What Is Insurance? Insurance, Car insurance

What Is Insurance?

Insurance is a contract, represented by a policy, under which an individual or entity receives financial protection or reimbursement from an insurance company in the event of a loss. In order to make payments more affordable for the insured, the company merged the risks of its clients.

Insurance policies are used to protect against the risk of financial losses, both large and small, that may occur as a result of damage to the insured's or her property, or liability for harm or damage caused to a third party.

How Insurance Works

There are various insurance policies available, and almost any individual or business can find an insurance company willing to insure them—for a fee. Auto, health, homeowners, and life insurance are the most common types of personal insurance policies. You're probably aware that the majority of Americans have at least one of these types of insurance, and that car insurance is required by law.

KEY Feathures

1. Insurance is a contract (policy) in which an insurer indemnifies another for losses incurred as a result of specific contingencies or perils.

2. Insurance policies come in a variety of forms. The most common types of insurance are life, health, homeowners, and auto.

3. The deductible, policy limit, and premium are the three main components of most insurance policies.

Businesses require specific types of insurance policies that protect them against specific types of risks. A fast-food restaurant, for example, requires insurance that covers damage or injury caused by deep-frying. A car dealer is not exposed to this type of risk, but he or she does need coverage for damage or injury that may occur during test drives.

Important: To find the best policy for you or your family, consider the three most important components of most insurance policies: the deductible, premium, and policy limit.

Kidnap and ransom (K&R), medical malpractice, and professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions insurance, are all available insurance policies.

Insurance Policy Components

It is important to understand how insurance works before selecting a policy.

A solid understanding of these concepts will go a long way toward assisting you in selecting the policy that best meets your needs. For example, whole life insurance may or may not be the best type of life insurance for you. There are three critical components of any type of insurance (premium, policy limit, and deductible).

Premium

The premium of a policy is its cost, which is usually expressed as a monthly cost. The premium is set by the insurer based on your or your company's risk profile, which may include creditworthiness.

For example, if you own several expensive cars and have a history of reckless driving, you will most likely pay more for auto insurance than someone who owns a single mid-range sedan and has a perfect driving record. Different insurers, however, may charge different premiums for similar policies. So doing some research to find the best price for you is necessary.

Policy Limit

The policy limit is the most that an insurer will pay for a covered loss under the terms of a policy. Maximums can be set per period (e.g., annually or for the term of the policy), per loss or injury, or over the life of the policy, also known as the lifetime maximum.

Higher limits are typically associated with higher premiums. The maximum amount that an insurer will pay for a general life insurance policy is referred to as the face value, which is the amount paid to a beneficiary upon the insured's death.

Deductible

The deductible is the amount of money that the policyholder must pay out of pocket before the insurer will pay a claim. Deductibles act as a deterrent to large numbers of minor and insignificant claims.

Depending on the insurer and policy type, deductibles can be applied per-policy or per-claim. Policies with extremely high deductibles are typically less expensive because the high out-of-pocket expense results in fewer minor claims.

Special Considerations

People who have chronic health issues or require regular medical attention should look for health insurance policies with lower deductibles.

Though the annual premium is higher than that of a comparable policy with a higher deductible, the lower cost of medical care throughout the year may be worth the trade-off.