Kansas Insurance Commissioner

The May 4 first anniversary of the devastating and deadly Greensburg tornado serves as a reminder to all Kansans to make sure their property insurance is current and adequate.

Filling out an individual health insurance application can be confusing and difficult, but filling it out correctly is important. Insurance companies scrutinize these applications, closely reviewing the information you provide.

Kansas weather has been at its most unpredictable during the past two years. Now, spring storms are just around the corner, and as many of you already know, they can bring costly damage to your property. That’s why the Boy Scout motto, “Be Prepared,” is a good one to follow during 2008. Kansans need to look at what they can do to make sure their property is inventoried properly and insured against natural elements.

Filing a claim can be one of the most frustrating processes during a crisis or following a major disaster. A claims process delay was the No. 1 complaint of insurance consumers in 2007, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). It is critical that you are prepared with the information your insurance company needs. To help get your claims paid promptly, consider the following tips.

Working for Kansas insurance consumers is always the No. 1 priority in my job as Kansas Insurance Commissioner, but I also have a national responsibility to fulfill during the coming months that in the long run may help Kansans with insurance matters. I was elected president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners for 2008 at the NAIC meeting in December.  My duties in that office provide an opportunity for Kansas Insurance Department employees to be recognized nationally for our work on insurance regulation in an ever-changing industry setting.

That holiday or New Year’s trip to Grandma’s house can be a highlight of the year for your family.  Getting there safely should be in the forefront of your trip preparations, especially when winter has gripped the area. The same emphasis on safety is also important when you stay at home during a winter storm.

People often find themselves at loose ends during the Thanksgiving holiday.  After gathering around the table for a family meal, and after watching football on TV, many people find they don’t know what to do with the rest of their stay in the company of family and friends. Let me offer you some ideas for good family discussion for all ages, based on some sound advice regarding insurance and life choices. The ideas are based on the letters that spell "Thanksgiving."

"Certified Senior Adviser." "Chartered Senior Financial Planner." "Certified Financial Gerontologist." All of these titles sound impressive, and they imply expertise in providing insurance and investment advice to Kansas senior citizens. However, those designations, in my experience as Kansas Insurance Commissioner, involve very little actual training regarding the financial and insurance needs of our state's senior population.

Kansas school children have a wealth of information available to them as they progress through the school year.  They can “get smart” in the classroom on a daily basis. But students aren’t the only ones with information at their fingertips. Now, small business owners in Kansas can “Get Smart About Insurance” through an online program promoted by the Kansas Insurance Department.

The clothes, the electronic equipment and the furniture are all packed, and the car is ready to go. But have Kansas college students and their parents remembered some important concerns in protecting personal health, property and vehicles?

A large percentage of U.S. homeowners mistakenly believe that standard homeowners insurance protects them from a wide array of perils, according to new research by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). In fact, typical property and liability policies don’t cover home damage from floods, earthquakes, water line breaks, termites, mold, and several other perils, large and small.

An insurance policy is a legal contract between the insurance company (the insurer) and the person(s), business, or entity being insured (the insured). Reading your policy helps you verify that the policy meets your needs and that you understand your and the insurance company's responsibilities if a loss occurs.

Annually, a national effort called “Cover the Uninsured Week” aims at focusing attention on issues facing the more than 44.8 million Americans (15.3%) currently without health insurance. This year, Cover the Uninsured Week 2007 (April 23rd – 27th) focused on a clear goal: demonstrating broad support for the reauthorization of SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) and the need to cover America's uninsured children. Communities all across Kansas have participated in activities regarding this awareness campaign. In Kansas this program is called HealthWave.

The median age of the United States population is at an all-time high. Adults over the age of 65 have surpassed the number of teenagers, and people in their 50s and 60s can expect to live longer than previous generations. As life expectancy continues to rise in the U.S., more and more Americans between the ages of 40 and 84, especially those in their mid 50s, are preparing for their golden years by purchasing long-term care insurance. It is important for consumers to fully understand long-term care insurance and when it should be purchased to best prepare them for the future.

Most Americans are not prepared to deal with the possibility of becoming disabled and, in turn, unable to work, according to new research by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), of which Kansas is a member. More than half (56 percent) of U.S. adults say they would be unable to pay their bills or meet expenses if they became disabled and could not work for a year or longer, according to a January NAIC national consumer survey fielded by International Communications Research.

Staged or deliberately caused accidents are but one of the numerous kinds of fraud committed daily around the country and they contribute to as much as $30 billion lost annually to fraud — a loss that is ultimately recovered through increased premiums for everyone.

It’s that time of year again when millions of people begin the ritual of making resolutions for the New Year. For many, it’s a time to resolve to lose weight, get organized, or save money. But how many include a New Year’s resolution to “get smart” about their insurance? Even though most Americans, three fourths, feel they have about the right amount of insurance coverage approximately one-third say they understand the details of those policies “very well.”