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Public auto insurance

2011-01-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

Public auto insurance is a government owned and operated system of automobile insurance operated in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec. According to studies by the Consumers' Association of Canada, rates charged for auto insurance in these four provinces are lower than in provinces that use a private auto insurance system In Quebec public auto insurance is limited to coverage of personal injuries while damage to property is covered by private insurers. Saskatchewan has the oldest public auto insurance system with Saskatchewan Government Insurance being founded in 1945. Manitoba Public Insurance was created in 1971 followed by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia in 1973 and the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec in 1977.

Other provinces have considered introducing a public auto insurance system. The Ontario New Democratic Party won the 1990 provincial election on a platform that included public auto insurance. After assuming office, Premier Bob Rae appointed Peter Kormos, one of the most vocal proponents of public insurance, as the minister responsible for bringing forward the policy. With the onset of the recession, however, both business and labour groups expressed concern about layoffs and lost revenues. The government rejected the policy in 1991.

Public auto insurance has also been considered in New Brunswick after private insurance rates nearly doubled from 2003 to 2005, but was ultimately rejected by the provincial government. It was also an issue in Nova Scotia during its 2003 provincial election and remained in the platform of the official opposition, the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party during the 2006 election campaign. However, it did not appear in the NDP platform in the 2009 campaign, and now that the NDP has formed a majority government, it seems unlikely that the party will keep its former promise to introduce a public insurance scheme. Public auto insurance was also under consideration by the Newfoundland and Labrador Progressive Conservative government of Danny Williams in 2004 as a "last resort" when private insurance firms threatened to pull out of the province in response to legislation rolling back premiums

Life insurance

2011-01-05T07:29:00.001-08:00

Life insurance is a contract between the policy owner and the insurer, where the insurer agrees to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the occurrence of the insured individual's or individuals' death or other event, such as terminal illness or critical illness. In return, the policy owner agrees to pay a stipulated amount (at regular intervals or in lump sums). There may be designs in some countries where bills and death expenses plus catering for after funeral expenses should be included in Policy Premium. In the United States, the predominant form simply specifies a lump sum to be paid on the insured's demise.

The value for the policyholder is derived, not from an actual claim event, rather it is the value derived from the 'peace of mind' experienced by the policyholder, due to the negating of adverse financial consequences caused by the death of the Life Assured.

Life policies are legal contracts and the terms of the contract describe the limitations of the insured events. Specific exclusions are often written into the contract to limit the liability of the insurer; for example claims relating to suicide, fraud, war, riot and civil commotion.

Life-based contracts tend to fall into two major categories:

Protection policies - designed to provide a benefit in the event of specified event, typically a lump sum payment. A common form of this design is term insurance.
Investment policies - where the main objective is to facilitate the growth of capital by regular or single premiums. Common forms (in the US anyway) are whole life, universal life and variable life policies.

Insurance

2011-01-05T07:28:00.001-08:00

In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the insurance; an insured, or policyholder, is the person or entity buying the insurance policy. The insurance rate is a factor used to determine the amount to be charged for a certain amount of insurance coverage, called the premium. Risk management, the practice of appraising and controlling risk, has evolved as a discrete field of study and practice.

The transaction involves the insured assuming a guaranteed and known relatively small loss in the form of payment to the insurer in exchange for the insurer's promise to compensate (indemnify) the insured in the case of a financial (personal) loss. The insured receives a contract, called the insurance policy, which details the conditions and circumstances under which the insured will be financially compensated.

Health insurance

2011-01-05T07:26:00.001-08:00

Health insurance, like other forms of insurance, is a form of collectivism by means of which people collectively pool their risk, in this case the risk of incurring medical expenses. The collective is usually publicly owned or else is organized on a non-profit basis for the members of the pool, though in some countries health insurance pools may also be managed by for-profit companies. It is sometimes used more broadly to include insurance covering disability or long-term nursing or custodial care needs. It may be provided universally through government as a feature of social solidarity, as is typical in many industrial countries, or as form of government charity such as the United States Medicaid prgram. It may be purchased privately on a group basis (e.g., by a firm to cover its employees) or purchased by an individual for himself or his family. In each case, the covered groups or individuals pay a fee, premium, or tax, to help protect themselves from health care expenses.

By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses, a routine finance structure (such as a monthly premium or payroll tax) can be developed, ensuring that money is available to pay for the health care benefits specified in the insurance agreement. The benefit is administered by a central organization such as a government agency, private business, or not-for-profit entity.