Texas Insurance Comparisons for Home and Auto

The Texas Department of Insurance has comparisons for home and auto insurance which will give you approximate prices in Texas from different insurance companies. There is also information about financial ratings and complaint index. The prices you see are not actual premiums, but just a general idea of what you might pay. The comparisons are based on limited factors, so actual rates will vary.

The auto insurance comparison has several different driver profiles. The profiles have different ages, 18, 25, 35, 55, and over 64. Also for age 18, you can compare single vs. married. The profiles are ones with no tickets or accidents. You would then have to select your locality in Texas and be able to see the different prices of the different insurance companies.

The comparison for home insurance has different owner profiles consisting of new brick or frame home, and then different ages of the homes. Also you can see what kind of discounts the companies may offer. You also select where you live to compare the different rates.

These comparisons can give you a rough idea about prices, but it's important to shop around and get actual quotes. It's also important to note, that not all companies may be writing business, because the comparisons are only as current as the last provision.

Texas moves to fix problem with uninsured drivers

Texas has the highest rate of uninsured drivers, at 24 percent.

If you live in Texas it is very important that you also have uninsured coverage since there are so many drivers without insurance.

Meanwhile, the state is going to test a program, to stop uninsured drivers. Through a state database they will be able to identify the uninsured.

Uninsured drivers can get caught when they are stopped for a traffic violation, involved in an accident, vehicle inspection, or when they pay for vehicle registration.

The state will also send out letters to the 4 million drivers without car insurance and warn them to get car insurance.

Similar programs have been tested in other states and they have dramatically decreased the amount of uninsured drivers. The program is going to first be tested in Austin, then in Dallas, and throughout the rest of the state.

Uninsured drivers are not just a problem for drivers without uninsured coverage, it's also a problem for insurance companies. Good drivers typically don't have at-fault accidents, but when an uninsured driver causes an accident, then the insurer that is insuring the good driver has to pay. Thus, causing insurance rates to increase overall.

Texas CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) Awareness

Why is it that more than 850,000 of the 1.5 million Texas children who don't have health insurance, could qualify for CHIP or medicaid? 190,000 for SCHIP, and 660,000 for medicaid. I don't know why, but it's a bit shocking. Spreading awareness will help. I've even heard of one state that has actually contacted people that could qualify and let them know about the programs.

Texas CHIP (Children's health insurance program) is a program for families that don't qualify for medicaid but can't afford private health insurance. Currently if you visit the site it will say the state is closely watching the action on CHIP, but no immediate changes are expected for their program. There you can go and learn about the program. $50 or less you can insure all of your children. The site is in both english and spanish.

At the CHIP website you can learn what is covered, who qualifies, the cost, how to apply, and how to renew. Some of the benefits include prescription drug coverage, dentist visits, check-ups, vaccinations, hospital care, and eye care.

Go here for information about Texas CHIP.
Go here for information about Texas Medicaid.

List of Insurance Companies in Texas

I was doing a search trying to find a list of Texas insurance companies, and could find no such list, so I went looking through the Texas Department of Insurance. There is a page there, that has the top 40 insurance companies for each type of insurance. I had to look for it, but I ended up finding it.

The top 40 lists include: homeowners, auto, worker's compensation, accident and health, HMO, Life and annuities. The data is based on 2005, but it gives you a good idea anyway. Even though it seems the top 10 insurers have most of the market share. These are insurance companies in Texas only, of course some companies will be in many states. It just depends on the company. Anyway, here's the top 40 list for tx.