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Living a homosexual lifestyle no longer incurs discrimination from life insurance providers, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said.

The industry body remarked that consumers may view being gay as a factor that could affect their application for life insurance, but that this is no longer the case.

"It's possible that there has been a perception that applications were not treated in the same way in the past, but now no longer do people have to disclose.what their sexuality is," said a spokesperson for the organisation.

In October 2005, a new Statement of Best Practice on HIV and Insurance was introduced by the industry, which included guidelines on questions it is "reasonable" to ask to assess an applicant's likelihood of contracting HIV - these questions should not relate to sexuality, the document advised.

"There is government legislation now which means that you don't have to disclose whether you're in a civil partnership, so there can be no way that the insurance company knows what your sexuality is," the industry spokesperson advised.

Meanwhile, Legal & General recently advised people that full disclosure is essential when applying for critical illness cover.

© Adfero

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CONSUMER BROCHURES

Alerta, Huracán - Pasos que usted puede tomar para contraarrestar el impacto de un huracán.

Am I Covered? - A guide to homeowners insurance - having the right kind and the right amount. Includes information on flood insurance, earthquake insurance, coverage for other natural disasters and much more. (print and online)

Be Fire Smart: Tips for High-Rise Apartment Dwellers - Fire safety tips for occupants of high-rise buildings (print and online)

Be Fire Smart: Tips for Travelers - Fire safety tips for travelers. (print and online)

El Inventario de su Casa - Antes que se vea envuelto en pérdidas causadas por una catástrofe, haga un inventario de las pertenencias de su casa.

Home Inventory - Instructions on how to prepare an inventory of possessions to help identify and calculate losses if a disaster strikes. (print [Spanish only] and online)

How to File an Insurance Claim - What consumers need to know about the insurance claims process. (print and online)

Hurricane Awareness - Steps you can take to minimize the impact of a hurricane. (print and online, available in Spanish)

Insurance for Your House and Personal Possessions - Helps homeowners decide on the right amount and kind of insurance they need. (print and online)

Insuring Your Business Against A Catastrophe - Instructions on how to develop a catastrophe plan now to avoid losses should a disaster strike. (print and online)

Insuring Your Home Business - A guide to help home business owners understand their insurance needs. (print and online)

Kerosene Heater Safety - Safety and maintenance tips for homeowners with kerosene heaters. Includes information on how to select a heater. (print and online)

Nine Ways to Lower Your Auto Insurance Costs - Tips on how to lower your auto insurance costs. (print and online, available in Spanish)

OOPS!! - (in English) Answers to common questions about auto insurance. (print and online)

OOPS!! - (en Español) Respuestas a preguntas communes acerca de los seguros de automóvil.

Renters Insurance - All renters need to know about insurance. (print and online)

Settling Insurance Claims After a Disaster - Helps consumers understand how to file an insurance claim after a disaster. (print and online)

Surviving Severe Cold Weather - How to protect property from the effects of severe cold weather. (print and online)

Twelve Ways to Lower Your Homeowners Insurance Costs - Tips on how to lower your homeowners insurance costs. (print and online)

Wood Stove Safety - Tips on selecting, installing and safely operating a wood stove (print and online)

If you have dependents or other people with whom you share your life, life insurance can play a vital and valuable role at virtually every stage of your life. It’s not just for the young, nor is it only for parents or guardians of young children.

Why buy life insurance? The main reason for insuring your life is to replace an income you are generating that someone else relies on. The most common case is a one- or two-earner family with young children. If an earner dies, life insurance can enable the survivors to go on without having to make financial sacrifices.

Life insurance can also pay for one-time costs that are connected with death, such as funeral and burial costs, administration costs (e.g., for probate and transferring title to property to the heirs), estate and inheritance taxes, and outstanding debts (such as final medical expenses not covered by health insurance). There are several other reasons to buy life insurance as well.

You have to make many choices when buying life insurance: how much to buy, which type of product to buy; and which one of the hundreds of life insurance companies to choose. Even if you “shop” online, it is in your interest to work with a knowledgeable professional who can understand your needs and constraints, answer your questions, and help you find the most appropriate solutions.

Many financial experts consider life insurance to be the cornerstone of sound financial planning. It can be an important tool many situations.  Read on to understand why life insurance is so important to your financial health.

There are essentially two kinds of heath insurance: Fee-for-Service and Managed Care. Although these plans differ, they both cover an array of medical, surgical and hospital expenses. Most cover prescription drugs and some also offer dental coverage.

1. Fee-for-Service
   These plans generally assume that the medical professional will be paid a fee for each service provided to the patient. Patients are seen by a doctor of their choice and the claim is filed by either the medical provider or the patient.
   
   
2. Managed Care
   More than half of all Americans have some kind of managed-care plan. Various plans work differently and can include: health maintenance organizations (HM0s), preferred provider organizations (PPOs) and point-of-service (POS) plans. These plans provide comprehensive health services to their members and offer financial incentives to patients who use the providers in the plan.

In most cases, if you have no dependents and have enough money to pay your final expenses, you don’t need any life insurance.  However, if you want to create an inheritance or make a charitable contribution, you should buy enough life insurance to achieve those goals.

Auto insurance protects you against financial loss if you have an accident. It is a contract between you and the insurance company. You agree to pay the premium and the insurance company agrees to pay your losses as defined in your policy.

Auto insurance provides property, liability and medical coverage:

• Property coverage pays for damage to or theft of your car.
• Liability coverage pays for your legal responsibility to others for bodily injury or property damage.
• Medical coverage pays for the cost of treating injuries, rehabilitation and sometimes lost wages and funeral expenses.

An auto insurance policy is comprised of six different kinds of coverage. Most states require you to buy some, but not all, of these coverages. If you're financing a car, your lender may also have requirements.

Most auto policies are for six months to a year. Your insurance company should notify you by mail when it’s time to renew the policy and to pay your premium.

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This policy only applies to information collected while you are on our Site pages. These pages may contain links to other Web sites, including sites of third parties who have a relationship with Gaysurance.com or our network of independent Insurance Agents. These third party sites may include sites of service providers who are permitted to display a Gaysurance.com logo pursuant to a co-branding agreement. Please be aware that when you click on a link that takes you to another Web site, any information you provide, including financial information, is subject to the privacy policy of that site. Gaysurance.com does not control and is not responsible for the practices of such sites.

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Homeowners insurance provides financial protection against disasters. A standard policy insures the home itself and the things you keep in it.

Homeowners insurance is a package policy. This means that it covers both damage to your property and your liability or legal responsibility for any injuries and property damage you or members of your family cause to other people. This includes damage caused by household pets.

Damage caused by most disasters is covered but there are exceptions. The most significant are damage caused by floods, earthquakes and poor maintenance. You must buy two separate policies for flood and earthquake coverage. Maintenance-related problems are the homeowners' responsibility.

A standard homeowners insurance policy includes four essential types of coverage. They include Coverage for the structure of your home, coverage for your personal belongings and Liability protection.

If your employer gives you a choice of plans or you need to purchase your own coverage, it is crucial that you understand your health insurance choices and pick the insurance that is best for you and your family.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself when choosing a health insurance plan.

There are two major types of life insurance—term and whole life. Whole life is sometimes called permanent life insurance, and it encompasses several subcategories, including traditional whole life, universal life, variable life and variable universal life. In 2003, about 6.4 million individual life insurance policies bought were term and about 7.1 million were whole life.

Yes. A person who owns his or her home would have a different policy from someone who rents. Policies also differ on the amount of insurance coverage provided.

The different types of homeowners policies are fairly standard throughout the country. However, individual states and companies may offer policies that are slightly different or go by other names such as “standard” or “deluxe”. The one exception is the state of Texas, where policies vary somewhat from policies in other states. The Texas Insurance Department has detailed information on its various homeowners policies.

Your auto policy may include six coverages. Each coverage is priced separately.

How is life insurance sold? You can buy life insurance either as an “individual” or as part of a “group” plan.

Yes. If you are unemployed, self-employed, or decide to return to school you may want to buy an individual health insurance policy.

Here are a number of options that you may consider:

1. Ask your insurance company if you can convert its group policy to an individual policy. You will pay a higher rate than you did before and your benefits may be limited, but the terms will still probably be better than if you buy your own policy.
   
2. If you are married, see if your spouse’s employer will add you to its group plan.
   
3. Try to join a group health plan through a trade association or alumni group or professional association may offer reasonable rates. If you are over age 50, you can join the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), which offers an extensive plan. Even some credit card companies offer health insurance coverage.
   
4. As a last resort, you can buy an individual policy. The rates will be high and coverage limited, but it is important that you be protected against financial catastrophe if you or your family are hit with a major illness or injury. If you are self-employed, most of the health insurance premium will be tax-deductible.

To find the best policy, contact a health insurance agent or broker who will help you find the contract that gives you the most for your money.

If you switch employers, you have the right to carry your group health insurance coverage with you to a new job for up to 18 months under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA).

You must pay the full premium, but at group rates that are far cheaper than the individual rates you would pay for similar coverage.

If you have purchased a condo or co-op, the bank will require insurance to protect its investment in your home. You may, however, need more insurance to cover your personal items, liability or fees that may be charged to you regarding shared areas of the building like the lobby.

Disasters can be life altering events.  Understanding what your insurance policy covers and does not cover, and taking the appropriate steps will help ensure a smooth recovery.

NO! Almost every state requires you to have auto liability insurance. All states also have financial responsibility laws. This means that even in a state that does not require liability insurance, you need to have sufficient assets to pay claims if you cause an accident. If you don’t have enough assets, you must purchase at least the state minimum amount of insurance. But insurance exists to protect your assets. Trying to see how little you can get by with can be very shortsighted and dangerous.

A beneficiary is the person or entity you name in a life insurance policy to receive the death benefit. You can name One person, Two or more people, The trustee of a trust you’ve set up, A charity, Your estate.

If you don’t name a beneficiary, the death benefit will be paid to your estate.

By Kyung M. Song                                                                                                      Seattle Times health reporter

Scientists have known since 1984 that HIV causes AIDS. But for more than two decades since, the cunning human immunodeficiency virus has foiled all efforts to develop a vaccine.

As nearly a thousand of the world's top vaccine researchers gather in downtown Seattle this week for the four-day AIDS Vaccine 2007 Conference, some of them say the most realistic goal now isn't a vaccine to prevent HIV infection, but rather one that prevents HIV from being passed on.

"The HIV virus is an elusive virus," said Dr. Glenda Gray, a pediatrician and co-founder of the perinatal HIV research unit at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa.

"I don't think anyone would have expected that it would take so long to find a vaccine."

At the same time, vaccine hunters remain unshaken in their belief that a vaccine is the only way to eventually eradicate AIDS. That's because it is clear now that it's impossible to completely eliminate the biggest sources of infection: unprotected sex, sharing needles, and childbearing and breastfeeding by infected women.

If you have specific questions regarding your insurance coverage, contact your health plan directly or speak to the benefits administrator where you work. For information on Medicare, call the agency at 800-638-6833 .

Consumer information on the various health insurance plans that exist today is available from two leading insurance trade associations. They are:

• America’s Health Insurance Plans
  601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
  South Building
  Suite 500
  Washington, DC 20004
  
  
• Life and Health Foundation for Education
  2175 K Street, NW – Suite 250
  Washington, DC 20037
  

Term insurance comes in two basic varieties—level term and decreasing term. These days, almost everyone buys level term insurance. The terms “level” and “decreasing” refer to the death benefit amount during the term of the policy. A level term policy pays the same benefit amount if death occurs at any point during the term.

If you lease a car, you still need to buy your own auto insurance policy. The auto dealer or bank that is financing the car will require you to buy collision and comprehensive coverage. You'll need to buy these coverages in addition to the others that may be mandatory in your state, such as auto liability insurance.

Unlike driving a car, you can legally own a home without homeowners insurance. But, if you have bought your home and financed the purchase with a mortgage, your lender will most likely require you to get homeowners insurance coverage. That’s because lenders need to protect their investment in your home in case your house burns down or is badly damaged by a storm, tornado or other disaster.

Renters insurance provides financial protection against the loss or destruction of your possessions when you rent a house or apartment. While your landlord may be sympathetic to a burglary you have experienced or a fire caused by your iron, destruction or loss of your possessions is not usually covered by your landlord’s insurance. Because in most cases, renters insurance covers only the value of your belongings, not the physical building, the premium is relatively inexpensive.

When renting a car, you need insurance. If you have adequate insurance on your own car, including collision and comprehensive, this may be enough.  But educate yourself to make sure you are covered in case of an accident while driving a rental vehicle.

There are several different types of permanent policies.  In order to find the one thats right for you, you need to understand the differences between the different types of term policies and how they will affect your estate.

A permanent life policy provides lifelong insurance protection. The policy pays a death benefit if you die tomorrow or if you live to be a hundred. There is also a savings element that will grow on a tax-deferred basis and may become substantial over time. Because of the savings element, premiums are generally higher for permanent than for term insurance. However, the premium in a permanent policy remains the same, while term can go up substantially every time you renew it.

Would you be able to remember all the possessions you’ve accumulated over the years if they were destroyed by a fire? Having an up-to-date home inventory will help you get your insurance claim settled faster, verify losses for your income tax return and help you purchase the correct amount of insurance.

The explosion in the deer population has lead to a continuing increase in deer-car collisions. This trend will only increase as the deer population grows and urban habitats continue to encroach upon rural environments.  Driiving defensively is key to keeping you safe.

There is a big difference between an insurance company canceling a policy and choosing not to renew it. Insurance companies cannot cancel a policy that has been in force for more than 60 days except when:

• You fail to pay the premium
  
• You have committed fraud or made serious misrepresentations on your application
  
• Your driver's license has been revoked or suspended.

Nonrenewal is a different matter. Either you or your insurance company can decide not to renew the policy when it expires. Depending on the state you live in, your insurance company must give you a certain number of days notice and explain the reason for not renewing before it drops your policy. If you think the reason is unfair or want a further explanation, call the insurance company’s consumer affairs division. If you don't get a satisfactory explanation, call your state insurance department.

The company may have decided to drop that particular line of insurance or to write fewer policies where you live, so the nonrenewal decision may not be because of something you did. On the other hand, if you did do something that raised the insurance company’s risk considerably, like driving drunk, the premium may rise or you may not have your policy renewed.

If your insurance company did not renew your policy, you will not necessarily be charged a higher premium at another insurance company

There are many insurance companies, so choosing between them can be a challenge. Here are the main points to keep in mind when selecting an insurance company:

There is a big difference between an insurance company canceling a policy and choosing not to renew it. Insurance companies cannot cancel a policy that has been in force for more than 60 days except when:

Choosing the type of insurance thats right for you and your family is based on many factors.  This article goes over the factors you should consider before making your decision.

Roughly 1,000 life insurance companies sell life insurance in the U.S., but many are members of groups of companies and so aren’t really competitors with each other. Having separate companies enables a group to offer its products through separate distribution channels, to more efficiently meet the regulatory requirements of particular states, or to achieve other organizational goals. There are an estimated three hundred company groups.

A standard homeowners policy includes coverage for jewelry and other precious items such as watches and furs. These items are covered for losses caused by all the perils included in your policy such as fire, windstorm, theft and vandalism.

You can buy insurance through your local insurance agent and through insurance companies that sell through their own employees, over the phone, by mail and over the Internet. Consult your state insurance department, the yellow pages of your phone book, and friends or relatives for the names of insurance companies doing business in your state. In most states, there are dozens, sometimes hundreds of companies to choose from, depending on the type of insurance you're looking for. You can go to our Find an Insurance Company tool for help.

The price you pay for your auto insurance can vary by hundreds of dollars, depending what type of car you have and the insurance company you buy your policy from. Here are some ways to save money.

The amount of homeowners insurance you need depends upon many factors. Understanding these factors will help you make the right decisions when purchasing your homeowners insurance.

Five independent agencies—A.M. Best, Fitch, Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, and Weiss—rate the financial strength of insurance companies. Each has its own rating scale, its own rating standards, its own population of rated companies, and its own distribution of companies across its scale. Each agency uses numbers or plusses and minuses to indicate minor variations in rating from another rating class.