Insurance: questions and answers

United Kingdom 6

1. Do you need business insurance if your limited company is based at home?

   A home registered address alone doesn't require insurance, but tell your home insurer about business use, check it covers equipment and visitors, and get employers'…

2. How do I get travel insurance with a pre-existing medical condition?

   Declare every condition the insurer asks about, including anything under investigation. If a mainstream insurer refuses you or adds a medical premium of £200 or more…

3. Do I need home emergency cover if I already have boiler cover?

   Not necessarily. Boiler cover may focus on the heating system, while home-emergency cover can extend to plumbing, electrics, drainage or other urgent faults. Check for…

4. Why might a home insurer stop offering cover?

   A home insurer can decline to renew, change terms or stop offering a particular risk appetite, but the reason for a non-renewal is not necessarily that your home is…

5. Should you keep life assurance with indexation?

   Keeping life assurance with indexation can make sense when you want the insured amount to keep pace with rising costs, but it usually changes the premium too.

6. Do UK credit cards cover third-party rental car insurance?

   Some premium cards or packaged travel policies may provide rental-car cover, but a normal UK credit card should not be assumed to include third-party liability…

United States 5

1. Should a US homeowner notify the insurer about a large wall crack?

   A large or new structural crack is worth reporting or at least discussing with your insurer, particularly when the cause is uncertain or could involve a covered peril…

2. Is disability income protection worth it for part-time work?

   Income protection can be worthwhile for part-time work when losing that income would make essential bills difficult to meet, but it can be unnecessary if employer sick…

3. Can HealthCare.gov change your plan if your income rises?

   A higher income can reduce or remove Marketplace financial assistance, but reporting a higher income does not automatically mean HealthCare.gov will replace your plan…

4. How should you budget for an annual insurance premium?

   Treat an annual premium as a monthly sinking-fund expense: divide the expected annual payment by 12, move that amount into a separate savings bucket, and keep enough…

5. Can a doctor bill me if health insurance was charged late?

   Possibly, but a late claim does not automatically mean the patient owes the full amount. The answer depends on the insurance contract, provider billing rules, network…

Worldwide 2

1. Can travel insurance cover the cost of setting off earlier?

   Sometimes, but not simply because you had travel insurance. The result depends on the policy’s definition of the journey, the reason you left early, whether a covered…

2. Should I tell my insurer about a change?

   Usually yes when an incident, loss or change could affect your cover, especially where the policy says to notify the insurer promptly. Reporting an event is not always…