Extreme Heat Shocks the Midwest

 

When the temperatures soar into the upper 90′s and higher with heat indexes into the 100′s the heat is no longer just uncomfortable it becomes downright dangerous. The temperatures can lead to heat related illness’s so it is important that we know the symptoms, how to minimize our risk as well as how to treat these illness’s if neccasary. The early form of heat induced illness that can lead to deadly others  is Heat Exhaustion.

Heat exhaustion occurs when your body gets too hot. The hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls thirst and hunger, also controls the body’s core temperature. Normally, the body cools itself by sweating. But if you are exposed to high temperatures for a long time (working outdoors in the summer, for example) and don’t replace the fluids you lose, the body systems that regulate temperature become overwhelmed. As a result, your body produces more heat than it can release. Heat exhaustion requires immediate attention because it can progress to heat stroke, a life threatening illness.

Signs and Symptoms:

People with heat exhaustion may experience the following signs and symptoms:

• Heavy sweating
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Pale, clammy skin
• Thirst
• Rapid heartbeat
• Dizziness, fainting
• Nausea, vomiting
• Muscle and abdominal cramps
• Mild temperature elevations

If body temperature goes above 104 °F, or if coma or seizure occurs, the patient may have heat stroke. Heat stroke can quickly lead to heart attack and death if not treated.

What Causes It?:

Heat exhaustion occurs most often when you are exposed to high temperatures and become dehydrated, usually from not drinking enough fluids. It also can happen when large volumes of sweat are replaced with fluids that don’t contain enough salt.

Who’s Most At Risk?:

The following factors increase the risk of developing heat exhaustion:

• Being dehydrated
• Age (the elderly and children under 5 years of age)
• Illness or chronic disability
• Obesity
• Pregnancy
• Cardiovascular disease
• Hypertension
• Respiratory disease
• Drinking alcohol
• Physical exertion in hot or humid environments (athletes, military personnel, and outdoor laborers are particularly at risk)
• Taking medications that interfere with the body’s ability to cool itself, including antipsychotics, tranquilizers, antihistamines, tricyclic antidepressants, beta-blockers, and some over the counter sleeping pills

What to Expect at Your Provider’s Office:

If you have symptoms of heat exhaustion, you should see a doctor immediately. The doctor will perform a physical examination, check your blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, and assess how dehydrated you are. The doctor may also request lab tests of blood and urine samples.

Treatment Options:

Prevention

If you are working or exercising in the heat, don’t wait until you get thirsty to drink fluids. Instead, drink plenty of fluids before, during, and after the activity. Take the following precautions to prevent heat exhaustion:

• Stay in cool or air conditioned spaces when possible on hot days.
• Drink more fluids than usual. Drinking enough fluids during exercise, for example, helps improve heart function, maintain kidney function, and lower the body’s core temperature. Dehydration can stress the heart and reduce the kidneys’ ability to maintain the correct balance of electrolytes (charged elements — such as potassium, sodium, phosphorous, and chloride — which are essential for the normal function of every cell in the body).
• Check on those vulnerable to heat exhaustion (the elderly, for example).
• Avoid alcohol. Drink water or sports drinks sweetened with natural juices.
• Exercise or work outdoors during cooler times of day.
• Drink 2 cups of water 30 minutes before exercising and drink 1 cup of water every 20 minutes.
• Take cool baths.
• Wear loose, lightweight clothing.
• Long-term prevention of heat exhaustion includes regular, doctor approved exercise. Those who exercise regularly over time, allowing their bodies to adjust to hot conditions, may better tolerate exercise on hot days.

Treatment Plan

The primary treatment for heat exhaustion is to rest in a cool environment (a shady spot or, better, an air conditioned room) and to drink cool (not icy) fluids. Water is usually enough to reverse dehydration, or you can drink a sports drink that contains electrolytes. You can also cool down by spraying yourself with water and fanning.

Drug Therapies

Your health care provider may recommend an oral or intravenous saline electrolyte solution.

Hopefully you are able to stay inside where it is cool during the hottest parts of the day. Unfortunately, that is not an option for everyone. Baker Insurance Group hopes that the information that we have provided you will help keep you safe as we go through these dangerously hot days!

Congratulations on your new condo!

Multi-family housing in the form of Condominium buildings as well townhome communities that are incorporated as condominiums have continued to dominate the new construction start-ups over the last ten years. Unfortunately, most people view the insurance needs of a condo unit owner to be similar to that of a renter when in reality there are significant differences.

Most condo owners probably aren’t aware of the benefits of a condo-owners insurance policy, even though they are required to obtain one if they financed the purchase of the condo…at least in the past few years.

Condo-owners insurance, known as a HO-6 Policy, differs from the homeowner association’s master insurance policy, which many people mistakenly think will cover their losses.

What’s the difference between the master policy and a condo-owners policy?

The condominium homeowner association’s master insurance policy is a commercial insurance policy that provides coverage for the building and common areas (e.g. lobby, hallways, community room, roof decks, courtyards, etc.) with the exception of individual units. It may also provide coverage for liability, ordinance and law, directors and officers, and employee dishonesty. Earthquake and flood insurance are optional.

There are essentially two types of master policies: bare walls-in and all-in.

• With a bare walls-in policy, the association’s master policy provides coverage from the exterior walls and in to the studs. It does not provide coverage in individual units for installations or fixtures (flooring, lighting, countertops, kitchen/bath fixtures, plumbing etc.).
• The all-in policy is more comprehensive, providing coverage for installations and fixtures. However, it may not cover upgrades and improvements made to the property.

A condo-owners insurance policy (HO-6), on the other hand, is essential to bridge the gap and provide coverage not included under the master policy, such as personal property, personal liability and loss assessment.

Do I need an HO-6 policy?

If you’re financing a purchase of a condo, you don’t have an choice. Changes to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA over the past few years require buyers to purchase an HO-6 Policy. If you’ve paid cash or financed prior to the changes, it likely remains an option for you.

My recommendation, as a condo specialist and former insurance underwriter, is yes…condo owners should obtain an HO-6 policy. The coverage and protection provided by an HO-6 policy can be invaluable to condo owners.

Elements of an HO-6 Policy

An HO-6 condo-owners policy is a personal insurance policy that provides coverage for the interior of the unit (often referred to as a studs-in policy), personal property, loss of use, personal liability and coverage for special assessments levied against the owners.

The basic HO-6 Policy consists of five coverage sections (standard in the industry) but the amount of coverage and settlement options may differ by insurance company. Optional insurance coverages can be purchased to supplement and expand the underlying coverage.

Coverage A – Dwelling and/or Building Additions & Alterations
The Dwelling coverage provides insurance for the interior real property not covered by the master policy such as the walls, flooring, fixtures and cabinetry. Reviewing the association’s master policy can help to determine how much Dwelling coverage you need. With a bare walls-in master policy, condo owners will need more coverage than with an all-in master policy.

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Coverage C – Personal Property
The Personal Property coverage provides insurance for personal items damaged or lost due to a covered loss. This includes everything that is not permanently affixed to the unit – clothing, furniture, TV’s and other electronics, appliances, DVDs, Xbox/Wii, rugs, bikes, linen, towels, dishes and utensils, pots/pans, toiletries, etc.

The amount of coverage varies, though insurance companies normally require a minimum limit. Insurance agents recommend completing an inventory to know how much coverage you need. From my experience as an underwriter, I can tell you most people underestimate the value of their personal property. It’s not until they suffer a loss do they realize they don’t have enough insurance to replace their clothing, furniture, computer, tv and all the small items that add up.

HO-6 Policies also include specials limits on certain classes of property in regards to theft such as jewelry, cash, securities, furs and property away from the premises.

There are two types of settlement options for Personal Property – either Actual Cash Value or Replacement Cost.

• Actual Cash Value will replace or repair the damaged/lost property minus depreciation.
• Replacement Cost will provide the full value to replace the damaged/lost property without depreciation.

Whether an HO-6 Policy comes with Actual Cash Value or Replacement Cost coverage depends on the insurance company issuing the policy so it’s best to compare.

Coverage D – Loss of Use
This coverage is particularly important if a covered loss makes your condo unlivable. Coverage D will normally pay for the reasonable increase in expenses to maintain your standard of living for a certain amount of time and may include the cost for you to stay in a hotel and for meals.

Coverage usually is stated in terms of time rather than a dollar amount. For instance, a policy may provide coverage for up to 12 months.

Coverage E – Personal Liability
Personal Liability coverage protects you against the legal responsibility for bodily injury or property damage caused to other people on or away from your property. It also covers the cost to defend you in court and to cover monetary damages up to the policy limit.

Coverage F – Medical Payments to Others
Coverage F provides payments to your guests who are accidentally injured in your condo for reasonable medical expenses such as an examination, the ambulance ride, hospital visit, x-rays and surgery. This coverage can also cover someone who is injured due to one of your activities away from the condo such as golf.

Additional Coverages

Beside the five primary coverages listed above, HO-6 Policies have a list of Additional Coverages that many people don’t realize are included. The most important of these for condo owners is the Loss Assessment coverage.

Loss Assessment Coverage provides protection against special assessments levied against condo owners for losses incurred at the complex. In some cases, it can also cover the condo owner’s share of the master policy deductible. This is the coverage that is insufficient on most condo unit owners policies.

Other Additional Coverages may include fire department service charge, theft of credit cards, forgery, trees and shrubbery, cost to re-key locks due to theft of keys and refrigerated items among others.

Optional Coverage

One optional coverage recommended particularly in high-rise condominium’s is Earthquake Insurance. While the homeowners association may have earthquake coverage for the building, it won’t cover damage to your personal property nor will it cover the increased living expense you incur while the building is not inhabitable.

As you can see, the HO-6 condo-owners insurance policy provides comprehensive protection above and beyond coverage of the master policy. Not only does it provide comprehensive protection, it is very reasonably priced. To determine how much coverage you need and to learn more about the different coverages, please consult with your insurance agent or contact Baker Insurance Group.

Identity Theft

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may mark the beginning of the season, but there is still a lot of holiday shopping to go. Before you whip out that credit card, keep in mind that identity theft is on the rise, and it is important to take precautions to guard your security.

State	Complaints per 100,000 population (1)	Number of complaints	Rank (2)
Illinois	93.0	12,113	10

Type of identity theft fraud	Percent
Credit card fraud	17%
Government documents or benefits fraud	16
Phone or utilities fraud	15
Employment-related fraud	13
Bank fraud (2)	10
Attempted identity theft	6
Loan fraud	4
Other identity theft	23

(1) Population figures are based on the 2009 U.S. Census population estimates.
(2) Ranked by complaints per 100,000 population. The District of Columbia had 150.4 complaints per 100,000 population and 902 victims.

Source: Federal Trade Commission.

Identity Theft Insurance

A recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) study found that 8.3 million Americans were the victims of identity theft in 2005, and the number is rising. In at least half of the incidents, thieves obtained goods or services worth $500 or less; however in 10 percent of cases, thieves got at least $6,000 worth of goods or services.

Fifty-six percent of all victims were unable to provide any information on how their personal information was stolen. Identity thieves use personal information to impersonate a victim, stealing from bank accounts, establishing phony insurance policies, opening unauthorized credit cards or obtaining unauthorized bank loans.

Use of stolen credit card and debit card numbers is among the most common forms of identity theft. Some schemes use electronic means, including online scams like “phishing,” while others might use more old-fashioned methods, such as “dumpster diving”—rooting around in people’s garbage to collect financial information.

The advent of new, “no-swipe” credit cards that transmit account and user information through radio frequency identification may make it possible, in some cases, for identity thieves to use a simple electronic device to capture the information.

Victims of identity theft are often left unable to use existing credit or obtain a new loan, harassed by debt collectors, are subjects of criminal investigations or civil suits and in some instances arrested.

Identity theft may be covered by insurance. Identity theft protection and resolution service is included in some companies’ homeowner and auto policies at no additional cost. The service provides the consumer with a fraud specialist to assist and guide them through the process of restoring and protecting their identity. Some companies include identity theft coverage as part of their homeowners insurance policy; selling it as either a stand-alone policy or as an endorsement to a homeowners or renters insurance policy. This coverage provides the customer reimbursement for the expenses associated with the identity and credit restoration process including phone bills, lost wages, notary and certified mailing costs, and sometimes attorney fees (with the prior consent of the insurer).

Tips for Avoiding Identity Theft

Keep the amount of personal information in your purse or wallet to the bare minimum. Avoid carrying additional credit cards, your social security card or passport unless absolutely necessary.

• Guard your credit card when making purchases. Shield your hand when using ATM machines or making long distance phone calls with phone cards. Don’t fall prey to “shoulder surfers” who may be nearby.
• Always take credit card or ATM receipts. Don’t throw them into public trash containers, leave them on the counter or put them in your shopping bag where they can easily fall out or get stolen.
• Don’t give out personal information. Whether on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet, don’t give out any personal information unless you have initiated the contact or are sure you know who you are dealing with and that they have a secure line.
• Proceed with caution when shopping online. Make sure that you are buying from a reputable retailer with a secure network.
• Do not fall for online or email scams. Be wary if you receive email solicitations for personal information. In online scams like “phishing,” thieves use email inquiries purporting to be from financial or other online organizations in order to obtain sensitive account information.
• Monitor your accounts. Don’t rely on your credit card company or bank to alert you of suspicious activity. Carefully monitor your bank and credit card statements to make sure all transactions are accurate. If you suspect a problem, contact your credit card company or bank immediately.
• Order a copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus. A new law that took effect December 1, 2004, entitles you to one free credit report per year. Your credit report contains information on where you work and live, the credit accounts that have been opened in your name, how you pay your bills and whether you’ve been sued, arrested or filed for bankruptcy. Make sure it’s accurate and includes only those activities you’ve authorized.
• Place passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts. Avoid using easily available information like your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, any part of your Social Security number or phone number, or any series of consecutive numbers. If you suspect a problem with your credit card, change your password.
• Shred any documents containing personal information such as credit card numbers, bank statements, charge receipts or credit card applications, before disposing of them.

For more information on Identity Theft contact Baker Insurance Group (education and info with no obligation to buy).