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Glossary of Terms |
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| Help is just " A Click " away for better understanding some of the most commonly used terminology in the insurance industry. | |||||||
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Use the letters to view alphabetically or simply scroll down to view them all. |
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| Accelerated death benefits. | ||
| A life insurance policy under which policy proceeds are paid prior to death if the insured is terminally ill. | ||
| Accident | ||
| An unexpected, unforeseen event not under the control of an insured and resulting in a loss. | ||
| Accident frequency | ||
| The number of times an accident occurs. Used in predicting losses upon which premiums are based. | ||
| Accidental death | ||
| Coverage in the event of death due to an accident, usually in combination with dismemberment insurance. | ||
| Act of God | ||
| A natural occurrence beyond human control or influence. Such acts of nature include hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. ( A snow storm is an act of God. Driving in a snow storm is an act of man, woman or teenager.) | ||
| Actuary | ||
| A professional trained in the mathematics of insurance and risk management. | ||
| Add-ons | ||
| Additional coverage that is not included in the basic cost of your policy. | ||
| Adjuster | ||
| A person employed by a property/casualty insurer to evaluate losses and settle claims. | ||
| Agent | ||
| A licensed, trained individual who sells insurance. Generally, there are two types of agents. An "Independent" agent who normally sells for two or more different companies and an "Exclusive" or "Captured" agent who only sells for one particular company. | ||
| Alien insurance company | ||
| An insurance company incorporated under the laws of a foreign country. | ||
| Annuity | ||
| A life insurance contract that pays a periodic income benefit for a specific period or lifetime. | ||
| Application | ||
| A signed statement by a prospective insured person which becomes part of the insurance contract. An application, as the name applies, is a request for insurance that is subject to the company's approval. | ||
| Auto insurance premium discounts | ||
| A discount offered to drivers for such safeguards as air bags, seatbelts, good driving record, anti-theft devices, multiple vehicles, etc. | ||
| Bail bond | ||
| A monetary guarantee that an individual released from jail will be present in court at an appointed time. If the individual is not present in court at the appointed time (jumping bail), the monetary value of the bond is forfeited to the court. Personal auto policies commonly cover fees for an insured's bail bond. | ||
| Beneficiary | ||
| A designation made by the owner of a life insurance policy indicating to whom the proceeds are to be paid upon the insured's death or when an endowment matures. | ||
| Binder | ||
| Temporary insurance contract providing coverage until a permanent policy is approved and issued. | ||
| Blanket policy | ||
| An insurance contract which protects all members of a certain group against a specific hazard. | ||
| Broker | ||
| A sales and service representative who handles insurance for clients, generally selling insurance of various kinds and for several companies. | ||
| Cancelable policy | ||
| A policy which may be terminated by the company or the insured by proper notification sent to the other party according to the terms set forth in the policy. | ||
| Carrier | ||
| An insurer or insurance company. | ||
| Cash surrender value | ||
| Money the policyholder is entitled to receive from the insurance company upon surrendering a life insurance policy with cash value. | ||
| Claim | ||
| A formal request for payment of a loss under an insurance contract or bond. | ||
| Claimant | ||
| One who seeks reimbursement for loss under the terms and conditions of an insurance contract. | ||
| Clause | ||
| A section or paragraph in an insurance policy that explains, defines or clarifies the conditions of coverage. | ||
| COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) | ||
| A federal law under which group health plans sponsored by employers with 20 or more employees must offer continuation of coverage to employees who leave their jobs, voluntarily or otherwise, and their dependents; gives individuals and their dependent family members the right to continue their health care coverage for as long as 18 months. | ||
| Coinsurance | ||
| In Property Insurance, a coinsurance clause requires the policyholder to carry insurance equal to a specified percentage of the value of the property in order to receive full payment of a loss. In Health Insurance, coinsurance is a percentage of each claim, above the deductible, that is paid by the policyholder. | ||
| Collision insurance (Auto) | ||
| Insurance coverage which pays (maximum book value) for damage to the policyholder's car caused by collision. | ||
| Comprehensive insurance (Auto) | ||
| Insurance coverage which pays (maximum book value) for damage other than collision such as fire, theft and vandalism. | ||
| Comprehensive major medical insurance | ||
| A policy designed to give the protection offered by both a basic and major medical health insurance policy. It is characterized by a low "deductible" amount, coinsurance feature, and high maximum benefits. | ||
| Conversion privilege | ||
| A right granted to group certificate holders, by which they may obtain an individual policy (upon leaving the group) regardless of physical condition. | ||
| Co-payment | ||
| The portion, either a percentage or a fixed dollar amount, of a medical bill that a patient pays. | ||
| Coverage | ||
| A term usually referring to the type and extent of benefits provided by an insurance contract. | ||
| Credit insurance | ||
| Coverage that pays off an outstanding loan in the event of the policyholder's death and/or makes loan payments if the policyholder is disabled. | ||
| Death benefit | ||
| Amount payable, as stated in a life insurance policy, upon the death of the insured. | ||
| Declaration page | ||
| That page of the insurance policy which lists the insurance company, its address, name of the policyholder, starting and ending dates of coverage, and the actual coverage's given in the contract, including the locations and amounts. | ||
| Deductible | ||
| The amount of loss paid by the policyholder before the insurance policy benefits become payable. | ||
| Defense clause | ||
| A provision in a casualty insurance policy that provides additional coverage for expenses of judicial assistance. | ||
| Dental Insurance | ||
| Coverage for dental services under a group or individual policy. | ||
| Depreciation | ||
| A decrease in the original value of an item because of wear and tear, obsolescence, and deterioration. | ||
| Disability insurance | ||
| A type of health insurance that pays a monthly income to the policyholder when he or she is unable to work because of illness or accident. | ||
| Domestic insurance company | ||
| An insurer domiciled in this state. | ||
| Earned premium | ||
| That part of the premium applicable to the expired part of the policy period, including the short-rate charge on cancellation. | ||
| Effective date | ||
| The date on which an insurance policy coverage starts. | ||
| ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ) | ||
| Federal law that established rules and regulations to govern private pension plans. Most self-insured health plans are created under this act. | ||
| Evidence of insurability | ||
| Any statement or proof of a person's physical condition, occupation, etc., affecting his acceptance for insurance. | ||
| Exclusions | ||
| Specified hazards for which a policy will not provide benefit payments. They are often called exceptions. | ||
| Experience | ||
| The record of claims made or paid within a specified time period. | ||
| Experience rating | ||
| Determination of the premium rate for an individual risk, made partially or wholly on the basis of that risk's own past claim experience. | ||
| Fee for service | ||
| The traditional model for health insurance, in which patients go to the doctor or hospital of their choice and the insurer pays the largest portion of the bill. | ||
| Fire insurance | ||
| Coverage protecting property against losses caused by fire or lightning only. | ||
| Flat cancellation | ||
| Cancellation of an insurance policy as of the date of its start with no premium charge. | ||
| Foreign insurance company | ||
| An insurer domiciled in another state. | ||
| Guaranteed renewable policy | ||
| A policy which the insured has the right to continue in force by the timely payment of premiums to a specified age, (usually age 50) during which period the insurer has no right to make unilaterally any change in any provision of the policy while the policy is in force but may make changes in premium rates for the entire policyholder classification. | ||
| Guarantee funds | ||
| All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico require licensed insurers to assume some of an insolvent insurance company's policyholder liabilities. These funds (life & health and property & casualty) are the mechanism by which solvent insurers bail out the policyholders of companies that fail. | ||
| Health insurance | ||
| Protection against the costs of hospital and medical care or lost income arising from an illness or injury. Sometimes called Accident of Sickness Insurance, Accident and Health Insurance, or Disability Insurance. | ||
| HMO (Health maintenance organization) | ||
| An organization that provides health care for a monthly payment set in advance. In a traditional HMO, doctors and other providers are salaried employees and the facilities are owned by the organization. In recent years, however, other forms of HMOs have sprung up that contract with doctors and hospitals to care for members at set, negotiated fees. Many HMOs are hybrids, offering both kinds of care to members. | ||
| Insurer | ||
| The company offering protection through the sale of an insurance policy to an insured. | ||
| Insured | ||
| The person whose risk is transferred and shared. | ||
| J - No terms listed for this letter category. | ||
| K - No terms listed for this letter category. | ||
| Liability insurance | ||
| Insurance for money the policyholder is legally obligated to pay because of bodily injury or property damage caused to another person and covered in the policy. | ||
| Life insurance | ||
| Protection against the death of the insured in the form of payment to a designated beneficiary, typically a family member or business. | ||
| Long Term Care Insurance | ||
| Covers the cost of long-term custodial care in a nursing facility or at home. | ||
| Loss of use coverage | ||
| Insurance against loss due to the insured's inability to use property, such as a vehicle or a store; includes additional living expense, business interruption, rent insurance, rental reimbursement, and rental value. | ||
| Managed care | ||
| A health plan that places limits on which treatments and which doctors, hospitals and other providers a member can use and still receive full coverage. Generally under managed care an insurer negotiates lower fees with doctors, hospitals, laboratories, for instance, who join in a network that members of the plan are encouraged to use. Frequently, members of a managed care plan can use health care providers outside the network, but they must pay a greater share of the cost. | ||
| Malpractice insurance | ||
| A professional liability coverage that insures physicians, lawyers and other specialists against suits alleging their negligence. | ||
| Marine insurance | ||
| Coverage for goods in transit, and for the vehicles that transport them, over waterways, over land and in air. | ||
| Medicaid | ||
| A federal-state program that helps pay for health care for the needy, blind and disabled and for low-income families with children. | ||
| Medicare | ||
| A federal health care insurance program for people age 65 and over, and for the disabled. | ||
| Medigap | ||
| Because Medicare does not cover all expenses, private insurers sell "Medigap" policies to supplement federal insurance benefits. | ||
| Mortgage insurance | ||
| Life insurance that pays the balance of a mortgage if the mortgagor (insured) dies. | ||
| No Fault | ||
| A system in which each driver's auto insurance coverage pays for injuries and damage, no matter who caused the accident. | ||
| Non-cancelable or Non-cancelable and guaranteed renewable policy | ||
| A policy which the insured has the right to continue in force by the timely payment of premiums set forth in the policy to a specified age, (usually age 50) during which period the insurer has no right to make unilaterally any change in any provision of the policy while the policy is in force. | ||
| Ordinary life insurance | ||
| Life insurance usually issued in amounts of $1000 or more to an individual policyholder. | ||
| Paid-up insurance | ||
| Life insurance policy under which all premiums have already been paid, with no further premiums due. | ||
| PIP (Personal injury protection) | ||
| Coverage present in no-fault states which pays medical, loss of income, death and/or disability, and loss of services incurred as a result of an automobile accident. | ||
| Physical damage insurance | ||
| Property damage coverage for a vehicle under the "collision insurance" and "comprehensive insurance" sections of the policy. | ||
| Pre-existing conditions | ||
| A physical condition of an insured person which existed prior to the issuance of the policy. | ||
| Premium | ||
| The payment for an insurance policy, usually paid periodically, i.e., annually, semi-annually, quarterly or monthly. | ||
| Property damage liability insurance | ||
| Coverage in the event that the negligent acts or omissions of an insured result in damage or destruction to another's property. | ||
| Pro-rata | ||
| Cancellation of an insurance contract by the insurance company, allowing the policyholder a share of the premium relating to the remainder of the time under the contract that bears to the total contract premium. | ||
| Q - No terms listed for this letter category. | ||
| Rebate | ||
| A reduction of a premium. | ||
| Reinsurance | ||
| A form of insurance that insurance companies buy for their own protection. | ||
| Rider | ||
| An endorsement to an insurance policy that modifies clauses and provisions of the policy, adding or excluding coverage. | ||
| Risk | ||
| A term used to designate an insured or a peril insured against. | ||
| Short rate | ||
| Cancellation of an insurance contract at the request of the policyholder with a refund of premiums to the policyholder of less than would be given under pro-rata consideration. | ||
| Specified disease insurance | ||
| A policy which provides stated benefits, usually of large amounts, toward the expense of the treatment of the disease or diseases named in the policy. | ||
| Solvency | ||
| One of the insurance commissioner's (Maryland Insurance Administration) primary responsibilities is to make sure insurance companies remain solvent, i.e., have sufficient assets and income, in order to have the ability to pay the claims of their policyholders. | ||
| Term Insurance | ||
| Life insurance issued for a stated temporary period of time. | ||
| Title Insurance | ||
| Indemnifies the owner of real estate in the event clear ownership of property is challenged by discovery of faults in the title. | ||
| Twisting | ||
| An unfair trade practice, in insurance, whereby an agent or broker attempts to persuade a life insurance policyholder through misrepresentation to cancel an existing policy and buy a new one. | ||
| Umbrella liability insurance | ||
| A liability policy that covers in excess of primary limits of the basic liability policy. | ||
| Underwriting | ||
| Process of examining, accepting, or rejecting insurance risks, and classifying those selected, in order to charge the proper premium for each. | ||
| Uninsured motorist coverage | ||
| Endorsement to a personal automobile policy that covers an insured involved in a collision with a driver who does not have liability insurance. | ||
| Universal life insurance | ||
| A flexible premium policy that combines protection against premature death with a savings account that typically earns a money market rate of interest. | ||
| V - No terms listed for this letter category. | ||
| Whole life insurance | ||
| Life insurance payable to a beneficiary at the time of death of the insured whenever that occurs and usually accumulates a cash value. | ||
| Workers compensation insurance | ||
| Pays for medical care and physical rehabilitation of injured workers and replaces their lost wages while they're unable to work. | ||
| X - No terms listed for this letter category. | ||
| Y - No terms listed for this letter category. | ||
| Z - No terms listed for this letter category. | ||
