Insurance “101” Terminology Presented for Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development Staff Youth Emphasis March 2005
Mar 28, 2015
Insurance “101”Terminology
Presented for Wisconsin 4-H Youth
Development Staff
Youth Emphasis
March 2005
Insurance Policy
A written contract for insurance between an insurance company and policyholder stating details of coverage.
Primary Insurance
The insurance policy that pays first when you have a loss that's covered by more than one policy.
Secondary Insurance
This insurance is utilized after the primary insurance has been exhausted.
For example if you are in an automobile accident with your personal vehicle, claims would be made on your personal automobile policy until the limits are exhausted and then on county insurance until those limits are exhausted.
Insured
The party who stands to benefit from an insurance policy.
The party insured.
Property Damage
Covers damage to or loss of policyholder’s (insured’s) property.
Liability
Legally bound or responsible. Something for which one is
liable; an obligation, a responsibility, or a debt.
Law
Civil
The body of laws of a state or nation dealing with the rights of private citizens.
Tort
The body of law governing negligence, intentional interference, and other wrongful acts for which civil action can be brought, except for breach of contract, which is covered by contract law.
Liability Insurance
Insurance which pays and renders service on behalf of an insured for loss arising out of their responsibility to others imposed by law or assumed by contract.
General Liability Insurance
Designed to protect business owners and operators from a wide variety of liability exposures. Exposures could include liability arising from accidents resulting from the insured's premises or operations, products sold by the insured, operations completed by the insured, and contractual liability.
Liability Insurance
Volunteer (Agent)
This insurance is designed to cover a volunteer's actions that may cause physical injury to another, or damage to another's property. If the injured party feels that their injury or the damage to their personal property resulted from the negligence of the volunteer, the volunteer may be sued. When this occurs, the volunteer will need to defend himself or herself, and if judged negligent will be responsible for the financial judgment incurred.
Liability Insurance
Automobile Insurance A form of insurance that protects
against losses involving autos. Examples of coverage types
include: bodily injury liability, property damage liability, medical payments, and collision and comprehensive coverage for physical damage to the insured's vehicle.
Liability Insurance
Umbrella Coverage Coverage for losses above the
limit of an underlying policy or policies such as homeowners and auto insurance.
While it applies to losses over the dollar amount in the underlying policies, terms of coverage are sometimes broader than those of underlying policies.
Liability Insurance
Directors & Officers Liability Insurance (D & O)
Covers directors and officers of a company for negligent acts or omissions and for misleading statements that result in suits against the company, often by shareholders.
Negligence
Failure to use that degree of care which an ordinary person of reasonable prudence would use under the given or similar circumstances.
A person may be negligent by acts of omission or commission or both.
Indemnify
Provides financial compensation for losses.
Hold Harmless
A contract by which one party’s legal liability for damages is, in effect, assumed by the other so as to hold the first party without responsibility for any damage arising out of the transaction.
Personal Injury
Injury to an individual's body, mind, or emotions.
In some instance of a personal injury an individual or a company may be liable for the resulting suffering that the personal injury caused.
Personal injuries can occur out of negligence, an intentional infliction of harm, or the injuring of another person despite any type of negligence or intent.
Product Liability
A section of tort law that determines who may sue and who may be sued for damages when a defective product injures someone.
Limitations or Exclusions
Limitations are exceptions to coverage and limits of coverage as contained in an insurance contract.
Exclusions are a contractual provision that denies coverage for certain perils, persons, property, or locations.
Endorsement
This is a clause under which the stated coverage of an insurance policy may be altered.
A provision added to an insurance contract altering its scope or application.
Certificate of Insurance
Written evidence that an individual is a participant in an insurance program or employee benefit plan.
The certificate confirms that a master policy has been issued and may be reviewed.
This confirmation is good for the day the certificate is issued.
Homeowners
This insurance covers the house, the garage and other structures on the property, as well as personal possessions inside the house such as furniture, appliances and clothing, against damage to or loss of. The extent of the perils covered depends on the type of policy.
The liability portion of the policy covers the homeowner for accidental injuries caused to third parties and/or their property.
Accident & Health Insurance
This is insurance against injury or death because of an accident to individuals named on the policy.
Accident insurance policies cover death or dismemberment, as well as hospital coverage and transportation to a hospital.
Persons without accident insurance may find themselves responsible for a lifetime of round-the-clock medical care, expensive surgeries, and loss of wages.
Event Insurance
Event insurance can be purchased for a particular event, such as a concert, a sports event, or even a wedding.
Event insurance policies could cover anything from liability associated with your event, to a singer's tonsillitis that would force the cancellation of a concert to an unexpected blizzard that would postpone a golf tournament or a power outage that would force the rescheduling of a computer show.
Self-Insured
The concept of assuming a financial risk oneself, instead of paying an insurance company to take it on.
Large firms, and some counties, often self-insure frequent, small losses such as damage to their fleet of vehicles or minor workplace injuries.
Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corp
Adams
Ashland
Barron
Bayfield
Buffalo
Burnett
Calumet
Clark
Columbia
Door
Douglas
Dunn
Florence
Forest
Green
Green Lake
Iowa
Iron
Jackson
Jefferson
Juneau
Kewaunee
Lafayette
Langlade
Lincoln
Marinette
Marquette
Menominee
Milwaukee
Monroe
Oconto
Oneida
Ozaukee
Pepin
Pierce
Polk
Portage
Price
Richland
Rusk
Sauk
Sawyer
Shawano
Sheboygan
Taylor
Trempealeau
Vernon
Vilas
Walworth
Washburn
Washington
Waupaca
Waushara
Winnebago
Wood
Member Counties
Wisconsin Municipal Mutual Insurance Company
Member Counties
Brown La Crosse
Chippewa Manitowoc
Dane Marathon
Dodge Outagamie
Eau Claire St. Croix
Kenosha Waukesha
Remaining Counties
Crawford
Fond du Lac
Grant
Racine
Rock
Information Prepared by:
Dave Pulda, Risk Manager, UW System Office of Safety and Loss Prevention
Debbie Beich, Risk Management Specialist, UW System Office of Safety and Loss Prevention