Insurance Premium
The premium is the amount an individual or company pays for an insurance policy. Premiums are paid for policies that cover health care, auto insurance, home insurance, and life insurance. Once earned, the premium is considered income for the insurance company. It also represents a liability, as the insurance company must provide coverage for claims made against the policy. Failure to pay the premium to the individual or company may result in cancellation of the policy.
How does premium work?
When you sign up for an insurance policy, your insurance company will charge you a premium. Policyholders can choose from several options for paying their premiums. Some insurance companies allow the policyholder to pay the premium in installments – monthly or semi-annually – while others may require a full down payment before any coverage begins.
The price of the installment depends on several factors, including:
- Coverage type
- Your age
- The area you live in
- Any claims raised in the past
- Ethical risk and adverse selection
Car Insurance
For example, in an auto insurance policy, the probability of filing a claim against a teen driver who lives in an urban area may be higher than the probability of a teen driver living in a suburban area. In general, the higher the associated risk, the higher the cost of the insurance policy (and thus premiums).
life Insurance
In the case of a life insurance policy, the age at which coverage begins will determine your premium amount, along with other risk factors (such as your current health). The younger you are, the lower your insurance premiums overall. Conversely, the older you get, the more premium you pay to your insurance company.
How are the premiums calculated?
Insurance premiums may increase after the expiry of the policy period. The insurance company may increase the premiums for claims made during the previous period if the risks associated with providing a particular type of insurance increase, or if the cost of providing coverage increases.
Insurance companies generally use actuaries to determine risk levels and premium rates for a particular insurance policy. The rise of complex algorithms and artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed how insurance is priced and sold. There is an active debate between those who say that algorithms will replace human actuaries in the future and those who argue that the increased use of algorithms will require greater involvement from human actuaries and send the profession to the “next level”.
Insurers use premiums paid to them by their clients and policyholders to cover the obligations associated with the policies they write. They can also invest in the premium to generate higher returns. This can offset some of the costs of providing insurance coverage and help the insurance company keep their rates competitive.
Special Considerations
Most consumers find that shopping is the best way to find the cheapest insurance premiums. You can choose to shop on your own with individual insurance companies. And if you’re looking for quotes, it’s easy to do it yourself online.
For example, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows uninsured consumers to shop for health insurance policies in the marketplace. When you sign in, the site requires some basic information such as your name, date of birth, address, and income, as well as the personal information of anyone else in your household. You can choose from several options available based on your original status—each with different premiums, deductibles, and co-costs—the policy coverage changes based on how much you pay.
The other option is to try to go through an insurance agent or broker. They tend to work with a number of the different companies and can try to get you the best quote. Many brokers can connect you with life, auto, home, and health insurance policies. However, it is important to remember that some of these brokers may be commission driven.
What do insurance companies do with Premium?
Insurers use premiums paid to them by their clients and policyholders to cover the obligations associated with the policies they write. Some insurance companies invest in premiums to generate higher returns. By doing this, companies can offset some of the costs of providing insurance coverage and help the insurance company keep its rates competitive within the market.
What are the main factors that affect insurance premiums?
Premiums depend on a variety of factors including the type of coverage purchased by the policyholder, the age of the policyholder, where the policyholder lives, the policyholder’s claim history, moral risk and adverse selection. Insurance premiums may increase after the expiry of the policy period, or if the risks associated with offering a particular type of insurance increase.