W3 Insurance

Should You Purchase Travel Insurance?

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Whether you’re heading to the Australian Outback to backpack in the bush or planning a romantic Parisian schedule of croissants and leisure, consider purchasing travel insurance. At the very least, you’ll learn more about your current policies and what they include – and you may discover that electing travel insurance is extremely necessary. Here’s how to decide:

  • Don’t “double dip” – If you’re already covered through an existing policy for calamities that can occur during travel, electing travel insurance is like adding a raincoat to your existing one; it’s not vital. However, it often takes only a quick investigation to spot holes in protection. Your medical provider might offer some in-network options overseas, yes – but they may not cover emergency medivacs, which can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Your credit card may reimburse for medical and baggage events – or perhaps not at all.
  • Don’t assume your current medical insurance is going to be enough – For those headed abroad, it’s often necessary to pre-pay for treatment. This can amount to thousands of dollars. Please note that those who are covered under Medicare almost definitely need travel coverage: Medicare does not usually cover overseas treatment.
  • Examine the intricacy of the trip – How might a flight delay affect the rest of your itinerary? If the answer is extremely, travel insurance is a must. Imagine for a moment that one plane flight is delayed throughout your journey – and this affects not just the time you spend in an airport, but the tour you’ve planned for the next day and the premium event you pre-booked. The right travel insurance can’t give you back those experiences – but it can reimburse you for the loss of them.
  • Partner with an insurance advisor who can tailor-make the plan for you – Wade through policy language if you’d like – or simply call your trusted insurance advisor with specific questions. They should be able to address the tough concerns and will save you time that you can spend packing for your upcoming adventure. This leads us to an obvious consideration that is nonetheless often overlooked:
  • Purchase the right type of travel insurance – Just selecting a policy blindly and hoping it covers any unforeseen travel impediments is not advisable. For example, there are plenty of cruise insurance products available to consumers, but not all of them are worth the price – or really cover all that much. With travel policies (as with existing policies) read the fine print.
  • Consider a yearlong policy if you travel frequently – Sure, you can insure trip-by-trip. Those who rarely travel distances further than 100 miles may find the best value with such policies. If you frequently travel for business or pleasure, a product like Chubb’s innovative Passport 360 may make more sense. Passport 360 offers customization (after all, your needs for that rustic Australian Outback trip differ from the Parisian one) but it consistently covers every single trip taken throughout that year. For those who always seem to be jetting from one locale to another, this is a huge benefit.

The advisors at W3 insurance pride themselves on selecting the right travel insurance for each client. Call 800.783.5085 today and ask about travel insurance! Travel safe and travel well: W3 makes sure you travel with peace of mind.

Employers: Lead the Charge Against Skin Cancer

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Skin cancer is prevalent, and it is almost always preventable. May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and with the summer’s sunny months nearly upon us, it’s an ideal time to remind employers that they can help to decrease the current statistic: more than four million cases of melanoma are diagnosed each year in the United States.

sunscreen

Though the number of people who suffer from skin cancer is staggering (The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 91,000 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in 2018, with 10% of sufferers not expected to survive) some simple life changes offer strong prevention.

The Centers for Disease Control describe melanoma as the most prevalent form of cancer – but up to 90% of cases are caused by overexposure to the sun’s damaging rays. Below are some examples of workplace initiatives that employers can use to educate employees about prevention and detection.

  • Host an on-site skin cancer screening event. Invite a local dermatologist who participates in your company’s medical insurance plan to attend.
  • Raise awareness with posters, flyers, and educational materials. Find these through your medical carrier, a local dermatologist office, American Academy of Dermatology website, American Cancer Society website, and the CDC
  • Increase sun protection for your employees who work outdoors. Provide sunscreen, protective SPF clothing, hats, and sunglasses. Schedule breaks in the shade and create work schedules that reduce UV exposure.
  • Make skin cancer prevention a healthy competition. Challenge employees to apply sunscreen once a day and to wear hats and UV protectant sunglasses. Award a point for each day they participate; at the end of the month, enter those who completed the challenge into a raffle and award the winner a prize.
  • Another challenge idea is to offer points to each employee who goes to a participating dermatologist for a skin screening. This campaign promotes annual care visits and helps employees establish a relationship with a dermatologist. To further incentivize, consider offering employees 2 hours of paid time off for their appointment.
  • Share success stories of employees that detected their skin cancer early through screenings and had positive results.

If you would like assistance with planning or implementing a Skin Cancer Awareness Program for your employees, feel free to contact me at tblocker@w3ins.com.

 

*www.cancer.org
*www.skincancer.org

Flood Insurance on the Eve of Hurricane Season: We’ve Got You Covered.

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We’ll say a reluctant “hello” to hurricane season June 1. Are you ready? Cross an item off your “Hurricane Preparation To Do” list by calling Wallace Welch and Willingham for advice. We offer multiple types of Private Flood and NFIP policies. Which one is right for you – and do you really need flood insurance? Let’s talk.

What is a flood, exactly?

Generally, insurance carriers define flooding as a “rising and overflowing of a body of water onto normally dry land.” For insurance purposes, the word “rising” in this definition is the key to distinguishing flood damage from water damage.

How are Flood Zones determined?

Developing a flood map is a complicated process done by the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) under the strict supervision of the Federal government. The development of flood maps is crucial for communities to plan infrastructure and to prepare for the worst-case scenario Mother Nature may bring.

Who is at risk for a flood?

Everyone! Don’t think you are only at risk for a flood if you are located within a flood zone. More than 20% of flood claims come from homeowners living in low to moderate flood zones. Flood is one of the most common natural disasters, and Florida homes are frequently at or below sea level. No one is truly exempt from the possibly extensive damage a flood may cause.

How do I find a flood policy?

This part is easy. Protection is a quick phone call away. Contact Wallace Welch and Willingham at 727-522-7777.

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W3 Insurance Named One of Tampa Bay’s Best Places to Work

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The results are in, and the employees have spoken: W3 Insurance is one of the top 100 places to work in Tampa Bay. It’s the fourth time the company has earned the honor, which is awarded annually by The Tampa Bay Times based on employee survey responses. W3 landed at #41 in the small business category for 2018.

Employees lauded W3 for multiple attributes, including flexibility, autonomy and earning potential. Other praises were aimed at the company’s dedication to the organization’s mission and a supportive working environment.

“The culture is very positive and inspiring,” one employee said. “I truly want to create raving fans out of my clients and am given the resources to do so.”

To W3 Insurance CEO Scott Gramling, the news that the employees are raving fans as well comes as no surprise. The company goes above and beyond for their own, whether that means opening a temporary daycare in the days after Hurricane Irma or scheduling a yearly beach weekend retreat for every team member.

“Our goal company-wide is to make clients into raving fans, and we do that as a team,” Gramling says. “We’re all in this together.”

Distracted Driving Awareness Month

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More than 40,000 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2017, and distracted driving was a major cause. According to the National Safety Council, distracted drivers cause a death every 15 minutes. The repercussions of these tragedies are real for the workplace. A death of an employee can spur productivity loss, increase claims (whether workman’s comp or group health insurance), incur possible litigation for the employer, heighten stress and cause morale issues.

Safety shouldn’t end at the office – the most dangerous environment is out on the road. Participate in Distracted Driver Awareness Month. Create an employee awareness campaign and institute clear workplace policies regarding cell phone usage. If no policy exists, such use may be viewed as an acceptable practice. Remember: a distracted driver is four times more likely to crash.* Make it company policy that employees put down the phone while driving.

NSC offers infographics, posters, fact sheets and a number of social media-friendly initiatives: http://safety.nsc.org/ddam

They also have a webinar planned for this month. See the description below for registration information.

Webinar: Engaging Ways to Address Distracted Driving at Work

NSC Senior Program Manager Lisa Robinson and Medstar Risk and Safety Manager Shaun Curtis will present a free webinar, Engaging Ways to Address Distracted Driving at Work, on Thursday, April 19, 2018. With car crashes the No. 1 cause of workplace death – and distracted driving a leading cause of crashes – you can learn how workplaces can help addresses this problem in a way that engages employees. The webinar will be held at 11 a.m. Central time.  Register through this link: http://eventcallregistration.com/reg/index.jsp?cid=75732t11

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