Coinsurance clauses, explained | Kin insurance glossary (2024)

What is a coinsurance clause?

Homeowners insurance policies typically have a coinsurance clause that requires you to carry coverage worth a certain percentage of your home’s value. Failure to meet the requirement reduces your compensation after a loss.

What policies have coinsurance clauses?

Almost all property insurance policies – including homeowners insurance – includes a coinsurance clause. By requiring property owners to carry coverage at least equal to some percentage of a property’s total value, coinsurance clauses help to fairly distribute risk between policyholders and insurance companies.

The amount of coverage required by a coinsurance clause can vary by provider or policy, but typically ranges from 80% to 100%. If a property owner doesn't carry coverage equal to or greater than the amount required by their coinsurance clause, then their coinsurance has not been satisfied.

How does coinsurance work?

Coinsurance clauses are a feature of almost all home insurance policies to encourage policyholders to carry an appropriate amount of coverage. The clause does this by requiring you to insure your home for a percentage of your home’s actual cash value or its replacement cost. Basically, the coinsurance clause prevents you from underinsuring your home.

If you don’t insure your property at the specified percentage, typically at least 80% of its value, you can face a coinsurance penalty.

What is a coinsurance penalty?

A coinsurance penalty is the amount you may have to pay for a loss if you do not insure your home for the amount required in your policy’s coinsurance clause. Your insurer still covers your loss but only for a percentage of what you might expect.

An example of when coinsurance is satisfied

Let’s say your home’s replacement cost value is $200,000, and your coinsurance requirement is 80%. You need to insure your home for at least $160,000 to avoid the penalty.

Please note: Insuring your home for $160,000 satisfies the coinsurance clause, but it may leave you short when you need to replace your property. Even though your replacement cost is $200,000, the most your insurance provider might pay is $160,000 for a total loss. And that doesn’t take your deductible into consideration.

An example of when coinsurance isn’t satisfied

But now let’s say you want to save money and decide to insure your $200,000 home for only $100,000. When you file a claim, your insurer will realize your coverage falls short of the requirement and use a formula to determine your penalty. The penalty amount is deducted from your claim settlement.

The same is true if you choose to insure your home for its actual cash value and fail to secure sufficient coverage. But in that case, your insurance provider also deducts your property’s depreciation from your reimbursem*nt.

Factors that affect coinsurance amounts

Perhaps the trickiest part of the coinsurance clause is the valuation. Your home’s value can change due to inflation and home improvements, like:

  • Finishing your basem*nt.

  • Upgrading your electrical.

  • Replacing your windows.

  • Landscaping your yard.

A change in your home’s value can mean you fall short of the coinsurance clause requirements. On the other hand, depreciation may mean you’re paying too much for your insurance, so be sure to get your home appraised semi-regularly.

How can I avoid a coinsurance penalty?

A coinsurance penalty can be an unpleasant surprise when you’re trying to recover from a loss. However, you can avoid it. Here’s how:

  • Find out what your coinsurance clause is. You can usually find this information in the “conditions” section of your policy under the heading Loss Settlement.

  • Determine the value of your house on a regular basis. Get an appraisal once every three years.

  • Set your insurance limits appropriately. Take the information you’ve gathered and review it with an agent. They can help you fulfill the coinsurance clause requirement.

Staying on top of your policy is an important part of owning a home. Check out our blog for more tips on getting the most out of your home insurance.

Coinsurance clauses, explained | Kin insurance glossary (2024)

FAQs

Coinsurance clauses, explained | Kin insurance glossary? ›

A coinsurance clause is a provision that requires you to carry coverage equal to 80% of your home's value. The date of issue is the day your insurance company creates your insurance policy.

What is the easiest way to explain coinsurance? ›

Coinsurance is an insured individual's share of the costs of a covered expense (it usually applies to health-care insurance). It is expressed as a percentage. If you have a "30% coinsurance" policy, it means that, when you have a medical bill, you are responsible for 30% of it. Your health plan pays the remaining 70%.

What is the coinsurance clause and how does it work? ›

Coinsurance is a clause used in insurance contracts by insurance companies on property insurance policies such as buildings. This clause ensures policyholders insure their property to an appropriate value and that the insurer receives a fair premium for the risk. Coinsurance is usually expressed as a percentage.

Is 80% or 90% coinsurance better? ›

Common coinsurance is 80%, 90%, or 100% of the value of the insured property. The higher the percentage is, the worse it is for you. It is important to note, as a way of preventing frustration and confusion at the time of loss, coverage through the NREIG program has no coinsurance.

What is the fundamental purpose of a coinsurance clause? ›

The purpose of coinsurance is to have equity in ratings. If your insured meets the coinsurance requirement, the insured receives a rate discount. The coinsurance clause helps to ensure equity among all policyholders.

What is a deductible and coinsurance for dummies? ›

A deductible is the amount you pay for coverage services before your health plan kicks in. After you meet your deductible, you pay a percentage of health care expenses known as coinsurance. It's like when friends in a carpool cover a portion of the gas, and you, the driver, also pay a portion.

What best describes coinsurance? ›

The percentage of costs of a covered health care service you pay (20%, for example) after you've paid your deductible. The maximum amount a plan will pay for a covered health care service. May also be called “eligible expense,” “payment allowance,” or “negotiated rate.”

What is the difference between a deductible clause and a coinsurance clause? ›

Coinsurance is the percentage of covered health costs you're responsible for paying after you've met your deductible. Typically, coinsurance operates on a fixed ratio, meaning you'll always be charged the same percentage of the total bill each time.

What does the coinsurance involve? ›

Coinsurance is the percentage of the medical expense you and the insurer each pay for services covered by the plan. Deductibles are a dollar amount you must pay for most covered medical services before your health plan pays any amount.

Who pays the coinsurance amount? ›

Coinsurance – Your share of the costs of a covered health care service, calculated as a percent (for example, 20%) of the allowed amount for the service. You pay the coinsurance plus any deductibles you owe. If you've paid your deductible: you pay 20% of $100, or $20.

How do you calculate the coinsurance? ›

The simple formula for calculating the coinsurance penalty is: amount of insurance in place / Amount of insurance that should have been in place x the loss, less any deductible is the amount actually paid. In this example the coinsurance penalty would be as follows: $500,000/ $800,000= .

What are the disadvantages of coinsurance? ›

However, coinsurance has drawbacks like: Must meet deductible first: To gain the benefits of coinsurance, you must pay your deductible first. Your deductible varies based on the plan you choose. If you cannot pay out-of-pocket deductible fees, you have to cover the entire service cost.

Does 80 coinsurance mean I pay 80? ›

Here's an example of how coinsurance costs work: John's health plan has 80/20 coinsurance. This means that after John has met his deductible, his plan pays 80% of covered costs, and John pays 20%.

Do you pay coinsurance after out-of-pocket maximum? ›

Then, when you've met the deductible, you may be responsible for a percentage of covered costs (this is called coinsurance). These payments count toward your out-of-pocket maximum. When you reach that amount, the insurance plan pays 100% of covered expenses.

What does it mean when coinsurance is waived? ›

What Is a Waiver of Coinsurance Clause? A waiver of coinsurance clause is a provision in an insurance contract stating that the insurer will not require the policyholder to pay coinsurance, or a percentage of the total claim, under certain conditions.

Does coinsurance apply to actual cash value? ›

If the insured purchases insurance at least equal to the coinsurance percentage (say 80 percent), the insurer pays the full value of any loss (either replacement cost or actual cash value, depending on what the insured has purchased), less the deductible, up to the limit of insurance.

Which of the following best describes the term coinsurance? ›

Which of the following best describes coinsurance? Coinsurance is the agreed upon proportions for which the insurer and the insured share payment of certain benefits or services under the policy coverage.

Is it better to have higher or lower coinsurance? ›

If you rarely go to a hospital or doctor, higher coinsurance and deductibles with lower premiums might be a better decision,” says Gross. But if you have a chronic health condition or see doctors very frequently, you might want to have a lower coinsurance and deductible with a higher premium.

What does 20% coinsurance mean? ›

A 20% coinsurance means your insurance company will pay for 80% of the total cost of the service, and you are responsible for paying the remaining 20%. Coinsurance can apply to office visits, special procedures, and medications.

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