Maybe you missed this in the news: Important changes to the Wisconsin Auto Insurance LAW:
NEW WISCONSIN INSURANCE LAW THAT WILL AFFECT YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
The Governor inserted NEW Insurance Statutory Provisions into the 2009-2010 State Budget. Some provisions become effective 11-1-2009, others on 1-1-2010, and the MANDATORY INSURANCE PROVISION becomes effective 6-1-2010.
These changes become effective for you at your renewal!!!!!!!!!
Here is a summary of the AUTOMOBILE changes:
The minimum Bodily Injury (BI) limits are increased to $50,000 for each person and $100,000 for each accident. The minimum limits for Property Damage (PD) are increased to $15,000. Policies with a Combined Single Limit are increased to $115,000.
The minimum Medical Payments limit is increased to $10,000. You may reject this coverage via a signed authorization form. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND REJECTING THIS COVERAGE.
The minimum Uninsured Motorist (UM) limits are increased to $100,000 for each person and $300,000 for each accident. Policies with a Combined Single Limit are increased to $300,00.
Underinsured Motorist (UIM) coverage is now mandatory, at limits of $100,000 for each person and $300,000 for each accident or $300,000 Combined Limit.
NEW PERSONAL UMBRELLA INSURANCE LAW:
If you have a Personal Umbrella policy, new Wisconsin laws require you are offered Uninsured Motorist (UM) and Uninsured Motorist (UIM) coverages on your Personal Umbrella policy. You do have the option to reject UM & UIM coverages on your Personal Umbrella policy via a signed authorization form.
MANDATORY AUTO INSURANCE LAW:
EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2010, every person who operates a motor vehicle MUST have an Auto Liability Insurance policy and MUST be able to show proof of the insurance when requested.
THIS LAW WAS PASSED WITHOUT MUCH DEBATE OR PUBLICITY SO GIVE US A CALL WITH YOUR QUESTIONS – 262-473-3930.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Health Insurance and the Cost of Smoking
Binning & Dickens sells Health Insurance and smoking is a leading cause of individual health issues.
Costs of Smoking
May 12, 2009
We have known for a long time that smoking is unhealthy. Tobacco imposes a physical and financial cost to smokers, but there is also a physical cost for those exposed to secondhand smoke. We must work together to help people overcome tobacco addiction.
In Wisconsin, 7,300 people die yearly from smoking-related causes. Cigarettes kill more people in the United States than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined. Smoking is responsible for nearly 1-in-5 deaths in the U.S. and if this continues, 128,000 children alive today will die from smoking-related illnesses.
Smoking accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths. It is a major cause of lung, throat, mouth, esophagus, and bladder cancers; it also contributes to the development of cancers of the pancreas, cervix, kidney, stomach, and also some leukemias.
Only about half of smoking-related deaths are from cancer. Smoking is also a major cause of heart disease, aneurysms, bronchitis, emphysema, and stroke, and it makes pneumonia and asthma worse. It has been linked to low birth weight, increased likelihood of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and diseases of nearly every organ system.
Giving up smoking is difficult. Nicotine is additive but it is important to "kick the habit" so you can live a long, healthy life.
Call Binning & Dickens with all of your health insurance questions. 262-473-3930
Costs of Smoking
May 12, 2009
We have known for a long time that smoking is unhealthy. Tobacco imposes a physical and financial cost to smokers, but there is also a physical cost for those exposed to secondhand smoke. We must work together to help people overcome tobacco addiction.
In Wisconsin, 7,300 people die yearly from smoking-related causes. Cigarettes kill more people in the United States than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined. Smoking is responsible for nearly 1-in-5 deaths in the U.S. and if this continues, 128,000 children alive today will die from smoking-related illnesses.
Smoking accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths. It is a major cause of lung, throat, mouth, esophagus, and bladder cancers; it also contributes to the development of cancers of the pancreas, cervix, kidney, stomach, and also some leukemias.
Only about half of smoking-related deaths are from cancer. Smoking is also a major cause of heart disease, aneurysms, bronchitis, emphysema, and stroke, and it makes pneumonia and asthma worse. It has been linked to low birth weight, increased likelihood of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and diseases of nearly every organ system.
Giving up smoking is difficult. Nicotine is additive but it is important to "kick the habit" so you can live a long, healthy life.
Call Binning & Dickens with all of your health insurance questions. 262-473-3930
Monday, July 20, 2009
Insurance in WI changed by the State Budget
DID you know the WI legislature passed budget bill AB75 on 6-29-09. It contains many changes to the States AUTO Insurance law! Effective 1-1-2010: Allows "stacking" of limits for Uninsured Motorist (UM), Underinsured Motorist (UIM), and Medical Payments coverage up to 3 vehicles; UM & UIM coverage will be MANDATORY with minimum limits of 100/300 limits; minimum limits will rise to 50/100/15.
MANDATORY INSURANCE will start June 2010. Fines from $50 to $500 can be imposed if no insurance.
MEDICAL PAYMENTS coverage will change to $10,000 minimum.
MANDATORY INSURANCE will start June 2010. Fines from $50 to $500 can be imposed if no insurance.
MEDICAL PAYMENTS coverage will change to $10,000 minimum.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
SAFE TEEN DRIVING & PROM
Safe Teen Driving
The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group. In fact, per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash.
Among teen drivers, those at especially high risk for motor vehicle crashes are:
• Males: It has been reported that the motor vehicle death rate for male drivers and passengers ages 16 to 19 was more than one and a half times that of their female counterparts.
• Teens driving with teen passengers: The presence of teen passengers increases the crash risk of unsupervised teen drivers. This risk increases with the number of teen passengers.
• Newly licensed teens: Crash risk is particularly high during the first year that teenagers are eligible to drive.
What are the major risk factors?
• Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations.
• Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next). The presence of male teenage passengers increases the likelihood of this risky driving behavior.
• Among male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age, who were involved in fatal crashes, 38% were speeding at the time of the crash and 24% had been drinking.
• Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. 10% of high school students reported they rarely or never wear seat belts when riding with someone else. In a national survey of seat belt use among high school students:
• Male high school students (12.5%) were more likely than female students (7.8%) to rarely or never wear seat belts.
• African-American students (13.4%) and Hispanic students (10.6%) were more likely than white students (9.4%) to rarely or never wear seat belts.
• At all levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teens than for older drivers.
• 23% of drivers ages 15 to 20 who died in motor vehicle crashes had a BAC of 0.08 g/dl or higher.
• In a recent national survey, nearly three out of ten teens reported that, within the previous month, they had ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol. One in ten reported having driven after drinking alcohol within the same one-month period.
• Three out of four teen drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes after drinking and driving were not wearing a seat belt.
• Half of teen deaths from motor vehicle crashes occurred between 3 p.m. and midnight and 54% occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
This article has been reprinted courtesy of Centers for Disease and Prevention.
The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group. In fact, per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash.
Among teen drivers, those at especially high risk for motor vehicle crashes are:
• Males: It has been reported that the motor vehicle death rate for male drivers and passengers ages 16 to 19 was more than one and a half times that of their female counterparts.
• Teens driving with teen passengers: The presence of teen passengers increases the crash risk of unsupervised teen drivers. This risk increases with the number of teen passengers.
• Newly licensed teens: Crash risk is particularly high during the first year that teenagers are eligible to drive.
What are the major risk factors?
• Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations.
• Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next). The presence of male teenage passengers increases the likelihood of this risky driving behavior.
• Among male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age, who were involved in fatal crashes, 38% were speeding at the time of the crash and 24% had been drinking.
• Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. 10% of high school students reported they rarely or never wear seat belts when riding with someone else. In a national survey of seat belt use among high school students:
• Male high school students (12.5%) were more likely than female students (7.8%) to rarely or never wear seat belts.
• African-American students (13.4%) and Hispanic students (10.6%) were more likely than white students (9.4%) to rarely or never wear seat belts.
• At all levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teens than for older drivers.
• 23% of drivers ages 15 to 20 who died in motor vehicle crashes had a BAC of 0.08 g/dl or higher.
• In a recent national survey, nearly three out of ten teens reported that, within the previous month, they had ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol. One in ten reported having driven after drinking alcohol within the same one-month period.
• Three out of four teen drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes after drinking and driving were not wearing a seat belt.
• Half of teen deaths from motor vehicle crashes occurred between 3 p.m. and midnight and 54% occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
This article has been reprinted courtesy of Centers for Disease and Prevention.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Flood Insurance
Wisconsin emergency officials want homeowners to get flood insurance. It is as simple as that.
Flooding in August 2007 caused $112.4 million in damage to property and crops. Another round of floods in June 2008 caused more than $765 million in damage. Wisconsin Emergency Management says those floods were the costliest natural disaster in state history.
The water table in most of Southern Wisconsin is still above normal after last spring's floods and heavy snow in December.
Typical HOMEOWNER policies do not cover flood damage. You may contact the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) direct at this web site: http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/
You can also contact our office directly (262-473-3930) and ask for either Duane or Ron and they can secure quotes and issue policies for you. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE IN A FLOOD PLAIN TO BUY FLOOD INSURANCE. Call us today and we can discuss your options.
Ron Binning - President, Binning & Dickens Insurance Services
Flooding in August 2007 caused $112.4 million in damage to property and crops. Another round of floods in June 2008 caused more than $765 million in damage. Wisconsin Emergency Management says those floods were the costliest natural disaster in state history.
The water table in most of Southern Wisconsin is still above normal after last spring's floods and heavy snow in December.
Typical HOMEOWNER policies do not cover flood damage. You may contact the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) direct at this web site: http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/
You can also contact our office directly (262-473-3930) and ask for either Duane or Ron and they can secure quotes and issue policies for you. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE IN A FLOOD PLAIN TO BUY FLOOD INSURANCE. Call us today and we can discuss your options.
Ron Binning - President, Binning & Dickens Insurance Services
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Limits of Liability
Almost every person that walks through the door or calls on the phone for auto, home, or umbrella coverage focus on the price. They assume what they have is OK or good enough. Higher limits for all three of these policy types are very inexpensive. With today's litigious society, every middle class household should carry high limits and a minimum $2,000,000 personal umbrella. The price is almost nothing.
The goal of insurance is to insure your assets from fire, wind and lawsuit. Ask a professional insurance agent what you should carry? He will give you limit choices at the right price.
Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance Services
329 W Center St
Whitewater WI 53190
Friday, December 19, 2008
Winter Driving
All you have to do is look outside and you know WINTER is here. Here are some common sense things to remember about Winter driving:
1. SPEED or Too fast for conditions are the NUMBER 1 cause of accidents. Watch road conditions and reduce speed. 4 Wheel Drive vehicles can not be driven FASTER because they have 4 wheel drives. They will go in the ditch or cross the center line just like all other vehicles.
2. Distracted driving is fast becoming the next leading cause of accidents. In the "old" days it was radios, tapes, cd's, heating or air conditioning, and food as the leading cause. Then cell phones came along. Now IPods, Blackberries, and TEXTing are almost everywhere. This fall there was an 11 car accident in Madison cause by a guy TEXTing. Common sense: if you take your eyes off the road to TEXT or TALK - pull over. WHY BE IN A HURRY TO DIE?
3. Scrapper and a shovel are a good idea in the truck. Maybe even boots.
4. Proper amount of air in the tires is good for the gas mileage. Volume of air changes as the temperature gets colder.
5. Above all, watch the 1 inch snow falls - they are the worst because people think it will not be a problem. Remember, you might be the best driver in the world but that does not guarantee the other guy is very good. Drive defensive.
1. SPEED or Too fast for conditions are the NUMBER 1 cause of accidents. Watch road conditions and reduce speed. 4 Wheel Drive vehicles can not be driven FASTER because they have 4 wheel drives. They will go in the ditch or cross the center line just like all other vehicles.
2. Distracted driving is fast becoming the next leading cause of accidents. In the "old" days it was radios, tapes, cd's, heating or air conditioning, and food as the leading cause. Then cell phones came along. Now IPods, Blackberries, and TEXTing are almost everywhere. This fall there was an 11 car accident in Madison cause by a guy TEXTing. Common sense: if you take your eyes off the road to TEXT or TALK - pull over. WHY BE IN A HURRY TO DIE?
3. Scrapper and a shovel are a good idea in the truck. Maybe even boots.
4. Proper amount of air in the tires is good for the gas mileage. Volume of air changes as the temperature gets colder.
5. Above all, watch the 1 inch snow falls - they are the worst because people think it will not be a problem. Remember, you might be the best driver in the world but that does not guarantee the other guy is very good. Drive defensive.
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