Archive for December, 2011
Nurse malpractice insurance helps protect a nurse against unexpected legal costs arising from a malpractice claim. A malpractice claim is when a patient or the patient’s representative–such as a spouse–alleges in court that a medical professional caused the patient injury because of errors, negligence or a general violation of accepted care standards. A malpractice lawsuit in civil court is filed by the patient or her representative, with the medical professionals involved named as defendants. The scope of a malpractice case is large because the plaintiff’s attorney often does not know who exactly caused or contributed to the situation that lead to the patient’s injury. Malpractice lawsuits are commonly filed against all of the medical professionals involved in the patient’s care at the time of the incident, including any nurses.
Medical centers, such as hospitals and nursing homes, and doctor’s offices carry medical malpractice insurance that covers the staff, including the nurses. However, because of insurance premium costs, a nurse might not have enough insurance coverage. The employer’s coverage is meant to protect the employer and the business first. If the nurse is involved in a malpractice case and has to pay legal costs or part of a settlement, she is responsible for any balance remaining after her employer’s malpractice insurer pays according to the employer plan’s terms. Malpractice insurance for nurses allows a nurse to cover the gap in employer-provided coverage.
In addition to covering out-of-costs relating to a malpractice action, some nursing liability insurance plans cover other unexpected expenses a nurse might face. For example, license protection provides coverage for a nurse’s defense expenses relating to an action against her nursing license by the state board. Other optional benefits include coverage for cases of slander or libel against the nurse, coverage for on-the-job assault expenses and coverage for breach of confidentiality charges.
Premiums vary by coverage levels, policy type, location, company and nursing field. For example, a specialized nurse, such as a pediatric nurse, may pay higher premiums than a nurse in a small general practice.
Most people remember to include their expensive jewelry and firearms in their homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance policy, but they often forget to insure other expensive items that may be stolen from their home or damaged in a flood or fire. Designer shoes should be included in a homeowner’s insurance policy so that they policy holder will be repaid if something should happen to their expensive footwear.
Collecting designer shoes can be an expensive hobby - depending on how expansive someone’s collection is. are a significant investment. I know of some women with more high heels than they could ever need. A pair of Christian Louboutin boots can easily cost $1500 or more, Stuart Weitzman pumps are around $500 a pair, and Manolo Blahnik heels usually cost more than $1,000. It would be heartbreaking for a woman to lose that kind of investment. According to some fashion shoe blogs, even women who don’t have the money to spend hundreds on a single pair of designer shoes are likely to have a shoe collection that is worth more than five thousand dollars total. An insurance policy cannot replace the sentimental value that many women place on their shoes, but it gives the insured person the money to replace the shoes that have been stolen or damaged. Shoe shopping after a disaster can be very therapeutic.
It is a good idea for renters and homeowners to talk to their insurance agent about adding coverage for the expensive items in their home such as shoes. Many insurance companies give renters or homeowners the option of choosing to insure their items for either the amount of money they originally paid for their items or the amount of money it would cost to replace the items at the time they need to be replaced. A good insurance company is likely to want a detailed description of each item as well as several pictures of the item.
For young people studying abroad or heading out to backpack through several countries for a summer, international travel is a unique, once in a lifetime experience. However, if disaster strikes and they don’t have student travel insurance, their dream vacation can turn into a nightmare in a hurry.
Unfortunately most insurance companies don’t cover out of country travel. So whether you’re traveling for a few days or a few months, you want to protect yourself from disaster by purchasing travel insurance.
The most important part of any travel policy is travel medical coverage. The medical insurance part of your policy should cover extraordinary medical costs, like hospitalization, rehab, and a flight home in case of serious injury or death. While it’s true that many countries have health costs that are much lower than the US, a serious injury can still rack up expensive medical bills quickly. This is what travel health policy should guard against.
Travel insurance for students isn’t all medical however. Depending on the type of policy you get, there are several other benefits you can receive. You may be able to recover money from theft of goods, delayed flights, or lost baggage. Some policies even cover rental car damages, however these are much more expensive than policies without them.
No matter where you are traveling to or what you are planning on doing, you should purchase student travel medical insurance. Travel insurance protects you against catastrophic injuries, theft, and many of the other nuisances associated with travel.
You can compare many different policies quickly and easily online at sites like SquareMouth. Just make sure that they cover all the countries that you plan on visiting! Gateway Student Health Advantage is a student health plan that covers US and non-US students or scholars, so it’s worth checking out too.
