Auto insurance quotes and fire department bills
- by admin
The need for government to balance the budget at every level is starting to bite. While Washington struggles to cut a few trillion off the federal budgets without raising taxes or cutting entitlements (it will be a good trick when someone works out how to do it), state and local governments face each new day without enough money to pay all their bills. This has been forcing lay-offs, cuts in pensions and other benefits, and a reduction in the quality of services provided local taxpayers. The pain is being felt all round the country. So what’s a local government to do when it’s supposed to keep providing services but it’s not sure whether there’s enough money to pay the bills. For example, fire departments have to keep their equipment in a constant state of readiness with enough people to send out to actually fight the fires. Local residents would not be pleased if their calls for emergency assistance were met with the reply the pumper had broken down. Men were being sent with buckets.
So to help pay all the bills, many local governments have hit on the idea of charging those involved in traffic accidents for all the assistance they receive. So, if you have the misfortune to find the metal of your vehicle round you like Christmas wrapping, you will be relieved when you hear the police, fire department and ambulance roaring to your rescue. Relieved, that is, until you realize you are being billed by the hour for all these rescue services. This is a rental for the benefit of all the transport bringing the cutting equipment and staff to operate it, plus the paramedics to stabilize your condition until you can be extracted, and law enforcement officers to control traffic and keep spectators away. When you get the bill, you will understand just how expensive it is to hire all these people to save you. There’s a moment of panic and then you smile. That lasts for another minute as uncertainty gnaws away at your confidence. Does your insurance company pay all these bills?
At this point, we come to a point of considerable controversy. With some consistency, the insurers argue these are services for the benefit of the public and paid for out of tax revenue. As such, the local and state governments are not entitled to charge for the services. Put simply, the insurers refuse to pay. This sends the bill collectors to your door. It’s at this point you come to appreciate how vulnerable you are to extortion. The bill collectors make a simple threat. We say you owe this money. Here’s a copy of the city ordinance or state law. If you fail to pay within seven days, we will report you in default and that will wreck your credit score.
So before you get to this stage, ask your prospective insurers when the auto insurance quotes come in. If there are cities in your state which are billing everyone involved in traffic accidents, you should know whether you are going to be covered. If not, get more auto insurance quotes and ask more insurers whether they will cover you. If the answer is none will cover you, ask your state’s Insurance Commissioner for help. Never be passive when you could get stuck with a big bill.