What is Accident Life Insurance?
June 4th, 2011 | Author: weissheiss
What is accident life insurance, you ask? Accident life insurance, sometimes called “accidental” life insurance, “accidental death” insurance, or “accidental death and dismemberment” insurance (which is partly also health/disability insurance) can be a rider on your current policy that has special conditions for paying out in the case of a sudden death caused by a totally unforeseeable accident. Typically, this payment is in addition to the face amount of the policy that would be paid out if the insured died of natural causes such as old age or an illness contracted after the policy was in force. This additional payment is typically 1.5x or 2x the death benefit on the main policy.
The insurance industry defines accidental death as “any death strictly due to accident.” So, deaths due to war, deaths form illegal activities like dealing drugs and getting shot to death, or deaths that result from personal pursuits considered inherently dangerous like shark cage diving will not be covered. Airplane crashes, car accidents, and these days maybe even terrorist attacks would be covered.
Usually this rider also runs out after a certain age, typically age 70. However, often these riders will pay out if the insured dies for some time after the accident occurs–typically one year–as long as it can be proved that the death was directly instigated by the accident.
But accident life insurance can also be purchased on a very temporary basis if you’re going on a trip. Especially with different vacation packages, you can find accident life insurance that you can buy as part of the entire price. You might be going scuba diving; you might be going on a ski trip; you might be going on a trans-oceanic flight or cruise; you might decide that you’d love to scope out wolves in Saskatchewan province; you might even be going on a two-week tour by car. If you haven’t already got a life insurance policy with a rider, you can buy temporary accident insurance to cover your risks (and you might wish to purchase the temporary insurance anyway).
Sometimes these policies also cover you financially in the event of the accident-caused death of your spouse or a child on that same trip with you.
It can be wise to check into accident life insurance if you are going on a trip like those mentioned. But, if you already have a good amount of life insurance, you are likely not to need it. And as far as the accidental death rider–it doesn’t serve any practical purpose, since life insurance is already about covering untimely deaths. Most policies already will pay out for accidental death, just not the extra amount. Usually, accidental death riders are only psychological comfort. They are very inexpensive because they don’t usually pay out, but you’re still paying extra money.
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