The Trouble with Insurance in This Economy
April 28, 2009 by Rick Amorey
Filed under Stock Market
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.
So, what are the reasons for the distrust laid upon insurance companies? There are those who speculate that it is because of a company’s direct refusal to hand over the insurance to someone who has a high likelihood of loss. Persons who do extreme contact sports, for example, may have trouble finding life insurance. If you are someone with a high-risk profile, then chances are good you won’t get legally insured. To a lot of people, this seems to be contradictory to 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.
This is where problems come in. The concept of mitigating an accidental loss becomes an issue if the company suddenly declares bankruptcy. If so, you would definitely feel like you accepted a devastating loss without no compensation whatsoever. And this is what angers a lot of people.
