Coinsurance clauses, explained | Kin insurance glossary (2024)

What is a coinsurance clause?

Homeowners insurance policies typically have a coinsurance clause that requires you to carry coverage worth a certain percentage of your home’s value. Failure to meet the requirement reduces your compensation after a loss.

What policies have coinsurance clauses?

Almost all property insurance policies – including homeowners insurance – includes a coinsurance clause. By requiring property owners to carry coverage at least equal to some percentage of a property’s total value, coinsurance clauses help to fairly distribute risk between policyholders and insurance companies.

The amount of coverage required by a coinsurance clause can vary by provider or policy, but typically ranges from 80% to 100%. If a property owner doesn't carry coverage equal to or greater than the amount required by their coinsurance clause, then their coinsurance has not been satisfied.

How does coinsurance work?

Coinsurance clauses are a feature of almost all home insurance policies to encourage policyholders to carry an appropriate amount of coverage. The clause does this by requiring you to insure your home for a percentage of your home’s actual cash value or its replacement cost. Basically, the coinsurance clause prevents you from underinsuring your home.

If you don’t insure your property at the specified percentage, typically at least 80% of its value, you can face a coinsurance penalty.

What is a coinsurance penalty?

A coinsurance penalty is the amount you may have to pay for a loss if you do not insure your home for the amount required in your policy’s coinsurance clause. Your insurer still covers your loss but only for a percentage of what you might expect.

An example of when coinsurance is satisfied

Let’s say your home’s replacement cost value is $200,000, and your coinsurance requirement is 80%. You need to insure your home for at least $160,000 to avoid the penalty.

Please note: Insuring your home for $160,000 satisfies the coinsurance clause, but it may leave you short when you need to replace your property. Even though your replacement cost is $200,000, the most your insurance provider might pay is $160,000 for a total loss. And that doesn’t take your deductible into consideration.

An example of when coinsurance isn’t satisfied

But now let’s say you want to save money and decide to insure your $200,000 home for only $100,000. When you file a claim, your insurer will realize your coverage falls short of the requirement and use a formula to determine your penalty. The penalty amount is deducted from your claim settlement.

The same is true if you choose to insure your home for its actual cash value and fail to secure sufficient coverage. But in that case, your insurance provider also deducts your property’s depreciation from your reimbursem*nt.

Factors that affect coinsurance amounts

Perhaps the trickiest part of the coinsurance clause is the valuation. Your home’s value can change due to inflation and home improvements, like:

  • Finishing your basem*nt.

  • Upgrading your electrical.

  • Replacing your windows.

  • Landscaping your yard.

A change in your home’s value can mean you fall short of the coinsurance clause requirements. On the other hand, depreciation may mean you’re paying too much for your insurance, so be sure to get your home appraised semi-regularly.

How can I avoid a coinsurance penalty?

A coinsurance penalty can be an unpleasant surprise when you’re trying to recover from a loss. However, you can avoid it. Here’s how:

  • Find out what your coinsurance clause is. You can usually find this information in the “conditions” section of your policy under the heading Loss Settlement.

  • Determine the value of your house on a regular basis. Get an appraisal once every three years.

  • Set your insurance limits appropriately. Take the information you’ve gathered and review it with an agent. They can help you fulfill the coinsurance clause requirement.

Staying on top of your policy is an important part of owning a home. Check out our blog for more tips on getting the most out of your home insurance.

Coinsurance clauses, explained | Kin insurance glossary (2024)

FAQs

Coinsurance clauses, explained | Kin insurance glossary? ›

A coinsurance clause is a provision that requires you to carry coverage equal to 80% of your home's value. The date of issue is the day your insurance company creates your insurance policy.

How does a coinsurance clause work? ›

Coinsurance is a clause used in insurance contracts by insurance companies on property insurance policies such as buildings. This clause ensures policyholders insure their property to an appropriate value and that the insurer receives a fair premium for the risk.

What does 80% coinsurance clause mean? ›

Coinsurance kicks in after the policy deductible is satisfied. One of the most common coinsurance breakdowns is the 80/20 split: The insurer pays 80%, the insured 20%. Copays require the insured to pay a set dollar amount at the time of the service.

What does 100 coinsurance clause mean? ›

100% coinsurance: You're responsible for the entire bill. 0% coinsurance: You aren't responsible for any part of the bill — your insurance company will pay the entire claim.

How to explain coinsurance to a client? ›

The percentage of costs of a covered health care service you pay (20%, for example) after you've paid your deductible.

What are the rules for coinsurance? ›

Coinsurance is a property policy requirement that means you must insure your home or office to a specific value, often 80% of its replacement cost at the time of the loss.

What is the intent of coinsurance clause? ›

A purpose of the Coinsurance clause in a Major Medical Policy is to discourage overutilization of the insurance coverage.

Does 80 coinsurance mean I pay 80? ›

Here's an example of how coinsurance costs work: John's health plan has 80/20 coinsurance. This means that after John has met his deductible, his plan pays 80% of covered costs, and John pays 20%.

Is it better to have 80% or 100% coinsurance? ›

Common coinsurance is 80%, 90%, or 100% of the value of the insured property. The higher the percentage is, the worse it is for you. It is important to note, as a way of preventing frustration and confusion at the time of loss, coverage through the NREIG program has no coinsurance.

What is the difference between a deductible clause and a coinsurance clause? ›

A fixed percentage of the claim amount the policyholder needs to pay over and above the deductible. You must pay the copay amount every time you make a health insurance claim. You need to make the coinsurance payment only after exhausting the deductible. The copay amount has to be paid at the time of filing the claim.

What is an 80 20 coinsurance clause? ›

In an 80% / 20% coinsurance health plan, that means the insurer pays 80% of the allowed medical expense, and you pay 20% of the allowed medical expense. The same principle applies if the coinsurance is different.

What is a good coinsurance percentage? ›

When you look at your policy, you'll see your coinsurance shown as a fraction—something like 80/20 or 70/30. Most folks are used to having a standard 80/20 coinsurance policy, which means you're responsible for 20% of your medical expenses, and your health insurance will handle the remaining 80%.

Do you pay coinsurance after out-of-pocket maximum? ›

Then, when you've met the deductible, you may be responsible for a percentage of covered costs (this is called coinsurance). These payments count toward your out-of-pocket maximum. When you reach that amount, the insurance plan pays 100% of covered expenses.

What is coinsurance for dummies? ›

Coinsurance is the percentage of value that the policyholder is required to insurance If you insure your property for less than that amount your insurance company imposes a “coinsurance penalty” once a claim is filed.

What is an example of a coinsurance clause? ›

What Does an 80% Coinsurance Mean for an Insurance Policy? The stated percentage is usually 80%, 90%, or 100% of the property value for a co-insurance clause. For example, a $1 million building with 80% co-insurance must be insured for no less than $800,000.

What is an example of 80% coinsurance? ›

A building has an actual replacement value of $1,000,000 and has an 80% coinsurance clause but is insured for only $500,000. Since its insured value is less than 80% of its actual replacement cost value there will be a coinsurance penalty at the time of a loss.

How does coinsurance work if you haven t met your deductible? ›

You pay the coinsurance plus any deductibles you owe. If you've paid your deductible: you pay 20% of $100, or $20. The insurance company pays the rest. If you haven't paid your deductible yet: you pay the full allowed amount, $100 (or the remaining balance until you have paid your yearly deductible, whichever is less).

What does 20% coinsurance mean? ›

A 20% coinsurance means your insurance company will pay for 80% of the total cost of the service, and you are responsible for paying the remaining 20%. Coinsurance can apply to office visits, special procedures, and medications.

How does 25% coinsurance work? ›

That means the balance on the bill would be $20,000 after you pay the deductible. You then pay the 25% coinsurance of your policy, up to the plan's $7,500 out-of-pocket maximum. In this case, you would pay another $5,000 because that's 25% of $20,000.

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