General Insurance And Its Subtypes

A general insurance policy is a type of insurance that provides coverage for losses unrelated to the death of the policyholder. These include different types of policies that protect against various liabilities like car, bike, health, and home insurance. These policies provide financial protection against unexpected events that may lead to financial loss.

There are mainly five subtypes of general insurance. Let us briefly see that all these subtypes have different characteristics and different importance.

Health Insurance: Understanding Coverage and Benefits

Health insurance is a type of insurance policy that helps cover medical expenses. It pays or reimburses the cost of treatment for illness or injury. Different types of health insurance policies cover various medical expenses such as hospitalization, critical illness, post-hospitalization medical bills, and daycare procedures.

Different types of health insurance plans are available to meet the different needs of customers. such as,

• Individual health insurance provides coverage to an individual

• Whereas family floater insurance allows the entire family to get coverage under a single plan.

• Senior citizen health insurance is for people above 60 years of age.

• Employers offer group health insurance to their employees.

• Whereas maternity health insurance covers medical expenses related to pregnancy and childbirth.

• Also personal accident insurance covers financial liabilities arising out of accidental injury, disability, or death.

With the rising cost of healthcare, health insurance has become a necessity, and having the right policy can provide financial protection and peace of mind from medical expenses in an emergency.

Auto/Motor Insurance: Protecting Your Vehicle and Finances

When you buy a car or other vehicle, it is important to protect your vehicle. Auto insurance assures compensation in case of damage to your vehicle due to accident, theft, vandalism, or natural calamity.

Instead of paying for vehicle damage out of pocket, people pay an annual premium to the auto insurance company. In the event of a vehicle accident or damage to the vehicle, the insurance company pays for all or most of the costs associated with the repair or replacement. This keeps your investment in the vehicle safe.

Car insurance policies cover individually owned four-wheelers and come in two types – third-party insurance and comprehensive cover policies.

Bike insurance policies protect individually owned-bikes against accidents.

Whereas commercial vehicle insurance policies provide cover for any vehicle used for business purposes.

Home Insurance: Safeguarding Your Home and Personal Property

Home insurance covers losses due to natural calamities, theft, and other incidents. These include various types of policies, such as coverage for the building itself, liability for injuries caused to others by the home, protection against fire and other perils, personal accident, theft, home contents, renter’s insurance, and homeowner’s insurance, etc.

Different types of home insurance policies include:

• Home Structure/Building Insurance – Protects against damage to the home structure in case of any calamity.

• Public Liability Coverage – Insurance Provides protection against any damage caused by guests or third parties to the insured residential property.

• Standard Fire and Special Perils Policy – ​​Protection against losses caused by fire outbreaks, natural disasters (eg landslides, rockfalls, earthquakes, storms, and floods), and anti-social man-made activities (eg explosions, strikes, and riots).

• Burglary and Theft Insurance – Pays compensation for stolen goods in case of theft or theft.

• Contents Insurance – Covers damage to furniture, vehicles, and other equipment in case of fire, theft, flood, or riot.

• Renters Insurance – Provides financial protection to you (as the renter) against any damage to personal property while living in a rental home.

• Landlords Insurance – Provides you (as the landlord) with protection against emergencies such as public liability and loss of rent.

Fire Insurance

A fire insurance policy provides compensation for damage caused by fire. It also helps individuals or companies rebuild after significant losses. The fire insurance policy also covers losses due to war, riots, and other causes.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance protects you and your family financially while traveling domestically or abroad. They include emergencies such as lost luggage, canceled flights, lost passports, and medical emergencies. Types of travel insurance policies include domestic, international, personal, student, senior citizen, family, etc.

Life Insurance And Its Subtypes

Like all material things, death is inevitable. But in case of someone’s unfortunate death or disability due to some reason, a life insurance plan provides financial protection to their loved ones. Also, life insurance provides opportunities to save and invest in different equity and debt fund options.

While taking life insurance you can choose the policy duration, coverage amount, and payout options based on your financial needs. The main subtypes of life insurance are term, whole life, endowment, unit-linked, child, and pension plans.

Term Life Insurance: Providing Financial Security for Your Loved Ones

Term insurance is a type of life insurance that provides high life cover for a specific period at an affordable premium. Unlike other life insurance policies, term insurance does not offer any maturity value, so its premiums are low. But the benefits are more.

If the policyholder dies during the term, his family gets the sum assured as per the selected payout option, which may include several options.

Whole Life Insurance

Whole life insurance plans provide coverage for the entire life of the policyholder, unlike other plans that only cover certain years. Along with the death benefit, the plan also includes a savings component that provides benefits in the form of cash value over time. The policy matures when the policyholder attains the age of 100 years, at which point it becomes a matured endowment.

Endowment Plans

Endowment plans provide financial coverage for life’s uncertainties and allow regular savings over some time. If the policyholder survives the policy term, they get a lump sum on maturity. Also if the policyholder dies, the beneficiaries get the entire sum assured.

Unit-Linked Insurance Plans

Unit Linked Insurance Plans (ULIPs) provide the benefit of both investment and insurance in a single policy contract. Part of the premium is invested in market-linked equity and debt instruments, while the rest of the premium provides life cover throughout the life of the policy.

Child Plans Pension Plans

Child plans are insurance policies that help financially secure your child’s life goals, such as higher education and marriage, in your absence. In this one can avail of the combined benefit of savings and insurance. It also helps in financial planning for your child’s future needs.

Pension Plans

A pension plan, also known as a retirement plan, is an investment plan that helps you accumulate savings for your retirement. This ensures a steady stream of retirement income to weather financial uncertainty.

It is like an insurance policy where you contribute a certain amount regularly till retirement and the accumulated amount is returned to you as a pension.

Tax Benefits Available Under Different Insurance Types

Among the various types of insurance, you can save tax on premiums paid for life insurance and health insurance policies. But, tax savings may vary depending on the laws of each country. Here we will take the example of India.

Under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act in India, the premium paid for all types of life insurance plans is tax-deductible up to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act, the premium paid for all types of health insurance plans is tax-deductible up to Rs 25,000 for self, spouse, and children and up to Rs 50,000 for senior citizens. For parents, the tax savings can go up to Rs 50,000 if they are senior citizens.

Factors That Determine Your Life Insurance Coverage

Life insurance coverage and premiums depend on many factors, including age, health conditions, occupation, smoking and drinking habits, policy type, claim history, and location.

For more information on different types of life insurance policies, you can contact a reputed insurance company in your area, which offers a range of solutions to suit your needs. Choose a company that has a high claim-settlement ratio and is available for 24/7 customer service. If you need help choosing the right policy for your needs, the following article will guide you through.

A complete guide article on what to avoid before buying any insurance.
Also read:- 11 Mistakes to Avoid Before Buying Insurance