Insurance is getting into a lot of hot water recently. What should normally be considered a way to lessen the risk of people financially is now a factor that increases it. With the economy going downhill, a trend we are now experiencing, insurance companies are declaring bankruptcy. It’s a frightening prospect for a lot of people who have done business with these companies.
But why are insurance companies so untrusted these days? Some speculate that this is because of a company’s outright refusal to hand out insurance to an individual who has a high likelihood of loss. For example, a person who engages in dangerous contact sports may have trouble finding life insurances. If you have a high-risk profile, then chances are you can’t legally get insured. To many, this seems like a contradiction of what insurance should be.
Which brings us to the question: What, then, is insurance supposed to be? There are a lot of people who invest in insurance without completely understanding how investing in it will affect our finances. If it concerns our money, a blind investment will put us at risk.
At it’s core, buying insurance is a confirmation of a definite loss of assets (in which case, the payment of a periodical premium) so that the risk of a larger, and more devastating loss is lessened. It must be accident; an insured person must not purposely cause anything that will harm him or herself. It’s quite understandable that there are a number of scheming people out there who want to make a quick buck by deliberately hurting themselves for insurance money.
Now, this is where potential problems enter. The idea of compensating a loss becomes a problem if the insurance company suddenly goes bankrupt. If that happens, you would just feel like you accepted a loss without gaining anything whatsoever. This, it seems, is what puts off a lot of people.
Tags: Finance
