Life insurance and other types of insurance against unexpected events

JUDr. Ondřej Preuss, Ph.D.
24. May 2024
7 minutes of reading
7 minutes of reading
Other legal issues

The journey through life is unpredictable and almost anything can happen to you. Unfortunately, you can’t avoid an accident or illness, but you can prepare for them. One way to do this is through various types of insurance. These won’t help you recover, but they will take some of the pressure off your shoulders with financial security. Read more about the different types of insurance in this article.

What is insurance

Insurance is a service that serves to protect against various risks and negative situations. The basic principle of insurance is that you regularly pay a certain amount of money (the premium) to an insurance company, which in return undertakes to compensate you financially if an adverse event (an insured event) occurs. A key element of this system is the sharing of risk among a large number of insured persons, which allows the insurer to spread the cost of claims while making a profit.

What determines the price and scope of insurance

Insurance most often covers people or property. For both, in general, higher coverage means higher premiums because the insurer must cover larger potential liabilities. For personal insurance, factors such as age, gender, health, occupation and lifestyle play a major role.

In the case of property (most commonly real estate), the condition of the property plays a major role, with newer and more expensive property requiring higher premiums. The geographical location where the insured property is located also plays a role. For example, you will pay more for property insurance in flood-prone areas than in areas where flooding problems are not prevalent.

Tip na článek

Tip: There are different types of property insurance to suit specific needs and property types. Which policy to choose and how does the insurance process work? Read our article to find out.

The price is also greatly influenced by the level of your deductible, which is the amount of money you have to pay out of your own pocket before the insurance company starts paying claims. Naturally, higher deductibles mean lower premiums because you bear more of the risk.

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Types of insurance

Nowadays you can insure almost everything. But in this article we will focus on personal insurance. The most common voluntary types of personal insurance are: life insurance, accident insurance, credit insurance, liability insurance and travel insurance. Let’s take a closer look at these types:

Life insurance

Life insurance provides financial protection in the event of the death of the insured. The main purpose of life insurance is therefore to provide financial security for the survivors (e.g. family) after the death of the insured. Life insurance is regulated by the Civil Code. If you are deciding whether this insurance is worthwhile, then this information may help you – you can write off the amount you pay for life insurance against your taxes up to CZK 24,000 and save up to CZK 3,600 a year.

Accident insurance

Accident insurance provides financial protection if you suffer an accident. Accident insurance is designed to cover the costs associated with the treatment of injuries, loss of income due to incapacity for work, expenses and losses associated with hospitalisation, permanent disability or death due to an accident. The aim of accident insurance is therefore to mitigate the financial impact that can arise from an unexpected accident.

An important piece of information is that the insurance company has the right to reduce your benefit by up to half if the injury was caused by the consumption of alcohol or another addictive substance.

Tip na článek

Tip: What does an accident at work mean? What are you entitled to, what is pain and suffering and how is it determined? Is the procedure different if you caused the injury in part by your own breach of duty? And why is your employer allowed to give you notice in connection with a work-related injury? We will answer all this in our article.

Incapacity for work or repayment insurance

Repayment capacity insurance is insurance that protects you from being unable to pay your debts in the event of unexpected events such as loss of employment, long-term disability, accident or death. This type of insurance is usually taken out in connection with various credit agreements such as mortgages or consumer loans. For all scenarios, there is usually a withdrawal period. For example, in the case of long-term illness, this is usually 30 days. This means that for the first 30 days, the insurance company will not pay your repayments.

Your benefit may be reduced in certain cases. But here it depends on the specific conditions of the particular insurance company. However, you will most often see a reduction in premiums in the case of claims caused by substance abuse, your criminal activity, adrenaline sports, etc.

Tip na článek

Tip: Did your insurance company reduce your benefit unfairly? Don’t let it bother you! Contact us. We will carefully analyze the whole situation and will defend your rights.

Liability insurance

Liability insurance covers damage you cause to third parties. This insurance is therefore designed to protect you against the financial costs associated with compensating you for damage you have caused to someone else, either to property or to your health. There are several types:

  • Public liability insurance: covers damage you cause to third parties in the ordinary course of life. This could include damage to a neighbour’s property, injury to a person in a household accident or damage caused by pets.
  • Professional indemnity insurance: This is for people and firms providing professional services (e.g. doctors, lawyers, accountants). It covers damage caused to clients as a result of professional error or negligence.
  • Business Liability Insurance: This insurance protects entrepreneurs and companies against the financial costs associated with claims for damages caused to third parties in connection with their business activities.
  • Employment Practices Liability Insurance: also called a crap insurance policy. Its purpose is to cover damages caused by the employee to the employer.
Tip na článek

Tip: Read about the principles of compensation. Find out what you are entitled to in such a situation and how to claim it.

Travel insurance

Travel insurance provides financial protection and travel assistance in case of unexpected events such as health problems, accidents, loss of luggage, cancellation of flights or accommodation, etc. The total scope depends on the specific insurance policy.

Tip na článek

Tip: Business travel usually requires special travel insurance. Your employer must arrange and pay for it for you, and it is legally obligatory. Otherwise, the employer is obliged to pay for any expenses incurred abroad as a result of illness or injury.

Termination of the insurance contract

Termination of the insurance contract may be made without giving any reason in writing. This notice must be given on certain events or within certain time limits, specifically:

  • at least 6 weeks before the date on which the contract is signed,
  • within two months of the conclusion of the insurance contract,
  • within 3 months after the occurrence of the insured event.
Tip na článek

Tip: Are you planning to cancel your disability, life, accident or liability insurance? Don’t rely on the templates available on the internet and contact us instead. We can handle everything quickly, efficiently and online.

There is also the option of cancelling the contract, but only if the insurer has given you incorrect or incomplete information about your insurance. Once you find this out, the two-month notice period will start. In some cases, you can also mutually agree with the insurer to terminate the policy, but this is entirely up to the goodwill of the insurer.

The last option, which we would definitely not recommend, is to stop paying your premiums. In this case, your insurance will lapse after a certain period of time, but you will also be liable to pay the missing amount and possibly a penalty. Doing so will worsen your reputation for future insurance and you could quickly get into debt and get into debt collection and foreclosure problems.

Tip na článek

Tip: Find out more about when and how to terminate an insurance policy in our article.

Summary

Insurance is a key tool to protect against unforeseen risks. Different types of insurance offer specific services and coverages that can be tailored to your individual needs.When choosing insurance, it is important to consider the factors affecting the price and scope of the policy, including deductibles and personal or property parameters. In addition, it’s important to know your policy options and termination rules to avoid unwanted complications.

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Author of the article

JUDr. Ondřej Preuss, Ph.D.

Ondřej is the attorney who came up with the idea of providing legal services online. He's been earning his living through legal services for more than 10 years. He especially likes to help clients who may have given up hope in solving their legal issues at work, for example with real estate transfers or copyright licenses.

Education
  • Law, Ph.D, Pf UK in Prague
  • Law, L’université Nancy-II, Nancy
  • Law, Master’s degree (Mgr.), Pf UK in Prague
  • International Territorial Studies (Bc.), FSV UK in Prague

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