Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Should Your Important Insurance Papers Be Stored in the Cloud?


Given that the hard copy of your insurance policies can be destroyed by fire and/or flood, should we be insuring our important insurance related papers/documents in the cloud?

By: Ringo Bones 

Since the introduction of cloud computing and data storage, it seems that even ordinary nettizens can’t seem to live without it anymore.  And given that one’s important insurance related documents – i.e. the hard copy of your very important insurance policies can be damaged and or lost in a fire, flood, avalanche or other insurable disaster that can make short shrift of your important insurance policy documents in their paper / hard copy form, should we be storing – in digital form – our important insurance policies in the cloud? 

There’s an on-line provider that gives such service, it’s called Policy Buddy and you can visit them online at www.policybuddy.com. It provides a cloud service where you can digitally store your important insurance policies in case if the hard copy – or insurance policy paper documents – is destroyed in a fire, flood, avalanche or other natural or man-made disaster that can make a short shrift of your very important insurance policy papers to oblivion. Not to mention that most of us already have the trouble remembering where was the last safe place we stored our homeowners or similar insurance policy papers. 

As a cloud data storage / insurance policy management app, Policy Buddy also periodically reminds you if your existing insurance policy is up for renewal. Its cloud data storage system is compliant with existing EU data protection standards and privacy laws. As a way to protect your important insurance papers from the vagaries of an uncertain future and also to remind you if your current insurance policies are already up for renewal, It sure is a better bet to avail with the cloud services of Policy Buddy.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

The Big Fat Spanish Medical Insurance Debacle



Even though Spain – like the rest of other EU member countries – is currently suffering from economic hardship, should it’s hospitals be “conning” more affluent EU citizens as a means of bailing out its own economy? 

By: Ringo Bones 

As an European Union citizen, have you ever been forced to pay for your emergency medical treatment in Spain after they refused to accept your E.H.I.C.? Well, back around May 31, 2013, the news story came out that most Spanish hospitals had been conning more affluent E.U. citizens – especially British tourists – into paying for emergency treatment or charging it on their current travel insurance even though their E.H.I.C. covers it. Even though Spain – like those other E. U. member countries – is currently suffering from economic hardship, should their hospitals be “conning” more affluent E.U. citizens as a means of an E.U. sourced economic bailout even though the said E.U. citizens’ E.H.I.C. covers it? 

The E.H.I.C. – or the European Health Insurance Card – is specifically designed to allow all European Union citizens the right to have emergency medical care under existing European Union laws. However, it has recently came out that Spanish hospitals have been refusing to accept the card therefore conning patients into paying hospital bills and insisting tourists to claim the incurred costs of their emergency medical treatments on their existing travel insurance policies. 

Under E.U. law any British citizen is entitled to free medical care within the European Union. The cost of any care is then billed to the U.K.’s N.H.S.; however Spain has taken upon itself to reject the E.H.I.C. and charge British nationals for any treatment and advice them that they should claim it on their existing travel insurance policy. Isn’t this the most thuggish way for Spain to ask for the Brussels for an economic bailout?