As we ring in the New Year, one of your resolutions for the year should be to improve your home safety for you and your family. There are many things we can all do better in terms of ensuring that we are safe and that our home and valuables are protected. This year we offer…
Seven Ways to Reduce the Cost of Car Insurance for Your Teen Driver While teenagers react with glee when they get their driver’s license, for parents it is a time of angst and the specter of higher insurance premiums. Sticker shock is not uncommon when parents receive that first quote for coverage, but there’s a…
Vintage and classic car collecting has been growing in recent years as more people accumulate wealth and millennials get into the action. If you’re in the market for a collectible vehicle, you’ll want to make sure that you get the right kind of classic care insurance. Your standard auto policy may not provide the coverage…
You’ve no doubt been overwhelmed by the amount of fine print that your insurance policy has. The main reason for the fine print is to lay out in detail what the insurance company will cover in case of a claim and what it won’t. It’s important that you go through this with your insurance agent…
Employment practices and employee benefit-related lawsuits are on the rise – and employers have to be eternally vigilant when it comes to meeting their compliance obligations as plan sponsors. Take the case of Visteon, a global automotive industry supplier, which outsourced its payroll and enrollment/disenrollment functions to outside plan administrators. But because of internal mistakes…
Cyber threats have continued growing, in fact they been ramping up, and the trend according to experts is that the risks will continue to grow at an exponential rate. And small to mid-sized firms that think they will fly under the radar of cyber threats are sadly mistaken, as they are usually easier pickings for…
As the new year gets underway and while you’re making New Year’s resolutions, you should also resolve to review the state of your business’s insurance program. The best way to do that is to start by reviewing your enterprise’s activities in the past year and how they may affect your insurance policies in the new…
While most companies focus on driver training to help reduce the chances of accidents pushing up their commercial auto insurance rates, many executives have been frustrated to see their rates climb. The top two factors affecting your commercial auto insurance rates are your history of claims and the driving records of your individual drivers. To…
Why Every Business Needs Non-Owned Auto Coverage Even businesses that own fleets of autos sometimes use vehicles that do not belong to them. Often, a business asks an employee to run an errand or visit a customer or vendor using that employee’s car. The organization may become legally liable for anything an employee acting…
In the last month of the Trump administration, the Labor Department finalized a regulation to clarify for employers which workers are employees and which are independent contractors. Because independent contractors are typically ineligible for employee benefits, businesses have an incentive to classify workers that way. The new regulation’s purpose is to make answering the question…
Nearly 25% of all lost-time workers’ compensation claims are exaggerated, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. While only a small percentage of workers’ comp claims are fraudulent, quite a few include employees staying away from work even after they’ve been cleared to return by their doctor and when they feel able to work. The…
It’s always an unwelcome surprise when an employer finds out that a workplace incident aggravated a pre-existing injury that one of your workers sustained at a prior job. Fortunately, there are steps you can take if you don’t want to inherit a claim that someone incurred at another employer, or an injury that they may…
Older workers who are 55 or older are 50% more likely to be killed in vehicle accidents than drivers who are younger than them, a study by the Centers for Disease Control has found. The reason, according to the CDC, is declining cognition, which can lead to errors while driving and avoiding potential collisions, as…
The costs for businesses when their employees are involved in car accidents on and off the job are staggering, at $72.2 billion a year, according to a new study. The “Cost of Vehicle Crashes to Employers study, released in March 2021 by the Network for Employers for Traffic Safety, looks at how much car crashes…
While big-ticket and dramatic workers’ comp claims make headlines, the reality is that the more run-of-the-mill injuries are the ones that end up costing employers the most. That is especially true for slips, trips and falls and related injuries, which can often turn out to be the most expensive workers’ compensation claim an employer experiences.…
Some of the riskiest locations for roadway collisions are work zones, as they often result in changes in traffic patterns and right of way, along with workers present and large commercial vehicles on the scene. Work zones are designed to improve the safety of workers who are enhancing or repairing roads, freeways, bridges, sewage and…
The owners of a California flooring installation company allegedly underreported their payroll amounts to workers’ compensation insurers to the tune of $30 million, costing the insurance company almost $4 million in premiums. The men are each facing three felony charges. These are the potential consequences for those who deliberately falsify their payroll records and reports…
When was the last time you or the person responsible for safety walked around your facility, warehouse, office or workplace and did an inspection? Your Injury and Illness Prevention Program states that the owner, supervisor or person with authority and responsibility shall conduct periodic workplace safety inspections. To maintain a safe and healthful workplace, OSHA…
If a natural disaster were to strike, would your company be ready? Has your management team hardened the business to continue operating in case of a disaster? With natural catastrophes growing in number and severity, businesses more than ever need to have in place plans for a quick recovery for the sake of their investors,…
When you hire contractors, electricians or other home repair specialists, you may shop around on price and go with the least expensive one. But if a contractor comes in with a bid that is much lower than the competition, it could mean they are cutting corners – and one of the top ways for them…
As natural disasters continue to increase in number and severity, and insurers pay out record amounts of claims for damaged homes in many parts of the country, home insurance in Lancaster SC is on the rise. In recent years, that’s prompted some homeowners to hunt for the lowest possible premium they can find, but that…
As natural disasters continue growing in number and severity, everybody should be prepared for quick evacuation in case of emergency. Even if you don’t live in an area known for natural disasters, you should always be prepared in case you have to make a sudden evacuation. While there is only so much planning we can…
Summer is here with rising temperatures and for many homeowners that means it’s pool time. Perhaps you’ve decided to make the financial commitment to buy a pool. While a swimming pool can provide lots of fun for your family and guests, and can increase the value of your home. It can also bring on higher…
Seven Ways to Reduce Your Home Insurance in Lancaster SC Everybody wants to save money on their home insurance in Lancaster SC. If you own a home, you actually have a number of options for getting discounts on your homeowner’s coverage. There are some obvious ways, like installing fire-resistant siding and smoke detectors in the…
One of the silent problems that causes health problems for many people is the presence of mold or mildew in the home. Mold is really hard to get rid of once it takes hold, so it’s important that if you find it growing, you take steps immediately to remove it. Moisture in the basement, attic,…
Home Insurance in Lancaster SC & Dog Bites There are some 63 million dogs in the U.S. and while they make for great companions and help keep our homes safe from intruders, they can also be a significant liability. About 4.5 million people suffer dog bites every year, according to the Centers for Disease…
These days, many families are assisting their adult children financially far longer than parents of earlier generations. And that kind of support for college, and sometimes basic survival, can create insurance coverage gaps for the adult child that can be a major risk to their parents’ financial wellbeing. If you have an adult child who…
It’s the nightmare scenario for any new car buyer. You drive it off the lot and a few days later another driver runs a red light, smashing into your car and severely mangling most of the front end and irreparably damaging the frame. Totaling the vehicle. Luckily nobody was injured, but will insurance cover the…
What’s the future of car insurance with smart cars? With more cars connected to the web, helping us navigate, talking to other cars as we zoom down the road and sometimes even driving for us, it won’t be long until our autos can also make an insurance claim for us after an accident. Consider that…
There are huge advantages to combining your auto and home insurance with a single company. The biggest and most direct benefit is getting a multi-policy discount. However, it goes beyond that, and the advantages can work in your favor. Let’s look at the numerous variables on why this really works to your benefit. Multi-Policy…
All states set minimum coverage levels for drivers, but if you are involved in a serious accident, minimal coverage may not get you off the hook for the full extent of damages. Your state’s goal is to make the required insurance affordable, but in many cases the established minimum coverage is not adequate to cover…
Do You Need Comprehensive Car Insurance in Lancaster SC? In auto insurance there are two main areas that cover physical damage losses: collision damage losses and losses other than collision. These two categories are often referred to as collision coverage and comprehensive coverage. What is comprehensive coverage? Comprehensive car insurance is auto insurance…
Cyber attacks against businesses continues to grow. Insurers that provide cyber insurance liability and other cyber-related coverage have started intensifying their scrutiny of their clients’ databases and operational security. When a business suffers a cyber attack it could result in fraudulent wire transfers or having its systems rendered frozen. This can be unlocked only by…
In 1985, only 10% of Americans over the age of 65 were still in the workforce. Today, that percentage has doubled to 20%. By 2024, some 13 million Americans over the age of 65 will be in the workforce, according to projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many people approaching retirement age wonder what…
While Original Medicare, and especially Medicare Advantage, comes with a number of great and low-cost benefits, it does not cover all health care services that you may need after you turn 65. Keep in mind that the following list includes things that Original Medicare and the majority of Medicare Advantage plans do not cover. To…
Before 2020, Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Plan F was by far the most popular option for Medigap beneficiaries. That was because Plan F was the most generous of all the Medigap plans available on the market. It essentially covered all the gaps in Original Medicare, providing “first dollar” coverage for all services covered under Medicare. Medigap…
Many Americans are grossly underinsured against the risk of devastating long-term care costs. According to the 2020 annual “Cost of Care Survey” from Genworth, the average yearly cost for a semi-private room in a long-term care skilled nursing facility is $93,075 and rising, while the average assisted living facility costs $51,600 per year. Both are enough to…
As more carmakers introduce crash avoidance technologies in their vehicles, car buyers can be confused by the myriad of features and which ones actually work. A recent study by the Highway Loss Data Institute analyzed a number of technologies and ranked them based on how well they perform in reducing accidents, injuries and the cost…
You’ve had an accident and your vehicle is in bad shape. After you report your claim, the insurance company sends out an adjuster to determine if it is worth paying out for the required repairs or instead of paying you for the value of the vehicle at the time of the accident. If the cost…
At some point you’re going to be in the market for your next car, be it used or new. If you’ve narrowed your search down to the type of vehicle you’d like to own, you should check insurance rates before you buy. Often, we get calls from people who bought a new vehicle and gave…
As the economy continues expanding, companies need to be careful about properly managing their business risks, according to a report by Advisen Inc., an insurance research and data firm. Increased activity typically means proportionally additional losses. For example, more trucks driving more miles will inevitably result in more accidents. However, there are other kinds of…
There’s a ticking time bomb in your house right now, waiting to strike when you least expect it. In fact, there might even be more than one. And each can cause thousands and thousands of dollars in damage. Here at HFC Insurance, we are talking about faulty appliance hoses, of course. Consider your humble washing…
Maybe you’ve been here before. You’ve just come off the plane, picked up your baggage and gone to the rental car counter. You’re tired from the flight, about to begin an ambitious vacation or a challenging business project. And, this is the point at which you’re asked, “Do you want rental car insurance with that?”…
One of the most common types of business insurance is commercial property insurance coverage, which provides a wide range of coverage for buildings, inventory, equipment, tools and more. Losses from fire, break-in, vandalism, wind and other natural or manmade disasters are examples of what is typically covered. It does not cover your commercial auto. A…
Every late summer and early fall wildfires rage in many parts of the West and Southwest, as the fires running almost the length of California this year show. Thousands of homes have burned to the ground and thousands of people have been displaced. During this time of crisis, when you’ve lost what is for most…
A business owner’s policy, known as a BOP, can provide “package” protection against an array of risks — for a premium that’s significantly lower than the cost of the individual property and liability policies that you would need to cover all of these perils. Imagine the following costly scenarios: One of your staff embezzles $80,000…
How to Choose Car Insurance can be overwhelming. Because there are so many companies selling car insurance, sorting through all the choices to find the right policy for you and your family can be a challenging task. With each carrier claiming to offer the best value, it’s easy to feel confused. At first glance, all…
What Is Commercial Umbrella Insurance in Lancaster SC? Commercial umbrella insurance in Lancaster SC gives you extra coverage to help pay for costs that exceed certain liability policy limits. Without umbrella coverage, you’d have to pay out of pocket for liability claims that cost more than your coverage limits. This can include: Legal costs Medical…
How an Umbrella Policy Can Save You from Ruin An umbrella policy is designed to protect you from almost everything that your homeowner’s and auto insurance policies do not, as well as fill in gaps in coverage when the limits of these policies are exhausted. Lawsuits are filed daily against ordinary folks, with reasons…
The newly enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021(if you have time to read) contains a number of provisions that will affect group health plans. With most changes aimed at helping insured workers with flexible spending accounts, cost transparency and surprise billing are addressed. Furthermore, some of the provisions are permanent while others are temporary, slated to…
What is Auto Liability Insurance and What Does it Cover? If you are looking for car insurance in Lancaster SC, it is important to understand how parts of an insurance policy works. Auto liability insurance protects you and your assets from a costly claim and lawsuit. Let’s look at two areas: Bodily Injury The…
What Does Commercial Liability Cover in Lancaster SC? Protecting your businesses General liability, is a broad commercial insurance policy that covers general liability exposures of a business. General liability insurance (GL), is coverage that can protect you from a variety of claims including bodily injury, property damage, personal injury and others that can arise from…
What is Commercial Auto Insurance? Commercial auto insurance in Lancaster SC can cover a combination of vehicle types and drivers, as well as some types of motorized equipment. Commercial auto insurance covers vehicle damage and driver injuries. It provides for bodily injury liability and property damage while operating a company automobile, and medical payments…
Medicare Advantage plans were created under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. These plans are commonly called Part C of Medicare. There are some important things to know if you are thinking of purchasing a Medicare Advantage plan. We will explain those things below. Medicare Advantage plans…
Health insurance never covers everything. Neither does Medicare. You will need to meet deductibles, copays and coinsurance. So, what is a Medicare Supplement? A Medicare Supplement is a type of health insurance sold by private insurers to cover the gaps in Medicare. This is why we refer to the plans as “Medigap Plans”. Medigap picks…
Medicare in itself can be confusing, Our goal is to try and make this decision clearer for you. For instance, Medicare Supplement plans are lettered A – N and each plan covers a different set of the gaps in Medicare. As you will see, you can compare Medicare Supplement plans side-by-side using the Medicare Supplement…
Auto insurance in Lancaster SC continues to rise. Who doesn’t want to pay less for car insurance? Billions of dollars are spent on ad campaigns to convince you to “switch and save” — but the truth is, many people can find savings no matter who their insurance company is. It’s also Important to compare auto…
How Your Auto Insurance Can Cause You to Lose Your Home When owning a car, it is important to protect you, your property, your assets, and others by purchasing the right auto insurance. There are many things to consider when protecting lives and property. Risky auto insurance is one. If you are looking for car…
There is another unfortunate side of the economic downturn that impacts every driver on the road: The number of uninsured drivers is expected to rise. The definition of an uninsured driver is simple- some one that has no insurance on their vehicle. However, if you are in an accident with an uninsured driver and do…
You’ve heard all the talk about driverless cars. Unfortunately, we’re still years away from living in a world where you just tell your car where to go, kick back and relax with a book (or, more likely, your phone). Even though our driverless future has yet to arrive, technology actually plays a big role on…
Home improvement: It’s a never-ending process for many people, and for those of us who aren’t necessarily handy, it can be a hassle, too. However, there are plenty of simple maintenance tasks and other inexpensive home repairs you can do to make your home safer – whether you’re handy or not. And you won’t have…
Understanding Your Home Insurance in Lancaster SC As a homeowner, one of the most important aspects of your home isn’t something you use daily. And it isn’t something flashy you show off to friends. It’s understanding your home insurance policy. It protects you in more ways than you may think. It helps you rebuild…
When a big storm hits in the Carolinas, you hunker down inside, relying on your home to protect you and your family. Once that storm passes, though, it’s time to repay the favor — identifying property damage and protecting your home from further issues. The National Storm Damage Center has a number of resources and…
Owning a home is usually a great experience. But it can also be a hassle, especially when unexpected issues pop up—whether you have a minor breakdown or a major catastrophe, it’s almost certainly going to require time and money to fix. In many instances, however, those “unexpected” issues shouldn’t really be a surprise at all,…
When teens begin to drive, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Safety Council, the sobering statistics start to pile up: Car crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens ages 14 through 18. A teen’s crash risk is three times that of more experienced drivers. Being in…
As days get shorter and nights get longer, our habits begin to change. Most of us typically spend more time hunkering down at home and less time frolicking at the beach. That usually means resuming favorite fall pastimes like huddling through college football games on Saturday. Arriving along with the Fall season is a host…
Imagine how devastating it would be to lose your home in a fire. Now imagine not being able to rebuild it completely because you didn’t have the correct amount of homeowners insurance coverage. Selecting the proper amount of coverage is the single most important decision you can make with your home insurance policy. Without it,…
Spring is right around the corner, and the warmer weather often prompts people in the Carolinas to hop in their cars for weekend (or longer) road trips. Unfortunately, too many of those trips will end up being memorable for the wrong reasons, due to crashes and other risks that drivers face anytime they hit the…
Medicare Costs for 2021 What does Medicare cost? Is Medicare free? Is Medicare Part B free? What are my Medicare premiums in 2021? Many don’t realize that Medicare isn’t free. The costs for Medicare Part B and Part D, as well as supplemental coverage, are something that many don’t anticipate in retirement. It can surprise…
Medicare Advantage plans were created under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. These plans are commonly called Part C of Medicare. There are some important things to know if you are thinking of purchasing a Medicare Advantage plan. We will explain those things below. Medicare Advantage plans…
Health insurance never covers everything. Neither does Medicare. You will need to meet deductibles, copays and coinsurance. So, what is a Medicare Supplement? A Medicare Supplement is a type of health insurance sold by private insurers to cover the gaps in Medicare. This is why we refer to the plans as “Medigap Plans”. Part B…
Medicare Supplement plans are lettered A – N and each plan covers a different set of the gaps in Medicare. You can compare Medicare Supplement plans side-by-side using the Medicare Supplement plans comparison chart below. This makes comparing Medicare Supplement plans pretty easy. So there is clarity, Medicare Supplements and Medigap plans are the same…
Some people with higher incomes may have to pay more for their Medicare Part D plan. If you earned more than $88,000 filing individually or $176,000 filing jointly, then Medicare will also require you to pay extra for your Part D coverage. This is called the Income Monthly Adjusted Amount. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Medicare Part C is strictly voluntary. It is the official name for the program we now know as Medicare Advantage. Medicare Part C plans provide you an alternative to traditional Medicare. Not everyone will feel like Part C is the best fit for them. It is important to understand how this plan works before you…
What is Medicare Part B coverage? It is your outpatient medical coverage for medically necessary healthcare services. What is Medicare Part B? What does Medicare Part B cover? Many people think of it as medical coverage, but it actually covers things both in and out of the hospital. Think of Part B coverage as any…
Medicare Part A is your hospital coverage. It provides you with affordable inpatient care. So, what’s does Part A cover? It’s going to cover a semi-private room with a bed for you, and all your regular meals while you are there. It will cover medications furnished to you by the hospital and any necessary lab…
The Trump Administration has issued a new rule that will require greater price transparency on the part of health insurers, including the rates charged by in-network physicians and copays and costs of drugs. The final rule requires health plans and health insurers to disclose on a public website their in-network negotiated rates, billed charges and…
There are fewer Medicare Advantage plans receiving high-quality ratings for their 2021 offerings than for this year’s. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has reported that 49% of 400 Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage received four stars or more (the maximum is five), compared to 52% in 2020. Also, there are fewer people…
As health insurance costs rise and our workforce ages, fewer employers are providing retiree health insurance benefits to their older workers, and are instead asking them to sign up for Medicare. It’s a delicate situation as some older workers may resent being pushed to Medicare, especially if they’ve worked for their employer for a long…
Prescription Drug Discount Programs VS Medicare Part D Prescription drug discounts programs are popular today. You may say, which one is better for someone on Medicare? Below, we will make a comparison, Prescription Drug Discount Programs vs Medicare Part D. Could it be both? Making a decision between Medicare Part D or a Prescription Drug…
Click Here to Watch the Short Video Instead How Does Disability Insurance Work? Questions Your Employees Ask Disability insurance provides a source of income to people who are unable to work due to an accident or illness. The average disability claim lasts almost 13 months and mortgage foreclosures due to disability occur 16 times as…
Small business is the backbone of the US economy. Without it, the economy would collapse. That doesn’t mean we don’t have our struggles. Competition with larger employers is one of those and is a statement I often hear. How to stay competitive and keep good employees? It’s not that hard and it’s not one of…
Why Does My Medicare Supplement Insurance Rates Keep Going Up? It is never easy to absorb a rate increase on anything, especially during retirement. One question I often get is why does my Medicare supplement rates keep going up? Watch the short video below on why that happens and what you can do. …
Best Insurance Broker in Charlotte NC“I wanted to put in writing a thank you! Marty, you and your team’s performance regarding managing our employee benefits has been amazing! Not only did you keep communications open with us, but we were also continually assisted with our insurance needs. Being a blue-collar industry as well as having…