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Your Home for Personal Insurance
Plan ahead for the future with a policy that offers the comprehensive coverage you need. At Brown Insurance, we have the experience to analyze and recommend the correct personal insurance coverage for you or your family. Serving individuals and businesses in the Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington DC areas, we offer homeowners and auto insurance, as well as motorcycle, boat, life, renters, long-term care, disability, flood, and health insurance policies from leading companies.
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Click on a policy link below to learn more about a personal insurance service we offer.
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Insurance 101
Life Insurance
This type of insurance is designed to provide economic assistance to the survivor of an insured who has died prematurely.
Health Insurance
This coverage pays for in and out patient visits, prescription drugs, dental and vision. There are three basic types of health insurance plans:
- The Health Maintenance Organization also known as HMOs are organizations of medical providers, administering health care to its members through preventive medicine. This coverage will also pay for illness as do a regular health plan. In most cases there IS a facility that provides primary care. Or a provider directory may also be another source.
- Preferred Provider Organization or PPOs are organizations of both primary and secondary care physicians that deliver discount services to its members. In this setting a wide selection of physicians is found. A directory of providers of service is made available. An insured may select any member or organization for service.
- Traditional or Indemnity Plan is an open field in which an insured may choose to go to any provider of care he chooses. Price for each of three plans varies. Some have higher deductibles anD co-pay than others.
Property Insurance
Property insurance includes many types of insurance designed to handle property risks. It guards against possible financial loss resulting from the damage or destruction of personal property.
Casualty Insurance
Casualty insurance is difficult to define because it includes a wide variety of basically unrelated insurance products. It includes the following: Liability, Aviation, Auto, Boiler and Machinery, Crime, Workers Compensation, and Surety Bonds.
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Term, Universal & Whole Life Insurance Information
(Maryland & Northern Virginia)
Life Insurance can help protect your family and is an excellent way to accumulate money for college, retirement or unplanned expenses. A person should have life insurance that approaches six to eight times their annual gross income. Under current laws, there is generally no federal income tax on death benefits paid to a named beneficiary.
Using the strength and experience of our life insurance markets, we offer affordable term life, whole life, and universal life insurance policies.
Term Life Insurance Policy Information
Life insurance coverage for a specified length of time. A term life insurance policy is usually purchased with a particular need in mind. Beneficiaries will collect, usually tax free, the face value of the policy upon the insured (your) death. Term life is attractive for those with a limited income, high short term insurance needs, or for personal family protection.
If the insured survives the time period, the policy expires. There is no cash value at the expiration of a term life insurance policy. Some policies have a convertible feature permitting a policy owner to exchange a term policy for a cash value policy without evidence of insurability.
Level Term Life Insurance Policy Features
A constant death benefit and a level premium for a specified number of years. We offer 10, 15, 20, and 30 year terms.
Decreasing Term Life Insurance Policy Features
Has a decreasing death benefit and a level premium.
Whole Life Insurance Policy Information
The most popular choice for those seeking to cover permanent needs, such as contributing to a survivor's nest egg, paying off final expenses, etc. Whole life insurance provides permanent, lifelong insurance coverage. The benefit amount remains the same and is payable to the beneficiary(s) at the time of the insured's (your) death. It also offers an opportunity to build cash value, so you can take a loan on your policy to fund major purchases or to provide for unexpected costs.
Whole life insurance has a fixed premium and a level death benefit to age 100. The premiums don't increase with age, which averages the cost of the policy over your life. The cash value increases with time until it equals the death benefit at age 100. This type of policy never has to be renewed or converted. The cash value is an amount of money that you are guaranteed to receive in the event of policy cancellation.
Variations of Whole Life Insurance include:
Modified Premium - lower fixed premium for the first 3 or 5 years, and then premiums increase. These policies work well for individuals that expect to improve their financial condition in the near future.
Graded Premium - premium increases each year for the first 5 years, and then is fixed.
Advantages of Whole Life Insurance
- Guaranteed protection for life
- Level death benefit that is generally tax-free
- Premiums do not increase in correlation with your age
- Cash may accumulate tax-deferred
Disadvantages of Whole Life Insurance
- Premium costs may make it difficult to buy enough
- Need to carry a whole life policy for a considerable length of time to be very beneficial
- Cash value may be less than your face value
- Cannot vary your monthly premium payment and the premium-paying period may be lengthy
- Amount of coverage cannot be increased at a later date
Universal Life Insurance Policy Information
A flexible premium policy that combines protection against premature death with a savings account that typically earns a money market rate of interest. A universal life insurance policy is a combination of term life insurance protection with the cash savings value of whole life insurance. Interest rates paid on the cash value are typically higher than with whole life insurance because they tend to follow the markets.
Premiums for universal life insurance policies can be paid in a lump sum, annually, or anywhere in between. Interest on the cash value is usually guaranteed, but will vary according to the investment performance. Each month deductions are made from the cash value fund to support the costs of the insurance protection. As long as the cash value is substantial enough to maintain the monthly costs, the policy will remain in force. Typically the death benefit reduces in proportion to the increase in cash value, thus causing a level death benefit.
Variable Universal Life Insurance Policy
Combines the growth potential of stocks with a guaranteed death benefit. It allows premiums to be paid, reduced, or even skipped at any time, and the contract will not lapse as long as sufficient cash value is available. The cash value fund can be split between different investment mediums, such as bond funds, stocks, and money markets. It's interest-sensitive and allows for an adjustable death benefit.
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New National Healthcare Overview
Enrollment began October 1, 2013 and coverage began January 1, 2014.
Essential Health Benefits
The Affordable Care Act passed in 2010 required individual health insurance plans beginning on January 1, 2014 to offer essential health benefits services. Below is the list of minimum services required under all health insurance plans.
- Hospitalization
- Maternity and newborn care
- Ambulatory patient services
- Emergency services
- Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment
- Prescription drugs
- Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
- Laboratory services
- Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
- Pediatric services, including oral and vision care
Health Marketplace Insurance Plans
You can choose the plan that is right for your budget and needs. All plans offer the 10 essential health services mentioned above. The cost of each plan will be different whether your state has set up its own Health Marketplace or uses the National Health Marketplace. Speak with your health insurance agent for specific costs and enrollment information.
- Bronze Plan
- Silver Plan
- Gold Plan
- Platinum Plan
The Bronze Plan has the lowest premium, but you'll pay a higher share of costs when you get care. On the other end of the cost spectrum, the Platinum Plan will have the highest monthly premiums and the lowest out-of-pocket costs when care is needed.
Marketplace Health Plans Pricing
All insurance plans available through the Marketplace will be offered by private insurance companies. Marketplace pricing will show any cost savings you may be eligible for based on your income.
Pre-existing Conditions
An insurance company can't turn you down or charge you more because of your health condition. It can't refuse to cover treatment for pre-existing conditions.
The only exception is for grandfathered individual health insurance plans - the kind you buy yourself, not through an employer. If you have one of these plans you can switch to a Marketplace plan during open enrollment and get coverage for your pre-existing condition.
The Marketplace will also tell you if you qualify for free or low-cost coverage available through Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Health Insurance Information - Family or Individual - (HMO, PPO, POS or Major Medical Coverage)
(Also northern Virginia & District of Columbia)
Individual or family health insurance can provide the important protection needed in the event of illness and for regular preventive care. Using the strength and experience of our health insurance markets, Brown Insurance Group can offer affordable HMO, PPO, POS, and Major Medical Health Insurance policy coverages in greater Washington D.C. and throughout Maryland.
Health insurance plans that allow you the most choices in doctors and hospitals also tend to cost more than plans that limit choices. Individual and family health insurance plans that help to manage the care you receive, such as PPO and POS plans, usually cost you less, but you must give up some freedom of choice.
HMO Health Insurance Policy Features
- Preventive care emphasis
- Primary care physician (PCP) coordinates your total care
- Must get a referral from your PCP to visit a specialist
- Fixed monthly fee
HMO Health Insurance Policy Overview
Subscribers to an HMO receive medical services from participating physicians, clinics and hospitals. You choose a primary care physician (PCP) from a list of participating doctors from where you live in Maryland. That doctor is used for typical circumstances such as annual exams and usual health issues. If you need to see a specialist, be hospitalized, or have lab or X-ray work, your doctor will refer you to a provider or facility within the HMO system. Your doctor must give authorization for those services to be covered by your HMO. In other words, you must see HMO approved physicians and use HMO approved facilities or pay the entire cost of the visit yourself.
Similar to Point-of Service (POS) and PPO's, HMO's have made arrangements for lower fees with a network of health care providers and give their policyholders a financial incentive to stay within that network. You may have to pay some portion of the cost (co-payment) for each office or hospital visit, such as $20 - $30 per doctor visit, regardless of what the services cost. Also, some services such as emergency room, mental health and chemical dependency services, may carry additional costs in a Maryland HMO health maintenance plan.
PPO Health Insurance Policy Features
- Convenient access to quality health care
- Large and diverse network available of primary care physicians, specialists, hospitals & clinics.
- Pay for services as they are provided
PPO Health Insurance Policy Overview
You can see any health care professional in the network any time you choose to make an appointment. You don't need referrals for specialists or other services as you do in an HMO. You can see doctors or specialists outside your PPO network, however, your portion of the costs will be higher.
You may have to pay some portion of the cost (co-payment) for each office or hospital visit, such as $20 - $30 per doctor visit, regardless of what the services cost. Also, some services such as emergency room, mental health and chemical dependency services, may carry additional costs in a Maryland PPO health insurance plan.
POS Health Insurance Policy Features
- Preventive care emphasis
- Pays benefits for out-of-network care, but at a lower level
POS Health Insurance Policy Overview
Less restrictive than an HMO or PPO, a (POS) or Point of Service plan lets you see any licensed health care professional for anything covered by the insurance. Care you receive from out-of-plan health care professionals is reimbursed, but you must pay an often times much higher co-payment or deductible amount. While you may choose to see a physician outside the network, if you don't receive permission from your (PCP) primary care physician, you're likely to end up submitting the bills yourself and receiving only a small reimbursement...if any.
Costs that exceed your deductible are covered by a co-insurance plan in which you and the insurance company share the cost for services covered by the policy.
Also, some services such as emergency room, mental health and chemical dependency services, may carry additional costs in a Maryland POS health insurance plan.
Fee-for-Service or Major Medical Health Insurance Policy
(Family or Individual)
Major medical health insurance provides benefits up to a high limit for most types of medical expenses incurred, subject to a deductible. Once you meet the deductible, our Maryland Major Medical Insurance plans pay a percentage of what is considered the "Usual and Customary" charge for covered services. The insurance company generally pays 80% of the Usual and Customary costs and you pay the other 20%, which is known as co insurance. If the insurance company charges more than the Usual and Customary rates, you will need to pay both the co-insurance and the difference.
With Major Medical Insurance plans you can choose your doctor and any hospital for your medical services. You or your doctor send the bill to the insurance company, which pays part of it. Usually, you have a deductible such as $250 or more to pay each year before the insurer starts paying. The plan will pay for charges such as medical tests and prescriptions as well as from doctors and hospitals.
Major medical insurance coverages offer more choice of doctors (including specialists, such as cardiologists and surgeons), hospitals, and other health care providers than managed care plans, such as HMO, PPO, and POS. Major Medical Insurance may not pay for some preventive care, such as check-ups, and is usually a more expensive health insurance coverage than utilizing a Maryland HMO, PPO, or POS plan.
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Renters Insurance
We offer affordable renters insurance policies that have flexibility to meet your individual needs and above all, provide you with the security that comes only from the knowledge that your home is safe. If you live in an apartment or a rented house, a Maryland renters insurance policy covers you and your possessions. A standard renters insurance policy protects your personal property in many cases of theft or damage, and may pay for temporary living expenses if your rental is damaged so seriously you can't live in it. It can also protect you from personal liability.
The standard renters insurance policy covers the actual cash value of personal property. Payments are based on the replacement cost of the property minus a deduction for physical depreciation and obsolescence. If you add replacement cost coverage (for an additional premium), the insurance company will pay one of the two amounts below, whichever is lower?
- The cost to replace the property with a similar type and quality of property without a deduction for depreciation.
- The full cost to repair at the time of the loss. Maryland renters insurance is a popular form of personal insurance and usually contains four sections: C, D, E, and F:
Coverage C - protects your personal property, (e.g. furniture, CDs, stereo and clothes). You choose a dollar amount limit (what you think your possessions are worth) when you purchase a Maryland renters insurance policy.
Coverage D - covers loss of use - the expenses you face when your apartment can't be used due to an insured loss. This is usually 20% of your personal property limit.
Coverage E - covers your personal liability claims and suits for bodily injury or property damage. You choose this limit when you buy the Maryland renters insurance policy.
Coverage F - pays for medical expenses for minor injuries to others even if you were not at fault. The policy normally includes limits of $1,000 per person.
A Maryland renters insurance policy covers "named perils" listed on your policy and usually include the following:
Theft, fire or lightning, windstorm or hail, explosions, riots, aircraft, vehicles, smoke, vandalism, falling objects, weight of ice, snow, or sleet, accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam, sudden and accidental tearing apart, cracking, burning, or bulging, freezing, sudden and accidental damage from artificially generated electrical current, volcanic eruptions (doesn't include earthquake or tremors).
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Long Term Care Insurance Information
(Also northern Virginia & District of Columbia)
Although people are generally living longer, many are requiring assistance in their later years. Long term care services can be provided in your home, in an assisted living facility or in a nursing home. In many cases the family is no longer able to provide such care around the clock. Family members may not live nearby, they may have other pressing family commitments, or simply can't get the time off from work or away from the home.
According to recent data, 48.6% of people age 65 and older may spend some time in a nursing home and 71.8% of people age 65 and older may use some form of home health care.
Some people can pay the bill out of pocket, others will qualify for Medicaid (welfare), but most of us will fall somewhere in the middle. A Maryland Long Term Care insurance policy can help protect your assets from the rising cost of care.
Long Term Care insurance is often referred to as "asset protection." Individuals need to have assets worth protecting in order to justify the purchase of a policy. If you are able to pay Long Term Care insurance premiums without having to change your lifestyle - you should transfer that risk to the insurance company.
Three Types of Long Term Care Insurance Policies
Facility Only: Will pay benefits for care in a nursing home, assisted living facility or board and care facility. Its the most basic policy but often the most needed type.
Home Health Care: Will pay benefits for care in your home, but not in a facility. The preferred policy when a home health care situation is possible.
Comprehensive: Will pay benefits for care in your home or in a facility. This is the preferred type of plan (policy) because of it's flexibility, but is also the most expensive.
A long term care insurance specialist with Brown Insurance Group will assist you in deciding which type of policy will work best for your needs.
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