What is insurance used for?

Asked by: Prof. Nathanael Jast  |  Last update: January 11, 2026
Score: 4.3/5 (54 votes)

Insurance is a contract between you (or a business) and an insurance company to help protect you and your loved ones from financial loss due to an unexpected event, like an accident, illness, natural disaster, or other unexpected circumstances.

What is the main purpose of insurance?

The first, and perhaps most important, is for protection against loss from some catastrophic event. A car accident, an illness or injury, or death can lead to serious financial consequences. Insurance helps to provide protection against these financial losses.

What is the main function of insurance?

1. Provide protection : The primary purpose of insurance is to provide protection against future risk, accidents and uncertainty. Insurance cannot check the happending of the risk, but can certainly provide for the losses of risk.

What is insured used for?

An insured is a person or organization whose life, health , or property is covered by an insurance policy . The insured's loss results in the insurer 's obligation to pay the proceeds of the insurance policy. By contrast, the insurer is the party in an insurance contract that promises to pay compensation .

What is the main idea of insurance?

We face a lot of risks in our daily lives. Some of these lead to financial losses. Insurance is a way of protecting against these financial losses. For a payment (premium), an insurance company will take the responsibility of compensating your financial losses.

How Does Insurance Work?

35 related questions found

Why is insurance needed?

Need for Insurance

Insurance plans are beneficial to anyone looking to protect their family, assets/property and themselves from financial risk/losses: Insurance plans will help you pay for medical emergencies, hospitalisation, contraction of any illnesses and treatment, and medical care required in the future.

What was the original purpose of insurance?

Insurance is the oldest method of transferring risk, which was developed to mitigate trade/business risk. Marine insurance is very important for international trade and makes large commercial trade possible.

What does insurance do for?

Insurance is a contract between an individual or business with an insurance company to help provide financial protection and mitigate the risks associated with certain situations or events. There are various types of insurance available, including health, dental and vision, life, auto, and legal insurance.

Why do people insure?

Insurance is an important financial tool. It can help you live life with fewer worries knowing you'll receive financial assistance after a disaster or accident, helping you recover faster.

What is the proper use of insure?

Insure means “protect against loss, damage, or injury” or “provide or obtain insurance on.” Ensure means “make certain that something will occur.” Assure means “convince” or “give confidence to.”

What is the responsibility of insurance?

Responsibilities of insurance companies: An insurance company needs to provide coverage as outlined in the policy. It is a requirement that valid claims are paid in a timely manner. The responsibility to act in good faith when handling claims and policyholder interactions.

What is risk in insurance?

In the world of insurance, the word risk simply refers to the possibility of a loss. Insurance companies consider a variety of factors in order to determine the amount of risk involved in issuing a policy. Risk factors are used to determine insurance rates, and they directly affect your premiums.

What are the top 3 types of insurance?

Life insurance will help provide financially for your survivors. Health insurance protects you from catastrophic bills in case of a serious accident or illness. Long-term disability protects you from an unexpected loss of income. Auto insurance prevents you from bearing the financial burden of an expensive accident.

What is the major function of insurance?

Insurance helps to protect you and your family against unexpected financial costs and resulting debts or the risk of losing your assets. Insurance helps protect you from expensive lawsuits, injuries and damages, death, and even total losses of your car or home.

What happens if you don't have insurance on your big ticket items?

Not insuring your new purchases could mean a significant financial loss down the road if something were to go wrong. It's best to purchase extra coverage to make sure you have the protection you need against damaged, stolen, or lost big-ticket gifts.

How does insurance work for dummies?

Insurance is a way to protect yourself from financial risks by paying a company a small amount of money, called a premium. If something bad happens, like a car accident or a house fire, the insurance company helps cover the costs so you don't have to pay for everything yourself.

What is the main purposes of insurance?

Purpose of insurance

Its aim is to reduce financial uncertainty and make accidental loss manageable. It does this substituting payment of a small, known fee—an insurance premium—to a professional insurer in exchange for the assumption of the risk a large loss, and a promise to pay in the event of such a loss.

What is the point of insurance?

Insurance in general is meant to protect you financially if something bad happens that is expensive to fix or recover from. You might get insurance for your car, life, your apartment, or even your phone. When you have insurance, you pay a little bit each month.

What is the basic purpose of insurance?

The primary purpose of insurance is to provide protection against financial losses due to unexpected events. By paying premiums, policyholders transfer their risk to the insurance company, which then compensates them when losses occur.

What does insurance not cover?

Health insurance typically covers most doctor and hospital visits, prescription drugs, wellness care, and medical devices. Most health insurance will not cover elective or cosmetic procedures, beauty treatments, off-label drug use, or brand-new technologies.

Why is insurance important?

What is the importance of insurance? It acts as a safety net & protects from unexpected circumstances such as accidents, theft, illness, loss of unemployment, etc. It also helps save on annual income tax and build wealth.

How does insurance benefit you?

Health insurance protects you from unexpected, high medical costs. You pay less for covered in-network health care, even before you meet your deductible. You get free preventive care, like vaccines, screenings, and some check-ups, even before you meet your deductible.

When was insurance required?

Auto insurance became mandatory in the United States starting in the 1920s. Massachusetts was the first state to mandate auto insurance in 1925, followed by other states. Today, auto insurance is mandatory in 48 states since 1970.

What is insurance in simple words?

Insurance in simple words is an agreement between the policyholder and the insurance company. Under this contract, the insurer pays the insured a certain assured sum in specified situations to cover the financial losses incurred.

What is the primary purpose of the life insurance?

The primary purpose of life insurance is to provide a financial benefit to dependents upon premature death of an insured person. The policy pays a specified amount called a “death benefit” to the named beneficiary, when the insured dies.