when it comes to insurance rate increases not all claims are created equal dog bites slip and fall personal injury claims water damage and mold can all act as signals of future liability for an insurer these items tend to have a negative impact on your rates and on your insurer s willingness to continue providing coverage surprisingly speeding tickets may not cause a rate hike at all at least for your first speeding ticket many companies will not increase your prices the same goes for a minor automobile accident or a small claim against your homeowner s insurance policy 
types of insurance claimscosts for surgical procedures or inpatient hospital stays remain prohibitively expensive individual or group health policies indemnify patients against financial burdens that may otherwise cause crippling financial damage health insurance claims filed with carriers by providers on behalf of policyholders require little effort from patients the majority of medical are adjudicated electronically policyholders must file paper claims when medical providers do not participate in electronic transmittals but charges result from rendered covered services ultimately an insurance claim protects an individual from the prospect of large financial burdens resulting from an accident or illness a house is typically one of the largest assets an individual will purchase in their lifetime a claim filed for damage from covered perils is initially routed via the internet to a representative of an insurer commonly referred to as an agent or claims adjuster unlike health insurance claims the onus is on the policyholder to report damage to a deeded property they own an adjuster depending on the type of claim inspects and assesses damage to property for payment to the insured upon verification of the damage the adjuster initiates the process of compensating or reimbursing the insured life insurance claims require the submission of a claim form a death certificate and oftentimes the original policy the process especially for large face value policies may require in depth examination by the carrier to ensure that the death of the insured did not fall under a contract exclusion such as suicide usually excluded for the first few years after policy inception or death resulting from a criminal act generally the process takes approximately 30 to 60 days without extenuating circumstances affording beneficiaries the financial wherewithal to replace the income of the deceased or simply cover the burden of final expenses filing an insurance claim may raise future insurance premiums special considerationsthere are no hard and fast rules around rate hikes what one company forgives another won t forget because any claim at all may pose a risk to your rates understanding your policy is the first step toward protecting your wallet if you know your first accident is forgiven or a previously filed claim won t count against you after a certain number of years the decision of whether or not to file a claim can be made with advanced knowledge of the impact it will or won t have on your rates talking to your agent about the insurance company s policies long before you need to file a claim is also important some agents are obligated to report you to the company if you even discuss a potential claim and choose not to file for this reason you also don t want to wait until you need to file a claim to inquire about your insurer s policy regarding consultation with your agent regardless of your situation minimizing the number of claims you file is the key to protecting your insurance rates from a substantial increase a good rule to follow is to only file a claim in the event of catastrophic loss if your car gets a dent on the bumper or a few shingles blow off of the roof of your house you may be better off if you take care of the expense on your own if your car is totaled in an accident or the entire roof of your house caves in filing a claim becomes a more economically feasible exercise just keep in mind that even though you have coverage and have paid your premiums on time for years your insurance company can still decline to renew your coverage when your policy expires 