Monday, October 25, 2010

Claims Adjuster Jobs-Finding the Ideal Insurance Job


If you intend to get a job as a insurance claims adjuster, then you will need a sense of diligence, good investigative skills, and a great sense of humour. People from all over make some of the most amazing claims and it is your job to read the forms, laugh a little, and then seek out the truth of the matter. People sometimes write in a manner that they think is perfectly clear, but which are slightly more humorous than originally intended.

There are, of course, less amusing and more amusing variations of the insurance claims adjuster job. Life insurance claims are rarely funny, and things like flood and fire insurance don't seem terribly amusing either. Car insurance, however, is full of hilarious claims about accidents and their causes that might have a claims adjuster falling off their chair.

Imagine a normal work day, where you are reading claims from people claiming accidents from a variety of causes, ranging from "I lost control when my girlfriend grabbed my testicles" to "a submarine hit my car". (Both of these, by the way, are real claims that were made.)

Of course, there is always the typical claim of that deals with mundane issues such as collisions in heavy traffic, but the phrasing used by many customers is more than enough to start you on your first chuckle of the day. This is including things like: "In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole." And don't forget the people who blame their car troubles on unknown forces or Voodoo.

The job requires that sense of humour, if you feel that you can handle the thought of people driving off a cliff to avoid a squirrel or into a building as they check the gas prices, or even going through businesses when they forget to put the car in reverse, then this might just be the ideal job for you.

As for the technical aspects of the job, the insurance claims adjuster is the person who investigates the claims that are made, ridiculous and otherwise, negotiate settlements, and authorize payments. Your job is to determine whether the policy that the claimant holds covers the accident or other loss, and how much of the loss should be paid to the claimant. Once you have read the claims form, you will have to conduct interviews with witnesses, police, and hospital staff where applicable, and consult the relevant records held by them regarding the loss.

You will consult with many professional people if you think that someone in the profession can help with your investigation. This might mean talking to a wide range of lawyers, doctors, engineers, construction workers, and more. The information you gather, including video and audio components, is then presented in a report to help evaluate the claim.

If the claim is found to be legitimate, then it becomes your job to negotiate the settlement with the claimant. If it is contested, then it is your job to work within the legal system to protect your company's position. No matter what you find, though, you are sure to find plenty of laughs along the way.

Medical Billing And Coding - What Is The Job Description For A Medical Insurance Specialist?


If you've been thinking about getting a job as a medical insurance specialist you may be wondering what skills or responsibilities you'd need and what the job description is. You may already have experience in the medical billing and coding fields or you may just be starting your research into medical billing and/or medical coding training or be somewhere in between.

In any case there are certain skills and responsibilities that you'll want to have or know about. First of all you may find yourself working alone much of the time so you may need to be able to work independently with ease. You'll need to be able to think clearly and communicate well with patients, many of whom you may need to contact by phone.

You must have high ethical standards as you'll be viewing a lot of personal health and medical information that must be kept private. You should be good working with details and have a good basic understanding of anatomy and physiology and know terminology as well. Learning medical terminology does not take much time and you'll notice a significant increase in your vocabulary overall because you'll be learning a lot of root words.

You'll need to know diagnosis and procedure coding and know exactly how to input data into health insurance claim forms.

As part of your job description as a medical insurance specialist you'll need to know how to code diagnoses, procedures and services for patients. You'll need to know how to operate all the office bookkeeping systems and specialized medical billing software. You'll need to know various insurance rules and regulations.

You may be posting payments and charges. You'll be preparing and reviewing and occasionally appealing claims. You may need to explain how health insurance affects the patient's healthcare and be able to answer a lot of related insurance questions.

Now job descriptions can vary a lot. You may do some or all of these things or other things not on this list. But overall this may give you a general idea what the job description is for a medical insurance specialist. You may also be working in a job that only involves medical billing or only involves medical coding and you can go to school or get training in just one or the other as there are plenty of jobs available in each field.

You can find jobs for medical insurance specialists or medical billers and medical coders at healthcare providers, for insurance companies, government agencies, and medical billing services or for large health or medical clinics or doctors' offices. You can also work as a consultant, teacher, writer or start your own medical billing company or service.

In any case you'll need training in medical billing and coding to become a medical insurance specialist whether you get it 'on- the-job' or more formal training in a school or online school or through an online program. There are many different ways to get your education and training and lots of federal money available for financial aid whether on campus or online in the form of loans, grants or scholarships to save you money.

Insurance Adjuster Job Secrets


Insurance adjusting is a task which people who is working in this task have responsible for managing the initial claim that has been charged when an auto collision take place, or a hurricane or damage in someone house. Insurance adjuster jobs have more responsibilities and experiences. If you prefer to be insurance adjuster jobs, you have to work with an honest one, and so you will be pleased.

Present person and businesses commonly purchase insurance policies which will protect them from damage because of natural disaster or uncontrollable subjects, like a car collision. Insurance adjuster is a really various profession, because there are a lot of responsibilities which have to be made and fulfilled. These jobs are needing and stressful.

As insurance adjusters, you have to be kind of an investigator. Insurance investigators run a more active role in determining if fraud is happening. You will look into evidence, produce conclusions on claims after burglaries, automobile accidents, and fires. Photos of damage can be taken by these insurance investigative professionals.

The project which is made by insurance adjusters and examiners is interesting. A lot of times are spent in the field. They treat evidences which can lead to a really deserving family acquire the income to survive as their loved family pass away. As insurance adjuster, you require a very good negotiation skills and very good time management skills. If you are being in the working environment for insurance claims agents, agents of insurance investigators can be stressful.

Evidence must be accumulated and you have to realize the manner and what for you explore. Insurance investigators will conduct interviews and stakeouts to try capturing a guest falsifying handicap claims or staging accidents for having monetary gain. Fire examiners, witnesses and medical examiners can be interviewed to accumulate evidences. Police, hospitals, witnesses and other individuals will be interviewed by insurance adjusters in order to be sure that the insurance company disburse properly and that the victim is compensated adequately.

Primary word working, computer program and applications will be wanted for this job. Mathematics, consumer law, English and technical language, business grades also are substantial in this job. Commonly insurance companies are exploring people for these positions with wide experience in the insurance and claims field, and having a bachelor degree. A bachelor level usually is had by most insurance claims examiners. Those claims agents are hired by agencies with a more advanced education.

While you know in insurance adjuster jobs does not have formal training requirement in order to exceed the profession. The barriers to entry to the profession of the claims adjuster will diverge. I thought you may be interested in reading some of the bullet points contained in this post about guaranteed life insurance and liability insurance for small business.

Career Scope of an Insurance Agent


In the US, insurance no doubt, has a prominent role to play in people's lives. We need it to protect our lives, our livelihood, our property, our jobs, our health, our medical bills etc. Since this is such an indispensable part of our lives, it accurately hints at the growing prospects of the sunshine career-insurance.

There are more and more insurance companies in the market, battling for their share of the market share. But the ones that will actually stay are those that provide exceptional service. So it all boils down to the insurance agent who does his job well. Though there is enough brainstorming done by people at higher levels, it is the agent who actually sells insurance and brings profit to the company. So the insurance agent is decisive to the success of an insurance company.

There are bright prospects for these people in this industry. People can work for insurance as agents for the company and come under their payroll or work in a freelance basis. Also known as insurance advisers, these peo can select the kind of insurance that they like to sell; it is not enforced on them to sell life insurance only, unless they are specifically for a life insurance company. Apart from selling, they have to prepare reports, maintain records etc. They are also responsible for helping people in making claims for their policy.

In fact, the sensitive nature of the insurance agent in helping out a person with his or her claim is something that makes him popular among people. To sell is half the work, to remind people about renewing their insurance and helping them with the claims settlement is the other half of the job.

It is up to you to go for the insurance field that caters to your interest. For instance, if you selling life insurance you can also sell health insurance. There is something called 'critical illness insurance' which can come as a rider along with life insurance or it can be a separate form of insurance altogether. You have to explain this point to the people and be transparent about the benefits and exclusions in the insurance.

Insurance are now also being looked upon as an investment vehicle. So you can also teach or guide people in financial planning by helping them select the right unit-linked policies, pension schemes and other investment plans.

Compared to most countries, insurance is given a lot of importance in the US, which augurs well for insurance agents. Best performing agents have broader market penetration and a lot of goodwill in the market. There have been success stories of many insurance agents who have risen swiftly up the corporate ladder or even started their own independent, lucrative freelance insurance businesses. If you wish to be an insurance agent, go to an online job portal, fill in your details, your most likely specialization, your skill-set (communication, writing etc) and you will definitely find a lucrative post in a good insurance company.

Insurance Underwriter Jobs - Are You Interested in Becoming an Insurance Underwriter?


Insurance companies are responsible for protecting individuals from financial losses as a result of injury or illness, and an underwriter will calculate the premium that a company should charge in order to write a claim. An underwriter may consider health, family history, and age, in addition to the past history of the applicant in order to make a proper determination of how much the insurance company should charge the client.

Most Insurance underwriters will now use computerized systems and government data in order to calculate the risks that an individual presents to the insurance company. The Internet has revolutionized the industry, as most individuals are now able to use online databases in order to gain real time information on policy quotes.

Underwriters may specialize in a particular area of insurance work, which can include health, life, and home, among others. It is becoming increasingly common for insurance underwriters to specialize in group contracts, often for corporations or unions.

Policy writers will also have to be familiar with a number of risks and different packages of insurance to offer clients, and estimating the risks of an entire corporation with many employees can be stressful.

These professionals will typically have comfy jobs, working a 40 hour week, and there are no formal educational requirements to gain employment in this field. Most insurance companies prefer that an underwriter have a bachelor's degree in finance or accounting, but some may simply learn on the job.

In 2006, these professionals occupied over 100,000 jobs in America, with most working in insurance branch offices around the country. Job growth for underwriters is expected to grow slowly due to advances in computer technology, which automates some of their traditional work.

In 2006, the middle 50th percentile of underwriters earn between $40,000 and $70,000 a year, with most receiving good benefits such as retirement plans and health insurance.

Independent Insurance Claims Adjuster - 4 Steps to Become a Cat Adjuster


Independent catastrophic claims adjusting or "cat" adjusting is an exciting, lucrative, and relatively unknown occupational niche in the insurance industry. When disaster strikes, cat adjusters or "storm troopers" answer the call to assist insurance policyholders in recovering from their losses. The work is challenging, personally fulfilling and can be surprisingly profitable. Follow these 4 steps to become a licensed, trained, ready-to-deploy cat adjuster:

#1: Obtain Your Adjuster License

It is highly recommended that you obtain an adjuster license as a first step in this career. Obtaining a license demonstrates to hiring companies that you are a legitimate applicant, that you know the basics of claims practice and policy, and that you are legally certified to handle claims in the state you are licensed in. As a general rule, it is best to first obtain a license in the state of your residence. Many states, however, do not require a license to operate as an adjuster. Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are but a few examples. In this case it is suggested that you obtain either a Texas or Florida adjuster license. Both licenses are very well respected and highly reciprocal - meaning you can obtain other states licenses with them without having to take that state's exam or required coursework. Texas and Florida adjuster pre-licensing courses, which satisfy all requirements for obtaining their respective state licenses, are available in either a classroom or online setting. Course tuition will average $299 for online and $499 for classroom. After the course has been completed and you have submitted your application to the regulating authority, you can expect to be a licensed adjuster in just a few weeks.

#2: Obtain Critical Adjuster Training

For those making career transitions from the residential or commercial contracting industries, supplemental training may prove unnecessary. But for those who have little previous experience with construction, loss analysis, estimating software, and standard methods of repair, it is tremendously helpful to undertake some practical training. Probably the most important training a newly licensed adjuster should consider is Xactimate training. Used by roughly 75% of independent adjusters, Xactimate is the most popular estimating program today. Others, like MSB IntegriClaim, have their place, and may be preferred by particular insurance carriers. Still, Xactimate is accepted by more carriers than any other and is the best place to begin learning software estimatics. Courses, ranging from 1 to 5 days ($400 to $1,200) may be taken and courses taught by actual claims adjusters ought to be preferred.

#3: Find a Job

Becoming an adjuster doesn't make sense unless there is work to do. While ultimately there is no silver bullet (outside the handy personal contact) for finding work, understanding the employment landscape will go a long way towards helping you land a job.

Understanding Demand
The bottom line is that the demand for independent adjusters fluctuates greatly and depends on the frequency and severity of catastrophic weather events. In 2005 and 2006, in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, finding work as a cat adjuster was almost as simple as raising your hand. 2007, however, saw surprisingly clement weather and did not produce many claims. Adjusting companies consequently could afford to be far pickier in their hiring process. 3 to 5 experience requirements became common and job prospects were bleak for new cat adjusters. At the time of this article, the 2008 storm season has been extremely tough on the Midwest with flooding, hail, and tornado. And with the anticipation of a potentially huge hurricane year, adjusting companies are scrambling to fill their deployment rosters and are relaxing experience requirements in order to do so. Because demand is weather driven, timing is crucial in finding work as an independent adjuster.

Who do I Work For?

It isn't always correctly understood who cat adjusters work for. Lets clear this up. Technically, and for tax purposes, an independent adjuster is an independent contractor that works for oneself. Work is typically obtained, however, through adjusting firms that in turn contract with insurance companies to handle claims. For example, after Hurricane Katrina, insurance companies didn't have nearly enough adjusters on staff to handle the massive influx of claims. Acme insurance company, as a theoretical, would then give out 10,000 claims to be handled by Pinnacle adjusting firm. Pinnacle adjusting firm in turn hires individual independent adjusters in sufficient numbers to handle the 10,000 claims. Those adjusters who work efficiently and with little oversight (babysitting) get the most claims from Pinnacle. So, if you are looking for a job as a cat adjuster, you should be looking towards getting on with adjusting firm.

Where do I Look for a Job?

There are several useful adjusting firm directories and social networks that keep you apprised of adjuster job listings. Adjusting firms maintain deployment rosters of qualified adjusters who are eligible for being put to work in the event of a catastrophe. A new independent adjuster should aspire to join as many rosters as possible. The ultimate goal is to have a steady stream of invitations to work which can be accepted or declined at your discretion. Remember, you are your own boss!

#4: Maintain Your Good Standing

Staying on top of Continuing Education (CE) requirements keeps you in compliance with your adjuster license and also gives you a legitimate opportunity to advance your knowledge base and skills as an adjuster. CE opportunities abound in both online and classroom form. Failure to maintain CE compliance can result in very steep penalties and forfeiture of your license. Considering the ease by which most states' CE is kept this should be easily avoided.

Insurance Manager Jobs - Life Insurance Managers' Salary & Job Benefits - A Downfall


Life insurance manager jobs project a visual image of prestige, high salaries, and great job benefits. In reality the second level insurance manager jobs, that of life insurance managers, do not materialize into what many think. Here are reasons to say no to becoming one of the life insurance managers of a sales team.

Any life insurance company has one major motive in mind, and that is profit. When a new branch career office opens it places in a General Life Manager with a guaranteed a salary plus production bonus This article will explain how other insurance manager jobs work differently, like that of the life insurance managers.

A new sales manager is led by a carrot into thinking he is part of the company established money machine. HE IS NOT.

WHO IS ASKED TO BECOME A LIFE INSURANCE MANAGER? The office general manager needs sales growth, and having 2 sales training managers are better than one and 3 are better than two. So here is the start of the hunt to fill these insurance management jobs. If you have true sales ability and are making sales consistently, the general life manager is already scouting you out. This is especially true when he starts to give you the company call in leads for some really easy sales. (an initial sublime bribe) After 2 years experience, you are wined and dined by the general manager, and asked if you would like to make a big career jump to a insurance management job. You could be the next life insurance sales manager.

As an insurance manager, you will have a base salary, plus additional sales production income tacked on. In addition, you will no longer have to go out and personal scrounge up new business. This means personally no longer making cold calls! Health benefits are often provided. Then the big career ego blockbuster is laid out. The company will be expanding, and the new office general life managers chosen will be from the current life managers working for the company.. That is an offer few insurance representatives could resist.

WHAT A PROSPECTIVE LIFE INSURANCE MANAGER IS NOT TOLD. The sales company home office will benefit off every agent you hire, especially those that are productive then leave. When your agent leaves, your production bonus stops completely. The sales company takes over all money yet to be collected on the sales your leaving agent made. The general manager upon your first couple agent loses comes up with a "new plan just for you". He hands over a couple of mediocre in house agents, (those who no longer have a sales manager) and puts them on your sales team. In addition he is going to budget funds for the next couple months in the local Sunday newspapers to haul in enough new interviews to build your staff even quicker. Some weeks you will find your insurance manager job bombarded with interviewing a dozen prospective new representatives...

YOUR DUTIES AS THE SLICK NEW SALES MANAGER. Instead of a cubicle you get your own private office with a nice desk and chair. Your main duty is to recruit enough reps to always have at least a dozen. Ads portraying an insurance professional sales person with freedom in hours and unlimited income capacity always draw in lots of interested employed and unemployed people, some single, some with a family. Next as the leader you must license prepare them if necessary, plus get them to memorize the home office sales script. The hard part is budgeting your time. Your do not want to work 13 hour days, but recruiting and in office pre-training eats away lots of time.

Your insurance reps need their life insurance manager to spend enough time to train them outside the office. This means working with an agent on 3 straight appointments, and selling by example. You receive no instant compensation on the sales, but it will count towards your monthly bonus. You have the inside pressure of being the best sales manager in your office to ever move upward. SO YOU CHEAT. Often you will take the all important closing stage away from your struggling representative, and close the sale. It chocks your salesperson a sale, and a notch upward for you.

However the promotion to get your own company sales office never materializes.

HOW YOU REALIZE BEING A SALES MANAGER COSTS YOU. After 6 months of being a sales manager you stop blaming yourself when a sales person decides to head elsewhere. You then start up new insurance reps and help them get sales. However your office general life manager is now rarely handing any leads your way. As a result you put pressure on new agents to approach any relatives or friends to give presentations to. Your monthly income does not shoot up, despite all the sales you are closing. The base salary remains the same and because of 70% or higher first year agent turnover, your bonuses remain fairly level. The insurance management jobs prestige is quickly fading.

BACK TO SALESPERSON. When you tell the office general life manager that you want to sacrifice your sales crew and go back to selling on your own you are surprised. His face is unemotional. Unknown to you, he has already picked out your replacement and will entice his newest manager. The new life insurance manager will have some of your sales crew to him to get launched.

The best part for you is that by going out on so many sales presentations, you improved from being a good closer to being top notch at closing sales. Therefore immediately your commission income exceeds that of your salary income when you were a manager. In reality all the upper experience did, was make you see that can not cookie cut out insurance reps. Instead depending on your sales abilities always works best. Later you wil find that second level insurance manager jobs rarely pan out. Instead when you go independent, your manager job is managing yourself, a rewarding opportunity.