Q: We asked our insurance company to cancel our policy effective the 28th of February but our effective date shows March 1st, is this right?

Yes, the date your insurance company shows as the effective date of cancellation is correct. If you asked the company to end your insurance policy effective the 28th then that is your last day of insurance coverage with them; effective March 1st you no longer have any coverage with them.

Whenever you cancel your insurance you want to be very specific as to what day you want the last day of coverage with that company to be. An easy way to tell them is just to say that you have new coverage with another insurance company started on a specific day and you want your coverage to end the day before.

Shopping around for insurance anytime is a good idea.

Q: I have been with my insurance company for 28 years and they raised my insurance premium almost 20% after my first at-fault accident in December. I just had another at-fault accident this March, but it was after my renewal. I have already been told to look for a 100 – 150% increase in my insurance premium on my renewal next year because of the 2nd accident. Should I start looking for a new insurance company before then? If so, how do I go about it?

A: It is always a good idea to shop around for insurance anytime you are unhappy with your insurance company, when you are curious if there are better rates out there, or if you are just bored on a rainy Saturday afternoon. In your case though, I would hold off until you see what the renewal amount is going to be on your insurance premium next year for two reasons.

One, I am surprised to hear that they gave you a percentage increase for your next renewal due to your second accident. Usually, insurance companies shy away from saying anything because until that computer calculates all of your information no one really knows what an increase will be. So you may not have as big of an increase as they are telling you right now. If you switch to an insurance company that offers you a rate just a little lower than this 100-150% increase and you take it, you may be switching to a higher premium and never know it.

Two, your current insurance company is only charging you with one at-fault accident in the calculations. When you start to shop around for insurance, these other companies are going to be figuring in 2 at-fault accidents. So enjoy the lower premium with just the one accident with your current company for the next year.

As far as finding a new agent or broker, I would take a look and see who sells insurance in your area. Talk to your friends and family to see who they are insured with, and read online reviews about the different insurance companies to see what people are saying.

To start, you can get quotes for different companies through our website by clicking here. This will give you a chance to shop around for insurance in just one place as you will get a number of different premiums from companies and agents in your area; then you can do the research on those specific companies as to who has the best reputation.

If you are looking for a 2013 Mercedes C-Class be ready for a variety of choices, including the insurance premium.

Mercedes C-Class

The 2013 Mercedes C-Class comes in 9 different versions and has a price range that spans over $27,000. With this many options and huge price range the insurance for this particular model of car is going to have a broad range of premiums. For the premium on the particular model of 2013 C-Class you are looking at, consult your insurance agent for a quote.

The Different Versions of the 2013 Mercedes C-Class

For drivers that want a vehicle that gives them quite a few different body styles and options to choose from, the Mercedes C-Class is it. Drivers first get to choose from a sedan model (4 doors) or a coupe model (2 doors).

In the sedan model, drivers have the option of the:

• C250 Sport
• C250 Luxury
• C300 4MATIC Sport
• C300 4MATIC Luxury
• C350 Sport
• C63 AMG

In the coupe model, drivers have the options of the:

• C250 Coupe
• C350 Coupe
• C63 Coupe

2013 Mercedes C-Class Safety

The 2013 Mercedes C-Class is an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) “Top Safety Pick”. It received the IIHS’s highest rating of “good” in 4 out of the 5 safety tests they conduct. These tests included the roof strength test (rollover accidents), the rear crash protection/head restraint ratings (rear-end accident), the side impact test, and the moderate overlap front test (head on collision).

The only test that the 2013 C-Class did not receive a “good” rating in was for the small overlap front test. This test looks at how well the car would do if hit only in the front corner of the driver’s side. Not only did the C-Class not receive a “good” rating, they actually received a “poor” rating, which is the lowest rating the IIHS gives for its testing.

Insurance Thoughts on the Mercedes C-Class

Even with that one poor rating, the 2013 Mercedes C-Class is still a “Top Safety Pick” which makes it a safe car to drive. This high safety rating will translate in to lower premiums for medical payments and pip insurance coverages.

The main coverages you are going to see a wide range of premiums in are the liability, collision, and comprehensive coverages.

The liability coverages are going to vary because you have everything from a luxury 4-door sedan to a sports coupe to choose from in this vehicle. Each of these different versions are usually looked at differently by the insurance companies given the loss history. The sports coupes will most likely have the higher liability premium given the reputation of faster, younger drivers wanting this version. On the other end of the spectrum, the luxury version will appeal more to the older driver or ones with a family, giving it a lower premium.

Comprehensive and collision coverage will definitely vary based on price. The more expensive version will see the higher premium and the less expensive versions will be a little more cost friendly.

Again, always consult your insurance agent for an insurance quote before you purchase a new vehicle, but especially for a vehicle like the 2013 Mercedes C-Class.

Insurance companies can’t even tell you what will happen at your renewal in advance.

Q: I have had 2 at-fault accidents in a little over 3 years, with one of the accidents being severe enough that the other party’s damages may exceed my coverage limits. I also just recently got my first traffic infraction from this last accident. What will happen at my upcoming April renewal?

A: It is really hard to say what will happen at your renewal. Each insurance company has their own way of doing things and what one company may do another may not.

Here are my thoughts of the different scenarios that may happen though:

1) Your insurance premium will go up because of the accidents and a new infraction on your driving record.

2) Your insurance company will drop your coverage because of the multiple at-fault accidents and the infraction.

3) Nothing will happen yet because the 2nd claim may not be settled and your driving record may not get pulled this renewal.

All you can really do is wait to hear from the insurance company about the renewal. For the moment though, you still have insurance coverage. Your company also has to give you plenty of notice if they are going to drop you, so you can get new coverage in place before it ends.

Insurance companies aren’t the only victims of insurance fraud.

It makes you wonder why medical professionals would need the extra money from insurance fraud.

Medical car insurance fraud is insurance fraud that focuses on getting payments from someone’s medical or liability coverage on their car insurance policy through creating fake medical expenses. This type of insurance fraud is one of the most common because it is so easy to commit if you have the right people involved.

It is also the most costly insurance fraud because medical expenses can be billed at high amounts without usually throwing up any fraud flags.

Who is Usually Involved in this Type of Insurance Fraud?

Insurance fraud that is focused on getting money from the medical payments or liability coverages of an insurance policy can be done by anyone. But usually there is a doctor involved. This makes the claim seem legit, and the insurance companies continue to pay the medical bills without questioning the treatment.

For example, in January a Texas chiropractor plead guilty to an insurance fraud scheme that was run for 2 years before it was shutdown finally. Before it was taken down, insurance companies had already paid out 1.2 million dollars in fake or exaggerated treatments that were billed by this chiropractor.

With elaborate schemes like this, there are usually multiple parties involved, but the medical professional is the key to getting the money for the scheme.

How Insurance Fraud Affects You

People that are involved in insurance fraud consider it a white collar crime. This means that they feel that since they are stealing from a large corporation that it is okay. It is a faceless crime because no one personally gets hurt. This type of thinking may help their conscious, but it is flawed thinking.

When someone successfully pulls off an insurance fraud scheme it’s not the insurance company that gets hit financially, it’s all of their customers. Insurance companies are in the business to make money, so if they are posting losses from these insurance fraud schemes they are going to turn around and raise your insurance premiums to make up for the loss.

Not such a faceless crime anymore is it?

What Can You Do to Fight Insurance Fraud?

Report, report, report! If you hear of anyone talking about an insurance fraud scheme that they are involved in report them to the Department of Insurance or the Insurance Commissioner in your state. If you know whom they are insured with, report them to their insurance company. You don’t have to worry about them finding out because you can report them anonymously.

If you are involved in a claim and the doctor is like the one above report any suspicious billing or activity to your claims adjuster. You will find that claims adjusters are very open to launching an insurance fraud investigation if something doesn’t feel right about a claim.