This new year might inspire you to clean your garage or tidy your shelves.

Good ideas! And when you’re done, why not review your insurance coverages? A little research could save you money and improve your benefits.

Use these tips to get started.

First off, if you moved or changed your phone number, make sure you told your health plan and your home and auto insurance companies.

For your health plan:  

• Find out which nearby emergency rooms and urgent care centers are in your plan’s provider network. This could spare you time and money in an emergency.

• Ask your health plan or visit its website to find out if you can use a nurse phone line or a virtual doctor visit. Make a handy list.

• Check if your health plan has programs to help you lose weight or stop smoking. Your plan might even pay for a gym membership.

For your home and auto policies:  

• Consider if you should drop collision and comprehensive coverage on an older car or truck that’s been paid off. It might not be worth having it. Your vehicle might be worth less than the coverage.

• Liability coverage is usually cheap. Ask how much it costs to increase your limits. The extra protection might be worth it.

• Ask your insurance company if you have enough coverage to rebuild your home after a disaster. Repairs are more expensive than they used to be.

• Did you make any changes to your home such as adding on, enclosing the porch, or upgrades to your heating and cooling?  Make sure to tell your insurance company about them. 

• Make a digital inventory of furniture, appliances, and other valuable objects in your home. This list could ease your recovery after a fire or other incident.

• Think about buying flood coverage. Homeowners policies don’t cover flood damage.

• Shop around to compare insurance coverage and prices.

Finally, for any insurance, ask what discounts the company offers that could make the price cheaper.

Happy New Year.

Have a question about insurance? Call the Texas Department of Insurance at 800-252-3439 or visit www.tdi.texas.gov.