Mary Gruenberg - Farmers Insurance

01/06/2026

Did you know several major health systems will stop accepting certain Medicare Advantage plans in 2026? This shift highlights the importance of understanding how provider networks and prior authorization rules impact your care. Our agency can help you review your current plan and explore alternatives to ensure you stay covered and confident. Contact our agency today to review your options and make sure your coverage works for you.

The hospitals are ending their acceptance of MA plans over issues with prior authorization denials.

09/30/2024

About 65 million U.S. households own dogs, according to the American Pet Products Association’s 2023-2024 Pet Owners Survey. The American Veterinary Medical Association states there are nearly 90 million dogs living in U.S. households. About 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year, most ...

08/16/2023

If the car isn't in park, this IS distracted driving! 😚

Photo of the day ♥️

08/16/2023

BACK TO SCHOOL TIME—Know the Law in Illinois

When a school bus is stopped to pick up or drop off kids with its flashing lights and extended stop-sign arm:

In Illinois, ALL lanes of traffic in BOTH directions must stop while traveling along a TWO-LANE road.

ALL lanes when one-way road.

Same side must stop when FOUR-LANE.

STOP at least 20 feet from the bus (roughly 2 car lengths) so students who need to can cross the road safely.

School bus drivers CAN report your PLATES to the police and by law the vehicle's owner must identify who was driving at the time of the infraction (or face the charges themselves). First offense of passing a stopped school bus doubled to $300 a few years back.

Didn't learn from it? Repeat offenders face a $1,000 fine. AND lose driving privileges for three months. Or suspension for those who have previous traffic offenses on record.

Citations for passing a stopped school bus WILL likely affect drivers' insurance premiums.

School Zone
"Jeff's Law," passed in 2007, a driver is considered to have been driving recklessly if speeding in a school zone and someone was hurt or killed.

A driver in any school zone crash that causes great bodily harm to a child (or a crossing guard) can be fined up to $25,000 and face possible jail time.

So be a safe driver and look out for the kids!

07/10/2023

July 9, 2023 The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that residents and businesses impacted by the March 31 tornado and storms are eligible for low-interest loans to assist with recovery efforts. A Disaster Loan Outreach Center will be established in DuPage County to assist storm surv...

12/19/2022

Just learned about this easy program from our friends at Child's Voice and it reminds me of mom's frequent statement "every little bit helps..."

Child's Voice is part of Wal Mart's Spark Good program, which means you can help us while shopping! When you round up your purchase total, the remainder goes to us when you shop online or in the Wal Mart app.

AND until Dec. 25, Wal-Mart is matching donations! AND AND if we get 20 donations, we can get $1,000!

🤩🛒💲🎁

Here is the link to use: https://www.walmart.com/nonprofits/3065c109-f47c-444b-8657-a95ebbe55a4b/profile

09/03/2021

Illinois SOS has a new way to validate for insurance they are mailing a letter with unique codes that you provide to your agent who then accesses a specific site to complete a questionnaire regarding your insurance. Failure to complete will result in suspension of your plates. This practice is so new I’m unclear on if SOS will be conducting these randomly, selectively or across the board and whether annual/bi-annual policies determine the verification frequency. There is the potential for snow birds to have issues with delayed forwarded mail delivery or because they put a vehicle into storage for the season. It’s not fool proof (if someone cancels their coverage the next day, the agent doesn't have a way to report coverage being pulled); however, we welcome the opportunity to speak to our client family whenever they ring the office.

06/24/2021

1) Ask for referrals from trusted resources such as insurance agent, family, friends and seek LOCAL resources that are licensed/bonded/insured and have a physical office in your county or state
2) Research the referral on the Better Business Bureau
3) Check online reviews (Google, Yelp, etc.)
4) Ask for free, written estimate (without providing your insurance company or policy #)
5) Before giving anyone access to your home or your roof, ask to see a certificate of insurance with your name and address in the certificate holder spot [this provides proof they are insured]
6) Before beginning work ask to be listed as an AI (Additional Insured) on THEIR policy for the duration of the project at your address [this protects you directly and identifies where the work is to be performed]]

Scam artists will pose as public adjusters or contractors in order to pressure home and business owners into making expensive decisions.

01/16/2021

We've had a lot of people inquire when more discounts will come because they are using their car infrequently. File under the category, a few bad apples, spoil the whole...

Preliminary data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows traffic fatalities increasing 13.1% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2020, representing 11,260 deaths and the highest rate since 2005. Fewer people drove on US roads in Q3, "but those who did took more risks and had...

10/28/2020

Why we recommend carrying coverage higher than state minimum (presuming the run away driver is legally insured with state minimum coverage he would have $20K towards repairing these homes).

Police are searching for the driver of a car that slammed into a Tinley Park home Tuesday morning, sparking a large fire that damaged two houses, fire officials said.

10/06/2020

Fewer folks on the road but riskier behaviors leads to significant consequences.

U.S. traffic deaths fell during the coronavirus lockdowns but drivers engaged in riskier behavior as the fatality rate spiked to its highest level in 15 years, according to preliminary data released Thursday.