Body Part Insurance

It may be surprising to learn that insuring body parts isn't just done by the rich and famous. Though this coverage can be expensive, it can also help provide you with a hefty reimbursement should a tragedy occur. If you depend on specific parts of your body for your career, you, too, may want to look into a type of coverage known as body part insurance.

Fortunately, an independent insurance agent can help you find the right body part insurance policy. They'll make sure you walk away with an appropriate blend of coverage and cost. But first, here's a breakdown of what body part insurance is and when you might want to get it.

What Is Body Part Insurance?

Body part insurance is an extension of disability insurance. This coverage can reimburse you for severe injuries or ailments to a part of your body that you rely on for income. For example, surgeons rely heavily on their hands to perform operations, and, as such, may choose to get body part insurance. This coverage could provide a replacement of a portion of their income for several months or more if they had to miss work during recovery after an accident, etc., left them without the full, normal use of their hands.

How Do You Qualify for Body Part Insurance?

To qualify for body part insurance, an individual must provide proof that this part of their body is an asset to their career. They'll need to be able to show the insurance company that the loss of this limb or other body part, even temporarily, could cause major financial losses due to the inability to continue working without it. Typically, the individual must also provide proof that they are a trained professional in their field, such as surgery.

Why Do Celebrities Insure Body Parts?

If you've picked up a celebrity gossip magazine or watched a recent television show, you've likely heard about body part insurance. Celebrities seek insurance policies for specific body parts to guarantee they can receive reimbursement if they're put out of work due to an injury or other unfortunate circumstance. You may have heard of singers insuring their vocal cords, athletes insuring their arms and legs, or supermodels insuring their facial features.

Since some celebrities depend on specific parts of their bodies for their careers, and to continue generating income, it might make sense that they'd want to get insurance. Without body part insurance, a celebrity could stand to lose substantial revenue if they can't work after a car accident, a physical altercation, or another incident. Whether they're permanently or just temporarily out of work, having a body part insurance policy could help them make up for lost income while they're recovering.

How Much Coverage Does Body Part Insurance Provide?

The specific percentage of income that can be replaced by body part insurance can depend on the specifics of your policy. Often, disability insurance policies can replace up to 60% of a person's typical income while they must miss work to recover from an injury, etc. However, this percentage may vary depending on your career, which body part you insure, and other factors.

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Which Parts of the Body Are Insurable?

Insuring a body part isn't just a publicity stunt used by the rich and famous. The purpose of getting body part coverage is to supplement lost income if a body part gets damaged, injured, scarred, handicapped, or lost. If you had a specific part of your body that was solely responsible for generating your income, you could take out an insurance policy for it. 

You can get body part insurance for just about any part of your body. If you're a successful pianist, for example, you might choose to get a body part insurance policy for your hands. That way, if you ever sustained an injury or came down with a condition that required surgery and a long recovery, you could supplement your income while you're unable to perform shows or record albums. An independent insurance agent can help you find the body part insurance you need to protect your livelihood.

How to Insure a Body Part

Because body part insurance isn't offered by standard insurance companies and is highly personalized, it's typically not accessible to the general public. But if you can afford it, there's no reason why you can't buy it. Body part insurance is still available to non-celebrities through the specialty insurance market.

Specialty insurance providers, such as Lloyd’s of London, often insure body parts. Most policies are created from scratch, customized specifically to a person's needs. However, this personal customization, in addition to having to purchase a policy from a specialty provider, can result in an expensive premium that's not affordable for many individuals. That's another reason why you typically hear of body part insurance only being purchased by rich celebrities.

Why Do Business Owners Purchase Body Part Insurance? 

Business owners look to body part insurance policies to help keep their businesses open if their own ability to do so is compromised due to a damaged body part or function. A chef or wine expert who loses the ability to taste or smell could easily lose their business and livelihood if those senses were compromised due to an injury or illness. Some business insurance companies offer coverage for “death and dismemberment” resulting from an accident. 

While not as glamorous as a policy on a movie star’s legs, this is a more affordable way to supplement income if you lose a body part and can't work. However, for such a policy to apply, a body part typically must actually be lost. This means that death and dismemberment coverage usually doesn’t cover lost income due to just an injury. So, business owners might want specialty body part insurance in case of injury or other scenarios not as severe as the loss of a limb.

How Much Does Body Part Insurance Cost?

Body part insurance is highly customizable and always personalized for each individual. Because of this, it's nearly impossible to offer average costs or even quotes for this specialty coverage. You can expect to pay much more for body part insurance than for a regular disability insurance policy.

An independent insurance agent can help you find exact prices for body part insurance. They'll provide you with quotes from a number of different carriers near you. Remember that you'll have to go through the specialty market to find body part insurance. Your independent insurance agent has access to multiple carriers in the specialty market.

The Bottom Line on Body Part Insurance

If you're a business owner or otherwise in a profession that depends on a part of your body, you may want a body part insurance policy so you don't lose your full income if your business must shut down due to an accident. Otherwise, body part insurance policies are unnecessary and too expensive for the average person. An independent insurance agent can help you figure out whether this coverage is right for you.

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Why Work with an Independent Insurance Agent?

Getting body part insurance isn't easy for the general public. However, an independent insurance agent can help guide you to the appropriate policy through the specialty lines insurance market. They'll help you find the right kind of body part insurance for your unique career and situation. And down the road, your agent can help you file claims or update your policy as necessary.