Definition of "Overinsurance"

Situation in which insurance benefits exceed the actual loss of an insured. Overinsurance can be a problem for the insurer because it may tempt the insured to make a false claim in order to profit financially. Various safeguards are designed to prevent overinsurance. For example, in group health insurance, companies break down benefits paid by the primary carrier and the secondary carrier through coordination of benefits. Still, some types of coverage, particularly disability income insurance, are subject to overinsurance abuse.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Insurance Terms

Same as term Expense Allowance: payment to an insurance agent in addition to commissions. Expense allowances, that differ from company to company, vary with the amount of business agents ...

Fund that contains the portion of the premium that has been paid in advance for insurance that has not yet been provided. For example, if a business pays an annual premium of $1000 on ...

Membership organization of insurance companies that write workers compensation insurance. The organization collects statistics on the frequency and severity of job-related injuries to ...

Organization of trial attorneys who specialize in the representation of defendants who become subject to tort actions. Generally, these tort actions involve bodily injury or personal injury ...

Fund in a segregated account to provide for the return of unearned premiums on policies that are canceled. ...

In personal injury cases, damages awarded to the plaintiff for the loss of joy of living. For example, if a person's negligent act results in damage to another person's leg, the injured ...

Insurance in which most of the premium (generally 80 to 90%) is invested in traditional fixed income securities. The remainder of the premium is invested in call option contracts tied to a ...

Common exclusion in life and accidental death insurance (double indemnity) policies, indicating that coverage does not apply unless an insured is a passenger on a regularly scheduled ...

Means of projecting the costs of pension plans on a level basis over a specified future period of time. The actuarial value of each employee's future benefits to be paid at retirement is ...

Popular Insurance Questions