Blogger BlogNet97797

Are you taking a trip outside of The United States? If you're 65 or older, you may not know that Medicare doesn't cover you outside the United States. That's where getting a good travel insurance plan can come in handy.

The Original Medicare Plan does not cover health care when you travel outside the United States, except for some emergency situations in Mexico and Canada.

In rare cases, Medicare can pay for inpatient hospital services that you get in Canada or Mexico. Medicare can pay only if:

1. You are in the United States when a medical emergency occurs and the Canadian or Mexican hospital is closer than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat the emergency.
2. You are traveling through Canada without unreasonable delay by the most direct route between Alaska and another state when a medical emergency occurs and the Canadian hospital is closer than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat the emergency.
3. You live in the United States and the Canadian or Mexican hospital is closer to your home than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat your medical condition, regardless of whether an emergency exists.

Some Medicare + Choice plans may provide worldwide coverage benefits for health care needs when you travel outside the United States. You should check with your Medicare + Choice plan prior to traveling outside of the United States regarding worldwide coverage benefits.

Medigap policies C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J provide Foreign Travel Emergency health care coverage when you travel outside the United States. Under these plans, Medigap policies pay for 80% of the cost of emergency care during the first 60 days of each trip after you pay the $250 deductible. Foreign Travel Emergency coverage with Medigap policies have a lifetime limit of $50,000. Check with your plan or insurance regarding your coverage before you travel outside the country. Here's a link to Medicare's Questions and Answers.

Steve Dasseos is the CEO of TripInsuranceStore.com, the world's most informative travel insurance website. You can compare reputable travel insurance plans, get person-to-person service & advice. Contact Steve here.

Home owners in Phoenix haven't been immune to the affects of the housing slump as some people have seen property values stabilize and even decline. You can still save on home insurance in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa and elsewhere in the Valley of the Sun. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Make sure your home has the right amount of coverages. You don't need to insure the land your home sits on. Also, though home values may decline, construction costs usually don't. So you want to make sure your home insurance coverages stay up with the cost to replace your home in the event of a loss.

One of the easiest ways to save on your homeowners insurance is to comparison shop. This is because rates vary from one company to the next in Arizona. Most people don't spend any time shopping for a better rate on their home insurance, even though they may spend time shopping for lower gas or grocery prices. By getting a few quotes from different companies, you could lower your property insurance costs by hundreds. And it doesn't take that long.

You can call agents or companies listed in the phone book, or for more convenience, use an online insurance comparison site. This type of site doesn't represent a single company. Instead, agents and companies that do business in Phoenix compete to give you the best value. You simply fill out one quote request form online and get several quotes back. You can then follow-up on the quote you like best.

Also, you can lower your insurance costs through discounts. There are several discounts available that could save you anywhere from five to 20 percent. These include insuring your home and vehicles with the same company, installing smoke detectors and a burglar alarm, upgrading your electrical and more.

Another way to lower your home insurance costs is to increase your deductible. A higher deductible could cut your premium quite a bit. You want to make sure you'll be able to come up with the deductible in the event of a claim. One idea is to put the extra money you've saved from a lower premium into a savings account which you could draw on for your deductible.

Compare home insurance in Phoenix

Writer Justin Scott recommends the free insurance comparison site, LowerYourInsurance.com to get up to 5 free quotes on home insurance in all parts of Arizona. The site also features tips about saving on home insurance.