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An alarm was sounded after a New Zealand hospital revealed that hospital staff contracted TB or tuberculosis from a patient who later died from an unrelated TB condition. It emphasizes once more the need for all travelers to protect themselves with international travel health insurance. With overseas health insurance, a visitor to any foreign country can get proper medical treatment in a major hospital with excellent facilities and the best doctors.
The NZ hospital where the TB case occurred is admittedly a rare incident. The TB happened because he patient’s immune system was compromised by his condition. His inactive TB turned active and was unexpected.
The hospital has taken all necessary precautions to have everyone who was exposed to the patient tested for TB. This includes hospital staff, doctors, relatives and friends of the patient and others. Thus far, only 3 have been tested positive for latent TB.
Latent TB means that the condition is controllable and the infected person cannot contaminate anyone. Basically, they have bacteria in their lungs and this is treatable with drugs. According to medical experts, 90% of people with latent TB never get full-blown TB. Their immune system prevents it from becoming active. Symptoms include blood in the phlegm, coughing, chest pains, appetite loss, weight loss, and fatigue.
Anyone can get TB but usually the cases come from developing countries which mean the man probably traveled to a developing country. It also means that anyone traveling to a developing country should take the necessary precautions.

Here’s a quick quiz for you: Do you know how much life insurance you have? Do you have life insurance in addition to a policy your employer provides? If your answer to either question was “No,” then you need a life insurance audit to determine if you are adequately covered.

If you’re underinsured, you’re not alone. More than 46 million Americans are. That doesn’t mean being uninsured is a good idea. If sudden death strikes, your family would have to cope with catastrophic financial issues in addition to their emotional loss. No grieving family should have to struggle to pay the bills or have to sell real estate or securities prematurely because the family’s primary breadwinner died without adequate insurance.

The American Council of Life Insurers recommends, as a rule of thumb, that your insurance coverage equals five to seven times your annual earnings. That’s a good starting point, but many factors go into determining how much insurance you need.

Immediate Expenses

The most common immediate expenses that survivors have to pay when a loved one dies are medical bills and funeral expenses. Whether death occurs accidentally or after a lingering illness, survivors face bills for their loved one’s final illness and expenses for his funeral. Medical bills vary greatly based on the type of illness and how long the deceased was ill, as well as how comprehensive his medical insurance coverage was. Having enough life insurance to pay any uninsured medical expenses gives the family peace of mind in case the worst happens. Your insurance should also cover your funeral expenses, which typically range from $7,000 to $10,000.

Debt Repayment

How much insurance you need depends on how much you owe your creditors.

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How savvy are you about car insurance? Take our car insurance trivia test and find out. The answers could help you make better decisions when you shop for car insurance quotes online.  

Car insurance is required in all 50 states for anyone operating a motor vehicle on public roads.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia require that drivers carry a minimum amount of car insurance to cover stipulated amounts of property damage and personal injury. Some states will allow you to post a bond
in lieu of buying an insurance policy.

If you have liability insurance, it covers anyone else who drives your car.

Your insurance will most likely cover any damages, but always read your policy for any exclusions and limitations.

If you hit a deer (and over 1.5 million U.S. drivers do every year), your liability insurance will cover the damage to your car.

A basic policy will cover any injuries you sustain in the accident, but unless you have comprehensive coverage, it may not cover damages to the car.

Car insurance is tax deductible.

If you use your car for business (that doesn’t include time spent commuting to the office), you may be able to deduct the percentage of business use on your taxes. Always consult a tax expert to be sure.

If you and another driver are in an accident and your insurance companies can’t agree who was at
fault, neither company will pay for the claims.

Both insurance companies will prepare cases and submit them to an impartial arbitration panel who will determine the percentage of liability for each driver.

If someone breaks into your car and steals your expensive camera equipment, your liability policy
will cover the loss.