Riders are dangerous. I haven’t seen them in a long time, but I used to see stickers on the windshield of delivery trucks stating “NO RIDERS”.

I suppose riders, in the form of hitchhikers could be bad news. But so can riders on your insurance policy.

So why is it most applicants, and very few agents, are concerned about riders? Perhaps they don’t know any better. Maybe they are just ignorant.

Either way, ER’s (exclusion riders) are dangerous.

Most applications for individual health insurance ask about STD’s (sexually transmitted disease). Some people feel that is an intrusion into their privacy. Why is it the carriers business to know who they slept with, how often they did it, or who was tied up?

Not all STD’s are bad. At least that’s what some people would have you believe.

So what if you are issued a policy with an ER for STD’s? No big deal, or is it?

One particular STD has a nasty twist to it. HPV (human papilloma virus) is suspect and has been shown to have a connection to cervical cancer. This doesn’t mean everyone with HPV will develop cervical cancer but some may.

So if you have a policy with an STD ER you have a potential problem should you develop cervical cancer. If the carrier can show a direct link between your HPV and your cervical cancer, that means not only can they deny coverage for STD’s but for the cancer as well.

If you have a policy with an ER, and you are not sure what it means with regard to future liability, you need to take time to learn just what your policy will and will not cover.