What is Insurance Coverage?
Insurance coverage is the amount of risk, liability, or potential loss that is protected by insurance. It helps individuals recover from financial losses as a result of incidents, such as car accidents, damaged property, or unexpected health issues.
In order to be covered for their losses, individuals pay an insurance premium. The insurance coverage depends on the policyholder’s age, place of residence, employment benefits, number of children, and other lifestyle factors.
Having insurance coverage is important because it can provide individuals with financial security and help mitigate losses. It also offers a sense of safety for the policyholder and their family, knowing that financial losses can be protected. The most common types of insurance coverages include life, health, auto, and homeowners.
Life insurance coverage provides beneficiaries with a sum of money upon the death of the insured individual. Beneficiaries can be anyone that the insured individual wants to provide the money to, such as a spouse, friend, children, or charity. The purpose of life insurance is to be able to financially assist family members after the death of a loved one, provide for funeral expenses, or pay for outstanding debt. There are various types of life insurance, not limited to but including:
- Term life insurance: This insurance has a fixed period of time for coverage, such as 10, 20, or 30 years. The coverage may also only last a certain number of years or until a certain age, such as 65 years. After that, the policyholder will not receive coverage anymore unless they purchase insurance again.
- Permanent life insurance: This gives coverage for the rest of your life and never expires. There are two types – whole life insurance and universal life insurance.
Having health insurance coverage can help individuals avoid paying the full costs of medical expenses incurred when they require medical attention. Depending on how much they pay for insurance, it can protect the policyholder from having to pay for visits to the doctor, prescription medicines, and any other healthcare costs. There are several types of coverages for health insurance, which includes:
- Health and dental insurance: This is beneficial in covering healthcare costs that are not protected by government programs or employment benefits.
- Disability insurance: This helps to protect the individual if they suffer from an accident and become disabled. The insurance coverage can help minimize financial losses if they are unable to work due to a disability.
- Critical illness insurance: This insurance is beneficial to cover the costs of healthcare for individuals who are suffering from serious or life-threatening illnesses.
- Long-term care insurance: This can help cover the costs of long-term care facilities or home-care service providers if the individual is no longer capable of caring for themselves due to aging, illness, or an accident.
Auto Insurance Coverage
Auto insurance is used to protect individuals from financial losses associated with medical expenses and repair costs due to a car accident. Not only does having auto insurance coverage financially protect the driver, but it can also protect the passengers in the vehicle and other vehicles involved in the accident. Here are some examples of several types of auto insurance coverages:
- Bodily injury liability: If the policyholder injures another individual in a car accident, this insurance helps cover medical costs for the injured individual.
- Property damage liability: This insurance covers the costs associated with repairing other vehicles or other property that the policyholder damaged.
- Collision coverage: This insurance covers the costs of repairing damages to the owner’s own vehicle or property.
- Comprehensive coverage: This insurance protects the policyholder in the case of loss, damage, or theft of their car. It can be due to an incident other than a car accident, such as damage from extreme weather or damage from a falling object.
Homeowner’s Insurance Coverage
Homeowner’s insurance protects you from financial losses related to your home. The coverage can help you with expenses associated with repairs, destruction, maintenance, or replacing damaged items inside your home. Depending on the type of coverage, it can also cover losses such as clothing, furniture, electronic appliances, and other personal belongings. Homeowners insurance coverage can financially protect you in situations such as:
- Fires
- Weather-related destruction such as wind, hurricane, lightning
- Theft and vandalism
Additional Resources
CFI is the official provider of the Commercial Banking & Credit Analyst (CBCA)®certification program. CFI also offers a variety of courses and related readings for you to continue learning about topics in finance:
FAQs
Insurance coverage is the amount of risk or liability that is covered for an individual or entity by way of insurance services.
How do you decide how much coverage you need? ›
To determine how much coverage you need, take an inventory of your belongings, especially items with higher value like jewelry, electronics and collectibles. Once you understand what you have and its value, you can decide if the predetermined limits on your policy offer adequate coverage.
What are insurance answers? ›
Insurance is generally defined as a contract which is also called a policy. An insurance policy is a contract in which an individual or an organization gets financial protection and compensation for any damages by the insurer of the insurance company.
What is considered good coverage? ›
As a rough rule of thumb, auto insurance experts recommend liability coverage of at least 100/300/100 — meaning, $100,000 in body injury liability insurance per person, $300,000 in bodily injury liability per accident and $100,000 in property damage liability per accident.
What is coverage in simple words? ›
: something that covers: such as. a. : inclusion within the scope of an insurance policy or protective plan : insurance. b. : the amount available to meet liabilities.
What is an example of coverage limit? ›
If you carry auto insurance with liability coverage limits of $50,000/$100,000/$30,000, those numbers are broken down as follows: $50,000: The maximum amount your insurer will pay for bodily injuries per person. $100,000: The total amount your insurer will pay for bodily injuries per accident.
What is the 80% rule in insurance? ›
When it comes to insuring your home, the 80% rule is an important guideline to keep in mind. This rule suggests you should insure your home for at least 80% of its total replacement cost to avoid penalties for being underinsured.
What determines full coverage? ›
Full coverage insurance in California includes comprehensive, collision, and liability insurance. California drivers need at least $15,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per person, up to $30,000 per accident, and $5,000 in property damage liability coverage.
What is the coverage limit for your insurance coverage? ›
An insurance coverage limit determines the maximum amount of money an insurance company will pay for a covered claim. What is an insurance limit? A limit is the highest amount your insurer will pay for a claim that your insurance policy covers. Think of it this way: It's like filling up a fishbowl.
How do you answer insurance questions? ›
Think deeply about the exact question the agent asked, and only provide that specific information. Never admit to fault. Never admit to even being partially at fault. Never admit that you are uninjured.
Only answer the questions asked: Do not volunteer information. Do not agree to have your statement recorded: A recorded statement may be used against you and may be an incomplete account of the accident and your injuries. Stick to the facts: Avoid giving an opinion about anything.
How do you answer the question why insurance? ›
4 example answers
I'm an extroverted individual who enjoys solving problems, so the insurance industry is perfect for me. I never encounter a challenge that I'm not excited to overcome, and I embody a positive attitude every day that I come to work so that I can help my customers and place of employment thrive."
What does level of coverage mean? ›
Coverage levels refer to the insurance plan's different tiers of insurance coverage such as Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Usually, higher-level tiers have a higher premium and more coverage, while lower-level tiers have a lower premium and less coverage.
What is full coverage good for? ›
Full coverage auto insurance includes a combination of liability, medical, collision, and comprehensive coverages to protect you in most scenarios that could occur with your vehicle. If you intend to or already have purchased full coverage, it's important to read your insurance contract.
Why is full coverage good? ›
Full coverage car insurance is typically a combination of comprehensive, collision and liability coverage. It provides coverage for most scenarios, including damage to your car from the weather, an at-fault accident, hitting an animal or vandalism.
How do you explain insurance for dummies? ›
Insurance is a contract, represented by a policy, in which a policyholder receives financial protection or reimbursem*nt against losses from an insurance company. The company pools clients' risks to make payments more affordable for the insured.
What does 250/500/100 mean in insurance? ›
A common policy structure is 250/500/100, which covers up to: 250 = Bodily Injury Coverage — $250,000 for injuries per person. 500 = Overall Maximum Coverage — $500,000 for injuries total per accident. 100 = Property Damage Coverage — $100,000 for property damage per accident.
How to get an explanation of benefits? ›
Each time your insurer pays for a service you use, they send you an Explanation of Benefits (EOB). The EOB is your insurance company's written explanation for that claim, showing the name of the provider that covered the service and date(s) of service.
What is the best way to describe health insurance? ›
Health insurance provides important financial protection in case you have an accident or sickness. For example, health insurance may help to pay for doctors' services, medications, hospital care, and special equipment when someone is sick or injured, often in exchange for a monthly premium.
