Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed and known small loss to prevent a large, possibly devastating loss. An insurer is a company selling the insurance; an insured or policyholder is the person or entity buying the insurance. The insurance rate is a factor used to determine the amount to be charged for a certain amount of insurance coverage, called the premium. Risk management, the practice of appraising and controlling risk, has evolved as a discrete field of study and practice.
Insurance | Principles of insurance | Idemnification insurance | Insurers' business model | History of insurance
Types of insurance | Auto insurance | Home insurance | Health insurance | Accident, Sickness and Unemployment Insurance
Casualty insurance | Life insurance | Property insurance | Liability insurance | Credit insurance
Other types insurance | Insurance financing vehicles | Closed community self-insurance
Insurance companies | Global insurance industry | Controversies
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