Insurance Agency Singapore | Commercial Insurance and Personal Insurance

Leslie Kurtz needed three plates, eight screws and a big assist from her insurer after breaking every bone in her ankle while white water rafting.

Coverage she purchased through a public insurance exchange established by the federal health care law paid $65,000 toward surgery and the care she needed after the 2015 accident. But that protection may not exist next year because insurers have abandoned the Knoxville, Tennessee resident’s exchange. As of now, Kurtz has no future coverage options, and she is worried.

“I can’t afford to have everything I’ve worked for taken away because I fell down the steps,” Kurtz said.

Her county is one of 16 in Tennessee that lack even a single insurance company committed to offering coverage for 2018 on the exchange, after Humana announced last month plans to exit.

Exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act were designed to give customers a chance to shop for coverage and then buy a plan, most with help from tax credits. The idea was that such a marketplace would push insurers to offer affordable plans to compete for customers.

But insurers in many markets have been pulling back from the exchanges after losing money. According to an analysis by the Associated Press and the health care firm Avalere Health, more than 1,000 counties, where about 2.8 million people are insured through the exchanges, are down to their last insurance carrier, according to the most recent data.

With less competition, that could mean sharply higher rates. And with more insurers still considering leaving other markets, customers around the country could be stuck like Kurtz with no affordable coverage options in 2018.

Insurers still have a few more weeks to decide to stay in their exchanges, and other insurers may jump into new markets, though that can be expensive and risky for them. The government recently announced several short-term fixes for the exchanges, and insurers have welcomed the moves. But they want to see the final version of the improvements before deciding on 2018.

By TOM MURPHY and MEGHAN HOYER

See full story at finance.yahoo.com

Accident or injury on the job to you or someone you might hire can do more than ruin a shoot. It could bankrupt you. Fortunately, photographers can insure themselves against accidents, injuries, theft and others types of loss. We asked Karen Stetz, who brokers insurance for APA members, what coverage she recommends for photographers. (Advice from other brokers may vary; ask your trade association about the insurance packages they offer.)

PDN: What kinds of insurance should photographers have to protect themselves and their businesses?
Karen Stetz: I usually recommend the Business Owners’ Package policy that includes the following:

$2 million to $4 million limit—General Liability coverage that protects them throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. Many building landlords, golf courses and even some churches require photographers to carry adequate limits of general liability insurance. Imagine someone tripping over one of your loose electrical cords, or colliding with one of your light stands. Medical expenses for any bodily injury resulting from accidents caused by you (or anyone working under your direction) are your legal responsibility. General liability insurance protects you against those claims, and also pays to replace property that you or someone under your direction might damage, whether the property belongs to a client, a location landlord or other member of the general public.

$1 million limit—Hired/non-owned Auto Coverage. If your business is incorporated and you use your own automobile, you have employees who use their vehicles on your behalf or you frequently rent automobiles, this coverage is vitally important. Your employee’s routine drive to the photo lab or the bank could have serious financial repercussions for you and your business if your employee causes an accident. Hired/Non-owned Automobile Liability is an easy addition to your policy, and with a standard limit of $1,000,000, it will go far in protecting you against accident victims seeking “deeper pockets.” This coverage is in addition to general liability coverage.

By David Walker

See full story at www.pdnonline.com