Cities IG - 12-09-23

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Next up this Saturday morning, Knowledgeis Power, hosted by Rob Kane of
Citi's Insurance Group. If you havea question for Rob and would like it
answered on an upcoming show, emailhim at our Kane at citiesig dot com.
And now, Rob Kane, goodmorning, Happy Saturday. Happy to

(00:20):
be here with everybody. Unfortunately youjust get Lindsay Washington this morning. Rob
is taking a break from his busyMedicare season out trying to do some bow
hunting, so we'll wish him somegood luck this morning and hopefully he gets
the big one. So we willbe you know, it's annual Medicare enrollment,
so we have appointments available. Wewill be having people in the office

(00:44):
for their reviews all the way throughDecember seventh. So annual enrollment began on
October fifteenth, and Rob has beenbusy reviewing all of the changes that have
gone on. I know there aresome changes on the Medicare advantage side,
so there are some place that areoffering some additional new benefits or perks and
the goodies packages. Rob has calledit before. If you're interested again,

(01:08):
give us a call. We havetime. He's got some openings available,
so we can get you scheduled fivesix three three five nine eighty five to
four. Also your prescription drug plans. This is the same period that you'll
review those and change those, somake sure you take the time to sit
down with someone run your updated medicationlist. Again, medications can change throughout

(01:29):
the years. You receive your explanationof Benefits that will review the changes on
your current plan, but that doesnot include information on all the other plans
available. I do know that Iwant Illinois have some very affordable drug programs
available, some as low as zerodollars and some as well as fifty cents

(01:49):
per month for the coverage. Andthen again, if you're on a bunch
of you know, or a veryfew drugs or generic only drugs, your
cost could be zero or six dollarsfor the year on some of these Medicare
prescription drug plans. So again it'simportant to take the time to schedule apployment
go and review that information. Wehave through December seventh, so give us

(02:13):
a call five six three three fivenine point five four. We're happy to
set up a time to review informationwith you. We're going to take a
quick break and I want to comeback and talk about some tips and tricks
to save during this crazy insurance time. Well Marked Blue Cross and Blue Shield
gives you Medicare supplement coverage you cantrust. That's the benefit of Blue.
Call Rob Kaine with Cities Insurance Groupin Leclair at five six three, three,

(02:38):
five nine zero eight five four tofind a Medicare supplement plan that gives
you peace of mind today. RobKaine is a local authorized indefendit agent for
Well Marked Blue Cross and Blue Shieldof Iowa. To be eligible, you
must reside in the service area ofthe plan. Well Marked Medicare Supplement insurance
plans are not affiliated with any governmentagency. With all in one Medicare advantage

(03:00):
plans that cover medical and prescription drugs, Blue is convenient, featuring plans that
fits your budget. Blue is affordable, having an extensive network of Medicare doctors.
Blue is familiar and with extra benefitssuch as dental, vision, hearing,
an even fitness. Blue is healthy. When you put all of these
together, you get Blue Medicare Advantagefrom well Marke Advantage health plan. Need

(03:23):
help finding the right plan for you, Call Rob Kain with Cities Insurance Group
in Leclair at five sixty three threefive nine zero eight five four to find
out more. Rob Kain is alocal authorized independent agent for Well Market Advantage
Health Plan. To be eligible,he must reside in the service area of
the plant. Well Market Advantage HealthPlan is a PPO and an HMO plan

(03:45):
with a Medicare contract. Enrollment inWell Market Advantage Health Plan depends on contract
renewal. Well Marke Advantage Health Plan, Inc. Is an independent licensee of
the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Welcome back again, Good morning missus,
Lindsay Washington. Happy to be herewith you today. So I know
I've discussed a few times on afew past shows, just auto and home.

(04:06):
Even on the commercial side, ratesas your renewals are coming in,
you may, you know, needto pick your job off the floor.
I do. You see some ofthese renewal rates coming in. There is
an opportunity. So the number onething you want to do is take this
year especially to shop around. Itmay be that your current carrier at those

(04:26):
increases is still the best. Again, most carriers that I work with,
in fact, all carriers that Iwork with, have taken on rate.
It does depend on your location,your zip code, how much those rates
have increased. And again your personalsituation, you know, if you've had
an accident or acclaim during the annualpolicy or six month term, you're probably

(04:48):
going to see a significant increase.That doesn't mean that there aren't carriers available
that could offer you some potential savings. So a the number one thing you
want to do is shop around,take the time, get some quotes,
even if you're doing it yourself,which I do not recommend because a lot
of the times if you do itonline yourself, they're not running all the

(05:09):
lost history reports or your insurance scorereport until after you've submitted payment. So
I've seen it too many times.Or you know, my customer will say,
oh, I'm saving a ton ofmoney, and then when they make
their first initial payment, next thingyou know, they get a giant rate
increase because on the back end reportshave ran and so then the rate that
they are seeing is not a truerate initially. So again I recommend calling

(05:32):
an independent insurance agent, getting thosequotes and then seeing what is available.
Again, make sure that all thosereports are ran. Also, if there
are special things changes at your house, you'll want to make sure, especially
if you're moving your home. It'sjust a tough market for homes right now.
So if you're looking at moving yourhome insurance, ask questions about what

(05:56):
they're going to look for if they'redoing an inspection and the inspection will be
completed. I know on some highvalue dollar homes they're doing inspections and those
are even interior required inspections, Somake sure you're just asking the questions to
make sure you're prepared. Sometimes Irecommend if you have some concerns about maybe

(06:16):
some areas of the home that youthink maybe won't pass inspection, just don't
cancel that current policy until you're sureyou've completed the inspection. There's no drastic
changes on the account, so thatyou're still in the savings. Again,
ask the questions of the agent.They should know ahead of time if there's
an inspection, if it's into yourexterior, they should know kind of the

(06:39):
things that the carrier themselves are lookingfor. So again, be sure to
double check on the home side.Now, for autos, raids again are
just going crazy. So there area few things I just want to kind
of discuss and keep in mind.So I recently had an individual reach out
to me for auto quotes. Shewas in a tough situation about a month

(07:00):
ago, couldn't pay her auto insurancepremium, and then of course the policy
lapse because of non payment. She'snow been driving uninsured for a month.
So again that's why we carry uninsuredunderinsured coverage, so that you know that
regardless of other drivers on the road, you are covered. Again, this
individual was looking to get insurance backin place. With the market being as

(07:24):
tough as it is this year,I had very limited carriers that I could
even quote her with. Again,if you have a lapse, try to
keep it. You know, ifit's due to non payment, things like
that, fifteen days is about themaximum limit. Standard carriers are gonna write
you with a lapse, most willsome will write you with zero day lapse.
So again, try to keep allof that insurance active. Try to

(07:46):
reach out ahead of time. Ifyou know you can't afford the whole payment,
reach out to your agency. Ifyou can adjust the bill, make
a partial payment. What options youhave to make the payment by the latest
to reinstate the policy with out oflapse. There are usually a few billing
options, especially if you've had yourinsurance there for you know, a six
month term. Be sure to reachout ahead of time. We can always

(08:09):
potentially make things or help a situationahead of time. It's a lot harder
to do it after you've not madethe payment. But with her laps in
coverage, the quotes I was wereasreceiving back where either outrageous or the companies
were requiring that she paid the entiresix month premium at once. So again,

(08:31):
if she couldn't afford it, youknow, a month ago at a
decent you know, standard rate,definitely not gonna be able to afford the
entire six month premium. Most peoplecan. Especially with that lap, she's
gonna see a big surcharge. Soagain, it's very very important that you
try to keep those policies active.Any lapse is gonna create additional premium for

(08:52):
you, but definitely if it's fifteendays or more, you're gonna see a
much higher, smaller market available forcare that'll write you in much higher premiums
if you're even getting a premium.With that being said, there are some
things that you can do to helpadjust your billing. So if you're seeing
those rates tick up, make thecall inquire about any discounts that are available

(09:15):
that you may not have, soif you are currently getting your bill by
mail, you may be able toset it up on automatic credit card payment,
which could save you so many maybe able to set it up on
automatic routing and account or EFT paymentand save some additional dollars there. Again,
every dollar helps at this point,so try to look for the best

(09:35):
billing option available. Again, typicallypaid in full for six months is going
to give you the biggest bang foryour buck, the big best discount.
But if that's not an option foryou, again, there are other billing
options that may save you a fewdollars. And again, over an annual
period, five dollars a month addsup pretty quickly, so inquire about billing

(09:56):
options. Also, the number onething is to keep your driving record good,
so no speeding tickets. You know, follow stop fully at those stop
signs. Making sure you're keeping yourdriving record clean as well as accident free
is always going to get you inthe best rating. Again, we talked
about shopping your rates. It's alwaysimportant to shop around just to validate,

(10:16):
you know, if your carrier isstill the best, or if there's something
out there. You may want tolook at higher deductibles. Again, you'll
save a little bit there. You'retypically if you go from a five hundred
dollars deductible to a thousand, you'renot gonna quite save the five hundred in
additional costs that if you have topay out at the time of an accident,
But over a month to month periodyou could see a decent amount of

(10:39):
savings on your monthly bill. Also, you can look at carrying, you
know, a higher collision versus ahigher or a lower comprehensive deductible, So
maybe only raising one of those deductiblescould get you some additional savings as well.
Your credit score, it is animpact on your insurance rates, so
they're going to put you in ithere based off of your credit score.

(11:01):
Also your insurance score. So creditscore we know is you know, maintaining
paying your bills on time, havingopen lines of credit but not maximizing those
credit limits, things like that.But also your insurance score. So your
insurance score considers things like the limitsyou carry. So if you're carrying state
minimum limits, your insurance score isnot going to be as high as someone

(11:24):
that's even just carrying the next tierup. So if you're in Iowa and
you're carrying twenty thousand, forty thousandbodily injury limits. You're not going to
qualify for the best rating or evenbetter rating even just carrying the fifty one
hundred thousand limits. For you know, a six month annual term you're going
to see at Renault or when yougo to shop, you're going to qualify

(11:45):
for some better rating with those newcarriers. It just shows that you're a
little more responsible you take in considerationyour limits. If you're carrying state minimum,
it just means that you're getting barebones coverage, and typically people wish
minimum coverage. Per the numbers filemore claims, So again getting yourself out
of that higher rated tier of individualshelps. Again, the credit score is

(12:09):
a factor because research shows that peoplewho effectively manage your credit have fewer claims.
Something else that's interesting out there issome carriers you know have driving programs.
There are some carriers that the drivingprogram as long as you participate and
are active on the usually it's anapp, sometimes a plug and device.

(12:30):
As long as you are participating,you may get a five or ten percent
discount. Other carriers will give youan initial discount for enrolling, so maybe
five percent just for doing the programor ten percent for doing it, but
then you can potentially qualify for upto thirty forty percent with a good driving
record. What they're looking at onthose programs times of day that you're driving,

(12:52):
So if you're driving during typical hoursversus you know, midnight, two
am, know, bar hours,that's going to impact, you know,
the score that you get. Ifyou do hard stopping and taking off fast,
that's going to rate you lower thanif you do, you know,
ease into your stops and slowly accelerateat those lights. Speeding is tracked on

(13:16):
some of them, so some ofthem can tell if you're speeding over the
speed limit, some of them cannot. So just inquire about again what individual
program it is tracking. And thensome of them, again if it's a
phone app, are going to monitoractivity while driving. So if you have
a hands free set up grade ifyou're going to be used light utilizing your

(13:37):
phone all the time when you're driving, which you definitely shouldn't. Distracted driving
is a leading cause of accidents.But if you believe you can qualify for
a better rate by all means,definitely look into that. They also have
some low mileage discounts that are available. There is a carrier that does a
pay per mile, so you kindof get rated each month differently based off

(13:58):
the miles you drove the pre month. So if you've got somebody who maybe
works from home, potentially you knowthe pay per mile program may be a
great option. Again, call andreview see what is available. If you
have a child on your policy,make sure that if they have a good

(14:18):
student discount typically that's a three pointzero grade point average or higher, that
you are submitting those grades a lotof times at renewal. If they haven't
received the updated grades, that discountmay fall off, So just make sure
that that good student discount's still onthere. Also, if you have a
college kid that is away over onehundred miles and they are at school without

(14:39):
a vehicle, so you know they'regoing to Aims from the Quad Cities and
they are not taking their vehicle,They'll be taking the bus. A lot
of the times it doesn't make senseto pay for parking, so they leave
the car here. Make sure youupdate your insurance carrier with that. You
may be able to adjust coverages ontheir vehicle that's just sitting at your house,
and you also may be able toget better rating, so they know

(15:05):
they guess they're still a cover driver, but they're driving much less. So
again updating that there's a little buttonyou can see you can see additional savings
there. Again, always recommend ifyou're interested in you think it would be
good. Those driving programs can reallysave you tons and tons of money.
And typically with those, it's aset period of time, so maybe sixty
or ninety days you complete the programand that discount if you qualify for twenty

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percent off, that discount stays withyou for the life of the policy,
so you're gonna get twenty percent discountagain at renewal. Again, as the
rates go up, you're still gettingthat discount. So even though your renewal
may increase, you're probably gonna bebest with that current carrier that you completed
that program with because you're receiving additionalbuilt in discounts. Another thing and an

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easy thing, I know we've talkedabout it before. To keep claim activity
low on your policy, look intogetting a triple A memor membership. It
provides roadside There are different levels ofmembership that you can get, but that
will keep any roadside claims off ofyour policy. Activity. So when you

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are re quoting, you know,if you did have a TOE it may
it's not gonna pull on your lossreports because it's a different entity. It's
not on your insurance policy, soyou're not gonna see a potential surcharge for
claim activity. All of those thingsare very important, so be sure to
just review it again. If youhave an older car that breaks down a

(16:32):
lot and you're utilizing that TOE serviceor jumpstart quite a bit, the triple
A membership may be the perfect optionfor you. All Right, I'm gonna
take a breath, I'm gonna comeback, and we're gonna finish up the
show. Eight intent. That's howmany small businesses choose well Marked Blue Cross
and Blue Shield for their health insurancecoverage. Call your authorized well Mark agent,

(16:52):
Rob Kine, the city's insurance groupin Leclair at five six three three
five nine zero eight five four tofind a plan that's right for your business.
Rob Kain is a local authorized independentagent for well Marked Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Iowa. To beeligible, you must reside in the service
area of the plan. Well MarkedMedicare Supplement insurance plans are not affiliated with
any government agency. When it comesto choosing a Medicare plan. Blue is

(17:15):
Affordable, Blue is Convenient, Blueis Staying Healthy, Blue is Medicare Advantage
from well Marke Advantage Health Plan.Need help finding the right plan, call
Rob Kain with Cities Insurance Group inLeclair at five six three three five nine
oh eight five four. Rob Kainis a local authorized independent agent for Well
Marke Advantage Health Plan. To beeligible, you must reside in the service

(17:37):
area of the plan. Well MarkeAdvantage Health Plan, Inc. Is an
independent licensee of the Blue Cross andBlue Shield Association. All right, good
morning, welcome back again. Thisis Lindsay Washington, happy to be here
with you again this morning. Sowe just went over a ton of options
to look into potential savings on yourauto on your home again, We've always
discussed making sure if you have adate that are completed to your home,

(18:00):
especially those roofing updates, call andupdate your agent. A lot of the
times you're going to get way betterdiscounts on that home for the newer roof
age, so make sure all ofthat information is accurate and up to date
so you're receiving the best pricing onboth home and auto. Again, look
at bundling, but I can sayfrom experience and what I'm seeing currently,

(18:22):
sometimes breaking up the auto and homemaybe overall beneficial. Again, it's simply
crunching the numbers. Even with thediscount, sometimes having the auto with a
different carrier just qualifies you for abetter rating. So something to keep in
mind there. Again, it's annualenrollment period. It started October fifteenth for
Medicare, it runs through December seventh. We want to make sure that you

(18:44):
are set up for success going intotwenty twenty four and you're getting all potential
savings or benefits available on the Medicareadvantage side. There are packages available or
goodie packages that have some really coolthings going on. So if you know
have have little medication, you're notgoing in the doctor A lot A lot
of those are zero premiums and havelots of you know, reimbursements available to

(19:07):
you to beef up the benefit ofchoosing their options. So again, definitely
take the time to schedule an appointment, go in review it. Worst case
scenario you say you know what,I'm gonna stay on what I'm at.
Best case scenario you get switched.You're saving money or getting additional benefits that
you didn't have before. Prescription drugprograms. I believe it's Illinois that has

(19:29):
a zero dollar per month program andIOI believe it's fifty cents per month.
So if you have a lot ofgeneric drugs or just a few drugs,
definitely rerun your prescription drug list,double check with the carriers and see what
is available. You can potentially havezero costs for your drug program or as
well as six dollars for the year. So take the time come and review

(19:55):
it. Give us a call.We've got time again through December seventh,
five six, five nine oh eightfive four, where are happy to review
your Medicare Medicare advantage prescription drug plans. Also hom in auto quotes. As
you are getting those renewals, giveus a call again. You're gonna get
best rating if we have a littleover a week to run quotes to look
at those. Also, some carriers, if you upload a few days ahead

(20:18):
of the start date, you getan additional discount as long as the first
payment is applied. So again,these are all things that the typical average
human is not gonna know. Iwouldn't know unless I worked in it.
So again, make the phone call. Have your agent review all billing options
to make sure that you are gettingthe biggest bang for your buck and it's
something that you can afford. Again, if you can't afford the six month

(20:41):
option, look at setting it upon automatic EFT payment. That's typically going
to be the best. I amhappy to run quotes for you, hopefully
find you some savings. Give mea call five six three three five nine
oh eight five four be happy towork for you and see if we can't
find you some savings. Thank youfor listening to this week's edition of Knowledge

(21:02):
is Power with your host Rob Kane. If you have a question for Rob
and would like it answered on anupcoming show, email him at r Kane
at citiesig dot com. Please tunein again next Saturday morning.