Medical Payments Coverage in a Connecticut Auto Insurance Policy

Medical payments coverage in Connecticut auto insurance policies is an optional feature, but I will better explain what this coverage does and if it is worth carrying on your CT car insurance policy. Determining what coverage and which limits to carry on your auto insurance policy can be tricky. Understanding your coverage for auto insurance policies is easier for CT residents once you have a basic understanding of medical payments options.

Definition Of Medical Payments Coverage

Medical payments coverage is defined as an optional coverage in CT that pays for medical expenses for all passengers in your vehicle, regardless of fault. These medical expenses include dental, hospitalization, funeral expenses, and in some cases, will even cover if you are a passenger in another vehicle.

This coverage differs from PIP (Personal Injury Protection) because it does not include loss of wage or some of the other broader coverage that PIP does. Finally, this coverage reads at a per person and per accident amount. For example, if your medical payments are set at $5,000 then each person would be covered up to $5,000 for medical expenses per accident.

Are Medical Payments A Necessary Coverage In CT?

It is important that before adding on medical payments to your policy that you consult your health insurance policy first. Often times your health insurance will cover much of these expenses for you and your family.

However, if your health insurance would not cover your medical expenses in an accident or makes you pay a large deductible first, it would be a good idea to include medical payments coverage on your policy. This way you and all of your passengers will be covered if an accident happened and bodily injury occurred.

Find Medical Payments Coverage In Connecticut Today!

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Travel Insurance and Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

Travel insurance hit the headlines recently when it emerged that many Britons are losing out on their holiday insurance premiums after neglecting to mention pre-existing medical conditions at the time of booking. So what medical conditions should you mention when taking out travel insurance and what exactly are your rights in relation to existing conditions?

Pre-existing medical conditions seem to generate a lot of confusion amongst holiday makers and it appears that most of the population is confused to what actually constitutes a pre-existing medical condition. A simple definition is that a pre-existing medical condition is defined in travel insurance terms as "an illness or injury that you, a traveling companion, or family member were seeking or receiving treatment for or had symptoms of on the day you purchased your plan, or at any time in the 9 months before you purchased it".

But whether its asthma, diabetes or cardiovascular problems, the fact is that the majority of people in the United Kingdom do have pre-existing medical conditions. So if you're one of these people what should you do? Well the first port of call is letting your travel insurance provider know.

If you plan on booking your holiday insurance online, you will often find that the form you need to fill in really isn't that comprehensive and often leaves little or no room for you to talk about any pre-existing medical conditions that you or a family member has. The easiest way of doing this is a simple phone call to your travel insurance provider or a quick email enlightening them on your current situation.

And remember your pre-existing conditions aren't the only ones which need mentioning. If a close relative has recently been taken ill this may hinder your ability to complete the trip and so should definitely be mentioned to your holiday insurance provider. Likewise, if your boss or a business associate has recently fallen ill and it is likely that if his condition worsens you will have to abandon your holiday and hold fort in the office then this should also be mentioned.

Although most medical conditions that you've suffered from prior to the nine month pre-purchase period do not ordinarily need to be mentioned to your travel insurance provider, things get a little more complicated if you have ever suffered from cardiovascular, cerebrovascular (strokes and brain hemorrhages) or cancerous conditions and most holiday insurance companies will not cover these if you have ever suffered from, or undergone investigation for them.

The important thing to remember is that pre-existing medical conditions do not stop you taking out holiday insurance or even claiming on your travel insurance for costs relating to them. In simple terms, if you are asthmatic and whilst on holiday you suffer from an asthma attack, you will not be able to claim on your holiday insurance for any costs related to this condition, if it arises that you suffered from this illness nine months prior to booking your holiday and chose not to inform your travel insurance operator

If you don't declare a medical condition, prior to travelling, you are opening yourself up to a potentially enormous financial risk, which could run into many thousands of pounds. The risk is just not worth it.

Medical Resident Disability Income Insurance - Protecting Your Cash Flow

As a medical resident, how long can you afford to be without a paycheck because you can't work due to illness or injury? Can you afford to literally burn through the majority of your savings over a period of months?

Disability insurance is often the last thing on a medical resident's mind. Long, arduous shifts tending to the needs of countless patients can leave little room for anything else.

Unfortunately, this lack of foresight can lead to real problems in a short period of time.

As with other Americans, medical residents have a 1 in 3 risk of being out of work for at least 90 days due to an illness or injury and a 1 in 5 risk of being out for a year or more. Because of the daily proximity to disease, the odds may even be higher.

Because medical residency is a crucial period in a doctor's career, lost time during this phase of professional development can set a resident back months, if not longer. In addition, the loss of income realized during such an event can have ramifications that are felt far into the future. Loss of income during residency can lead to foreclosure and even bankruptcy in a matter of months, especially for the resident with a family. The inability to work plus the amount of time needed to focus on personal affairs can even lead to loss of position within a residency program.

Fortunately, medical residents have proactive options to protect their income. Disability income insurance provides coverage for a portion of lost wages in the event you cannot work due to illness or injury. Several different types of income insurance are available depending on need.

Short Term versus Long Term Disability Insurance

Short term coverage generally provides benefits for up to 6 months. Keep in mind that benefits do not generally start until after the policy's elimination period, usually 30-90 days after the disability occurred.

Benefits from a long term disability insurance policy kick in after the short term benefits period has expired. Long term benefits can last from as short as 2-5 years or until age 65. Some policies even last a lifetime.

Supplemental Disability Insurance

Residents may work for an employer that offers group disability insurance coverage. This type of policy generally advertises to cover up to 60% of regular salary if you're unable to work. Benefits from such policies, however, are taxed as regular income, dropping actual take-home cash flow to closer to 45%. Group policies are also commonly riddled with exceptions and limitations that constrain when benefits will be paid and for how long.

Employer group coverage is a good start, but relying on it alone can lead to a not-so-happy surprise later.

Supplemental disability coverage exists to very affordably plug the holes in group coverage. A supplemental policy can extend income coverage up to 100% and benefits from a supplemental policy are not taxable. This extension of coverage can also be crafted to cover conditions specifically limited in the group policy, such as nervous or mental-type disabilities.

Catastrophic Disability Insurance

While other types of disability coverage protect a medical resident's income stream, catastrophic disability insurance covers the cost of at-home or facility care during an extended recuperation period. Oftentimes, such care is left up to the spouse or other family members, which can put further financial and emotional strain on an already difficult situation.

While this type of coverage is generally thought of as being for those over 60, more than 40% of beneficiaries of catastrophic coverage are between 18 and 65.

Benefits from a catastrophic coverage policy are usually paid on a per day basis (i.e., $125/day). Common options include inflation protection (where the daily benefit increases annually with inflation) and reducing the elimination period to start benefits sooner.

Self Help For Panic Attacks Available

For many years it was believed that medication was the best way to deal with anxiety. This idea has been changing. Today, many doctors and therapists are taking a different approach to those with panic and anxiety problems. Many have come to the realization that taking medicine to treat these problems is at best temporary without long term positive results.

It should go without saying that in some instances medication is a valuable tool to stabilize some people in a time of crisis. On the whole, however; the attempt to cure someone with medication creates a victim mentality. What this suggests is that people do not have the resources to effectively deal with these problems themselves.

Some of the problem originates from classifying anxiety as a disorder. This, by its very nature, defines it as a medical condition that needs drugs for treatment. If you stop to consider it, anxiety really does not fit any medical definition of a medical disorder. Anxiety is a condition that produces an intense undefined fear. Along with this by can feel severe discomfort and experience one or several physical symptoms.

Drug companies manufacture a wide variety of anti-anxiety drugs. Meanwhile, there is a vast amount of university research that tells us that these pharmaceuticals are no better at reducing anxiety than natural herbs, visualization methods or breathing techniques.

One should also consider that several of the anti-anxiety medication come with warnings of both harmful side effects and serious withdrawal symptoms.

Research indicates that anti-anxiety drugs have about the same success with patients as though that took a placebo. There are herbs, including Valerian and St. John's Wort, that have provided relief to sufferers without the harmful side effect or the difficult withdrawal.

Over time, this increasing body of research has been changing the way that doctors, therapists and patients deal with anxiety and panic disorders. Today, many people are using cognitive approaches and natural supplements to either control or eliminate chronic anxiety.

'Death' In Islam - A Concept Contrast To The Scientific View For Mental Health Research

In very simple words, death is the end of life. So in this simple definition another term is needed to be explained and that is – life. For human being, life is the existence of an individual. If we take the term existence as an easily understood one, as because not each word can be explained in a limited opportunity, we can now define death and that is “death is the end of existence”.

In medical science, death is the permanent and irreversible cessation of all vital functions namely the brain function, the respiratory function, and the circulatory or heart function. So the medical definition further elaborates the two aspects of the usual definition, ‘end’ and ‘existence’. Thus, for death, ‘end’ represents something permanent & irreversible, and ‘existence’ is mainly represented by functioning.

Integrating the above two aspects, death can be very rationally and scientifically defined as the absolute disappearance of functioning. In the science of psychology or psychiatry theology is also included, with ethical and philosophical points, to have the issues comprehensive. So theological or religious aspect of death is supposed to be important too for psychiatric research purpose. As a Muslim physician I will try to mention about the Islamic view about death.

Islam defines death as a mandatory transitional event in between the ‘life before death’ and ‘life after death’. So if we integrate the scientific aspect with the description, the definition of death for a Muslim would be the absolute disappearance of the functions for the time period in between the two lives – one before death and another after death. As a result it abandons the permanent and irreversible criteria of the ‘end’ in the concept of death with the help of the concept of the life after death.

In our daily life death is related with the biggest stresses due to the knowledge – death ends. It is also supported by the science so far. But when the question of religion comes, specifically Islam, this knowledge changes for a religious person. So it can be easily assumed that death becomes a less stressful event for a Muslim, when he truly believes in Islam. Time has come, I believe, for science to take the definitions derived from the religions in account for the sake of increasing comfort in our everyday life.

The Definition of Stress - Knowing Can Be a Life-Saver

Let's start with a medical definition of stress: A physiologic reaction by an organism to an uncomfortable or unfamiliar physical or psychological stimulus. Biological changes result from stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, including a heightened state of alertness, anxiety, increased heart rate, and sweating.

A simpler definition of stress (psychological stress), is that it's a type of strain that affects a person mentally, physically, and emotionally. The physical reactions to stress are natural defense mechanisms intended to deal with the threat of predators and aggressors. It's your body's "fight-or-flight" adrenaline response. Your body instantly shifts into high gear to deal with the emergency.

Today there are also many psychological "threats" to contend with. For example: Moving, divorce, troubles or challenges at work, exams at school, making ends meet, taking care of an ill parent or child. The less control you have over any of these events and the more uncertainty they create, the more likely you are to feel stressed.

In addition, these modern psychological threats are often prolonged. In other words, they're not over in a few minutes like a typical physical threat is. Your fight-or-flight response works overtime. While this response is good for a short-term crisis, it can be very harmful to your body when the reaction lasts longer.

The definition of stress extends to the "three types" of stress.

Acute Stress: This is the most common and it comes from events of the recent past or those anticipated in the near future. These are primarily the daily events of life: The fender bender. Missing the commuter train. A big mistake at work. Losing cable TV during the Super Bowl. And so on.

A form of acute stress is "eustress" which can be defined as a form of positive stress. In some situations you benefit from stress because it gives you your competitive edge in sports, giving a speech, job interview, or acting. Eustress provides you with focus to help you think quickly and clearly.

Eustress also keeps you vital and excited about life. Examples include the excitement of a fast challenging run down the ski slope, a roller-coaster ride, or a scary movie. Nonetheless, too much eustress can still tax your body. So be sure to have some "down time" to keep a healthy balance in your life.

Episodic Acute Stress: Basically this applies to people who experience acute stress frequently, almost on a non-stop basis. It includes people whose lives are a study in chaos and crisis. Another group of people are the "Type A" personalities. Their driving personality seems to create frequent episodes of acute stress. Then there are the endless worriers. They see disaster around every corner. If anything can go wrong it does.

Chronic Stress: It grinds people down day after day and year after year. It literally destroys bodies, minds and lives. Chronic stress can occur when a person sees no way out of a miserable situation. From being trapped in an unhappy marriage or in a job they despise. It can also be the stress of poverty or dysfunctional families.

The danger is that often people get used to it and may even forget it's there. But your body doesn't and it is paying a very high price. Chronic stress kills through suicide, violence, heart attack, stroke, and perhaps even cancer.

A complete definition of stress requires mentioning "post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)." PTSD is a debilitating condition that may develop after a terrifying event. War veterans first brought it into the limelight but anyone can experience it.

Examples of terrifying or traumatic events are: child abuse and domestic abuse; violent attacks, such as rape, mugging, or torture; threats of violence or verbal abuse, such as bullying; disasters, both natural and human-caused; being kidnapped or held captive; accidents; and military combat.

Regardless of the type of stress, no two people react in exactly the same way. And some people are less resistant to stress than others. This does NOT mean they're weak. Numerous recent studies, including one by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), are revealing how a naturally occurring mechanism in the brain promotes resilience to psychological stress. And one day it may even be possible to increase stress-resistance in people faced with situations that might otherwise result in post-traumatic stress disorder, for example.

Having a clear understanding of the definition of stress allows you to manage and cope with it effectively. Remember, stress is natural and even beneficial at times. However, too much over extended periods of time will have serious negative impacts on your physical and mental health.

What is the Definition of Medical Malpractice?

You may not know that this is a very widespread problem. Ever year people die from being misdiagnosed and treated for the wrong disease. The difference can be life and death! Many of these cases are never recognized and reported. If you are the victim of a case like this, you may not be aware of your rights. This is why it is important to have a clear definition of medical malpractice. You don't want to have to take the word of the doctors. This is the reason so many cases go unreported.

Every physician must have insurance against these kinds of claims. This is a way of protecting themselves. As the number of suits filed rises, the cost to keep this kind of insurance also rises, causing doctors financial hardships. In addition, the number of providers who sell this kind of insurance has been decreasing. As a result, it is becoming harder for doctors to practice. Many must move to a new location where their premiums are lower.

But what can we file a suit against? If a doctor does not treat a problem correctly, this can cause new problems to arise, and this would qualify. If, through the negligence of the doctor, a diagnosis is given too late for the treatment to do any good, this too is something you can file against. If the doctor applies the wrong treatment for the wrong disease, this is also considered.

There is a variety of things that can go wrong when the patient is under anesthesia or undergoing surgery that are easily preventable by the doctor. The doctor may prescribe the wrong medication for the patient, or the incorrect dosage, and complications can arise. If this is the doctor's fault, you may be able to file a suit.

These suits are usually expensive and complicated. Before filing, you must keep in mind that you will be required to present many documents. Your physical health and history will become a part of the lawsuit. This is why it is important to document everything that happens involving your health. Even things that seem unimportant may be vital to establishing who is liable. You must be prepared to be under this kind of scrutiny by the court. You must also keep track of all the medications you have taken, and it is good to document individual conversations you have had with your doctor.

Clinical Negligence Claims Or Medical Negligence Claims - Which Definition is the Correct One?

So you suffer at the hands of a medical professional, and you start researching for information about what has happened to you. As you trawl through medical and legal websites you come across information about medical negligence and clinical negligence. You are told that you can make a clinical negligence claim on one website, and on another that you must make a claim for medical negligence compensation. All you want to know is what has happened and how can you put it right and make sure it does not happen again to anyone else.

Let me help you by confirming that the actual description does not matter to you.

You can call it clinical negligence or medical negligence.

Everyone in the profession, whether a solicitor or a medical expert, will understand what you are talking about.

Historically claims of this type were always referred to as medical negligence claims, but I believe when Lord Woolf introduced reforms to the legal claims process, the terminology was changed to clinical negligence. What matters to you though is that you can call it by whichever name is easier for you to remember. For the remainder of this article, I will stick with clinical negligence.

What Is Clinical Negligence?

A basic description of clinical negligence is that a medical professional has given you treatment (or failed to do so when he or she should have) and that treatment (or lack of it) was below the standard expected, that it caused you injury, and that it was foreseeable that it would cause you injury. That was supposed to be a simple legal description, but it is easier said than done. Put very basically, you could say that the definition is that a medical professional has treated you badly and you have suffered as a result.

So What Do You Do Next?

If you think that you are the victim of clinical negligence, you need to consider obtaining legal advice and making a complaint. Initially, you should always seek an expert legal opinion. Your clinical negligence solicitor can then guide you through the complaints procedure.

Making A Complaint

The first complaint to be made is to the medical profession in charge of your care if you are still in hospital. You must explain that you are making a formal complaint and that you would like a detailed response. If you are still not happy with the response you receive, the next stage is to complain to the Hospital's Complaints Manager.

If you have already left hospital, you should send a letter to the Hospital Complaints Manager. An appointment may be made for you to meet with the Consultant in charge of treating you to discuss the situation in more detail. This is called Local Resolution.

Time Limits

You should make a formal complaint to the hospital within 12 weeks of the treatment or lack of it. When you have made your complaint the hospital should respond in writing within 20 working days.

If you are still not satisfied with the response from the hospital, the next stage is to request a referral for an Independent Professional Review within 28 days of the end of the Local Resolution. This is carried out by two or three independent consultants. They will conduct a review of the treatment provided, including obtaining evidence from any witnesses as well as from you and the medical professionals involved in the treatment. They will also review your medical notes.

The other way to complain is to go direct to the NHS Ombudsman. This must be done within one year from the date of treatment or the date you became aware of the potential negligent treatment. This is not a guaranteed method of having your claim dealt with, however, as the Ombudsman looks at very few cases annually and will only investigate those cases that have gone through the NHS complaints procedure.

If you can persuade the Ombudsman to investigate the case then a team of officers will examine the evidence and interview all staff involved in your treatment. They will also obtain independent reports on the medical care provided.

What Next?

You should ask a specialist clinical negligence solicitor to review your potential claim to see whether you can take the matter forward. As advised, it is worth doing this before you go through the complaints procedure. You will be able to obtain a free initial opinion from a solicitor.

Read more by viewing my Medical Negligence Claims Guide.

Nicholas Jervis is a personal injury solicitor (non-practising) and a director of 1stClaims.co.uk, a claims company which connects innocent personal injury and medical negligence victims with expert solicitors at no cost to the individual. 1stClaims can help you with all claims including Whiplash.

Medical Personal Injury - The Legal Definition Explained

Personal injury can be defined as any injury that arises due to the negligence or intentional, harmful acts of another. In many cases of personal injury, the party responsible for the injury acted carelessly and recklessly with the safety of others which resulted in a personal injury to an innocent party. When an individual should reasonably foresee that their action or inaction could lead to the injury of another, the party responsible for the injury may be held liable for damages. Personal injuries can be bodily injury, property damage, the denial of an individual's civil liberties, or defamation of the individual's character or reputation. Whatever form it takes, the effects of personal injuries on a victim's life can be devastating, permanent, and overwhelming to both the victim and his or her family.

There are many situations in which personal injuries may occur, and some of these situations may include: car accidents, slip and fall accidents, products liability cases, workplace accidents, medical malpractice, and wrongful death. For example, car accidents may occur because a driver is distracted and driving carelessly. Drivers can become distracted where there are multiple occupants in the car or when they are not paying close attention to the road and traffic signs or conditions (i.e. talking on the phone or texting while driving). Another example of a situation in which it may occur is medical malpractice. A medical personal injury may occur when a doctor fails to diagnose, does not provide proper or timely treatment, or prescribes the wrong medication. This can cause serious harm to the victim. In some cases, death has resulted as a consequence of of this malpractice.

When an individual is faced with a personal injury that affects their ability to work and provide for their family, the individual may want to consider seeking professional legal counsel to assist them with their case. Because the inability to work can affect an individual's financial stability or because the seriousness of the personal injury may leave the victim permanently unable to work, it is imperative that victims of personal injury hold accountable those parties responsible for their injuries. Victims may be entitled to financial remuneration by those responsible for their injuries. Damages may be awarded to victims for pain and suffering, medical expenses, property damage, lost wages, lost future earnings, and loss of companionship.

The Definition of Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice has become a greater concern for doctors over the years. The age of lawsuits means that people are quick to sue for any wrongs they feel have been committed against them. While most doctors do everything they can to avoid being sued for malpractice, sometimes there is just nothing they can do. Even when they do everything right, something can still go wrong - and the doctor often takes the blame for these problems, whether they were responsible or not. Unfortunately, it is very simple for someone to bring a lawsuit against another person today, but on the bright side there is a complex process which rules out most frivolous suits.

The definition of medical malpractice is the deviation by a medical professional from the standards of the medical industry, thus causing injury or death to a patient. True medical malpractice is rare, but lawsuits for medical malpractice are not very rare. Successful malpractice suits must follow the definition of medical malpractice in that they prove that the doctor, through action or inaction, caused wrongful injury to a patient. Typically, this means that a practitioner grossly violated the standards set by the medical industry.

Because of the presence of medical malpractice lawsuits, medical professionals are required to maintain personal liability insurance to protect them and offset the costs of malpractice suits. However, in keeping with the definition of medical malpractice, the lawsuit must prove that the medical professional violated medical standards. This requires an expert to prove that there was a violation of standards. With medicine becoming more and more advanced, there are more things that can go wrong. This means that malpractice suits can take advantage of the legal aspects of medicine not being caught up with the practice.

As new medical practices continue to push the envelope, people will seek reasons to sue when things go wrong, but the definition of medical malpractice protects doctors from many lawsuits filed by people who are just looking to put the blame somewhere. Fortunately for doctors who are concerned about wrongful lawsuits, there has been a recent push to reform many of the torts which govern the medical industry. They are intended to eliminate lawsuits filed by people who, for whatever reason, feel they were wronged by their doctors.

There have been numerous high profile lawsuits against doctors who were said to have violated the definition of medical malpractice, but the fact is that these expensive lawsuits negatively impact the ability of the medical industry to offer quality care when they are brought about by people who are simply seeking money. With the new reforms that are being put into place, it is likely that frivolous lawsuits will begin to decline. As it is, they are on the rise and have been for quite some time. If something is not done to stop wrongful medical malpractice suits, the medical industry will continue to be inhibited in its ability to provide quality care at reasonable cost.

If you want to know more about the legal definition of medical malpractice and whether or not your personal case qualifies for further investigation or even hiring a New Jersey Medical Malpractice Attorneys and filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, visit our helpful information site here: http://www.squidoo.com/definition-of-medical-malpractice