In my last blog I mentioned my agreement that insurance companies can be crooks. The story of why follows here:

I was three months pregnant when my husband and I graduated from college. Before graduation, we decided to accept a graduate studies scholarship for my husband to attend the University of South Florida. 

One of my main concerns with moving was what we’d do about maternity insurance. If anything, babies are not cheap! Luckily, the college my husband was attending had a great insurance plan.  For about $8,000, we bought a full year of comprehensive medical insurance, which, they claimed, would cover any medical needs 100%. When we compared the insurance cost to the price of paying for everything that comes along with delivery, we took the less expensive deal.

We headed to Florida in mid-July, 2004 with a twinkle in our eyes. As a young married couple, my husband and I were excited to get away from home and explore the world.

Four months and a few stretch marks later (not to mention ten days late), our bundle of joy was born via Cesarean Section.

I spent the next few days in my large, private room recovering from my surgery (with my own morphine button) and eating from the hospital’s gourmet albeit still disgusting menu.

Five days after my little guy was born I got a call saying our insurance company was not going to cover the charges? WHAT??? When we signed up for the plan (and shelled out a TON of money), the insurance advisor told us we were eligible and completely covered under the plan. We’d had insurance before without any lapses, which, they told us, was enough to cover my maternity costs completely.

After my crying subsided I called the insurance company in a rage. Their answer for the denial of every claim (by the way—every doctor bills individually for deliveries, the hospital bills aside from the doctors as they are not connected to each other, and every ounce of medicine is counted and charged) was we were not previously covered under a group insurance plan, only a personal plan. Even without any coverage lapse, our non-group status gave them enough power to turn us away. Oh, and that’s right, they themselves WERE NOT a group coverage plan!!!

That story brings me to my reflection of why insurance can be a great way to fully protect yourself and your belongings in an emergency….

My grandpa always says, “You can never have too much insurance.” The more I think about that, the more I realize he is 100% right!

I realize insurance is INCREDIBLY expensive, but is there ever a way to have too much? I live in an earthquake prone area (or so they say) that’s been expecting “the big one” for quite a few years now. It has been pointed out to me that my house is on or very close to the major fault line that runs through this area. We don’t currently have earthquake insurance, but I have to admit I’m considering getting it. Even if an earthquake never hits this state in my lifetime, I’ll always have the peace of mind knowing my house and wellbeing will be financially protected if we are ever affected.

A few years ago Southern Utah experienced a major river flooding. The situation got so extreme that the river expanded to point of clearing land out from underneath houses (which caused the dwellings to either collapse, drop into the water, or break apart). Entire neighborhoods were adversely affected. Nothing like this had happened for decades, and, of course, very few households had flood insurance. I don’t think that is something most people think about when the threat is so minute or has never come to fruition in the past.

Car insurance is another avenue to explore. There are a lot of options for the kind of insurance you can get when a tragic accident results in death or hospitalization. And there are many resources out there to help when job loss, sickness, and other adverse situations occur (the Afflack duck is dancing through my mind right now).

I realize it’s not realistic for many people to add high priced insurance extras to what seem to be our ever growing costs of living. But, in the event you can afford this luxury, I’d recommend you hop on the chance. We never know what’s coming and when, and insurance as emergency preparedness is beginning to be, in my opinion, a great way to gain peace of mind.