can anyone give advise on insurance? (Allentown, Erie: health insurance, attorney, house)

[L.K.]

Hello-we will be moving to Bucks Co in June.Can someone tell me what good insurance options there are.Are there national companies there that are good? Or regional companies.We will need home owners and car insurance.Any companies to stay away from? Any advise is appreciated.

[jjj]

Originally Posted by L.K.

Hello-we will be moving to Bucks Co in June.Can someone tell me what good insurance options there are.Are there national companies there that are good? Or regional companies.We will need home owners and car insurance.Any companies to stay away from? Any advise is appreciated.

Hi LK Welcome to Bucks county. There are plenty of Insurance Co. in Bucks. Costs of insurance can vary depending on what zip code you live in. We found that even though we were in the northern end of Bucks, Ins co's wanted to put us is as a Suburb Of Philly and the rates were really high. After shopping around we found a company that didn't lump us in with the Philly area. The rates were much lower. Not sure if that can do it with all areas of Bucks but we are 50 miles from Philly. Our ins is through Erie Ins Exchange and we got it through Fernald Agency Allentown Pa . Good luck

[newjerseybt]

I just moved from NJ to PA and kept New Jersey Manufacturers for both car and Home. The downside is that you have to have a squeaky clean record.

The upside is that you get a healty rebate check from them every year and the rates are reasonable.

Just be aware that PA laws can be very different than the State you came from. Example: In NJ you can have your Health Insurance carrier as a primary in a car accident situation. In PA, the car insurance is primary and health insurance is secondary.
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If you are relocating and do NOT have a job and are not 65, individual Health Insurance can be a major problem. Example: In NJ you can get Health Insurance any day of the week. Pay the ridiculous premium and your in! The State has a law that forces all carriers to accept you.

In PA and many States, to get individual insurance, you must be screened by insurance underwriters. If you have the wrong or too many pre-existing conditions, all the money in the world will not get you a policy. The insurance underwriters check out the MIB (Medical Insurance Bureau?) as they screen you so you can't lie. In many cases you must provide old medical records for their review. Family health insurance is not group insurance. It is considered an individual policy.

Small businesses are an exception. I believe even one employee with a business and tax number can qualify for group insurance in which they will write you a policy and add you to a group.

I have to research Blue Cross of NEPA as this one company MAY be an exception regarding underwriting. Since they accepted government contracts regarding Medicare, they MAY have to write individual policies without screening. Once you accept government money, you have to run by their rules and the PA government may frown upon declining people who need healthcare. That is only my guess at this point.

Health insurance IMO is also insurance on your house.

[Smoker]

Get estimates from State Farm, Nationwide, Allstate. Erie has a long running reputation of not settling their claims.

[jjj]

Originally Posted by Smoker

Get estimates from State Farm, Nationwide, Allstate. Erie has a long running reputation of not settling their claims.

Not sure how any of these ins co are with paying claims. Had 3 claims with Erie in a 7 year period. Rear ended by an uninsured drive, Erie paid all damages; struck a deer, 6500.00 in damge, Erie paid all damages; car sideswiped while parked, erie paid all damages and no rate increase. They were all handled quickly. They sent an adjuster to the house and they wrote a check for repairs on the spot. Even after the shop found more damage then the adjuster, they called Erie and Erie sent the shop the additional cost. This is my experience but I am sure there are horror stories with them as with all insuranceco's.. Just know after checking the other forementioned co's their rates were higher.

[Smoker]

I had heard that Erie was bad when I was in high school. As an adult who once took a paralegal course twenty years later, Erie was brought up and the majority of the class that worked in law offices and the attorney instructing the class agreed that Erie was the most troublesome insurance company when it came to settling claims. We decided you get what you pay for. My girlfriend and her parents use Erie but they've never had a claim. I'm just repeating hearsay. Glad you have had good experiences with them.

[Ohiogirl81]

I've had my insurace with Erie for *gulp* 32 years. Never had a problem with claims; in fact, I was pleasantly surprised a couple of times!