Insurance You Didn’t Know You Needed
You know the basic coverage that comes with your health insurance, car insurance, and home insurance policies. But did you know there are other special insurance policies and add-ons that you could be missing out on?
If you’re traveling to Mexico, own an older home, a classic car, or have precious family heirlooms, etc., you should increase your protection by looking into purchasing these lesser-known insurance policies and options.
1. Mexico Auto Insurance
Planning to travel south of the border? Mexico does not recognize U.S. auto insurance. If you’re driving to Mexico from the U.S. in your own car or a rental, you will need to purchase a tourist auto policy.
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- A Mexico auto policy will allow you to cover damages if you’re involved in an accident.
- If you cannot show proof of Mexican insurance, you can be heavily fined and even arrested. This is true even if you are not at fault for the accident.
- You can get coverage for the duration of your trip: a few days, a few months or longer.
2. Homes Built Before 1986
Homebuilding has changed over the years. If you’re living in a home built before 1986, it’s likely your house has outdated materials or old-fashioned types of construction. You can get a policy option that helps bring your house up to date if it is damaged.
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- With this type of policy, in the event of a loss, your insurance covers repairs and/or replacement of outdated materials and construction methods.
- As a result, losses will cost less to settle.
- Those repairs and updates will reduce the coverage amount that you need to protect your home.
- This will ensure you have enough insurance to rebuild.
3. Special Computer Coverage
With everyone working remotely this past year, computers have become our lifeline. Consider a special computer coverage option to ensure you are covered for all of your devices: desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. While homeowner policies typically cover possessions, special computer coverage offers more coverage.
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- If you accidentally spill a glass of water on your computer, and your computer is damaged as a result, it would be covered.
- With this coverage, you will receive more money for your devices if they are damaged than with traditional homeowner’s.
4. Scheduled Personal Property Coverage (Rider)
Personal Property, also referred to as “contents coverage,” is the term insurance companies use to collectively define the things you own inside your home. Scheduled Personal Property (SPP) Coverage is for items that have higher values above your personal property coverage limits. This includes:
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- Heirlooms
- Watches
- Jewelry
- Instruments
- Furs
SPP offers much broader coverage for your precious items – if you misplace a set of earrings, they are covered; if a diamond falls out of a ring, or a guitar neck breaks, they’re covered. There is no deductible if the covered items are stolen, lost, or damaged. SPP provides a replacement for the actual appraised value of the item.
5. Classic Car Coverage
Spending time and money on your classic car? Don’t let it go to waste. Make sure it’s protected with classic car insurance coverage. With this coverage, you will pay less than standard auto insurance coverage and you can determine the value, the deductible, and the policy options that work best for you including towing and coverage for lost or stolen parts. There are mileage plans that cover everything from cruising on the weekends to driving to attend auto shows.
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- Classic Car Coverage is for all types of collectibles – collector trucks, classic and custom motorcycles, kit cars, fire engines, military vehicles, and more.
6. Refrigerated Property Coverage
When there is a power outage, the food in your refrigerator could spoil. A standard homeowner’s policy may cover the costs of replacing some of the food. A refrigerated property policy provides additional coverage.
- A refrigerated property policy adds up to $500 of coverage for property, such as meat that spoils because of a power outage or equipment failure.
7. Other Members of Your Household Coverage
Do you have someone living with you who is not a relative, guest, or tenant? You may consider this policy for other members of your household.
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- If a boyfriend moves in, and he’s not on the lease, it may make sense to add this coverage.
- This policy adds personal property, liability, and additional living expense coverage for that person.
8. Pet Insurance
Our pets are like family and we want to keep them as healthy as possible. Pet insurance can help to offset those veterinary expenses.
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- Depending on your policy, pet insurance may cover exams, prescriptions, lab tests and x-rays, surgeries, emergency visits, and even cancer.
- You make the initial payment and then are reimbursed depending upon the deductible and limits that you have selected.
9. Sump Pump Endorsement
If your home is prone to flooding, chances are that you have a sump pump to remove the water. A sump pump/water backup endorsement covers damage if your sump pump fails or something happened to cause water to back up into your home. This damage is not covered under standard homeowner policies.
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- Just a couple of inches of water backup can cause thousands of dollars in damage – ruining carpets, destroying appliances, and crumbling drywall.
- This could happen to any system, and especially ones where sewer pipes are old.
10. Permitted Incidental Occupancies – Residence Premises (for Home-Based Businesses)
Do you have a home-based business? You may wish to add an endorsement to your homeowner’s policy.
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- This policy covers limited activity for business that takes place in your home or in a detached garage or other building on your property.
- It protects entrepreneurs, such as teachers offering in-home tutoring or music lessons.
11. Earthquake Insurance
Ninety percent of Americans live in areas that are seismically active. If you live in an area that is prone to earthquakes, you may want to consider this additional coverage.
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- Homeowner, condo, and rental insurance policies typically do not cover earthquakes.
- Earthquake insurance can help pay for some of your losses.
12. Flood Insurance
Floods are expensive. Just a couple of inches of water could cost thousands of dollars in damage to your home and belongings. There are a lot of myths about flood insurance; it’s important to know the facts.
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- Flooding is America’s most common natural disaster.
- One in four homeowners will experience a flood during a 30-year mortgage.
- A flood insurance policy can protect your home and its contents.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
NEA Member Benefits Expands “Extended Family” Definition
NEA Member Benefits recently added siblings to the list of family members eligible to access the NEA Auto and Home Insurance Program provided by California Casualty. Referred to as an NEA Member’s “Extended Family,” parents, in-laws, adult children, and now siblings can take advantage of the special rates, deep discounts, and personalized service available through the NEA Auto and Home Insurance Program.
California Casualty offers policyholders special benefits, such as:
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- Rates good for a full year, not six months like many insurers offer
- Auto insurance that covers $500 for non-electronic items taken from your vehicle
- $0 deductible for accidents in a rental car
- Broad policy protection for anyone they allow to drive your vehicle
- Free ID defense
- Free pet injury coverage up to $1,000
- Holiday or summer skip payment options
- Exceptional towing and roadside assistance availability
Plus, as an NEA Member, you have more exclusive benefits, including:
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- Waived/reduced deductible for collision or vandalism while parked on school property
- Educators excess liability coverage for protection in the classroom
- Fundraising coverage with $0 deductible for goods/funds valued up to $500 while under your care at school
- And more!
Tell your family (and colleagues) about the NEA Auto and Home Insurance Program. Members who switch see an average of $423 in savings.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.800.800.9410 or www.calcas.com.
Sharing the Road with Bikes
As more cyclists (of all ages) take to the road to enjoy the nice weather, now is a great time to brush up on the rules for safely sharing the streets.
Think of bikes as cars, but with fewer safety features. Road hazards such as potholes and debris may cause a cyclist to suddenly swerve, much like if they were driving a vehicle. And although riding on the right side of the lane is preferred for bike traffic, there may be the occasion when cyclists take to the center if road conditions require it.
Understanding cyclists and anticipating their next move will help you safely share the road. Here are some quick safety reminders on driving with cyclists this summer.
1. They have the right to “drive” in your lane, but they also need their space. Always give cyclists the right of way. Be sure to watch your speed compared to theirs. Pass only when there’s ample room (at least 3 feet between you and their bike) and while other vehicles are not approaching.
2. Look for bicyclists everywhere. Cyclists may not be riding where they should be or may be hard to see—especially in poorly lit conditions, including dusk/dawn/night and even in inclement weather.
3. Avoid turning in front of a bicyclist who is traveling on the road or sidewalk, often at an intersection or driveway. An oncoming cyclist may be traveling faster than you think. Drivers turning right on red should look to the right and behind to avoid hitting a bicyclist approaching from the right rear. Stop completely and look left-right-left and behind before turning right on red.
4. Completely stop at red lights or stop signs to let bikers pass or check for unseen bikers. Make eye contact with cyclists at intersections or crosswalks to acknowledge their presence and signal to let them know they are free to pass.
5. Don’t honk at someone on a bike. The noise could startle them, making them lose control of the bike they are riding. If it’s absolutely necessary, do so from a distance and make it a light tap.
6. Take extra precautions if you are sharing the road with children riding their bikes. They are smaller and harder to spot on the road, especially for drivers of bigger cars. Plus, these young bicyclists won’t have the same control over their bikes or know the rules of the road as mature riders.
7. Knowledge of common biking hand signals is a must. These include sticking the left arm straight out to indicate a left turn, holding the left arm up at a 90-degree angle to indicate a right turn, and pointing the left arm down at a 90-degree angle to indicate a stop or slowing down.
Taking extra precautions when you are behind the wheel and understanding a cyclist’s next move can help you avoid an accident. Use these tips this summer to help you both navigate the road ahead safely and seamlessly.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
What is an Attractive Nuisance?
An attractive nuisance is anything on your property that is attractive to children, but in turn, could also put them in danger.
Examples of common backyard attractive nuisances include:
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- Pools
- Hot tubs
- Trampolines
- Swingsets
- Firepits
- Fountains
- Treehouses
- Playgrounds
While these nuisances all serve as great ways for children to get outdoors and enjoy the summer sun, without the proper precautions, they can become problematic. In fact, attractive nuisances cause so many injuries when kids are out of school that summer is also known as “trauma season” among public health officials in the U.S. This is because unintentional deaths and serious injuries increase dramatically among children in the summertime.
Not only will these objects of entertainment put your own child at risk for serious or fatal injury, if one of their friends comes over to play one day and gets hurt on an attractive nuisance in your yard, you will be held liable for their injuries.
How to Minimize Your Risk
An attractive nuisance isn’t just limited to objects of entertainment like pools; they can also be anything that is on your property that draws curiosity like construction, weapons, grills, landscaping, lawn equipment, ponds, old cars, or appliances, etc.
This doesn’t mean that you will have to go and give all of your nuisances away, instead take the proper precautions to prevent the nuisances from causing harm.
Minimize the risk of an accident or injury by understanding what you have on your property that could be considered an attractive nuisance and take the necessary steps to safeguard against any future accidents.
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- Keep your property clean. Pick up dangerous debris and clean up after projects that you have completed. If you have old items that you are using anymore, sell or get rid of them.
- Make dangerous items inaccessible. Keep dangerous weapons locked away in a safe, equipment, and vehicles in a garage or shed, and put a cover on pools, fire pits, grills, and hot tubs.
- Install a gate and lock system. If there is no way to make items in your yard inaccessible try installing a fence or locked gate with a no trespassing sign to help keep curious children out.
- Always supervise. If you have an attractive nuisance in your yard, never let your children or their friends play outside without adult supervision.
- Have adequate coverage. Make sure you have enough liability coverage with your homeowner’s insurance. Talk to your insurance agent and review your policy.
If you fail to minimize the risk of injury and a child in your neighborhood harms themselves (or worse) on your property, you may be subject to legal action. Read your local laws and use good judgment, if you feel like you have an item of concern in your backyard, use the steps above to help prevent an accident.
How an Attractive Nuisance Affects Your Insurance
Insurance agents look at your property to determine your home insurance rate. Certain features of your home or property could impact your rate because of their degree of danger. For instance, if you have an in-ground pool in your backyard you will likely have a higher rate because a pool increases the risk of danger.
When you speak to your home insurance agent you will need to disclose if you have any attractive nuisances on your property to protect you from getting future claims rejected, if an accident were to happen on your property.
Many people assume that their homeowner’s insurance will provide them the protection they need if someone gets injured at their home, but this isn’t always true. If you have an attractive nuisance, protect yourself and your family, talk to your insurance agent and ask about increasing your liability protection or about adding a personal umbrella policy to your homeowner’s insurance.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.