Frequently Asked Questions
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What are the main coverages insured under an auto policy and how do they apply?
Collision Coverage
Collision coverage provides for the repair or replacement of the insured vehicle that has collided with other cars/objects or has rolled over (less the applicable policy deductible).
Collision also applies when your vehicle is hit while parked, hit by a grocery cart or if a car door is opened into the side of your car, to name a few examples.
Who might benefit from buying collision coverage?
If your car is financed or leased, the finance company will probably require that you carry this coverage. If you have a newer vehicle or one in excellent condition, you may need this coverage to replace or repair the vehicle in case of loss. If you have an older car or one in poor condition, you may not want to pay for this coverage.
Comprehensive Coverage
This coverage provides protection for:
Damage not resulting from a collision. (e.g., damage from falling objects, fire, certain natural disasters, and vandalism)
Theft
Glass damage
Damage from hitting an animal
How much protection does this coverage provide?
The amount you see in your Florida auto insurance policy refers to the deductible, or the portion of a claim you’re responsible for paying.
Who might benefit from buying comprehensive coverage?
If your car is financed or leased, the finance company will probably require that you carry this coverage. If you have a newer vehicle or one in excellent condition, you may need this coverage to replace or repair the vehicle in case of loss. If you have an older car or one in poor condition, you may not want to pay for this coverage.
Medical Payments:
Medical Payments is an optional coverage in Florida that pays for medical and dental treatment, hospitalization, professional nursing services, prostheses, and funeral expenses if a covered driver and/or accompanying passengers are injured while in an insured vehicle, regardless of who is at fault in the accident.
Medical payments may also cover policyholders and their family members when they are injured while riding in someone else's car or if a car hits them while on foot or bicycling.
If you and your regular passengers already have health insurance that covers similar expenses, medical payments coverage may be unnecessary. Check your Florida health insurance policy for details.
The medical payments coverage limit refers to the maximum amount that will be paid per person, per accident.
Liability:
Property Damage
If you or another insured driver is found to be at fault in an accident, the following is covered under property damage coverage:
Damage to another person's property (e.g., fence, car, or home)
Legal costs associated with a damage incident
How much protection does this coverage provide?
The coverage limits in your Florida auto insurance policy refers to the maximum amounts that will be paid per accident.
Bodily Injury
If the policyholder or another insured driver is found to be at fault in an accident resulting in injuries or fatalities, the following is covered under bodily injury coverage:
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Medical expenses
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Lost wages
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Pain and suffering
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Legal defense if the drivers listed on the policy are involved in a lawsuit resulting from a car accident
*Bodily injury coverage pays for damages caused to a third party.
How much protection does this coverage provide?
The dual coverage limits you select in your auto insurance policy refer to the maximum amounts that will be paid per person, per incident, respectively.
Uninsured Motorist:
If you are injured in an accident caused by a driver who has no auto insurance coverage or insufficient coverage, uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage covers the following expenses:
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Medical
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Lost wages
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Other general damages
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Injuries sustained in hit-and-run accidents
*Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury provides coverage to the policyholder, authorized policy members, and passengers when another party is at fault for the accident and resulting damages and injuries.
How much protection does this coverage provide?
The dual coverage limits in your auto insurance policy refer to the maximum amount that will be paid per person, per incident, respectively.
If the other driver is uninsured, this coverage can generally pay up to the limit you purchase. If the driver is underinsured, this coverage typically pays the difference between what’s covered by the other driver's insurance and what’s covered by your bodily injury coverage.
If the limits you purchase are lower than an accident's costs, you’ll be responsible for paying the amount over your limits, unless you are covered by health insurance.
Stacking option under Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Bodily Iinjury
In Florida, you have the option to choose Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury – car stacking. Selecting this option multiplies your limits for each of these coverages by the number of cars in your household.
For example, if you select stacking on your auto insurance policy and have 2 cars in your household, your Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury coverage limits of $50,000/$100,000 would double to $100,000/$200,000. If you have 3 cars in your household and choose stacking, $50,000/$100,000 limits would increase to $150,000/$300,000.
Personal Injury Protection
PIP is mandatory in the state of Florida
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) covers medical expenses for injuries sustained in an auto accident by you, passengers in your covered auto, and relatives living in your household. PIP is your primary medical coverage REGARDLESS of fault.
What's covered?
Medical - Personal Injury Protection (PIP) will cover up to 80 percent of all accident-related expenses.
Disability - If any of the covered individuals are unable to work due to accident-related injuries, PIP helps recover up to 60 percent of their gross income. This also includes any reasonable expenses incurred during the recovery period.
Death – Benefits equal to $5,000 or the remainder of unused personal injury protection benefits per individual, whichever is less, will be paid to a covered insured’s executor or designated beneficiary if they die due to accident-related injuries.
How much protection does this coverage provide?
Total payments covered by PIP are limited to $10,000 per person, per incident.
***It is a great idea to supplement PIP with Medical Payments coverage. Med Pay will make up the difference between the PIP payout and the actual bill up to the Med Pay policy limit.
FAQs- Home Insurance
Do I need new inspections?
If you're not changing companies, there is typically nothing to do other than make a timely payment. Switching companies will require a new full underwriting review. In this review, a new application as well as an exterior and possibly an interior inspection will be necessary. Wind mitigation reports will have to be up-to-date and discounts like burglar or fire alarms will have to be verified. For older homes, a "4 Point Inspection" less than one-year-old typically is required.
My Mortgage company has changed, what do I do?
Mortgages are bought and sold by financial institutions on an almost daily basis and many of our customers are finding now to be a good time to refinance their homes. Remember if your lender holds an escrow account to pay your insurance it is very important to let us know when these changes occur. Failure to notify your insurer can result in incorrect billing, missed payment and coverage lapses which can be costly. Please call, fax or email us anytime your mortgagee changes or forward any correspondence you receive.Together we'll keep your policies in good standing.
What else can Keystone do?
We offer all types of personal and commercial insurance policies. PLUS, our homeowner customers receive a valuable discount from almost every one of our 12 brand name auto carriers when we write their auto policy. Let us show you what you may be missing!
Free flood insurance?
Many people don't buy flood insurance even though we see homes with flood damage every year in Florida. Others don't bother to move their flood policy because the pricing is uniform among carriers. What many don't know is that some homeowners carriers offer discounts to people who buy flood policies through them. In some cases, the discount is enough or even more than the cost of the flood policy itself. These discounts make a flood policy even more valuable.