
$50
$50

Co-pay
10%
10%

Cap per accident or illness*
$2,500
$4,500

Annual cap
$9,000
$14,000

Kitten premium**
$113
$193

Mature dog premium***
$268
$471

Adult cat premium****
$94
$164

Adult dog premium*****
$134
$239

* The Standard Plan pays up to $780 for removing a foreign object from an animal’s intestines; the Superior Plan pays up to $1,363.

**Annual premium for a domestic shorthair less than a year old in Los Angeles.

***Annual premium for an 8-year-old Labrador retriever in Los Angeles.

****Annual premium for a 3-year-old cat in Seattle.

*****Annual premium for a 3-year-old mixed-breed in Seattle.

(continued)

There is a price to pay for overlooking a pet’s dental health—and it’s more than the high cost of a dental cleaning. Your pet’s mouth can be the gateway to more serious health issues: excessive tartar, tooth decay, periodontal disease and oral abscesses can lead to other major medical conditions involving the heart, liver and kidneys.

In a collaborative effort to encourage pet dental health awareness, Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) is teaming with Iams to promote Healthy Teeth for Pets. Iams’ dental campaign targets pet owners by distributing of thousands of dental health kits to select veterinary hospitals and select retail stores such as Super Pets. Customers who purchase Iams Dental Defense food will be provided a dental kit while supplies last. Kits will contain a teeth cleaning tracking chart, a dental cleaning and nutritional booklet, coupons for discounts on pet food products, a special discount offer from VPI, and a finger brush.

Prevent Pet Dental Disease
The American Veterinary Dental Society recently estimated 80% of dogs and 70% of cats show signs of oral and dental disease by age 3. With daily brushing, regular dental exams and a diet that promotes dental health, pet owners can help pave the way to good overall wellbeing for their pets.

Routine dental care can result in improved overall health and longevity of a pet by preventing or aiding in early detection of dental disease.

“Most people brush regularly and take care of their teeth because they know dental conditions can be painful and costly,” said Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. “Ideally, this mindset should translate to how people care for their pets’ teeth. Pets are usually only brought to the veterinarian for dental problems once an infection is evident or when the pet’s mouth pain is noticeably affecting his or her ability to chew or play with toys.”

Dental Danger for Pets
Pets’ mouths are biologically similar to humans. Their teeth are susceptible to plaque and tartar build-up and bacterial infections. A significant bacterial infection growing under the gums can damage the structural tissues (gum and bone) that hold teeth in place. This is called periodontal disease, and the pet should receive the appropriate treatment from a veterinarian. If a tooth has been cracked or chipped, bacteria may migrate deeper into the surrounding tissues and cause inflammation or an abscess. In some cases, abscessed teeth require extraction.

To prevent serious health problems, pet owners should have their pets’ oral and dental health evaluated by a veterinarian regularly. The most effective preventive treatment for dental disease is a professional teeth cleaning. Only with a professional cleaning is a veterinarian able to fully assess an animal’s dental health, take X-rays as needed, scale bacteria and tartar off of tooth surfaces as well as from under the gum line, polish and perform more advanced procedures if necessary.

Pet Dental Awareness
VPI tracked claims data from its more than 466,000 pets insured nationwide and found that combined claims for dental conditions were the 11th most common type of claim received in 2008. The provider’s Pet Well Care Protection Premier Coverage rider is designed to help pet owners pay for annual routine care procedures, including a $100 reimbursement for a dental cleaning.