Things that you value the most including your health is protected by a general insurance policy. It is a practical option for you to lead a risk-free life.
A life insurance policy protects your family against any specified event in the future. The main purpose of life insurance is to pay a specified sum to your family, in the case of your unfortunate death.
Just like your life, all the tangible assets that you own like your car, your home etc, are subjected to accidents or damages. Medical emergencies acan also create a lot of burden on your financial condition. To safeguard yourself from facing a loss through your assets, special insurance policies called the general insurance policies are available.
Sometimes while travelling too, you will be subjected to the risk of meeting with an accident or loss of baggage and passport and even medical expenses. A general insurance policy can protect you in such situations as well. General insurance policies provide a security against fire, theft, burglary of your valuable assets like home, car and office. Anything that you value can be covered under general insurance policies also facilitating financial protection for losses caused due to events like storm, flood, earthquake, accidents etc.
Unlike life insurances, general insurance policies are only available for a certain tenure, after which renewal is required. General insurance policies are offered by both private and public sector companies. According to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), a total of 34 agencies in India offer general insurance policies. These 34 companies offer over 800 general insurance products for you to choose from.
Why is General Insurance important?
One of the main reasons for purchasing general insurance is shielding your belongings and assets against financial losses. You have worked hard to earn and accumulate all the property that you possess, this makes preserving it even more important. According to law, you must also be insured against some liabilities. In case, if you are responsible for the losses caused to some other person, then the person is liable for compensation. To make sure that you can afford to pay the losses, the law requires us to buy liability insurance, so that the liability is transferred to the insurance company.
You can also insure yours and your dependents health and well being with the help of hospitalization and personal accident insurance policies. To purchase a policy, you should be the person who will bear financial losses if unfortunate events occur. This is known as insurable interest.
Sum assured is nothing but the amount you insure for. The policy that you purchase must include the value of the asset according to the market value while insuring or the cost of replacing the asset if it is lost or destroyed. Your premium will depend on the sum assured. You can choose the right insurance that suits you and then purchase it.
Types of General Insurance:
There are many types of General Insurance. Listing some of them below.
- Motor Insurance:
Motor insurance protects you against any damages caused to your vehicle due to an accident. The best part about motor insurance is that it also covers all the liabilities of any third party who gets injured during the accident. There are two types of motor insurance namely, third party and comprehensive. The third-party policy is mandatory, as stated by the government as it protects the third party affected by the accident whereas the comprehensive policy protects the third party, damages caused to the vehicle and also those present in the vehicle during the accident. Some motor insurance policies also offer roadside assistance and towing facilities.
Motor Insurance can be further classified into three categories:
Car Insurance:
As the name suggests, car insurance is an insurance that can protect your car against the expenses that might arise because of an accident. It pays for the repairs of the car, medical expenses of the driver and also the third party on your behalf. Car insurance can also be claimed in cases of natural disasters like earthquakes, floods etc.
Two-Wheeler Insurance:
You can also insure your two-wheeler whether it is a bike or a scooter. It is the same as car insurance. You can opt for a comprehensive cover insurance or a third party cover.
Commercial Vehicle insurance:
Under the motor insurance policies, commercial vehicles such as autorickshaws, tempos, buses, trucks and minivans can also be insured. Your commercial vehicle can also be protected against the expenses from an accident including repairs and medical expenses. Even for your commercial vehicle, you can prefer a simple third-party cover or a comprehensive cover.
- Health Insurance:
Unhealthy lifestyle and lowering life expectancy has made medical expenses unavoidable. The price of medical treatments is increasing day by day. This is why you must be prepared for a medical emergency.
Unlike life insurance, health insurance covers all your medical and surgical expenses. The health insurance covers up to the amount specified at the time of purchase of the insurance. Most of the times, it is cashless where you need not pay anything to the hospital, the insurance agency settles the bill with the hospital. You can also pay the hospital first and then claim the funds from the insurance company. You can choose a health insurance plan for yourself or a plan that covers your family as well.
A health insurance policy is generally valid for a year and must be renewed every year. Premium paid towards health insurance is eligible for tax deductions too.
- Travel Insurance:
You might have come across travel insurance while booking your tickets, but what you must be doing most of the times is ignoring it, to reduce the expenses. But you must have a check always on the benefits of travel insurance.
It protects you against unexpected travel accidents safeguarding your baggage, medical expenditures in case of accidents and even delayed arrival of baggage at the airport. The loss of important documents like passport, is also covered under travel insurance.
Travel insurance is very important if you are a regular traveller. There are various types of travel insurance available today.
- Home Insurance:
You save most of your income to buy a home of your dreams and then decorate it with modern appliances and lavish furnishings. Your home is one of the most important assets of your life. This is why home insurance is offered by agencies to protect your most valuable asset.
A home insurance policy covers the structure and the contents of your home against liabilities arising from the damage or loss, due to natural or man-made destruction. The policy also offers add-ons against burglary and theft. The three kinds of covers that a home insurance policy offers are Fire and peril, natural calamities and man-made calamities.
Apart from these major general insurance policies, insurance agencies also offer marine insurance, which is also known as cargo insurance. It protects the ship and the cargo against the risks such as collisions, attack by sea pirates, bad weather etc. It is a mandatory insurance for all the ships and boats. Commercial insurance is also a product that is beneficial for business owners and those involved in commercial activities including the people in the industrial sector. Again there are many types of commercial insurance for a businessman to choose from.
General Insurance plans are something that most individuals, business firms and entrepreneurs must-have. It helps you lead a tension and risk- free life. Future Generali is a well known general insurance provider offering great benefits to the purchasers. You can also buy Future Generali’s general insurance policies online.
