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Why do caregivers need insurance?
Tension runs high when you're taking care of a family's loved one, and accidents can happen even when you're providing the best possible care. Home caregiver insurance can help cover costly risks, from client injuries to negligence lawsuits.
Save money on insurance
Personal care aides, homemakers, and companions can save money by comparing free quotes from top-rated insurers with Insureon.
Gain financial protection and peace of mind knowing you have the right coverage for home care services.
What types of business insurance and bonds do personal care providers need?
These insurance policies cover the most common risks of caregiving.
General liability insurance
General liability insurance covers basic home health care service risks, such as a client with Alzheimer's slipping and suffering an injury while in your custodial care.
BEST FOR
- Slip-and-fall accidents
- Damaged customer property
- Libel and other advertising injuries
Professional liability / medical malpractice
This policy can pay for legal costs related to work performance, such as an accusation of negligence from a client's family member. It's also called errors and omissions insurance (E&O).
BEST FOR
- Negligence of daily living responsibilities
- Work mistakes or oversights
- Failure to deliver promised services
Workers’ compensation insurance
Most states require workers’ comp for home care businesses that have full-time or part-time employees. It also protects sole proprietors from work injury costs that health insurance might deny.
BEST FOR
- Employee medical expenses
- Disability benefits
- Lawsuits over employee injuries
Commercial auto insurance
Most states require commercial auto insurance for business vehicles owned by a carer. It helps cover the cost of an accident involving your company vehicle.
BEST FOR
- Damage caused by your vehicle
- Medical bills from an auto accident
- Vehicle theft and vandalism
Cyber insurance
This policy helps in-home care businesses survive data breaches and cyberattacks. It can often be added to a business owner's policy or general liability policy for savings.
BEST FOR
- Customer notification expenses
- Data breach lawsuits
- Fraud monitoring costs
Fidelity bonds
Fidelity bonds for caregivers and non-medical aides compensate clients if an employee from your business steals from them. Non-medical home health companies often need these bonds to obtain client contracts.
BEST FOR
- Employee theft or fraud
- Unlawful data access by an employee
- Illegal fund transfer by an employee
Looking for different coverage? See more policies.
How much does business insurance cost for healthcare professionals?
A personal care aide or companion caregiver will likely have lower premiums than a registered nurse or home healthcare provider who also manages their clients' medical care.
Factors that affect the cost of insurance include:
- Level of care offered, such as skilled nursing care, meal preparation, or short-term respite care
- Business property and equipment
- Business income and size
- Types of business insurance purchased
- Policy limits and deductibles
How do I get caregiver business insurance?
It’s easy to get insurance coverage for in-home care, including special needs and elder care, if you have your business information on hand. Our insurance application will ask for basic facts about your business, such as revenue and number of employees. You can buy a policy online and get a certificate of insurance with Insureon in three easy steps:
- Complete a free online application
- Compare insurance quotes and choose policies
- Pay for your policy and download a certificate
Insureon's licensed agents work with top-rated U.S. providers to find the right types of coverage for your home care agency, whether you work independently or hire employees.
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Common questions about caregivers insurance
Find answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about non-medical home health aide insurance.
What other coverage should home care service professionals carry?
Caregivers may need additional protection depending on the type of work they do and their risks. Fortunately, it's possible to modify your policy to cover a wide range of property and malpractice claims, including:
- Telemedicine / telehealth coverage for legal cases related to inadequate or harmful virtual care
- Needlestick coverage for protection against injuries caused by needles and other sharps
- HIPAA defense coverage for defense against claims that you violated the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- Caregiver bonds, also referred to as home health bonds, for protection against theft and fraud conducted by dishonest employees
Consult a licensed insurance agent to find out about any exclusions or to add other types of liability coverage to your policy.
Do caregivers need to carry medical malpractice insurance?
Even though caregivers are non-medical professionals and state laws often don't require coverage, medical malpractice insurance is a crucial part of risk management for home health businesses.
Below are key reasons why malpractice insurance for caregivers is essential:
- Your employer may require it. The healthcare facility you work for may require you to carry malpractice coverage or it may be required to sign contracts to work at specific client homes.
- Your employer's coverage may be limited. Your employer might provide coverage that is effective only in certain situations or for smaller claims, or you might prefer to have your own legal representation.
- Peace of mind is priceless. Anytime you're providing in-home care, you're at high risk for client malpractice lawsuits. These lawsuits can get expensive and without insurance coverage, you can find yourself having to pay hefty attorney's fees and other legal expenses out-of-pocket. Malpractice insurance lets you focus on your work with peace of mind knowing that you are financially protected.
Fortunately, it's possible to save money on malpractice insurance costs. Insureon's easy application process lets you compare quotes to find the best insurance plan for your specific needs and budget.
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Alerting yourself to potential lawsuit triggers can help to ensure that your home health care business doesn't face allegations of negligence or malpractice.
How do occurrence and claims-made insurance policies differ?
Insurance policies come in two forms: occurrence-based and claims-made.
Home health aide malpractice insurance is usually sold as a claims-made policy, which means you’ll need to keep your policy active in order to benefit from it. Most other types of business insurance, such as general liability insurance, are occurrence-based policies. These provide coverage during the policy period even after your policy expires.
With a claims-made policy like malpractice, it's crucial to have continuous coverage. You can secure coverage for incidents that happened in the past by setting a retroactive date with your insurance company. And for malpractice claims that happen after you retire or cancel your coverage, you can add tail coverage to extend the window in which you can file a claim.
Learn more about the differences between occurrence-based and claims-made policies.
Are caregivers required to be licensed and certified?
Depending on the state you live in, you may be required to obtain a caregiver license or certification before you can start working.
For example, New York requires caregivers to complete a 40-hour training program approved by the Department of Health. On the other hand, some states like Arizona and Ohio do not have any training requirements for caregivers to work in private-pay agencies.
Licensing and certification requirements vary by state. Depending on where you work, you may need to:
- Complete a training program that is approved by your state
- Obtain a certain number of hours of practical experience
- Pass a licensing exam
- Submit a caregiver license or certification application
- Take continuing education courses
Even if your state doesn't require a caregiver certification or license, getting one is advantageous for many reasons. Not only will it open the door to more job opportunities since some in-home agencies may require one, you will also most likely earn more with a certification or license.