If you've turned on the TV in the last week, you've probably seen Charla Nash--the woman who was savagely attacked by a chimpanzee--being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey and The Today Show's Meredith Vieira. Last February, Nash's friend and employer Sandra Herold called to ask for Nash's help in containing Herold's pet chimpanzee Travis. When Nash arrived at Herold's home, Travis attacked her. Nash lost both hands, both eyes, her nose and her lips in the mauling, and remains hospitalized. She hopes she'll eventually be a candidate for a face and hand transplants.

Nash has reportedly sued Herold for $50 million and the state of Connecticut for $150 million. She alleges the state knew Travis was dangerous, but failed to remove him from Herold's home. Herold's attorney, however, has suggested that because Nash was Herold's employee, her claim should be treated as a worker's compensation issue. (Nash worked at Herold's towing company.) This would significantly limit any award Nash could receive, and would shield Herold from personal liability.

Every pet owner wants to believe that their pet--be it a dog, cat or chimp--is friendly and would never hurt anyone. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 4.7 million Americans are bit by dogs alone each year, and more than 900,000 of those bites require medical treatment. Every pet owner should understand the potential legal consequences if their pet injures a non-family member.

Generally, if your dog bites someone, you'll be liable if you were unreasonably careless or if you knew your dog had a tendency to bite and did nothing to protect others from being bitten.

In addition, you're responsible if strict liability law is followed in your state. Strict liability, also called absolute liability, means that you are liable for any losses suffered by the injured person, even if you weren't at fault and careless in any way. That means if your dog bites, you will pay, no excuses.

In a number of states, the one bite rule applies. Under this rule, you aren't liable the first time your dog bites. However, once your dog does bite someone, or attempts to bite someone, you're automatically on notice that your dog bites, and you'll be liable if your dog bites again. The rule is designed to deter dog owners from keeping a pet that they know has the propensity to bite.

Usually a homeowner's insurance policy will cover you for dog bite claims. However, many insurance companies are putting provisions in their policies that exclude certain breeds of dogs which are considered inherently dangerous, such as Pit Bulls, Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers.

A number of state and local governments have passed laws to restrict or ban certain breeds, regardless of a particular dog's behavior. Some laws require owners of dangerous breeds to obtain a certain level of public liability insurance in case their dog attacks someone.

Owning an exotic or wild animal as a pet increases your liability exposure, and you could be breaking the law, depending on where you live.

In most states, if your wild or exotic animal injures someone, the doctrine of strict liability applies. Check your state and local laws to find out whether it's legal to keep the type of animal you want, and if there are any restrictions or registration requirements. Remember, the laws differ among states and localities. You can't assume that your wild or exotic pet is welcome everywhere.Damages

If your pet does injure someone, you'll be required to compensate the victim for any damages suffered as a result of the attack. You'll be responsible for the victim's medical bills and lost wages. If your animal tore the victim's clothing, you will have to pay for that as well.

You'll also have to compensate the person for the pain and suffering they endured because of the attack. This includes both physical and mental injuries. If you were grossly negligent, or if you intentionally caused the attack, you may have to pay punitive damages.

In Nash's case, it sounds as if Herold may claim that Nash was helping to wrangle the chimp as part of Nash's job responsibilities. (Just to be clear: Nash worked at Herold's towing company.) If Herold successfully makes that argument, Nash's compensation would be significantly limited.

State laws vary as to the exact compensation available, but injured workers may be entitled to:

• Temporary total disability while they can't work at all (this is a percentage of the employee's previous actual earnings, depending on the state's laws)
• Payment of their medical bills
• Permanent partial disability payments

People who aren't able to work at all after their injuries may be entitled to total disability.

State laws vary widely as to how permanent disability is determined. As crude as it sounds, in some states there are schedules that list the amount of compensation to be paid for a particular injury. For example, a certain dollar amount will be paid for the amputation of a limb at a certain joint.

In some cases, a vocational rehabilitation expert may get involved and give an opinion as to an employee's future potential to earn compared to their earning potential prior to being injured.

The employer's workers' comp insurance may be responsible for vocational rehabilitation training.

Workers' comp is an exclusive remedy, which means that injured workers can't sue their employers, but are only entitled to benefits under their state's workers' comp laws.

Related Links:

• Learn more about animal law on Lawyers.com
• Read when your pet attacks, are you liable?
• Discuss your legal issue on our general consumer rights forum
• Lawyers.com Suggested Legal Books
• Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

I couldn't even count how many health insurance related discussions I've had in recent months. The current debate continues among friends, between politicians, within families, in Congress, at the workplace, on talk radio and even on Facebook. These days, you can be forgiven if your eyes start to glaze over at the mention of health insurance. While it's an important debate, I think we're all starting to suffer from health insurance fatigue.

But if you are enrolled in Medicare, there's one important message you shouldn't ignore: Open enrollment begins Nov. 15 and runs through the end of the year.

Medicare is the government-run health insurance program for people who are 65 and older, plus some younger people with certain diseases and those with end-stage renal failure. During the last 6 weeks of the year, Medicare allows its participants to make changes to their plans. This period is known as open enrollment. Any changes you make will take effect on Jan. 10, 2010.

If your health has changed significantly in the last year, or if you're taking different prescription drugs, it's worth evaluating your current Medicare coverage and see whether a different Medicare plan would offer better coverage. Medicare offers a couple tools to help you makes these comparisons:

• A tool to help you find and compare health plans
• A tool to help you find and compare prescription drug coverage

When comparing plans, Medicare recommends you consider the following:

• Out-of-pocket costs, including premiums, deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance
• Included benefits, including extras such as vision and dental coverage
• Doctors, hospitals and pharmacies that participate in the plans and whether you'll need referrals to see specialists
• Whether your prescription drugs are included in the drug plan, and the out-of-pocket drug costs, including premiums and co-pays
• The quality of care and performance provided by participating doctors and hospitals

Once you've evaluated the plan and prescription options, there are a few ways in which you can enroll:

• Online on Medicare.gov
• By calling the plan directly
• By calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or 1-877-486-2048 for TTY users

Related Links:

• Learn more about Medicare and Medicaid on Lawyers.com
• Find an elder law attorney on Lawyers.com
• Discuss your issues on the Lawyers.com elder law forum
• Lawyers.com Suggested Legal Books
• Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Do you own a dog or cat? Do you have a pool or a trampoline? Do you ever offer house guests an alcoholic drink?

This is National Safe at Home Week. If you're like me, you probably haven't spent a lot of time thinking about how visitors to your home could hurt themselves.

In part, we fail to notice the hidden dangers that lurk in our homes, because we know the risks and have taught ourselves to avoid them. Perhaps your porch railing is wobbly, but you know not to lean against it. Or maybe your dog is aggressive around food, so you've learned to give him a wide berth while he's eating. Your house guests, on the other hand, might not know to take these precautions.

Then there are the potential dangers we recognize, but choose to live with in hopes that visitors will also use good judgment. When you invite people to swim in your pool, you assume they know their own swimming ability, and won't go in unless they're comfortable around water. If you hold a dinner party, you try to be a good host, but hope that people know when they've had too much to drink.

The unfortunate truth is that accidents do happen, and we live in a world where it's not unheard of for relative to sue relative, friend to sue friend, neighbor to sue neighbor. We need to prepare for the possibility that someone may be injured at our home, and we should all have sufficient insurance coverage to protect us in case that happens.

Whether you own or rent your home, your property insurance should include liability coverage. Liability insurance covers you if someone is injured on your property, and may also cover you for certain injuries that occur away from your home. For example, if someone slips and hurts themselves at your house, your insurance company will cover that person's medical expenses and the cost to defend you in court if they sue you. If you were walking your dog in the park and he bit someone, your insurance would probably cover that, too. Understand, however, that liability insurance only covers other people who are injured at your home. It doesn't cover you or your family if you're injured.

It's important to discuss your needs with your insurance agent. If you have potential hazards on your property, such as a swimming pool, a dog or a house is in poor repair, find out exactly what you need to do to protect yourself. You may need to buy a separate liability policy to ensure that you're sufficiently covered.

Dogs

Almost every state has a law that deals with dog bites. These laws can vary a lot from state to state, so you need to check the laws in your area to see how dog bites are treated. Talk to your insurance company about whether your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy covers not only dog bites in general, but if it covers your breed of dog.

Dog bites cost insurance companies millions of dollars each year, and it's not uncommon for an insurance company to refuse to cover certain breeds of dogs, especially those considered by experts to be the "most dangerous." These breeds include pit bulls, rottweilers and chow chows, just to name a few.

It's also common for many insurance companies to increase the insurance premiums or cancel the policy altogether after an owner's dog bites a victim and costs the company money.

Serving Alcohol

If you serve alcohol to guests at your home, you need to be prepared for the fact that they could be involved in a traffic accident after leaving your home.

A drunk person cannot collect for injury to himself, but a third party injured by the actions of a drunk person can collect from the party's host under certain circumstances. This is especially important when the drunk person has little or no insurance to cover a serious or fatal injury.

Laws vary widely by state, with some states not imposing any liability at all on social hosts. Other states limit responsibility of hosts to injury that occurs on the premises where the party is being held. Other states extend hosts' liability to injuries from traffic accidents involving the person to whom they served alcohol.

Most states impose liability on social hosts where alcohol is served to a minor, if the host was reckless in serving alcohol, or if the host should have recognized the extent of the guest's intoxication and not served him or her more alcohol.

Swimming Pools

Swimming pools can be fun, but drowning is one of the leading causes of death among young children. If you have a pool, you have an obligation to take all of the necessary steps to ensure the safety of your family, your neighbors and your guests--even uninvited guests. But you should also be prepared for the worst-case scenario: Accidents can happen, even if you have taken all of the necessary precautions. As a pool owner, you need to protect yourself if an accident occurs.

Purchase swimming-pool insurance coverage. Your homeowners insurance, renter's insurance or condo insurance usually will not cover you for pool-related accidents and lawsuits. You may also want to purchase a separate liability policy.

Check with your insurance agent to find out what safety and protective equipment is required by your policy. Also ask whether discounts are available if you install additional types of equipment, such as pool alarms.

Related Links:

• Learn more about property insurance on Lawyers.com
• Find a property insurance lawyer in your area
• Discuss insurance claims issues on the Lawyers.com forums
• Lawyers.com Suggested Legal Books

Yesterday marked the start of the nine-day San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain, which is best known for the Running of the Bulls. If you've never seen pictures from this event, it features hordes of people who try to outrun a dozen bulls charging down a narrow Spanish street. A few hundred participants are hurt each year, and one seems to die every decade or two, though arguably the bulls suffer a worse fate. They're destined to die at a bullfight held later in the day.

Reading about the Running of the Bulls made me think: I hope the American tourists who participate are carrying cash or credit cards! I imagine that bull-inflicted injuries can be painful and expensive, and in doing some digging, I discovered that travel insurance probably wouldn't pay for a bull-inflicted injury.

Even if you're taking decidedly less risky trips, you should consider trip insurance, particularly if you're spending a substantial amount of money on a vacation. Travel insurance may cover:

• Trip interruption and cancellation, which reimburses you if you can't go on or finish your planned trip due to illness or unexpected circumstances
• The cost of food and accommodations if your flight is delayed or canceled
• Rental car damage
• Money to buy new clothes and gear if your baggage is lost or delayed
• Emergency medical costs in a foreign country, including a medical evacuation to your home

In addition, you can purchase travel insurance for a single trip, multiple trips over the course of a year, and extended-stay trips.

A comprehensive travel insurance policy can add another 4 to 6 percent to the cost of your trip, so it pays to do your homework before you buy. Make sure you're buying insurance that is appropriate to your kind of trip, and read the fine print.

It's possible that some of the events you want to insure against are already covered by existing insurance. For example:

• Your auto insurance may cover you and your family members driving rental cars for short periods of time
• Your life insurance probably covers death in an airline crash or cruise boat accident
• Your health insurance may cover at least a portion of the costs of injuries in foreign countries
• Your homeowner's or renter's insurance probably covers the cost of lost luggage and personal belongings

Many airlines will allow you to change your tickets--for a fee! If you're considering flight-cancellation coverage, compare the cost of changing a ticket to the cost of insurance.

It's also possible that paying for a rental car with your credit card may make you eligible for limited rental car coverage through your rental car company. But don't automatically assume you'll be covered. A friend of mine recently rented a car in Italy and had barely driven off before he was hit by another car that spun out of control. Confident that his credit card insurance covered rental-car accidents, he didn't give it a second thought until he got back to the U.S. and notified his credit card. It was only then that he learned the credit card typically covered rental-car accidents--except in Italy!

Don't expect your travel insurance policy to cover:

• Terrorist attacks, unless you want to pay enormous coverage costs
• Contagious disease outbreaks such as Swine Flu
• Pre-existing health conditions, such as chronic illnesses or reoccurrences of old injuries
• Injuries from extreme sports, such as sky-diving, bungee-jumping or running through the streets of Spain in front of an angry bull

In comparing travel insurance policies, you'll want to ask if a particular policy covers:

• An airline declaring bankruptcy
• "Supplier default" if the company you book a tour with goes out of business
• Alternative travel costs, if you need to book different flights or other transportation home due to illness or catastrophe
• Emergency evacuation costs, if you're planning to visit remote areas
• Tropical weather conditions such as hurricanes, floods and typhoons (usually excluded by insurance companies as "acts of God")
• Fires and earthquakes
• Car accidents
• Just you, or other family members or planned traveling companions
• Reimbursement of prepaid trip expenses, such as nonrefundable deposits on cruises or tours

It's also important to find out whether the plan has deductibles, or only covers medical expenses for certain preferred provider physicians and hospitals.

It's a delicate balance to weigh the cost of protection against the likelihood that a specific problem will strike during your particular trip.

Buying appropriate travel insurance before your holiday starts will hopefully make your vacation less stressful and more enjoyable. Now if you could just do something about the long lines at the airport!

Related Links:

• Read more about whether you can get a travel refund on Lawyers.com
• Learn more about insurance law on Lawyers.com
• Lawyers.com Suggested Legal Books

My 96-year-old grandmother was just hospitalized for a few weeks with a broken hip. If you or anyone close to you has ever been hospitalized, you know that the bills can add up quickly, reaching seemingly astronomical sums. Health insurance can help relieve what would otherwise be a tremendous financial burden. Without insurance, a single catastrophic health issue could drain the rest of my grandmother's life savings. Fortunately, she has good health insurance policies which keep that from happening.

For all of its complications, insurance is, in theory, a pretty simple concept to understand. You're paying an insurance company a fee, or premium, to reimburse you if something unexpected happens. The insurance company is hoping that nothing happens, in which case they get to keep your premium. But if something does occur, they will pay the associated expenses (called a claim) within the guidelines outlined in your insurance policy. Ultimately, the insurance company is gambling on the fact that all of its insurance clients--people like you and me--will pay more in premiums each year than is paid out in claims.

Insurance Awareness Day is this Sunday. (Who knew it was a holiday?) It's a good reason to review the most common types of insurance, and to make sure that you have sufficient coverage in case the unexpected occurs.

Automobile Insurance covers car owners in the event of several types of claims:

• Physical damage to your automobile or another person's automobile
• Liability for physical injuries to other people
• The cost of your medical care if you are injured in an accident
• Attorney's fees if you are sued

Many states require all automobile owners to carry certain minimum amounts of auto insurance, and you may be required to submit proof of that insurance when you renew your registration and license plates.

Health Insurance covers doctor's visits, hospitalizations, prescriptions and other medically necessary treatments. Your employer may provide private health insurance through group health insurance coverage, or you may purchase private health insurance directly from the insurance company for yourself and your family. Elderly and disabled persons may be eligible for coverage through the federal Medicare program. The joint state-federal Medicaid program helps certain individuals, including disabled persons and low-income elderly persons, pay for long-term care and in-home healthcare.

Life Insurance pays out money upon the death of the policy holder. Life insurance protects your family, dependants or other survivors, and provides a measure of financial security after your death. Many employers will often purchase life insurance on behalf of their employees. When purchasing life insurance, the insurance company will take into account several factors when calculating your premiums. These include:

• Age
• Condition of health
• Income
• Health habits
• Marital status
• Number of children

Property Insurance, which is often called homeowner's insurance, condominium insurance or renter's insurance, covers your physical property (such as your home, furniture and possessions) against damage or loss caused by any number of events, including theft, fire and weather. When purchasing property insurance, you'll want to consider a number of factors including:

• Do you live in a freestanding home or a condominium building? (Parts of a condominium structure may be covered by a master policy purchased by the homeowner's association.)
• Do you own or rent your home?
• What is the value of the contents of your home?
• What is the value of your home, excluding the value of the land it sits on?
• What types of weather more commonly cause storm damage in your region of the country?
• Do you have animals, pools, trampolines or other things on your property that could cause serious injury or death to someone?

When purchasing insurance, an insurance agent can help you determine what type of insurance you need, and how much coverage is necessary. If you purchase several types of insurance from an insurance company, you'll usually receive a discount. Keep in mind that insurance premiums do vary from company to company, so you'll want to comparison shop to make sure you're getting the best deal.

Related Links:

• Read more about insurance on Lawyers.com
• Learn more about hiring a good insurance-law lawyer
• Discuss your legal issues on our insurance claims forum
• Lawyers.com Suggested Legal Books

As a kid, I always looked forward to Memorial Day because it signaled the start of swimming pool season. Until we were about 10 years old, my brother and I took year-round swimming lessons, but we always looked forward to that first swim of the year in an outdoor pool.

Looking back, I realize that swimming lessons weren't just intended to teach us a sport. My parents invested in swimming lessons because they realized that knowing how to swim could save our lives.

According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, each year more than 300 children under the age of 5 drown in pools. Another 2,000 kids are treated for submersion-related injuries. Swimming pools, hot tubs and spas are fun, but they also pose a serious danger.

If you own a swimming pool, experts suggest that you have several types of protection, equipment and safety procedures in place to prevent injuries and death.

Install and use the following protective measures:

• Your pool should be entirely surrounded by a fence that's at least 4 feet high. The fence should be a smooth construction to make it difficult for kids to go over, under or through the barrier. Any gates should be self-latching and locked.
• If doors from your home lead directly to the pool, install door alarms that sound when the door is opened. (A keypad can be used to temporarily disable the alarm if an adult wants to use the door.) Also install a deadbolt lock that requires a key to open the door, and don't keep the key in the lock.
• Consider a motorized pool cover that would be difficult for a young child to remove.
• Install a pool alarm, which either floats on the surface or uses infrared beams below the surface to detect movement in the pool.
• Keep floatation devices and poles close to the pool, but don't rely on these to keep non-swimmers safe.
• Always have a phone near the pool.

Remember that even the best protective equipment is worthless if it isn't used correctly. Alarms should be tested regularly, and you should make sure that doors are closed and locked, and covers are on when the pool isn't being used.

When the pool isn't in use, also put away all pool toys that could tempt kids. If you have an above-ground pool, you should also remove the ladders and steps leading to the pool.

Adults and kids who are around water should also learn survival skills and practice good pool-safety practices:

• As soon as your child can crawl, he or she should be taught water survival techniques.
• Even children who know how to swim can drown. Regardless of age or swimming ability, don't let children swim without supervision.
• Anyone who is regularly supervising swimmers should know CPR and other first aid techniques.
• Know that drownings can occur even when children are supervised. Adults who are supervising kids at a pool shouldn't be distracted by phone calls, text messaging, personal conversations or reading material.
• If you or a neighbor have a pool and your child goes missing, the pool should be the first place you check. Time is of the essence when saving children who are submerged in water.
• If people are swimming outdoors and it starts to thunder or lightening, get out of the pool and into a safe shelter. Stay out of the pool for at least 30 minutes after you last hear thunder.

Swimming pools can be fun, but drowning is one of the leading causes of death among young children. If you have a pool, you have an obligation to take all of the necessary steps to ensure the safety of your family, your neighbors and your guests--even uninvited guests. But you should also be prepared for the worst-case scenario: Accidents can happen, even if you have taken all of the necessary precautions. As a pool owner, you need to protect yourself if an accident occurs.

Purchase swimming pool insurance coverage. Your homeowners insurance, renter's insurance or condo insurance usually will not cover you for pool-related accidents and lawsuits. You may also want to purchase a separate liability policy.

Check with your insurance agent to find out what safety and protective equipment is required by your policy. Also ask whether discounts are available if you install additional types of equipment, such as pool alarms.

Finally, before buying a home with a pool, installing a pool or making major improvements to your pool, contact your local and state government to learn what laws in your area govern home swimming pools.

Related Links:

• Learn more about homeowner's insurance on Lawyers.com
• Learn more about safety barriers for home pools
• Lawyers.com Suggested Legal Books

It's spring, love is in the air and wedding season is set to start. But your dream day can easily turn into a major mess despite your best efforts. Are you prepared if the florist shop folds? If your honey lands in the hospital? If the dressmaker disappears? If the banquet hall goes bankrupt? If a military deployment causes cancellations?

Fortunately, wedding insurance can help save the day or, at least, help recover your money if problems pop up. With a wedding there comes potential chaos. You're relying on a lot of people and companies to do their jobs perfectly. With every vendor you hire and every person you invite, you run the risk that something will go wrong.

That's where insurance comes in. There are a few types of insurance associated with weddings: liability insurance, cancellation and postponement insurance, and trip insurance.

Many wedding venues will require you to carry liability insurance and name them as an "other insured" on the policy. This insurance protects you in case property is damaged or someone is injured. So if a guest trips over a power cord and sues for his broken arm, your insurance company has to pay up, not you.

If you, or the person paying for the wedding, have homeowner's insurance, there is a good chance that you already have liability coverage. Check your policy carefully and ask your insurance agent whether you need to take any additional steps to ensure you're covered.

If you don't have liability insurance, you can purchased a standalone insurance policy for your event. Shop around to see which insurance company is offering the best coverage at affordable rates.

No one likes to think about the headaches and heartbreaks of a canceled wedding. As you are signing contracts, putting down deposits and hiring vendors, think about cancellation and postponement insurance.

A wedding might be canceled for reasons that have nothing to do with the bride and groom and everything to do with circumstances beyond anyone's control. Cancellation insurance makes it so that you can recover the lost money and hold the wedding at a later date.

There are several reasons a wedding might need to be postponed or cancelled. These include:

• Severe weather. Hurricanes and tornadoes are just two types of weather disasters that can cause weddings to be delayed or canceled due to timing, evacuations and destruction of the very buildings where the wedding festivities were to be held.
• Approved leave is suddenly withdrawn for a bride or groom who is a member of the military.
• Illness or injury. The bride or groom might be injured or sick to the point where they cannot get married at the scheduled time.

In addition, cancellation and postponement insurance may protect you if:

• A vendor goes out of business
• Your wedding gifts are stolen
• The wedding party's clothes are damaged

One big thing insurance will not cover: If the bride or groom gets cold feet.

Once the wedding celebration has ended, you'll probably be ready for a relaxing vacation. For many couples, a honeymoon is a once-in-lifetime opportunity to take a dream vacation. Travel insurance will help recover the cost of your vacation if you have to cancel the honeymoon or cut it short for unforeseen reasons.

Travel insurance can protect you if:

• Weather forces you to delay or cancel your vacation
• The hotel, cruise ship company, airline or tour operator goes out of business
• Your luggage is lost or stolen
• You become sick while on vacation, incur medical expenses while out of the country or need medical transport to bring you home

Comparison shop. Get quotes from several insurance companies to ensure that you're getting affordable coverage that meets your needs.

Research vendors. Check with the Better Business Bureau or online consumer forums to make sure that you're using vendors with excellent reputations. If there are one or two complaints against a vendor, it may just be sour grapes. If you come across a lot of complaints, think twice before hiring the vendor.

Check your credit card coverage. Some credits cards will provide purchase protection insurance for certain purchases within a certain length of time following the purchase.

Don't buy duplicate insurance coverage. If your homeowner's insurance policy or the vendor's insurance policy protect you in the event of property damage or personal injury, don't waste your money on additional coverage.

Related Links:

• Learn more about travel insurance on Lawyers.com
• Learn more about homeowner's insurance
• Discuss your insurance claims
• Lawyers.com Suggested Legal Books

When spring arrives, the news seems filled stories about weather-related natural disasters. Strong winds fueled wildfires in Southern California. Severe storms caused damage in Illinois last week. Parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana and Minnesota have been recently declared federal disaster areas. On June 1, the Atlantic hurricane season officially begins.

Whether you own or rent your home, consider buying insurance that covers your property if a natural disaster strikes. If you already have property insurance, review it to confirm that you're insured against losses due to natural disasters, such as fires, hurricanes or tornados. If you don’t have a policy, or don't know whether your policy covers natural-disaster losses, talk to your insurance agent to get covered or make sure your policy meets your needs.

After your property has been damaged by a natural disaster, call your insurance agent to report the damage, ask for claim forms and arrange for an insurance adjuster to visit. Since insurance policies can be difficult to understand, consider talking to an insurance lawyer who can explain the policy to you. A lawyer will act as your advocate to help get the maximum coverage under the policy.

Insurance companies try to save money when paying claims. If you have a dispute with your insurance company about the value of your claim, the company may try to resolve the situation in its favor. For instance, if you have more than one insurance policy, the insurer may expect you to pay the deductible on each of your policies. For damage covered by one policy, you should only have to pay one deductible if there was only one disaster. For example, damage from two storms would result in two claims. However, it is unlawful for an insurance company to apply multiple deductibles when there has only been one disaster.

Some insurance companies may scare you into thinking they will cancel your policy if you make a claim. However, they can't cancel your policy due to a natural-disaster claim because you did not cause the natural disaster.

Some damages are typically covered by natural-disaster insurance, and your insurance company should pay for them. These include reimbursement for:

• Carpeting. If your carpeting was ruined by a covered event, don't settle for having it cleaned. Your insurer should pay to replace the carpet, including the padding and installation.
• Asbestos. Many homes built before 1978 contain asbestos in the walls and ceilings, and asbestos can be a hazard if not properly removed or contained. The asbestos has to be removed by a qualified contractor, and your insurer should pay for its removal.
• Mold. If there is mold, you should present a claim for remediation and repair. If your home has a mold problem, all of the fabric items in your home must be replaced.
• Painting. Your insurance company should pay for all of the painting-related costs. That includes removing furniture, light fixtures and electrical outlets, then replacing them when the painting is finished.
• Repair of walls and insulation. Your insurance company must pay to replace damaged wall moldings, drywall and wall insulation.
• Loss of power. If you lost power because of the natural disaster, you are entitled to money to cover the cost of spoiled food in your refrigerator. The insurer also has to pay for an electrician to inspect the wiring in your house.
• Additional living expenses. If you have to move out of your home during or after the disaster, your insurer should cover the extra living expenses, such as hotel or apartment rental, while your home is being repaired.

Your insurance company has a duty to act in good faith and to deal fairly with you. It acts in bad faith if it makes up a reason to deny your claim. If your insurance company acts in bad faith, you can sue the company for the amount that should have been paid on the claim. You may also sue for the lawyers' fees and court costs.

Many people own homes in both cold- and warm-weather climate. Homes in different climates should be covered by different policies. For example, a home in New York City usually won't face the same weather conditions as a home in Miami. In New York, a home is more likely to be damaged by frozen water pipes than by the hurricane conditions that will threaten a Florida home. Make sure your insurance policies are a good fit for your situation.

Most insurance policies do not automatically cover home-based businesses. If you have a home business, obtain property insurance for both your home and your business. You may need additional coverage for business equipment or inventory stored in your home.

If you have any questions about filing a natural disaster insurance claim, contact an insurance lawyer in your area.

Related Links:

• Find a lawyer on Lawyers.com
• Learn more about property insurance
• Learn more about automobile accidents involving children
• Discuss your insurance claims
• Lawyers.com Suggested Legal Books

About 4 years ago, I left the company where I'd worked most of my career and went to work as a freelancer. I was thrilled to be on my own, but I've missed some of the perks that come with working at a large business. Among them: Group health insurance.

After I left my employer, I opted to stay on their health-insurance plan for 18 months, which is the maximum allowed under the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act, or COBRA. At the time this seemed like a good decision, and the cost seemed relatively reasonable compared to what some people I knew were paying, so I didn't immediately shop around. When my COBRA coverage was about to run out, I started to look into individual plans. I was unhappy to discover that I'd been overpaying for the 18 months I was on COBRA. If I'd moved to an individual plan much sooner, and I could have cut my premiums in half.

Whether you're laid off or leave voluntarily, it can be overwhelming to move into the ranks of the unemployed or self-employed. There are a lot of issues you have to address, health care among them. Because insurance can be a sizeable monthly expense, it's worth the effort to shop around and ensure you're getting the most cost-effective plan that meets your needs.

COBRA allows people who have left their jobs (at companies with 20 or more employees) to remain on their former company's health insurance plan for up to 18 months. Typically COBRA participants are required to pay up to 102% of the insurance premium, but under the recently passed stimulus bill, the government will pay 65% of COBRA premiums for the first 9 months if you lost your job between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009.

This government subsidy may make the difference between affordable and unaffordable health care for you and your family.

At the same time, however, you should talk to an insurance broker and get an idea of how much individual health insurance will cost.

There are a few types of health insurance plans to consider.

Fee-for-service or indemnity plans allow you to choose any medical provider for health care treatment. Following treatment, you pay the bill and then send a claim to your insurer for reimbursement.

Managed care plans provide both insurance and health-care services. Instead of paying every time a medical service is delivered, members pay a fixed monthly fee for health care, regardless of the amount of care needed.

Managed care programs also offer coverage for a variety of preventive services.

Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) are among the most common managed care plans.

HMOs generally require members to use their contracted physicians and facilities. Some HMOs have Point of Service (POS) options allowing members to use medical providers outside the plan's network and still qualify for partial reimbursement.

PPOs generally encourage members to use the medical providers within the plan's network. Members are allowed to consult with providers outside the network, but will have higher out-of-pocket costs.

Many individual plans will have a deductible that must first be satisfied before the insurer will pay for your medical bills. The higher deductible, the lower the premiums for the insurance plan. If you typically don't have many medical expenses but could afford to pay a few thousand dollars if you became seriously ill, a high-deductible plan would probably make sense from a financial perspective.

If you are unable to purchase private health insurance--either because you can't afford private health insurance or because pre-existing conditions make it difficult to obtain coverage--you should investigate whether you're eligible for a state-funded or federally funded insurance plan.

Medicaid is a state-administered program that offers health insurance to low-income individuals. Eligibility rules vary from state-to-state, and in some instances children may be eligible for enrollment even if their parents are ineligible.

If you are unemployed and pregnant, you different rules may be used to assess your Medicaid eligibility. Because regular medical treatment during the course of a pregnancy is vital to the good health of both the mother and child, Medicaid has special rules that ease the eligibility requirements for pregnant women. If you attempted to enroll in Medicaid before becoming pregnant and were denied, you should still reapply for coverage while pregnant. If accepted, you'll be covered for at least 60 days following delivery.

Depending on your state's plan, your health insurance may be structured in a format that's very similar to private health insurance plans. Very often, in fact, government-funded plans and private plans are run by the same insurance companies.

Related Links:

• Locate your state unemployment office on Lawyers.com
• Learn more about unemployment compensation on Lawyers.com
• Get the facts about COBRA health coverage and divorce