Getting Dental Insurance For Your Kids
If you have kids and haven’t signed them up for dental insurance yet there are a few things you should strongly consider. Dental procedures are amongst the most expensive of all elective cosmetic surgery operations. Braces (which 37% of children get) can run easily as much as $10,000, cavities can cost in excess of $500 each, and wisdom teeth removal can be $1000 per tooth. When you consider those numbers, and the fact that dental insurance can cost as little as $23/mth for children if you start early the question you should be asking is why wouldn’t I insure my children against poor dental health.
There are more reasons then just the financial ones to get insurance for your kids teeth. When you think to yourself “do I want to be caught in a position where I need to decide between an elective procedure that could increase my child’s quality of life and a financial situation?” most of us would easily answer “NO!” With dental insurance you’re not caught in this situation.
Really the bottom line is with childrens dental insurance you are in a position where you can just act in the best interest of your kid, which is what every parent wants to be able to do. There is no reason not to pay for your kid to have dental insurance, I mean it’s such a small expense compared to the risk that it just wouldn’t make sense not to go ahead and pay for it. Think of it as a win win gamble that your kid will have bad teeth. If they have bad teeth you’ve got it covered, if not then you’ve lucked out and paid a few thousand for peace of mind.
Auto Insurance For Your Kids
Auto insurance can be very expensive for young drivers. Parents are often worried (with good reason) when a young adult reaches driving age. Here are some things that can help manage the risk and cost.
My opinion is that a young driver should generally not be given a car and insurance without cost or obligation. If the young adult has to work or make a significant household contribution they may have more respect for the privilege being granted. It could also be helpful to have a written agreement about your rules for granting driving privileges. In most states a parent can withdraw permission for the young adult’s driver’s license. This should be considered if the young driver shows recklessness. Many insurance companies have a young driver’s safety program. Your agent may have information on this. Your insurance agent may also be willing to consult with the new driver about how the family’s policy will be affected by an accident or ticket for the new driver. To help keep costs down it is very important for the new driver to avoid tickets or accidents. A couple tickets or accidents could result in the entire family’s auto policy costs to be extremely high!
The largest factor to holding down a young drivers insurance cost is to have liability insurance only on the new driver’s vehicle. That would only be advisable if the cash value of the young persons vehicle is low and you can afford the cost of losing it. The type of vehicle driven can also make a significant difference. (In general the type of car the young adult doesn’t want will have the lowest insurance cost, for example a station wagon vs. a high performance sports car.) Most insurance companies give a discount if the new driver completes an approved safety course. There may also be a good student discount. Check with your insurance agent about available young driver discounts. If the rate for adding the new driver doesn’t seem reasonable you may want to shop rates from different companies. One item that you should not skimp on is the amount of liability coverage. THE STATE MINIMUM IS NOT ENOUGH PROTECTION! Consult with your agent and be sure you and the new driver have enough coverage.