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Ohio Launches Hotline for Small Business Employers
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Insurance has established a toll-free hotline, (866) 895-0172, to assist Ohio small business owners with answering questions about health, business automobile, property and professional liability insurance. "Small business is the backbone of Ohio's economy and having appropriate coverage can be essential to the success of a business," Director Ann Womer Benjamin. "The hotline was implemented to provide small business employers with a resource to ensure that business growth is not stalled and that jobs are not lost because of insurance roadblocks."Ohio small business employers can call the Department's hotline between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to discuss their insurance issues. Aside from providing educational information and counseling services, department representatives also offer services to assist with coverage and claims disputes between small business employers and insurers.Womer Benjamin offers the following insurance tips for small business employers:Continually conduct a risk assessment of the business, first by yourself and business partners (if necessary), and then with an agent.Talk with an agent who specializes in health insurance and small business insurance/commercial lines.Research insurance-related associations and the yellow pages, and view the agent locator application on the Department's Web site. Make sure the agent is familiar with assessing risks involved with your type of business.An agent can tell you if laws require you to have certain types of coverage.Be sure to comparison shop.The Ohio Department of Insurance regulates and licenses approximately 1,800 insurance companies, nearly 166,000 agents, and more than 11,000 insurance agencies, and monitors the financial solvency of the insurance industry in Ohio.Visit the Ohio Department of Insurance: www.ohioinsurance.gov "