Best Cheap Insurance Quotes

The Risk Management Society is holding its 2011 Annual Conference in Vancouver on May 1 – 5, 2011. Early registration by March 4, 2011 saves over $250 off on-site registration.

The Conference is an opportunity for risk managers and insurers to learn and share ideas. Some of this year’s courses include:

• Bedbugs – “This session will examine policies that may be triggered by bedbug outbreaks and how to maximize claims not only for property damage but for business interruption and third-party liability.”
• War Zone Risk – “Even though many insurance providers often exclude hostile territories and acts of war, it is still possible to procure commercial insurances.”

I have been reading for the past couple of days about Richard Marsh. Mr. Marsh is the guy who nailed a 175-foot slap shot (rink length) through a tiny cut-out for a $50,000 prize. You can watch the feat here, it is amazing.

It took place during an Indiana Ice United Stated Hockey League game. The event was sponsored by Allstate Insurance called the Allstate Good Hands Shootout. Prior to the shot, Mr. Marsh told the 4,500 in attendance he would donate the money to charity. He made the shot!

Was he paid his $50,000?.

Nope.

Entrepreneurship. Sounds good, but as you know as a business owner – it is really hard.

An insurer has decided to address some entrepreneur issues as a series of comedy web episodes. The web series Leap Year will follow the trials and tribulations of a group of entrepreneurs as they take the “leap” into business after being downsized. The series will be produced by Hiscox USA and will be available this spring.

Hiscox is an insurer that claims to be “the first company in the U.S. to offer direct and online insurance coverage in real time for professional services businesses with 10 employees or less.” Its website has an online quote system for small business insurance.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) passed into law last year has as a primary provision the implementation of health insurance exchanges (HIE) by 2014. The concept is to provide an online competitive market for insurance to maintain costs and encourage premium competition.

What does an HIE look like? How would it work? As 2014 approaches, does the technology exist?

We may have some answers soon as technology companies vie to be chosen providers of the HIE’s. Microsoft “today announced it will offer new turnkey technology solutions tailored to help states quickly roll out their statewide health insurance exchanges by 2014,” as one example.

As protests flare in Egypt and other countries over the last few weeks, companies with investments in those countries are reassessing their business insurance and risk management strategy.

Political unrest is a difficult risk to properly insure. This is because damage to a particular business could be caused by any number of sources – even police, government, and military sources. Is a mob burning a delivery truck a political action? Is it an act of war? Arson? Each act can be categorized differently. And, depending on coverage in place, may or may not be covered by the company’s insurance.