According to a Tampa Bay Times report from last year, insurance company bankruptcies have cost the state of Florida over $400 million so far.  And now you can add $36 million more to the mix.  Sunshine State Insurance has gone belly up and left $36 million in unpaid claims, which means that the state is left to clean up the mess.

That also means that homeowners will most likely eventually have to pay up themselves as insurance bills will probably go up to cover the cost.  This actually happens fairly frequently in the state of Florida.  Sunshine State Insurance is the seventh smaller insurance company that is no longer in business.  And it is costing the residents of Florida a lot of money.  Sunshine State was one of the smaller companies that the state once recommended as an alternative to Citizens. 

You could make a pretty strong argument that many of these losses could have been avoided if your leaders in Tallahassee weren't so A) reckless in shedding Citizens policies and B) lax in monitoring these pop-up companies. (Romano, 2014).         Here’s the problem: these business went out of business when there were no hurricanes in Florida. 

They didn’t have enough reserves to pay their claims, and this is when no major catastrophes were happening, so claims were minimal comparatively speaking.  And they didn’t have the reserves because they were shifting money to the “parent” companies and then bailing before the next catastrophe (read: hurricane) hits. 

The bigger problem?  There are about 50 insurers in the state of Florida currently.  Out of those, Weiss Ratings has deemed 40 percent of them to be in danger of closing their doors.  That’s not very comforting for the residents of Florida.

Call Pachuta Insurance Today @ 706-769-2262


Source:
Tampa Bay Times

Church insurance coverage doesn't have to be a complicated or expensive process.  However, if you are a church pastor or leader, ensuring that your church and your people are covered is critically important. 

What type of coverage do I need for my church in Athens?

Most church insurance coverage provides both property and liability coverage for churches of all denominations and is available in all states except Florida.  If you are resident in the state of Florida and wishing to inquire about our insurance coverage, then you'll be most interested in our Cornerstone Plus Package coverage option.

What type of coverage would my church receive with "property coverage" for my church in Athens?

Property coverage would include items such as your church building structured, the contents within your church, signs, property and other builds that are in the open, and fences and other structures around your church.  

There is also coverage options for your church to include property inside of your church such as computers and equipment, furniture, sound equipment, and other items within the church building.

What type of liability coverage would be covered on my church?

Church insurance in Athens would also provide liability coverage which would protect your church against claims such as bodily injury and property damage that would arise out of accidents, storm damage, and other day to day operations that occur within the church.  Medical expenses would also be covered, regardless of fault.

How to get church insurance in Athens, Georgia


If you are a pastor or church leader in the Athens, Georgia area and you'd like to inquire about church insurance, then the best way to start is to call Johnny Pachuta at Pachuta Insurance located in Watkinsville, Georgia.  Pachuta Insurance partners with GuideOne, which is the nations #1 provider of insurance coverage for churches.

Call Johnny today for a free consultation at 706-769-2262.

Cindy Richey, the president of Prosperity Planning Inc., discovered that a great number of retirees spent everything they earned. What this means is that if Social Security retirement benefits were a couple's entire income, there could be a large decline of income when a spouse dies. 

Richey gave an example of one case where the husband received $2,000 in monthly retirement benefits. His wife did not have a comprehensive work history and received $1,000 as her spousal benefit. If he dies, then her benefit will be bumped up to $2,000. However, if she died first, her benefit would stop. The Social Security total payment of $3,000 would drop $1,000 either way when one person dies, meaning there would be a 33 percent cut. If they saved, they would have no issues, but many people do not save and end up losing half their Social Security benefits. 

Life insurance helps to make up for this loss and provides for the surviving spouse. It is similar to how auto insurance protects a person from losses in the event of an accident. Cindy Richey continued by saying that people who have a cash-value life insurance policy should avoid dropping it at all costs. As long as the premiums are not a problem, she always recommends to keep the policy. 

Buying a life insurance policy ahead of time is important because older adults will pay more for new coverage. Additionally, it would be best if the policy covers both individuals so that neither spouse deals with economic loss. 

Sometimes a person gets diagnosed with a terminal illness, and a life insurance policy helps to pay for the medical debts. Maintaining the standard of living for a left behind loved one is important. There are two types of life insurance: term insurance and permanent insurance. Term insurance only lasts for a period of up to 20 years while permanent insurance lasts for a lifetime.

Call Pachuta Insurance Today @ 706-769-2262

Source:
LifeHealthPro

Are you aware that there are over 2500 doctors in Georgia that do not carry malpractice insurance?  This can leave you, as a patient, with very little recourse if something goes wrong.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that dozens of underinsured doctors were disciplined by the state medical board for sexual misconduct, illegal deaths, illegal drug use, and other serious offenses. 

Medical and legal experts say that the fact that just under 8 percent of the licensed doctors in the state of Georgia are uninsured is worrisome.  “I know of no good way to understand that,” said Dr. Gerald Hickson, an authority on physician behavior who teaches at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.  “I feel very strongly that it’s one of our professional duties to be prepared to do the right thing in the face of an adverse event.” (InsuranceJournal.com, 2014)

Doctors who practice without insurance bear the responsibility of compensating patients if something goes wrong.  That can put their assets at risk, but more, it can also leave patients with or their families with little in a costly case. 

The AJC went over the state medical board data from 2011.  Of more than 29,500 doctors in Georgia, 2,536 said that they did not carry malpractice insurance.  There were 3,000 that did not respond.  Of the 2,536 that don’t have malpractice insurance, the state board has sanctioned 113 of them for violating regulations, including nine on probation.

What is not known is the number of the uninsured doctors that are actually practicing medicine.  The newspaper has done some random checks and so far has found more than a dozen that are practicing medicine.

Call Pachuta Insurance Today @ 706-769-2262

Source:
Insurance Journal

With spring in full swing, that means rain and the potential for hazardous weather such as the line of thunderstorms that came through the south on Thursday, June 5, reportedly leading to the deaths of at least three people.

Georgia was in the path of the storms as were Alabama and South Dakota, where a tornado reportedly touched down outside of Sioux Falls.

In Arkansas, two people were killed as strong winds toppled trees, a not too distant reminder of the recent death of an Athens man who was killed when a tree fell onto his vehicle due to high winds.

Pedro Gerosquieta, 39, left behind a wife and five children when the fatal storm hit the Pinewood Estates North mobile home park on April 30.

In southern Tennessee a man reportedly died Thursday morning when his vehicle was swept downstream as he tried to cross a flooded road.

A number of homes and businesses in Arkansas were reportedly damaged as a result of the storms and strong winds blew over a freight train.

Call Pachuta Insurance Today @ 706-769-2262
Source:
Athens Banner Herald