Glossary/Terms Flashcards
TERM: Accelerated Benefits
Riders attached to life insurance policies which allow death benefits to be used to cover nursing or convalescent home expenses.
TERM: Accident
An unplanned, unforeseen event which occurs suddenly and at an unspecified place.
TERM: Accident Insurance
A type of insurance that protects the insured against loss due to accidental bodily injury.
TERM: Accidental Bodily Injury
Unplanned, unforeseen traumatic injury to the body.
TERM: Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D)
An insurance policy which pays a specified amount or a specified multiple of the insured’s benefit if the insured dies, loses his/her sight, or loses two limbs due to an accident.
TERM: Accidental Death Benefits
A policy rider that states that the cause of death will be analyzed to determine if it complies with the policy description of accidental death.
TERM: Accidental Death Insurance
An insurance policy that provides payment if the insured’s death is the result of an accident.
TERM: Accumulation Period
The time over which the annuitant makes payments or investments in an annuity, and when those payments earn interest tax deferred.
TERM: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
An infectious and incurable disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
TERM: Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Activities individuals must do every day such as moving about, getting dressed, eating, bathing, etc.
TERM: Actual Cash Value (ACV)
The required amount to pay damages or for property loss, which is calculated based on the property’s current replacement value minus depreciation.
TERM: Actual Charge
The amount a physician or supplier actually bills for a particular service or supply.
TERM: Actuary
A person trained in the technical aspects of insurance and related fields, particularly in the mathematics of insurance; a person who, on behalf of the company, determines the mathematical probability of loss.
TERM: Adhesion
A contract offered on a “take-it-or-leave-it” basis by an insurer, in which the insured’s only option is to accept or reject the contract. Any ambiguities in the contract will be settled in favor of the insured.
TERM: Adjustable Life
Life insurance which permits changes in the face amount, premium amount, period of protection, and the duration of the premium payment period.
TERM: Adjuster
A representative of an insurance company who investigates and acts on the behalf of the company to obtain agreements for the amount of the insurance claim.
TERM: Administrator
An individual appointed by a court as a fiduciary to settle the financial affairs and estate of a deceased person.
TERM: Admitted (Authorized) Insurer
An insurance company authorized and licensed to transact business in a particular state.
TERM: Adult Day Care
A program for impaired adults that attempts to meet their health, social, and functional needs in a setting away from their homes.
TERM: Adverse Selection
The tendency of risks with higher probability of loss to purchase and maintain insurance more often than the risks who present lower probability.
TERM: Agency
An insurance sales office or company.
TERM: Agent
An individual who is licensed to sell, negotiate, or effect insurance contracts on behalf of an insurer.
TERM: Agent’s Authority
Special powers granted to an agent by his or her agency contract.
TERM: Aleatory
A contract in which participating parties exchange unequal amounts. Insurance contracts are aleatory in that the amount the insured will pay in premiums is unequal to the amount the insurer will pay in the event of a loss.
TERM: Alien Insurer
An insurance company that is incorporated outside the United States.
TERM: Alzheimer’s Disease
A disease that causes the victim to become dysfunctional due to degeneration of brain cells causing severe memory loss.
TERM: Ancillary
Additional, miscellaneous services provided by a hospital, such as x-rays, anesthesia, and lab work, but not hospital room and board expenses.
TERM: Annual Statement
A detailed financial report that an insurance company must submit every year to the insurance department of state(s) in which it conducts business.
TERM: Annuity
A contract that provides income for a specified period of years, or for life.
TERM: Apparent Authority
The appearance or the assumption of authority based on the actions, words, or deeds of the principal or because of circumstances the principal created.
TERM: Applicant
A person making application for, or offering him/herself or another to be insured under an insurance contract.
TERM: Application
A document that provides information for underwriting purposes. After the policy is issued, any unanswered questions are considered waived by the insurer.
TERM: Approved Amount
The amount Medicare determines to be reasonable for a service that is covered under part B of Medicare.
TERM: Assignment (Life)
The transfer of ownership rights of a life insurance policy from one person to another.
TERM: Assignment (Health)
A claim to a provider or medical supplier to receive payments directly from Medicare.
TERM: Attained Age
The age of the insured at a determined date.
TERM: Attending Physician’s Statement (APS)
A statement usually obtained from the applicant’s doctor.
TERM: Authorized (Admitted) Insurer
An insurance company authorized and licensed to transact business in a particular state.
TERM: Avoidance
A method of dealing with risk by deliberately keeping away from it (e.g. if a person wanted to avoid the risk of being killed in an airplane crash, he/she might choose never to fly in a plane).
TERM: Back-End Load
a fee charged at the time of a sale, transfer or withdrawal from an annuity or a life insurance policy.
TERM: Basic Hospital Expense Insurance
Coverage that provides benefits for room, board and miscellaneous hospital expenses for a certain number of days during a hospital stay.
TERM: Basic Illustration
A ledger or proposal used in the sale of a life insurance policy that shows both guaranteed and nonguaranteed elements.
TERM: Basic Medical Expense Insurance
Coverage for doctor visits, x-rays, lab tests, and emergency room visits; benefits, however, are limited to specified dollar amounts.
TERM: Beneficiary
The person who receives the proceeds from the policy when the insured dies.
TERM: Benefit Period
The length of time over which the insurance benefits will be paid for each illness, disability or hospital stay.
TERM: Binder (Binding Receipt)
A temporary contract that puts an insurance policy into force before the premium has been paid.
TERM: Birthday Rule
The method of determining primary coverage for a dependent child, under which the plan of the parent whose birthday occurs first in the calendar year is designated as primary.